Hunting Beta Readers: Shhh . . . Be Vewry, Vewry Quiet!

I love the cartoon character, Elmer Fudd. His antics while “hunting wabbit” provide good advice for writers in search of beta readers. "Oh come on," you think. How can a silly cartoon help me find good beta readers? Well, it’s all about stalking and snaring the prey (beta readers), and it begins with stealth.

You’re probably cringing at my use of words like “stalking”, “snaring” and “stealth.” Calm down. I’m not advocating nutty behavior or abuse of unwary literary assistants. Quite the contrary. Good beta readers help writers polish stories to make them marketable to literary agents and publishers. These coveted pre-publication readers bring objectivity to their critiques and often discover problems, or even expanded plot possibilities, that our writer-bias prevents us from seeing.

So, how do writers hunt down good beta readers? And, how do we get them to commit to the demanding task of providing feedback?

First, we need to know our prey before we start hunting. Here’s my outline of the traits I want in a good beta reader. I don’t claim my list works for everyone, but it works for me and is a good place to start. You should develop your own list. Here's mine, in order of importance:

1.  Love of the genre,

2.  Must be well-read within my genre so comparisons are meaningful,

3.  Agree to offer honest, objective feedback, no matter how potentially hurtful,

4.  Have sufficient articulation skills to provide clear critique, and

5.  Understand some basics of writing; plot, character development, pace, plot holes, hooks, et cetera.

Second, plagiarism potential exists when you give a “stranger” unlimited access to your creative genius. Sucks, but it does happen. How can we minimize that risk? Begins by being a good judge of character. Don’t be in a hurry. Get to know potential beta-readers before making a leap of faith. Is the person you’re considering also a writer? That might spell problems. Ask yourself, can another writer set aside his or her writing-style bias to give objective feedback? What about teachers or editors? Nope. They often focus so much on SPAG (Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar) or every little plot hole, that they don’t “invest” emotionally in the story like a typical fan would. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, and when you find a highly skilled person who can also remain objective, you have a diamond to be cherished.

The single most important opinion a beta reader offers is whether or not they “like” the story. Then, they will tell what things they like, or don’t like, about the story. Good beta readers compare your manuscript to the competition. Such input can make all the difference in crafting a successful story. Petty crap like typos, misplaced commas, small plot holes, or run-on sentences can be handled by copy-editors who spend their lives tracking down evil dangling participles or misapplied em-dashes. But, the grist of the story--the characters, tension, climax and denouement that keep readers reading--if you get those right, then you have a great story That’s what beta readers do for you.

Where do we find these highly prized test readers? The simple answer is, if you plan to hunt bears, you must go into the forest where the bears live. (Okay, okay, I know you’re getting tired of my silly metaphors, so I’ll stop.) If you write murder mysteries, go where fans of your genre hang out. Join websites of major murder mystery authors. Participate in their talk-forums or “Comments” sections where fans share thoughts. You’ll meet lots of genre-specific, dedicated readers.

Writing sites like AbsoluteWrite (http://absolutewrite.com/forums/index.php) or Writers Digest forum (http://www.writersdigest.com/forum/) offer genre-specific discussion “rooms” where you’ll find lots of dedicated fans. Get to know these people until you feel there are some who meet all the necessary requirements on your beta-reader qualification list. Even after you find a couple folks who seem to fit the bill, don’t send them your manuscript. Try sending them one chapter with a specific question like, “Does this hook catch your interest?” or “My villain traps the protagonist’s daughter in this scene. Is it too violent?” See what happens. Over time, relationships will grow and a few reliable beta readers will develop. What do THEY get for the effort? Signed copies of your book, or mention in the book’s acknowledgments or introductions during book signings and other public appearances. Sometimes a simple, "Thank you" will do. Beta readers often become your best fans.

I hope these suggestions help to build some great writer/beta reader relationships. Also, I do not claim to be an “expert” in such matters. If you have ideas that might help others find and cultivate good beta readers, then please add your comments. I welcome them, and I know my fellow writers will, too. Now, back to my Looney Toons. Elmer traps Bugs Bunny in a hollowed out tree! He exclaims, "I have you now silly wabbit. You will be my new beta-weeder . . . or else!"

Hide! They’re Coming!

Black hair, blond hair, brunettes . . . even a few redheads . . . all different, yet, all the same. Precocious literary engines that spell trouble for contemporary authors may soon be earning those coveted few writing contracts available each year. Most of them show no outward signs of the threat that lurks beneath their cheerful, grade-school camouflage. But, I warn you, do not let their humble facades and freckled dimples trick you into complacency. They are here--and, they will be threatening your publishing contracts before you know it!

Who are these up-and-coming apex predators of the literary world? I’ve seen them. I’ve looked into their intense eyes. I’ve walked among them, but, most importantly, I have read their writing. We are doomed.

Why the alarm?

Two weeks ago, I participated in a little kick-off talk with fourth and sixth grade students at the Loomis Basin Charter School. It started out innocently. They and their teachers planned to participate in the NaNoWriMo concept of writing a novel in a month. Sounded like fun. Lots of questions pertaining to the process of writing made my job easy. I had a good time and agreed to weekly visits to mentor the kids in their effort. I had no idea of the lurking menace.

In my first mentoring session (last week), I spent a couple hours with child-writers discussing their stories. Oh my God! Exciting plots, vivid imaginations and pretty darn good writing skills poured out. Limits on imagination do not exist with these kids. I could easily envision half their story ideas evolving into full-blown novels, complete with intriguing plots, fascinating characters and great hooks to capture reader interest. The future of creative writing looks healthy. So much so, that I’m afraid they could displace many present-day writers.

Should we writers fear them? Should we sabotage their growth by crushing imagination under piles of academic “truths” in high school and college? I hope not. It should be our mission to nurture such minds, helping them become the best they can be. If these future Hemingways and Asimovs eat into the limited pool of publishing contracts, so be it. The bright side is that new ideas and innocent testing of literary status quo may inspire new readers. With luck, they won’t need to steal away our fans, because they will bring an entire new generation into a love of reading.

These kids represent the future of our great nation’s literary talent. From what I’ve seen, we may be teetering on the brink of a modern day Renaissance. I wish all writers could spend a day with kids like these. They bring fresh faces to the table of ideas in literature. I can’t wait for my next meeting to see how much more they have added to their stories.

Beta Readers: Is My Story Any Good?

Every writer dreams about happy readers. They’re called “fans.” Those wonderful supporters provide the motivation for all fiction writing. We writers crave approval and fans feed our egos. They put money in our pockets, so we can continue writing (even if we live on Top Ramen and string cheese). Fans also help us sell books as they spread the word.

My biggest concern when I am writing a book is simple. Will fans like my story?

It’s a scary thought that I might toil for months, putting together hundreds of pages detailing a fantasy world, only to discover that nobody wants to read it. Fortunately, wonderful folks called “Beta Readers” give me essential feedback along the way. I capitalized the term on purpose, because these people are that important to me.

Beta Readers (called “BRs” from this point forward) are hard to find. Good BRs possess unique characteristics; understanding fundamentals of writing, love of literature, brutal honesty, genre specific knowledge and they willingly invest their time to help me improve my story. Are they family? With one exception, family usually struggle with bias for, or sometimes against, the writer-dad/spouse/child/etc. Fortunately, my wife has never hesitated to point out my flaws, and she’s an avid reader, so she makes a great BR.

What about fellow writers? Most of my BRs are not writers. Writer friends have good intentions, but they struggle with a tendency to inject their personal writing styles into their opinions. Yes, I am guilty of that when trying to help fellow writers. It’s tough to suppress.

Is there a formula for good Beta Readers?

You bet! I look for avid readers in my target genre who agree to be completely honest with me. If something sucks, I want to know why it sucks and if it’s worth fixing. They also know my competition and will often "rate" my story against future competition.

One big mistake writers make with BRs is having them search for SPAG errors. To tell the truth, the single best feedback a Beta Reader can provide is their impression of plot and characters. Did the book catch their interest right away? Were there slow parts? Did they like the ebb and flow of action (pace)? Did they connect with the characters? Are they excited about a sequel? Those elements make for a good story. The mundane SPAG errors will be corrected by some anal-retentive copy editor whose boring existence comes down to proper placement of a comma or formatting ending quotation marks. Leave the “periods” to the copy-editors and build an exciting world with dynamic characters. The rest will take care of itself.

Tom Clancy said it best in a Writers Digest interview I read. He was asked about the most important skill in writing. He didn’t say punctuation, spelling or grammar. He said it was the ability to tell a good old-fashioned story. I want my Beta Readers to tell me if my story meets Tom Clancy’s test. Does it capture and hold their interest? Do they want the sequel? If my Beta Readers help me achieve those goals, then fans will love the story, even if a few typos make it into print! Thank you to my Beta Readers. You know who you are.

Kids and Writing – Pass it on.

It’s November and that means NaNoWriMo is off and running. What is NaNoWriMo?  It’s an organization that promotes writing a novel of 50,000 words or more in one month. Last year (2010), over 200,000 people signed up for the challenge and more than 37,000 succeeded.

Today, I had the great pleasure of visiting the 4th and 6th grade kids at Loomis Basin Charter School to talk about writing. Their classes accepted the challenge to write-a-novel-in-a-month and seem eager to experience the process. That’s a tall order for first-time novel writers.

Let me tell you, these kids were wonderful! Bright. Inquisitive. Motivated. Every one of them had that special twinkle in the eye that comes from a love of learning and enthusiasm for challenges. It will be fun over the next few weeks to read their ideas and help them grow as writers. On one hand, I would love to encourage a future Hemingway or Mark Twain, but, to tell the truth, I’d be just as happy to have every child achieve a personal “best” and enjoy the creativity that writing evokes.

For me, writing is a passion that stimulates the mind, challenges the spirit and results in immeasurable satisfaction when a “project” reaches completion. That said, nothing could be more fun and rewarding than to cultivate that same love for writing in eager young minds. Thanks to Justin VonSprekelsen for asking me to visit his school. And, thank you to the 4th and 6th students at Loomis Basin Charter School. It was fun talking about the writing process. See you in a week or two!

edit:  Shame on me! In my blog, I forgot to recognize the initiative and hard work of the 4th and 6th grade teachers in providing this wonderful, creative opportunity to their students. Kudos to the teachers for this decision and taking elementary school education to a higher level...you folks are great!

Always Room at the Top

How many vampire novels does it take to saturate the genre-market? For that matter, how do writers even know when a market is reaching its limit?

Back in the 60’s, I began college as a physics major. Wanted to be a nuclear physicist in the power generation industry. My college counselor told me I should change my major to something “with a future”, something like electronics engineering. When I asked why, he said there are too many physics majors and the nuclear industry job market would be saturated by the time I got my degree. I was disappointed.

That night, I spoke with my dad about changing my major. He said my counselor was wrong. Dad’s comment surprised me, because he knew nothing about nuclear energy.

“Dad, how can you say that? My counselor has all the data to back up his advice.”

“I don’t doubt the statistics,” he said, “but your advisor is reaching the wrong conclusion.”

“If there are too many graduates in my field, wouldn’t he be right?”

“Nope.” Dad smiled a coy little upturn at the corners of his mouth that let me know there was a catch in his reasoning. “Son, there will always be people in life telling you why you cannot accomplish your dream. Some make compelling arguments. If you buy into their reasoning, then they are right. But, what happens if you ignore the naysayers and charge ahead?”

“In this case,” I joked halfheartedly, “I’ll be highly educated and unemployed.”

Dad shook his head. I wasn’t arriving at the right conclusion.

“Dean, there is always room at the top. If you want to be a nuclear physicist, all you have to do is be the best one available. You will be hired and some poor slob who is hanging on near the bottom of his field will fall off.”

“There is always room at the top.”  Those words stayed with me for a lifetime. And, the theme applies equally to the publishing industry.

Back to my opening question. How do you know when a genre is becoming saturated? Simple. Major publishing companies buy fewer manuscripts. Senior editors know what the market will bear. By the same token, they live and die by the same principle my father taught me over forty years ago. There is always room at the top! As a market becomes saturated with cookie-cutter zombie or vampire-romance novels, acquisition editors look for gems--the one story that stands out, that belongs at the top. The others? Most become e-books and never earn a substantial income for the authors.

So, how do we break through the glut of writers to achieve the dream? By being the best! Writers must stand out from the pack and offer readers a compelling difference. Every facet of writing must excel from plot to character development to quality of writing to the extra time needed to polish a manuscript. And, it takes humility to accept criticism from qualified professionals, but those tidbits of advice can make all the difference. Most of all, it takes guts to brush aside negativity and reach for the stars. In the end, there is always room at the top! (Thanks, Dad. I miss you.)

An Atheist in Heaven

An atheist died at an old age and discovered, to his surprise, that there is a God. Now, it was time for an accounting.

“During my life, God, you were never there for me. I prayed. I begged. I demanded. Yet, you did not respond.”

“What would you have me do?” God asked.

“When I struggled to feed children in the orphanage in Vietnam, you could have helped. I begged you for help.”

“Go on,” God replied patiently.

“Do you remember the time when I shot one of my own men for raping that little girl in the village? Every time we raided a VC village, he raped one of the young girls. I reported him to HQ, but they didn’t punish him; said it was his word against mine. Where were you then?”

“I was there,” God said.

The old man continued venting.

“I gave up on you after Vietnam. Decided the only justice in the world would be whatever I could create. I tutored friends in college for free. When I met that family with no father, I made sure the kids had Christmas presents. It wasn’t much, but it was all I could afford during college. I lived my whole life that way, because you didn’t care.”

“Do you really think I didn’t care?”

“You never answered my prayers. What else could I think? I gave up on you and tried to do all the things I could to help people. I donated time in kid’s sports programs and made sure old people in my neighborhood were okay during heat waves. One time, I saw two men trying to entice a little boy into their truck. Do you remember that?”

God nodded.

“I stopped them and escorted the boy home. Where were you? Where were you when that fishing boat capsized and the grandfather could not rescue both his grandkids at the same time? Froze my ass off swimming out to that boat, but somebody had to do it. You would have let the little girl drown. Some loving God you are!”

With a wave of his hand, God brushed aside the fog of life and there stood angels that the old man recognized. They smiled and nodded at him, people whose lives had been touched by the old man’s generosity or willingness to get involved. With another hand gesture, images formed of young people, none of whom the old man recognized.

“They,” God said, “benefit now from the trust fund you left on Earth. Some receive warm food when they would have had none. Others are poor students who manage to get a college education through the scholarships your trust provides.”

God wasn’t through. He stood, uplifted his arms, and thousands of people appeared in images among the clouds. “These are your people. You touched all their lives through others you helped.”

The old man was astonished to see the results of his lifetime, but his anger remained.

“If one small man like me can make such a difference, then why didn’t you do something for humanity?”

God waved and all the angels and people vanished. He descended the stairs from his heavenly throne and placed his hand on the old man’s shoulder.

A tear perched on the old man’s eyelid. “I tried, I tried my entire life to help people. I did the best I could, but it never seemed enough. Why didn’t you do something?”

“I did,” God said. “I sent you.”

Marine Corps Advice for Writers

One thing you learn in the military is to fight through adversity. Every branch of service has their version of the Marine Recon slogan “Adapt and Overcome.” I’m here to tell you, that theme of never quitting applies to all of life. For writers, it should read, “Adapt and Never Stop Writing.”

A couple months ago, my literary agent warned me that my manuscript faced possible resistance from publishers because of a movie, Contagion, that could saturate the public market for any book using a similar theme—that being—a deadly virus. I went from the doorstep of final submission to dead-in-the-water after a year of working up through the system.

I was momentarily blind-sided by this obstacle. I admit, there was a temptation to quit and move on to the next manuscript, but I just don’t work that way. Yes, I might fail in this publishing chase, but not until my lifeless body becomes carrion for the publishing vultures.

Here’s what happened since.

My literary agent did not bail out on me. Instead, she emailed my manuscript to me with copious notes throughout. She compared my writing to Dan Brown (I felt very upbeat about that) and she felt the story could be saved if I re-wrote it to change the core threat from a virus to something else. “Yeah, right,” I thought sarcastically. “Let’s see, rabid pigmies, or maybe, pigeons with acid poop. Seriously, some of her suggestions excited me, so I rolled up my literary sleeves and got down to business.

Holy moly, Robin! The story almost wrote itself and came out better than the original. It went from 22 long chapters to 78 short chapters with lots of cliffhangers (classic Dan Brown technique). Two characters got a face lift, fleshing out their personalities better. In addition, I added substance to a minor character who will become a main character in the sequel. The changes worked! Delivery of the story became more compelling. I also made a tough decision and decided not to worry about the movie. If it becomes a success, more people will want a “virus” story. Look at what happened with vampire books after the success of Twilight. A successful "virus movie" could be a selling point. If the movie fails, then my book will stand on its own two feet as a high-powered, fast-paced, terrorist attack with a lethal virus as the weapon. Either way, it WILL stand out because it scares the hell out of the reader! I’m thrilled!

Thank you Marisa Corvisiero for the good suggestions that helped me with the re-write. More importantly, thank you for your confidence in my ability to “fix” the situation. It means the world to me.

In Vietnam, I was part of a team. In publishing, it’s no different. Marisa’s on my team, and together, we will adapt and overcome. If your agent does not respect you as part of a team, then find a new agent! For anyone struggling with the publishing process, I am proof that persistence pays off. It would have been easy for me to abandon this story and move on, that is, if I was inclined to quit. And that, my friend, is the moral of this blog. I did not quit. And, neither should you!

A Penny for your Thoughts?

I have been invited to be the kick-off author/speaker at a local International Baccalaureate charter school on November 1 for their NaNoWriMo program. As you know, November is the write-a-novel month.

These kids are high achiever 4th and 5th graders. My kick off speech will be limited to 20 minutes and should get the kids excited about writing a story. How would you approach this speech? What would you say to inspire, motivate and excite kids at this age?

I really DO want to hear your thoughts and I appreciate you taking a few minutes to comment, because I want to do the best job possible for these children. So, how about it? A penny for your thoughts...

Overcoming Defeat the Write Way

There are some common slogans in writing that are designed to keep aspiring authors motivated. One such adage is "Never stop writing." If you submit some query letters, the waiting can be excruciating. After you find an agent and you've submitted your manuscript, again, the waiting game sucks. Even after a publishing contract is signed, it's often a year before your story gets released. Wait. Wait. Wait.

I was lucky. I got a great literary agent. Her initial impression of my story was that it had "Best Seller" potential. She felt it was unique, frighteningly realistic and timely.

It died today!

A new movie, filled with big name actors, came out this week. Contagion tells the story of a military-altered virus that gets loose and leads to a global crisis. The science in the movie is unrealistic. Dialog is ridiculously dramatic. And, the Hollywood-inspired special effects make the movie little more than an excuse for cheap scare tactics like melodramatic screams and hysterical people. Nevertheless, it has some big name actors and lots of Hollywood hype.

My book tells about a well-planned terrorist attack using, yes, a military-altered virus with lethal impact. My research was exhausting. The terrorist's virus replication laboratory uses real equipment. Tools in my research laboratory are state of the art. Infection rates follow real statistical models. And, everything in my story could REALLY happen. But, my agent says that this new movie suddenly transformed my book from really exciting and unique to "It's already been done."

What do I do now?

Remember at the beginning of this blog, I mentioned the writer's advice of  "Never stop writing"? I followed that advice all while Jihad was making its way through the system. I now have three more manuscripts in the works, and, ironically, I have a new storyline that might fit perfectly into my Jihad book. It will remove the lethal virus and substitute a creative new threat against the US and our allies. I have never seen this threat in a recent movie or book, so my characters, and the Jihad story, are saved. The key to overcoming adversity for a writer truly is to keep on writing. Well, it's getting late and I have some special cloned terrorists to insert into my Jihad story . . . yes, that's a little hint!

Writing Whores . . . What’s Your Price?

I generally avoid politics in my blogs but could not resist this joke sent to my wife by one of her friends:

“We are all familiar with a Herd of cows, a Flock of chickens, a School of fish and a Gaggle of geese. However, less widely known is a Pride of lions, a Murder of crows (as well as their cousins the rooks and ravens), an Exaltation of doves and, presumably because they look so wise, a Parliament of owls. Now consider a group of Baboons. They are the loudest, most dangerous, most obnoxious, most viciously aggressive and least intelligent of all primates. And what is the proper collective noun for a group of baboons? Believe it or not . . . a Congress! I guess that pretty much explains the things that come out of Washington.”

That said, writers face decisions of a “political” nature when they write. Every story has an audience with identifiable expectations. “Politically correct” expression infringes on freedom of speech. Where does the writer draw the line? Don’t use the “n”-word. Don’t use certain profanity like the “c”-word or the “f”-word. But, what if your character curses like a sailor and uses racial epithets? Or, let’s say you are writing a rape scene; would the rapist address his victim as “maam” or “miss” or would he slug her in the face and call her a . . . you get the idea. What is the writer to do?

I believe writers must “know their target audience” and write accordingly. For example, kids should not be exposed to certain concepts or foul words. What about writing for adults? Should adults be coddled like kids? Should writers produce non-offensive Pablum to placate sensitive readers? Is the writer selling out by softening language or protecting the reader from brutal realities that might fit the story? By resisting temptation to write the story as it NEEDS to be told, we become whores to the market. Here are my personal rules for writing about volatile topics such as politics, religion and sensitive stuff like gay scenes or “PC” subjects:

Rule 1:  Never promote a political agenda. You instantly lose 50% of the buying public. Write for the left—you lose the right. Write for conservatives—you lose the left. Write for fishermen—you lose almost everybody. Most people don’t want to read about fishing and most fishermen don’t read. (just kidding!) Maybe that’s why writers like King stick to horror stories that are equally frightening to both political parties. That way, no book sales are lost to closed minds.

Rule 2:  Never write strictly for men. Why? Many men don’t read unless there’s a centerfold in the publication, (Calm down, I didn't say ALL men.) The corollary to this is that most women DO read. It’s okay to write “for” women, because your potential market doesn’t shrink much. That explains the success of romance novels and sappy stuff like the Bridges of Madison County or Gone with the Wind.

Rule 3:  Ignore rules 1 and 2 if you think you can make a bunch of money selling your story to fans of Hannity, Joy Behar or Billy Graham. Does this make you a writer-whore? Uhhh, yeah, but who cares? The ugly little truth is that ALL writers crave recognition for their work and many will gladly parade around bookstores, or babble in radio interviews, trying to enhance their sales.

So, if writers sell their services to the highest bidder, including years of promoting the book after it hits the market, then I guess the only remaining question is, “How far will you go for fame?” And, don’t deny that you would dress up in a giraffe suit and dance in front of Barnes & Noble, if it meant selling another dozen books. That brings me to my own "price" for success. I will do anything that is not illegal, immoral or totally tasteless to bring attention to my book(s). I recently bought a bagpipe and Scottish kilt. Picture a 300 pound, rugged-looking writer dancing along the sidewalk in front of your favorite bookstore playing Amazing Grace (the only song I know on the bagpipe) over and over. Wouldn't you be at least a little curious? Now, help me make that age-old decision . . . under the kilt? Briefs or commando? What do you think?