I want to give a shout out to my beta reader, Cindy Zelman. I feel I can say now that I’m currently working on a novel (which is why you haven’t seen much news about smaller pieces for a while), and I’m taking my time with the project. The first draft is done, and now I’m working on the first revision.
When I was a writing student, I found it hard, as many students do, when a teacher pointed out problems with my drafts. Often I thought the piece was done (after numerous drafts, of course), and here is someone telling me it still needs work. A sentence I loved doesn’t work. I’m “telling” more than “showing.” I don’t have enough description — or I have too much. The pacing is off. The piece doesn’t know yet what it wants to say.
Ugh. Forget it all, then! I’ll work mowing lawns! (And there’s nothing wrong with that.)
I learned fast that no one expects a draft to be brilliant right from the beginning. Even the most famous writers have editors who help improve their drafts — you often see them thanked in the acknowledgments. A good writer takes in feedback and sorts through what feels right and what doesn’t, all in the service of producing the best possible piece. It’s a balance – you have to stick to your “voice” and “style” and occasionally break the rules or allow yourself something that just FEELS right. But you also need a reader’s perspective to understand what simply isn’t working. Feedback is invaluable — I’ve learned to relish it from a good reader. In a long manuscript especially, there is so much that can trip the project up along the way.
My friend Cindy Zelman is a very good reader. She has been reading my draft chapter by chapter, pointing out things that have helped improve every one. I know that if and when I do finish this book, regardless of whether or not it’s ever published, that feedback will have helped every step of the way.
So here is a shout out to Cindy and all good beta readers. We couldn’t do it without you! (And I always enjoy returning the favor, as Cindy is a great writer herself.)
Onward.