So we all know how subjective an assessment of any novel can be – we see it all the time in conflicting book reviews, Amazon and Goodreads ratings, or, as demonstrated in every book group I’ve ever attend, the amazing array of reader reactions possible to the exact same book… Instinctively, I think we all know that our work cannot please everyone all the time. How then does a new writer know if the work he or she is producing is going to be of a standard that will attract an agent or editor’s interest? How (at the most basic level) do you know if you’ve written something that’s actually ‘good enough’ for publication?
Most writers I know suffer from a fair measure of self-doubt as well as ambition, and many, by their own account, are never totally sure when they complete a new draft whether others are actually going to like it. That’s where beta readers, critique groups and manuscript/first page critique sessions come in – these all provide writers with some initial feedback on their work. This is also where the thorn in every writer’s side comes in – subjectivity. We’ve all heard stories of agents and editors who didn’t like the next book a writer they previously loved produced, or books rejected dozens of times only to be picked up by that one elusive editor and nurtured to success. Remember how many times the first Harry Potter book was rejected only to then go on to be bestseller…well, many writers cling to that hope – but how to know when that hope is possibly true or, sadly, unfounded? Art by its very nature is subjective…so how is a new writer to gauge the success of their current WIP without being driven crazy by the spectre of ‘subjectivity’ ?
I admit I am just as plagued by self-doubt as the next writer and even when I think something I’ve written is pretty good I’m never sure anyone else is going to think the same…so when working with my own beta readers/critique partners I adopt the following approach in order to keep my sanity:
- I ask for both an overall assessment as well as specific feedback on elements in the story that are critical ( e.g. POV, narrative flow and character) or areas where I know I am weakest (hello, plot and structure!). This enables my readers to pinpoint some elements that may not work as well as others (and hopefully avoid the vague “I’m not sure why I didn’t like that bit…” kind of response).
- I look for consistency of the same feedback. If everyone feels like the POV isn’t as strong as could be, then there’s probably merit in considering reworking it. If only one person doesn’t like a particular element, I may be less sure…and I may need to probe their response a little deeper.
- I accept the likes and dislikes of my beta readers. All of mine love historical fiction but some have a preference for lighter or darker mysteries, while others aren’t really into speculative or fantasy elements…and so I tailor my feedback requests to take this into account.
- I reach out to new beta readers/critique partners that represent the readers I am targeting in my current WIP. If it’s a children’s book for example, I think children should give their feedback, not just adults.
- I realize the limitations of any feedback and try to critically reappraise my own work as well. Just after I’ve finished a draft I’m usually too close to the material to take a step back and process its overall merits. I need to give myself time and space so I can re-evaluate my work – because often your own gut feel is just as important.
- I try to accept that failure is the only means to achieving ultimate success. No matter the blow to one’s ego, sometimes we have to admit it that something doesn’t work and move on. I strongly believe that each ‘failure’ is an important learning step on the path to success (even if it does suck sometimes!)
What about you? How do you deal with the thorny ‘subjectivity’ issue when it comes to feedback for your own work? What process do you use to gain the confidence that your work really is ready…in terms of being ‘good’, ‘marketable’ or ‘publication ready’?
Recently I had a beta reader tell me one of my favorite scenes seemed not to fit. I loved the scene, so I decided I was going to keep it. Then another beta said the same thing. When two or more betas hit the same thing, I seriously consider “killing my darlings.” This time I did, and it was the right decision, though painful.
But who said this gig was going to be easy?
Exactly – I’ve had to kill a few of my darlings based on that kind of feedback:) Keeps you humble, that’s for sure!
My critique group is extremely helpful, except for one member who either doesn’t “get” what I’m trying to do with my stories, or simply dislikes me personally…or both! It’s a new group and we’re still getting comfortable with one another.
Yet even my ‘detractor’ has good feedback from time to time.
I also use beta readers, and the responses are very interesting. Those who liked or loved my first novel are generally insufficiently critical because they respond with “I can’t wait to see what happens next,” “I don’t want any spoilers,” etc. I guess you could say that they trust me to take them on an entertaining ride, so much so that they overlook or can’t see the weaknesses.
The new beta readers’ feedback is more helpful. New betas are more likely to find the weaknesses even when they can’t articulate the weaknesses.
My best feedback comes from my editors, but they don’t get to see the project until I feel it’s ready…and then, invariably, they find more weaknesses.
It’s very tricky to find a critique group that doesn’t have at least one ‘detractor’ – and that can be very challenging as sometimes the feedback is more about them than about your work…So having reliable, honest beta readers is a must. I also have some who always ‘love’ everything I write and I have to tell them to put aside that and really concentrate on giving me ah honest, no-holds-barred critical appraisal.
Totally agree with Clare and Jim’s point about consistency of criticism. If one beta comments on something negatively, I look at it. If two comment negatively on the same thing, I change it.
Clare’s point about finding betas in your target audience is also good, especially for children’s writing. But to go against the grain, I like to use betas who don’t normally read the genre I’m writing in. An enthusiastic genre fan will almost always have a positive response (perhaps false) because they’re conditioned to already like the genre, be it romance, historical fiction, fantasy, etc.
As a reader, I’m a sucker for a great voice in crime fiction and will overlook plot problems and inconsistencies, just as a person overlooks a good friend’s flaws. I became aware of my blind spot when reading TKZ’s first page critiques. I’d get so wrapped up in the author’s voice that I didn’t notice glaring problems until I read comments from other readers.
So if I can hook a beta who isn’t already predisposed to read–or even like–thriller/suspense, I feel like I’ve really done my job. If you can overcome the objections and prejudices of a non-fan, that’s harder than convincing the choir you’re singing to.
Debbie – you make an excellent point about having beta writers who aren’t already ‘loving’ the genre you write in. That being said sometimes it’s hard when beta readers really aren’t into say YA and feel they cannot constructively comment on the MS as they don’t typically read that kind of thing. Still I find their feedback helpful!
Critique groups are like parties: they all have their own dynamics and chemistry. If you get into a good constructive one, it can be wonderful. A bad one can be dispiriting, and none of us soft-shell turtles need that! I didn’t know what to expect when I joined mine. But we are all published on some level (so there is no pity party attitude or “there’s a New York cabal conspiring to keep me out!”). What’s interesting is that all five of us write in different tones from dark and hardboiled to light and humorous. It took me a while to learn to respect the lighter toned stuff but I have learned to tailor my input to the individual writer’s book-personality. Ditto them to mine, which is on the dark side. I had one member who flat out told me at one point, “I really don’t like your protag.” At first I was miffed but then I realized this was the response I was going for — it was part of this character’s arc. But my friend’s input was very valuable in helping me go back and smooth out my protag’s rougher edges some and make him someone readers want to root for.
Also, each of us seems to bring unique strengths to the process. I am really good at police/cop/forensics procedure and plot logic, so this helps my buds who struggle with this. They each help me with my biggest weakness — my tendency to underwrite.
I get by with a little help from my beta friends.
So true – I left behind my own critique group in California but still keep in touch with one or two of the group who really help hone my work. All my readers bring different strengths to the process and do help me overcome some of my own weaknesses (mine is a tendency to over complicate things!)
Back in my amateur acting days, there was a critic who just didn’t like my work. I didn’t let it bother me too much, because the audience enjoyed the shows. I had played, in succession, characters described in the scripts themselves, as “obnoxious and disliked,” “pathetic,” and “morose.” Then I played Charlie in “The Foreigner,” a painfully shy, goodhearted and eventually wildly creative guy who saves the day, and the same critic marveled at how much my acting had improved. Lesson learned. Everyone has an opinion. Some of them are based on nothing more than personal reaction. But if I had tried to make the characters somehow likeable, I’d have ruined the show and the audience’s experience. On stage and on the page, you’ve got to serve the story. And you’ve got to find people whose opinion you respect, who understand that.
In fiction, almost everyone’s response is a personal reaction and sometimes they just don’t connect with the story even when others feel it’s compelling. I accept and respect that, but sometimes it does leave you wondering what to do with the opinion – if it’s an outlier I just leave it be:)
I rely greatly on my critique group, several read-throughs of my own, and my cousin’s opinion. She’s an avid reader who makes valid comments on scenes that need fixing. Besides these folks, I haven’t gone the route of soliciting beta readers to read the story all the way through.
I think judging the readiness of one’s own writing gets easier with time. When I finished the first draft of my first non-Nancy Drew story, I was desperate to get what I called “real” feedback–that is, feedback from publishing professionals. I found that feedback by accessing opportunities at a writer’s conference. After I got reassurance that my manuscript was publishable in its quality, I felt more self-confident about judging my own writing. I still rely on critique feedback and beta readers during the writing and editing process, but I no longer need it to assess the overall merit of the work. I’m much more critical of my own work than my beta readers, I’ve learned. So when I get a piece to the point that I’m satisfied with it, I am usually fairly confident that it will be publishable.
I think manuscript critique opportunities at conferences offer invaluable editor or agent feedback. I still suffer from a measure of self-doubt so I’m never totally confident anything I write is publishable!
I cycle from having an ego the size of Texas to cowering under the bed depending on my opinion of my writing. Some days, I hit both ends.
I don’t have a critique group. Small, small town, so limited opportunities for in-person contact, and I am exceedingly reluctant to venture into this as a virtual relationship. In person, I can ‘read’ what a person is saying by all the non-verbal cues. Can’t online.
I use beta-readers that fit my ideal reader and have a couple of family members who are good at providing honest feedback. My wife, because she thinks so linearly, often finds things that don’t work or a description that contradicts a later description/scene/segment. One daughter is the same way. One daughter is my ’emotional’ barometer for the story.
The non-family beta-readers give me feedback on the overall story and are pretty forthcoming about letting me know when things drag – or don’t, in one case where a girl finished the entire manuscript in one sitting and asked for the next story. That fueled a high-ego day.
I try to avoid people who consider a missing comma a catastrophe, and look for ones who are story-oriented. Grammar is always fixable, a bad story less so.
I think we all suffer from those extremes of emotions about our writing:) I also avoid having my beta readers focus on any form of line editing until I need proof reading at the end. As you say a typo can be easily fixed, a story snafu, less so…
I am my own worst critic, so having family members that are willing to give an honest opinion without totally destroying my confidence is very useful.
But it’s also good if you can get someone who doesn’t really know you to provide feedback. Last year I came second in my local Writers Circle’s Flash Fiction (250 words) contest. Part of the prize was a brief critique of my entry which meant just as much to me as the certificate. If you’re unpublished or just starting out, having someone independent say “this is a good story and I enjoyed reading it” can give you a huge confidence boost.
(As for Amazon, I’ve taken to mostly ignoring the 5 star and 1 star reviews. The 2, 3 and 4 stars often seem to give a more balanced view.)
All the Best,
Matthew.
I think independent critiques and competitions are great – sometimes you need someone totally unfamiliar with your work to give you the best initial response.
A couple of questions.
1. How do you go about finding beta readers or critique groups in the first place?
2. At what stage do you show your work to your beta readers? Do you show them early drafts or do you wait until you are pretty happy with it, knowing that if they spot something major it may involve a lot of rewriting?
Thank you in advance.
All the Best,
Matthew.
I’m just me, but I would show my work to a beta reader when I thought it was ready. Not the first draft. No one sees that but me. Probably not the second. But if I’d done three or even four drafts and was starting to feel like, “yeah, nailed this,” then I’d let others that I loo – starting with my “trusted reader,” my wife, who besides having a really good eye for what works, isn’t afraid to pull punches to make me feel better. It’s easier taking it from her, we have some history. After *she* says it’s good to go, then I have enough faith to let it out there.
Boy, talk about first drafts not being ready for the public! Sorry about the garble. I imagine you can guess what I was fumblingly trying to say.
Hi Matthew, and I agree with John that you don’t really get beta readers involved until the draft has been reworked and reworked and you’re pretty sure it’s ‘ready’. I found my critique group after a writing class I took in California. Now I also have some other published writers I’ve met along the way as well as extended family:)
Thank you both.
Mr. Basil Sands is not currently available for content as he is cowering in a bar in the airport awaiting the plane that will take him to Thrillerfest 2015 in NYC where he will not only be on a panel about writing military thrillers but will have a face to face meeting with the publisher who expressed serious interest in both his self-pubbed backlist and his newest series. Judging from the number of empty pint glasses on his table I would say that he is not sure still, even though a couple really really good beta readers who sell lots of excellent books themselves said ICE HAMMER was surprisingly good. Hopefully all those pints will wear off before Wednesday…or before the air marshal misinterprets the terrified look in his eyes.
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