Getting and Keeping a Good Beta

2009-07-31T06:48:00.001-07:00

A good beta is not just someone who reads what you write. A good beta is someone who lives and breathes what you write just as passionately as you do; it’s someone who can correct the grammar and spelling errors, help you with flow and content and still tell you how much they love this turn of phrase or that word choice and that they love the story.

Unfortunately good betas are hard to come by. As much as we’d love to have our best friend or our boyfriend reading what we write, the truth is that unless that person is a write themselves, they probably aren’t able to give constructive feedback. They’re often afraid of hurting our feeling or just aren’t aware of the elements that go into making a good story. So the first rule of thumb is not having a close friend or family member beta-ing for us.

How do you go about getting this beta, you ask? Well there’s one tried and proven way—networking. If you post your stories online in forums or on websites designed specifically for writers, chances are you’ve had someone read your posts. Leaving reviews for others in the hopes that they’ll read your work is also a good tactic. Get your name out there, and pay attention to the people you’re in forums with and who leave reviews for you. Look for someone who writes your genre and whose writing style you enjoy and when you find someone—ASK! If you don’t ask you’ll never know what you’ve potentially lost.

Finally, once you have a beta the real work begins. It’s often a good idea for you to beta for each other but above all else keep a dialogue open. Tell each other what you think, ask questions when something nags at you, show appreciate for fine work and express concern where it’s due. Talk about other things as well, everything from life to the newest book out. Inexperienced friends don’t make good betas, but the person who started out as your beta and later became your friend still knows how to critique your writing.

Hi and Welcome!

2009-07-31T06:31:00.000-07:00

Hi and welcome to my blog! My name's Whitney and I'm a freelance writer. I'm currently working part time and going to college so finding the time and energy to write can be hard but I'm pushing through. I'm going through a lot of changes right now, which makes for lots of interesting ideas and observations.

It's my intent to post an article or an excerpt regularly here so we'll see how that goes. My first article will be going up momentarily.

Blessed Be
~*Whitney

White Isle Writer

Getting and Keeping a Good Beta

Hi and Welcome!