Once finished a manuscript does well with another set of eyes to critique. Before a writer decides to even think about reaching out to an agent, it is crucial to do all of the editing that one can before it is exposed to a greater audience. Receiving feedback on a finished manuscript is a great way to improve the quality of one's writing because a writer often has blind spots. Often times the world a writer has composed is so clearly laid out in their mind but it doesn’t always translate with clarity onto the page. A beta readers job is to annotate, critique and point out the flaws within a manuscript that a writer may not catch, even after multiple drafts.
Every writer wants to have a great team of beta readers that provide good feedback about the plot, pacing, story arch, and characterization of the novel. But not every Beta Reader truly puts in the time and attention to detail that is needed to move a draft of writing forward. So how can you tell if you have a bad beta reader, and what can you do about it? These are four signs that you have a bad Beta Reader: Your Beta Reader can’t commit to deadlines It is one thing if a beta reader contacts the writer to express a delay in the annotated copy that will be received, but it is bad form if a beta reader is constantly missing deadlines without early notice or any acknowledgment. Life happens and it is understandable to prioritize but a respectful beta reader understands that a writer has personal deadlines and goals to reach when it comes to the editing process. Writing a novel takes place in different steps and remaining organized within a time frame is important for every writer to manage their work progress accurately. A beta reader that does not respect deadlines is one that a writer should reconsider keeping in his or her repertoire. All Opinion-based comments sound the same If a beta reader that is working with a writer explicitly comments that he or she either loves or hates every aspect of the text then this is a red flag. Constantly being told how amazing and great a writing piece is may feed the ego but it doesn’t further elevate what has already been written. If a beta reader constantly points out that everything written is something that they hate, then they most certainly are not the beta reader fit for the job. A beta reader can like and dislike a range of different aspects of a draft, but the key is to provide a legitimate reason for why it is good writing or not. If each annotated response sounds the same and doesn’t provide any further information to support opinion based comments then it isn’t effective feedback for the writer. All opinion based comments that are written by a beta reader should have a detailed explanation as to why a paragraph is “good” or “bad”. Example: I love it! Constructive example: I love this paragraph because the connotation of your language exhibits a mysterious tone for readers. The word "gentle" and "opaque" subtly describe the character and creates questions for the reader; generating more interest and a need to keep reading. The Beta Reader is flat out Rude and Difficult to Work with The point of having a beta reader is to provide positive criticism that moves the growth of a manuscript forward but if a beta reader is difficult to work with, it isn’t worth the time and effort it takes to go back and forth through different stages of editing. A rude and unprofessional beta reader should be vetted from the beginning but it isn’t always apparent at the beginning of the reading process. Throughout time, if a beta reader proves to be rude or difficult to communicate with or receive productive feedback from, it is a clear example of a bad beta reader that needs to be dropped from a writer's repertoire. If a writer is receiving only negative, judgemental or abrasive feedback it is time to drop the beta reader. He or She has no understanding of the genre they are reading Beta readers should have a solid grasp of the genre that they are reading for, or at the very least be very well-rounded readers who dabble in all different genres across the board. If a beta reader really isn’t into books or reading and they are just “trying it out” then that is not someone who will do the job well. If a reader doesn’t have intimate knowledge about writing techniques, literature and/or the English language they shouldn’t be a beta reader. Writers shouldn't waste their time with readers who are unfamiliar or uninterested in the genre that they are reading. If a writer finds any of these signs when interacting with their beta readers, there's a good chance that the beta reader isn’t putting in the time or the effort that the text deserves. But what can writers do about it? The answer is simple: move to a new beta reader. It isn’t an easy task finding a dedicated and focused reader to annotated and provide specific feedback on a manuscript. The Writer’s Ward takes the guesswork out of searching. The Writer’s Ward provides detailed developmental commentary to progress each novel on it's journey to publication. Strict adherence to deadlines, attention to detail, annotated explanations and maintaining a professional relationship with the writer is top priority. If you are looking to hire a beta reader, The Writer’s Ward can provide these services. If so, please feel free to send us a message!
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Reading is an essential tool for writers in the process of developing a novel. Every novel possesses certain strengths that, when studied, provides the knowledge necessary to improve one’s own writing. Familiarizing oneself with the foundations of timeless novels that have made an impact on the literary world is an essential way to grow as a writer. The Young Adult novel is crafted towards a particular demographic of young readers, although many adults find themselves enjoying a variety of genres and tend to read YA novels as well. This week’s focus is a young adult novel called Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell.
Reading is an essential tool for writers wishing to improve and develop skills. Every novel possesses certain strengths that, when studied, provides the knowledge necessary to improve one’s own writing. Familiarizing yourself with the foundations of timeless novels that have made an impact on the literary world is an essential way to grow as a writer. This week’s focus is Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.
1. Point of View Wuthering Heights creates a complex narrative through the use of first person perspective provided by two narrators, Mr. Lockwood and Nelly Dean. The story is set up as a frame narrative in which Lockwood begins and ends the novel in the present and Nelly provides the characters’ backstories through a series of flashbacks. Brontë’s choice of using two narrators directly involved in the stories being told is crucial to how readers will perceive characters and events, as the tale of Heathcliff and Cathy is relayed through biased narrators prone to human fallacy. Writers can greatly benefit from studying Brontë’s narrators as they provide a unique means by which to tell a story. They are not telling their own stories, they are telling that of Heathcliff and Cathy. Had the novel been written through the eyes of Heathcliff, readers would have entered an entirely different world, one that would be much more sympathetic to this outcast character. Taking narrative perspective into consideration is crucial to the overall tone of one’s novel. Is it a story that needs an objective and removed narrator, or one that is best relayed through the protagonist’s point of view? As shown by Brontë’s Lockwood and Nelly, narrators have the power to entirely dictate how a tale is to be told and received. Therefore, a writer may wish to tell their story using a first person minor perspective, as in the story is told through a minor character’s eyes rather than the protagonist’s, when attempting to create ambiguity. Lockwood is a very naive man and Nelly is recalling events from over twenty years ago, so their views of reality are somewhat skewed. Writers looking to add mystery, intrigue, and even an element of the fantastic may want to choose this type of narrator as the gossip-like telling of the story adds a questionable aspect to the truth behind the narrator’s words, allowing for open interpretations of the events described. However, writers must keep in mind that using a minor character’s perspective as the lens through which a story is told may be more difficult to fabricate than simply telling the protagonist’s tale through their own eyes. This perspective requires writers to take the reality of the story they want to tell and alter it to fit a minor character’s perspective. First person narrators are typically not omnipresent and are therefore limited to their own experiences, so writers must be careful not to give such narrators knowledge that would be beyond their capabilities. Brontë remedies this to an extent by providing diary entries from Cathy’s childhood, giving the reader essential details of her early life. Lastly, writers must have a balance between their narrator’s thoughts and feelings and the progression of the plot. Therefore, less psychologically driven novels may benefit more from a removed third person point of view. However, if the story relies heavily on character studies and psychological evaluations of characters or humans in general, then the text may best be told by a first person narrator. 2. The Unreliable Narrator Brontë created not one but two unreliable narrators for Wuthering Heights, which has great implications for how readers see the world she has fashioned. The narrators, though unsophisticated and flawed themselves, deliver harsh judgements on other characters, which warps the way they choose to tell the story. For example, Lockwood, a self-proclaimed misanthrope, at first is sympathetic towards the aloof Heathcliff because he sees his own distaste for socialization reflected in this mysterious man. However, his opinion seems to frequently fluctuate throughout the novel between sympathetic intrigue and shocked abhorrence. Lockwood even determines early on that Cathy is an unruly and irredeemable figure simply after being visited in the night by her tormented ghost. There is no doubt that his judgements of these characters influence how he reports information. When he feels mistreated, he will detail the brutality and baseness of Heathcliff, yet when he sees himself in the man, he will describe him in a more favorable light. Nelly is even more judgmental, and having lived with Heathcliff and Cathy since childhood, her opinions of them are certainly set and her narrative will be molded by how she feels towards them. Furthermore, both narrators describe themselves in a positive light, often acting as if they are morally or intellectually superior to those around them. Yet when the reader looks at the actual scene unfolding before them they realize, for example, that Lockwood is an inarticulate and awkward man incapable of effective interpersonal communication. These unreliable narrators completely dictate how this story will be told, and as a result the reader is left to sift through, not the truth, but what our narrators have deemed to be true. What makes this novel intriguing is that it so truly describes human nature from multiple angles. The judgmental nature of humans is put at the forefront through the use of first person narrators, which emphasizes the theme of Heathcliff and Cathy not being able to fit into this world, as they are never able to escape its judgement. This choice of narrator adds complexity to the novel, challenging the reader to sort through human opinions and judgements in order to come to their own conclusion. Writers may want to utilize an unreliable narrator to add complexity to their novel. Plot-driven stories may not need as much character commentary, but psychological studies of the human experience would greatly benefit from such a subject as a regular, unreliable human storyteller. Nelly, prone to weaving mystical tales, oftentimes describes Heathcliff in paranormal ways which adds intrigue, mystery, and ambiguity to the novel. These narrators create a divide between appearance and actuality, and writers may wish to explore how and why such divides are created. Brontë hones in on this distortion by analyzing the judgmental nature of humans. Writers wishing to dive into the psychology behind human nature and create an intimacy between the readers and a character’s mind would benefit from studying Brontë’s very human, and therefore flawed, narrators. However, writers must consider if their story calls for an intimacy with their protagonist or another minor character. Having a novel told through the protagonists view will explore their thoughts and reactions to events important to both themselves and the novel as a whole, whereas having a minor character narrate will create distance between readers and the main characters, which once again adds obscurity and mystery. The amount of truth versus falsity being told must also be considered when constructing an unreliable narrator. Writers must think about what they want the reader to know and take away from the novel, being careful not to add too much inaccuracy as to make the novel too confusing to comprehend. 3. Characterization The way in which readers view the characters is heavily influenced by both narrators as their own opinions and judgements alter how they tell the story. Were Heathcliff and Cathy truly the irredeemable, unruly, monstrous characters that Nelly believed them to be, or is this simply an exaggeration caused by bias and fabrication as a result of the passage of time between the beginning of Nelly’s account and the present day? Brontë seems to be testing her readers to see if they will pass the same judgements and misunderstandings as Nelly. She characterizes Cathy as a wild being prone to temper tantrums and lacking the necessary qualities of a proper lady and, therefore, has little sympathy for her. Nelly does not consider that Cathy has been stifled by the society that she lives in, and her outbursts of emotion result from her inability to express her authentic self without reproach. Even more biased is Nelly’s portrayal of Heathcliff. His character is immediately cloaked in mystery and wickedness because he is an orphaned gypsy. He has been tormented, abused, and called an outcast his entire life, yet Nelly is stupefied by his callous and detached nature. She lacks the insight to recognize that his faults are a result of trauma, and therefore paints him simply as a wicked man. The love story of Heathcliff and Cathy is also tainted by the critical nature of their narrators. When Cathy confesses to Nelly of the soul-bound nature of her love for Heathcliff and the torment she feels over having to choose between the man society deems she should be with, Linton, and the man who shares her soul and authentic self, she is met with reproach. Nelly chastises Cathy for not understanding the marital duties required of her instead of sympathizing with, or at least understanding, the turmoil Cathy is facing. Nelly’s response is typical of one restricted by the expectations of society, and she is therefore incapable of understanding the passion and purity of the love between Cathy and Heathcliff. Characters such as Nelly have not had the experience of love or the ability to freely express their most intense emotions and, therefore, cannot quite grasp the utter purity of the love Cathy is describing, that of two souls joining as one. As demonstrated by Brontë’s Lockwood and Nelly, narrators have the power to determine how events are explained as well as how characters are portrayed. Brontë’s use of two unreliable narrators adds complexity to the novel and enhances the theme of the inability to escape judgement and the entrapment of stifling societal norms. Brontë creates a critique of human nature and allows the reader to see exactly how these judgements are formed by having the story of two imperfect characters being told through the eyes of two more imperfect characters. Cathy and Heathcliff, hated by society, are the ones attempting to be the most authentic, yet the story is told by two people utterly trapped in society’s grip. Maybe Brontë is telling the reader that, though the authentic characters are the most judged, they are the ones to be admired, as it is their story that's being told after all, not Nelly or Lockwood’s. They are simply onlookers of someone else's journey. Wuthering Heights exhibits how the choice of narrator can entirely dictate the tone in which the story will be told, how characters are to be portrayed, and what readers will take away from the novel as a whole. Writers must consider what they want their readers to think or feel as well as the complexity of how their novel is to be set up. Brontë’s more philosophical themes benefit from having a complex narrative, as the reader must sift through what is being told in order to come to their own conclusion. Writers looking to delve into intricate character psychology may choose to also create unreliable first person narrators in the form of minor characters. This type of narrator allows readers to analyze the mind of the person telling the story, as much can be gained from seeing how they interpret the words and actions of others, as well as characterizing their protagonists by how other characters interpret their words and actions. When writing in this particular perspective, one must remember that, although the writer deeply knows their protagonist, this character’s story must be molded to fit how the narrator will interpret the reality of the protagonist. This double perspective of writer’s omnipresent knowledge to a character’s limited perspective, though complicated to create, will allow writers up for the challenge to create a compelling psychological portrayal of their characters’ journey. Not everyone goes through the same amount of drafts or edits, as each writer goes through a unique process when composing their novel. Writing well is a craft that each writer must learn in order to become successful, and professional and noteworthy writers have a solid understanding of the best techniques that produce quality content. An effective way to learn how to write is to read, and reading fiction or novels about writing is a great way to begin. Here are the six best books that every writer needs to read to boost their writing skills.
The Gotham Writers Workshop: Writing Fiction https://www.writingclasses.com/resources/gotham-books/writing-fiction The Gotham Writers collection of books are all about teaching the art of a particular craft. This edition focuses on different elements that are involved with the writing of a fiction novel. This goes chapter by chapter expressing the construction of character, plot, point of view, dialogue, voice, and theme (to name a few) while giving examples of how it is done correctly. Fiction, Writing Movies, and Fiction Anthologies are a few of the Gotham Writers Books that are also a great source of information to writers. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott https://www.amazon.com/Bird-Some-Instructions-Writing-Life/dp/0385480016/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1529778230&sr=8-1&keywords=bird+by+bird Bird by Bird is a novel that provides instructions on writing in a less formulaic way. Lamott expresses that writing is an abstract art, with a non-linear approach to novel writing being perfectly acceptable. Lamott not only explores the best way to get to the end of a novel, but also discusses the individual identity of a writer and how writing, though it is not as glamorous as society expects it to be, is nonetheless a rewarding occupation. Lamott crafts a novel that makes the reader feel like a friend is by their side throughout the entire writing process. On Writing Well by William Zinsser https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/on-writing-well-william-k-zinsser/1100551159?ean=9780060891541#/ On Writing Well is a guide devoted to the art of nonfiction writing. It discusses the best way to approach technical writing and how to produce clear, concise, and active content with multiple nonfiction forms. It is separated into four sections, Principles, Methods, Forms, and Attitudes, that address creating strong writing with straightforward techniques. In this book, Zinsser expresses the principles of how to craft words using the clearest components in order to write non-fiction as literature with timeless writing tips that can apply across different forms of non-fiction writing. Zinsser covers interviews, travel writing, science and technology, the memoir, business writing, sports, critiques and humor. Write Away: One Writer’s Approach to the Novel by Elizabeth George https://www.amazon.com/Write-Away-Writers-Approach-Novel-ebook/dp/B000GCFWWS This is a novel about the writing process and the journey to creativity. It expresses the importance of research in fiction and goes into detail with writing techniques using many notable works of fiction. The best part of this novel is the detailed examples that are provided after each topic of fiction is addressed, as Elizabeth George uses famous novels as well as her own writing to address each technique and how to effectively go about using each one. She often refers back to her own novel in the Presence of the Enemy, to talk about creating character. She uses Taste for Death by P.D. James when writing about horror, Rose by Martin Cruz Smith and The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck are both used to define landscape, and many more. George addresses point of view, attitude, voice, plot, dialogue, scenes, as well as the process of writing overall. Making Shapely Fiction by Jerome Stern https://www.amazon.com/Making-Shapely-Fiction-Jerome-Stern/dp/039332124X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1529788752&sr=8-1&keywords=making+shapely+fiction Written by a Professor of English, Making Shapely Fiction is a novel filled with every topic of fiction you can think of and is organized according to different topics in fiction such as how to create strong imagery, characterization, and a three-dimensional novel. Fiction takes shape in many genres that use a range of literary techniques that are crafted with detail and skill. This novel expresses how to juggle moments of tension within the narrative while pushing plot forward and continuously exposing character to readers. Part three of the novel begins with topics like Accuracy all the way to Zigzag, covering every topic under the sun that can occur in a fiction piece. It is arranged so that it is easy to find the specific topic of interest that readers want, whether it be dialogue, imagery, stream-of-conscious, or metafiction, this is the book that has it all. Wild Mind: Living the Writer’s Life by Natalie Goldberg https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Mind-Living-Writers-Life/dp/0553347756 Natalie Goldberg’s novel on writing explores the unconventional and quirky elements of the creative mind and how each writer must find their individual path. This book is focuses on writing as a greater lifestyle, how to access the deeper elements of creativity, and how one becomes a storyteller. From personal stories, to writing exercises, to living the lifestyle of a writer, this is by far one of the most enjoyable and unconventional books a writer can read to learn techniques and practices that sharpen their skills. ------ Reading about writing is a great way to learn about the fundamentals of good techniques. What books do you suggest? Let us know in the comments! During the writing process, a writer will go through multiple drafts and edit frequently. Having an outside perspective is a great way for writers to gauge how their audience will react to their novel and give them pointers for the strengths and weaknesses of the narrative. Critiques and editorial annotations are an important step in the process of crafting a well written novel. If you are a writer looking for feedback feel free to check out the service page and see how The Writer’s Ward can aid you during the writing process!
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AuthorWith a B.A. in English from St. John's University, Writer Sara Cheesewright shares her experiences with writing, tips and ideas that improve the craft of writing. If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” |