Wednesday 7 October 2015

Insecure Writer's Support Group: Beta Woes

Insecure Writer's Support Group is a blog hop hosted by Alex J. Cavanaugh where totally insecure writers can get together and share the things that are making us go argh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   
         I’ve been very lucky in the past to have been able to build relationships with liked minded writers/readers who I’ve been able to rely on as my critique partners/beta readers. It’s been great to know that we enjoy similar books and this carries over to the kind of genre specific feedback I’m able to receive from them. I trust them to be honest with me and that their criticisms will be constructive.
         Sadly, my turbo charged publishing plans for the next year means that I’m going to try and publish more quickly. As a result, I’m going to spread the beta love rather than expecting my current critique partners  to give up their lives to my cause. I just dread the thought of putting myself out there again and receiving feedback that doesn’t fit with the novel I’m trying to write. As a highly impressionable and insecure writer sometimes I’ll just accept really outlandish suggestions thinking that one person’s opinion is the status quo and  I have to be careful not to get hung up on criticisms.
        Over the next month or so I’m going to be putting out feelers amongst a few groups on Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook etc to see what I come up with. Fingers crossed that there are a few like minded people out there!
 

8 comments:

  1. Good luck! I'm soon to start looking for beta readers as well and I'm pretty terrified about it. I have no idea where to start looking and I'm worried I'll do the same stuff you say you sometimes do, accepting really out there suggestions. :/

    - Madilyn Quinn @ NovelBrews

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  2. Definitely check with the IWSG Facebook group. Thousands of members means lots of possibilities.
    With every manuscript, I've taken on at least one new critique partner. So far, I've been blessed that they've all been really good.

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  3. Good luck! You know I'm always willing right?

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  4. This means, yay, for me, but I have to do the same thing, in time, since I have only you and one other critique partner. That's not even close to enough. I might take Alex's advice and go check out the IWSG Facebook group.

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  5. That's a good plan! I'm going to have to do the same myself soon because I'm down to 2 beta readers. I gained a couple critique partners, but it's not enough. Good luck finding people!

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  6. Always good to get some beta readers. You might like to contact some of your Hoodrras friends.

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  7. I completely get that. Most my readers are hand selected--based on the genres they read and love. No point asking someone to waste energy and time on something they may not connect with.

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