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| No, you can't read what comes before those last two words - spoilers! |
After burning the candle at both ends for more times than was good for my sanity, I'm pleased to report I finished the second draft of my WIP at the end of June - hoorah! Afterwards I spent a few more days reading through and making minor changes before sending it to beta readers to pick up on whatever plot holes or typos (or anything really!) they could find that I'd missed. Sometimes a writer is too close to the story to see things that are obvious to others, so it's best to hand your polished manuscript over to someone else for feedback. Ideally it's best to get a range of opinions and it's also a good idea to save some beta readers for the next version of the manuscript (you know, once you've incorporated the feedback from your first round of beta readers).
At this point, I'd like to say a big THANK YOU to
Amanda Panitch and
Rubianna Masa who have been my faithful and supportive beta readers over the last few years. They have both been incredibly helpful with their comments, and my manuscripts have become much stronger as a result. Thank you, ladies!
I'm currently incorporating feedback from my two fastest beta readers (thank you, Amanda and Mara) and hope to have finished this by the end of this month. No rest for that poor candle, eh?
Do you use beta readers? How many 'rounds' do you usually have?
Congratulations! I still have a few dozen pages to revise/rewrite before I can type The End. I usually meet my CP every week. We read our pieces to each other, discuss them and exchange feedback. My CP is very good at catching plot holes and inconsistencies and things that I didn't even notice. But once I finish revision, I'm going to sent my MS out to a few more people (my beta readers) whose literary expertise I value and who haven't read the book yet, because (like you said) both my CP and I are too close to the story and know it too well to be entirely objective to see its faults.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with finishing your ms, Farida! Have you set yourself a deadline?
DeleteI had to move it to the end of July this time :D
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