Writing Tips from a Beta Reader
As some of you know I do freelance beta reading and editing, so I thought I would give you tips that I regularly share with my customers about the aspects of writing a novel. Every writer is different, everyone has their own style, but there are some things that I regularly find in many manuscripts that can be easily improved. So let’s get into it.
1. First chapters are tough - deciding how to open your book is one of the most important parts of making your story work. I’ve read numerous manuscripts where I’ve found that the second or even third chapter were more effective as an opening than the first. That’s why I always suggest imagining your story as a movie. Picture the opening credits and the first sound, and then ask yourself what’s the first scene that would make an exciting opening. Then try to work that into your manuscript.
2. Sometimes a paragraph or a sentence will sound stiff and strange no matter how many times you change it. If it still reads awkwardly after the tenth revision, leave it. Come back to it tomorrow, or a week later. If it still doesn’t work then, simply delete it. Your instinct will tell you when something isn’t working, and you shouldn’t ignore it. It’s much better to describe something in the simplest words than leave an awkward chunk of text that will make your reader confused. And if you’re not sure, run it past your writer friends, or a beta reader like myself. Fresh eyes always help, trust me.
3. The best ideas will stay with you. If you’re meant to write something then you will, and that’s because an idea that is strong and important to you will never let you go. The thing is that some ideas need time to grow. A month, a year, even a decade sometimes. All you need is patience. Finally there will come a breakthrough, a missing piece will fall into place, and just like that you’ll know what to do. Don’t be afraid to abandon a WIP or let go of an outline. If it’s important, it will stay with you until you’re ready to make it work.
4. Trust your reader. I’ve read quite a few manuscripts where the writers tended to over-explain what the character was doing or feeling, etc. even though the situation was clear without the extra descriptions. As writers, we often fear that the readers might not understand why something is happening without sufficient explanation. So here I am, reminding you that readers are hella clever, and they hardly ever need a paragraph explaining what had just happened. But if you’re ever in doubt, run the scene past your friends.
5. There will be scenes in your manuscript that won’t feel right, even when there is seemingly nothing wrong with them. This is a sign that something needs to change. I know that deleting a whole chapter you’ve worked so hard on hurts, so I suggest simply pasting it into another file, and looking at your manuscript from a fresh perspective. Imagine writing the scene again, but perhaps setting it in a different location, or using a different pov. Sometimes, a change of a character’s attitude will make a huge difference. Keep experimenting until you find what makes it tick - and if nothing does, then maybe it’s a sign that you don’t need that scene in the first place.
6. When introducing the MC, we tend to treat them like our children - they feel wonderful and special in every way, and so we try to put all of that on the page too soon. However, long paragraphs of description usually read quite awkwardly and half of the information isn’t even necessary to make the character pop. My advice is that you focus on what makes your character stand out and describe that. Think about it: when you meet a new person, you see their most interesting features first. Your brain will most likely ignore that the person has brown hair and instead focus on the dense galaxy of freckles on their face. Pick three or four features that make your MC stand out, and use them as their introduction. The more mundane stuff can be easily incorporated later.
7. Sometimes, adjectives really will explain something much better than an elaborate word ever could. While I think it’s healthy to teach yourself to cut back on them and search alternatives, I also think it shouldn’t ever be forced. If using an adjective makes the sentence most effective, trust your gut and leave it in.
8. This last point is just a little tip that I’ve found to be quite effective when you get stuck in the technical side of writing and start to lose motivation. When you find yourself weary in the middle of a chapter, or simply losing inspiration, imagine that you have to tell the story to an enthusiastic child who loves books. You have to do your best to keep the child interested, which includes doing different voices and making dramatic expressions. A part of why we stop feeling connected to our stories is because we get too caught up in trying to be good/correct/original, which creates emotional detachment. Words become hollow - just letters on the screen - and the lush world we have created fades. This exercise will slowly rebuild your connection to the emotional side of your story and the characters in your manuscript. Your passion and enthusiasm will show on the page again, which will in turn translate onto your readers’ curiosity.
So that’s the few tips I have for you. I know there’s lots of beta readers on writeblr, so feel free to add your own, friends!
pixelskylines
vaporwave
tangentwithtanner
ellievsbear
2087
blakekathryn
snowghoul
kianamaiart
germansingergirl
