In praise of having multiple beta-readers

[alohadave]

do not lick the cuck chair

Okay, idea just popped up.

The cuck husband is forced to lick the cuck chair and as he does, it occurs to him that this can't be the first time that a husband has been forced to sit in this very chair while their wives were taken by her bull.

Though humiliated at performing the degrading act, he feels a sense of connection with others just like him. At that point he feels less alone and part of a secret community of people just like him.

Edit: Shit. Now I'm tempted to start yet another story.

 

[Omenainen]

Okay, idea just popped up.

The cuck husband is forced to lick the cuck chair and as he does, it occurs to him that this can't be the first time that a husband has been forced to sit in this very chair while their wives were taken by her bull.

Though humiliated at performing the degrading act, he feels a sense of connection with others just like him. At that point he feels less alone and part of a secret community of people just like him.

…and then he gets STD in his throat, and while seeking treatment the doctor says funny, I’ve had so many cases of this lately…

 

[PennyThompson]

Okay, idea just popped up.

The cuck husband is forced to lick the cuck chair and as he does, it occurs to him that this can't be the first time that a husband has been forced to sit in this very chair while their wives were taken by her bull.

Though humiliated at performing the degrading act, he feels a sense of connection with others just like him. At that point he feels less alone and part of a secret community of people just like him.

Edit: Shit. Now I'm tempted to start yet another story.

If you wrote a story titled "Lick the Hotel Cuck Chair," it would make Loving Wives burst into flames.

 

[PennyThompson]

Okay, idea just popped up.

The cuck husband is forced to lick the cuck chair and as he does, it occurs to him that this can't be the first time that a husband has been forced to sit in this very chair while their wives were taken by her bull.

Though humiliated at performing the degrading act, he feels a sense of connection with others just like him. At that point he feels less alone and part of a secret community of people just like him.

Edit: Shit. Now I'm tempted to start yet another story.

 

[lilshymynx]

My biggest fear with asking for beta readers, and the thing that has kept me from doing so, is what if they want me to beta read in return? I don't know what I'm doing how can I beta read for someone when all I'd probably be able to say is, "Looks great, keep going."

Bouncing ideas off of someone else or being a sounding board, yeah sure I could do that all day. (If the day was sufficiently free.)

I've beta read for a few authors here...I don't write...I am in awe of the way some folks like AMD dissect a story. Sometimes just telling them "this part doesn't feel quite right" is enough to get their brain going or to confirm a feeling that they already had.

 

[NuclearFairy]

I've beta read for a few authors here...I don't write...I am in awe of the way some folks like AMD dissect a story. Sometimes just telling them "this part doesn't feel quite right" is enough to get their brain going or to confirm a feeling that they already had.

Yeah, I peek in there sometimes and I always wonder how they do that.

 

[TheWritingGroup]

Okay, idea just popped up.

The cuck husband is forced to lick the cuck chair and as he does, it occurs to him that this can't be the first time that a husband has been forced to sit in this very chair while their wives were taken by her bull.

Though humiliated at performing the degrading act, he feels a sense of connection with others just like him. At that point he feels less alone and part of a secret community of people just like him.

Edit: Shit. Now I'm tempted to start yet another story.

Does it become an actual secret society?

--Annie

 

[dirk2024]

Does it become an actual secret society?

--Annie

Imagine the initiation rites!

 

[Fatdog25]

Imagine the initiation rites!

*** Lucifer has left the chat ***

 

[TheRedChamber]

Different betas bring different strengths.

For instance, on one chapter of a story I had something like:
- Cheer Squad Beta
- Good At Catching SPAG Errors Beta
- Specific Cultural Stuff Beta
- Legal Stuff Beta
- Person Who Really Gets What I'm Trying To Do Beta

If I'd been looking to all five of them to do the same stuff, sure, that would've been largely redundant. As it was, though, they complemented one another. Legal Stuff Beta only saw it after the others had all been over it, and she still spotted a big problem that nobody else had caught because it was in her field.

Fair enough. Not every story is going to need a specific culture or legal reader, and I'm lucky in that the 'person who really gets what I'm trying to do' is also the 'person who knows where the commas go.'

I think the most readers I've ever had on a story was four - largely because the first reader said 'yeah, this is fine' the second reader said 'no, this is horrible' and I started to seek out more opinions.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

A couple people have kindly offered their services on the AH board for reading for a particular type of expertise, which handily coincided with stories I was writing at the time. One was a photographer, and I had a plot point involving photos of someone which had to have been taken by a pro or at least decent kit, and couldn't have been taken by a random on their phone. He gave me words to improve the two throw-away sentences and make it much more convincing, as opposed to me having to gloss over it.

Another was a musician (no longer on Lit) who helped me work out a scene where a covers band needs to get someone to stand in and then they do a gig in a large pub - how much practice and expertise would the stand-in guy need, how much rehearsing would such a band do, what would be the routine for the show, what equipment would the venue have, etc. After a couple drafts I now have a scene that's plausible to people who play in bands. Which is good seeing as the story depends on it (stand-in guitarist had a one-night stand with protagonist, some months earlier...)

 

[TheWritingGroup]

A couple people have kindly offered their services on the AH board for reading for a particular type of expertise, which handily coincided with stories I was writing at the time. One was a photographer, and I had a plot point involving photos of someone which had to have been taken by a pro or at least decent kit, and couldn't have been taken by a random on their phone. He gave me words to improve the two throw-away sentences and make it much more convincing, as opposed to me having to gloss over it.

Another was a musician (no longer on Lit) who helped me work out a scene where a covers band needs to get someone to stand in and then they do a gig in a large pub - how much practice and expertise would the stand-in guy need, how much rehearsing would such a band do, what would be the routine for the show, what equipment would the venue have, etc. After a couple drafts I now have a scene that's plausible to people who play in bands. Which is good seeing as the story depends on it (stand-in guitarist had a one-night stand with protagonist, some months earlier...)

@baffling8929 advised Billie of the Writing Group on both photography and music, and made "Still Picture" a better story.

--Annie

 

[iwatchus]

Anyone who seriously knew early renaissance art or 19th century women's lit would almost certainly save me some embarrassment on my WIP. I am getting further afield from my areas of expertise than I usually do.

 

[redgarters]

Does the story flow, is there something that confused you, something that doesn't make sense? You don't need to know how to fix it, pointing it out for the author to review can be plenty.

Absolutely this. Sometimes what I need is another pair of eyes to tell me "this works okay like you thought it would, but you could maybe make it better here and here and skip this part to make it flow better". Or someone to tell me the whole thing absolutely does not work and I need to change things up, move things or rewrite chapters. And sometimes I need specific things that I don't even know I needed, like when I got an awesome and detailed breakdown of the right terms and realities of land use in North Dakota farming (complete with diagrams) that made all the difference for the realism of a conversation and the MC's character building (thanks @DawnDuckie )
It's all important because it gets me thinking and gives me information that I didn't think of for myself, and it makes the story better. And I've had feedback specifically mention that ND farming conversation as a big point in the reader feeling the story was real and connecting with the character.

If you wrote a story titled "Lick the Hotel Cuck Chair," it would make Loving Wives burst into flames.

Watching the comment secion burn down, with some popcorn handy, might be worth writing the story...

 

[Nynah]

And sometimes I need specific things that I don't even know I needed, like when I got an awesome and detailed breakdown of the right terms and realities of land use in North Dakota farming (complete with diagrams) that made all the difference for the realism of a conversation and the MC's character building (thanks @DawnDuckie )
It's all important because it gets me thinking and gives me information that I didn't think of for myself, and it makes the story better.

I appreciated the little references you sprinkled throughout "A Dream That I Can Call My Own" regarding New York City for this reason. As someone who has lived there, calling out things like street and park names helped me visualize where the characters were in the story and it added to my overall enjoyment. They were sprinkled pretty evenly throughout the narrative so it helped reinforce the setting without being too obvious.

 

[StillStunned]

I had something of an epiphany while reading this thread. In the past I've asked a few people for feedback early on in the writing process (@Devinter and @EmilyMiller are the only ones I remember, plus a quick round of input for my chain story chapter), but nowadays I do everything by myself.

As I've mentioned a few times, plotting isn't my forte. So why don't I ask anyone to help?

Probably because I don't take my stories seriously enough. I'll put some thought into them while writing, and do the best I can by myself. But hassle someone else and weigh the pros and cons of their suggestions? That's really too much effort. I'd probably lose interest, the way I lose interest if I plan too far ahead. Beyond a certain point in the writing process, thinking too much spoils the magic for me.

I should probably add that I take my writing *very* seriously. I care about the words, the sentences, the paragraphs. The sounds and the images. The writing is what I love, and the way it brings a series of events to life. But there's a reason why most of my stories are plot-lite. The story aspect just isn't what I care about.

 

[EmilyMiller]

In the past I've asked a few people for feedback early on in the writing process (@Devinter and @EmilyMiller are the only ones I remember, plus a quick round of input for my chain story chapter), but nowadays I do everything by myself.

So you are saying I put you off of the idea of having beta readers for life?

 

[StillStunned]

So you are saying I put you off of the idea of having beta readers for life?

You made me think too much.

 

[TheLobster]

Probably because I don't take my stories seriously enough. I'll put some thought into them while writing, and do the best I can by myself. But hassle someone else and weigh the pros and cons of their suggestions? That's really too much effort.

I can totally sympathize.

The other thing about going through the feedback cycle with a beta reader is that it involves back-and-forth with myriad comments and suggestions over a shared Google Doc. That’s just feels a little too much like something I often have to do in my day job.

 

[EmilyMiller]

You made me think too much.

Aww! Sorry

 

[Kumquatqueen]

I can totally sympathize.

The other thing about going through the feedback cycle with a beta reader is that it involves back-and-forth with myriad comments and suggestions over a shared Google Doc. That’s just feels a little too much like something I often have to do in my day job.

Ah, this is one reason I love Lit beta readers - they stick some comments in, wang the doc back to me, then I deal with them as I see fit, and publish when I'm happy.

As opposed to getting comments, dealing with them, more come in, then more senior person wants me to change the doc in different ways often putting it back to how I had it in the first place, then letting outsiders give their input, and repeat sometimes for months...

 

[Bamagan]

Ah, this is one reason I love Lit beta readers - they stick some comments in, wang the doc back to me, then I deal with them as I see fit, and publish when I'm happy.

As opposed to getting comments, dealing with them, more come in, then more senior person wants me to change the doc in different ways often putting it back to how I had it in the first place, then letting outsiders give their input, and repeat sometimes for months...

5/5 for the expression 'wang the doc'!

 

[Actingup]

Ah, this is one reason I love Lit beta readers - they stick some comments in, wang the doc back to me, then I deal with them as I see fit, and publish when I'm happy.

As opposed to getting comments, dealing with them, more come in, then more senior person wants me to change the doc in different ways often putting it back to how I had it in the first place, then letting outsiders give their input, and repeat sometimes for months...

And then the whole thing gets scrapped for political reasons.