The beta readers have spoken.
My beta readers for the manuscript of my second book are a pretty safe audience: My mother and my sister. I can’t be the only author who does this (Stephen King’s beta reader is his wife, right?)
My mother and my sister are avid readers, intelligent reviewers and, well, they love me, so whatever they tell me isn’t as harsh as “your writing sucks, find a day job.”
But for this story, about the year I turned 15 and learned to kiss, they both might be too close to the material. They care about me, they know all the characters and — shocking, I know — they’re characters in the book, too. Of course the story is interesting to them.
I need to find a content editor who can give me an unbiased review of the material. Someone who can help me shape my draft into something powerful.
Now, I could just put it out into the world because I’m 100 percent sure it’s better than a lot of the tripe that’s floating around in the independently published world. But I don’t want to be “better than the worst.” And based on the comments from my beta readers, I need fewer characters and more introspection in any case.
So, it’s back to the drawing board. Or the writing desk.
Monica Lee 