Where Do We Find Beta Readers?

In my previous blog we discussed what Beta readers do for us. Essentialy, they provide another pair of eyes to check grammer, punction, story flow, character development, character interaction, etc. We don't, IMHO, need that many Beta readers. Two or three will do nicely. The big question is - where do we find them?

I am going to expand on this thought in my next blog, but I think this is important to take into consideration when looking for a Beta reader. This is a working relationship - Beta readers have input, and essentially become part of our team. I watched recently as a writer that I know and hold in high esteem reached out on FB for Beta readers. She was clear about the genre, and about what she expected from them. I was very impressed!

The first place that I am going to mention is one that, to date, I have not made use of. However, I do post a lot of reviews on Goodreads, so I do have a foot in the door - a presence, if you will. The group is entited Beta Reader Group, and can be found on Goodreads. I just joined the group - we will see how this goes!

One suggestion that I have seen is to source your Beta readers from the writing community. Yes, we want Beta readers to understand the genre that we are writing in, but we also want to connect with them, to have them see the big picture of the book that we have written. Remember, Beta readers are reading an entire book, and giving feedback on the entire book, they are not just critiquing one part of your book. It is important that we connect with other authors - with good connections we can put out feelers for getting other authors to be our Beta readers - and we can do the same for them.

Absolute Write is an online writers group that has free registration. I have registered to see what they have to offer. The resources look good.

Upwork.com is a site where you register for free, and post a job. This does appear to be a site where you have to take a close look at services being offered.

Fiverr is an internet site that requires membership (which is free), with a large market where Beta readers can be found.

Beta Reader's Hub  is a source blog on tumblr.com for Beta readers, and those looking for Beta readers, can post.

Now that we know what Beta readers are, and have a few clues where to find them, in my next blog I am going to address things that we need to take into consideration when looking for one. Stay tuned.

(c) April 2018 Bonnie Cehovet

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What Are Beta Readers?

This month I will be blogging about beta readers. As writers, what do we think of when we think about beta readers? What part in our getting our work to market do they play? Are they even necessary?

My definition of a beta reader would be someone who will give me honest feedback on my finished manuscript, someone who can spot errors and inconsitencies, and who is not afraid to share how they feel about my books. For someone like me who is a self-published author, a good beta reader is pure gold! (Note: While I write in the field of fiction, beta readers also work well for non-fiction work.)

Beta readers can help us improve the readability of our books, the consistency of the relationships betwen our characters, as well as the flow of the plot. They provide that extra pair of eyes that catch both big and little things that we don't see for ourselves. They help us fine tune our work so that once we get it out there, it sells. 

We might have built up an expectation in our book that we either failed to bring to fruition, or we forgot about completely. We could have left out vital steps in a scenario that was in our head, but never made it to paper. Our descriptions of events might not be as clear as they could be. The characters may not come across as clearly as they should, or their backstory might just not hold water.  

Some of you may be asking how beta readers are different from critique groups. In general, a critique group is looking at only a specific portion of your book, while beta readers are looking at the entire book. Beta readers will also give you written responses, while a critique group may or may not do that. Critique groups also take place in a group stting, which some people (myself included) my find uncomfortable. Since each beta reader reads the material on their own, their responses are not influenced by other peoples thoughts. Getting two or three beta readers for your book gives you an expanded view of your work, through different eyes. 

In my next blog, I am going to address where to find beta readers. Stay tuned!

(c) April 2018 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited wthout written permission of the author.   

How Susan Wittig Albert Influenced My Writing

Susan Wittig Albert (aka Robin Paige and Carolyn Keene) is the author of the fictional book "Loving Eleanor", as well as the China Bayles Herbal Mysteries, the Darling Dahlias Mysteries, and The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter. The China Bayles series were the first books from Albert to come to my attention. I was very atracted to this series because of the strong characters, and the real life situations they encountered. Bayles left a high profile professional life as a criminal attorney in Houston to open an herbal shop located in a small town located half-way between Austin and San Antonio. (I love the attached  tea shop, and the connecting metaphysical shop owned and run by her best friend.)

Each character is solidly written, with a past and a present that define who they are, and why they think and act as they do. We are shown how the words and actions of one character affect the other characters, and how life is full of surprises. Wittig also goes into the shadows of her characters past, and how they can hold them back in a very not good way. 

There are several areas of focus in the China Bayles series, inluding herbs, recipies, families, being supportive of friends, and metaphysics. This is important to me, as I would like to bring things such as Tarot, Reiki, and other healing modalities into my books. I also want these energies to take second place to the story that I am writing, so that they compliment it, but do not necessarily drive it. 

Another thing that I take away from Albert's series is attention to detail - especially details of a physical nature, such as how rooms are placed in relation to each other, how a house looks/feels overall, and how we relate to our surroundings.

The theme for April will be beta readers. My first blog will be on what they are, and why as writers we need them.

(c) March 2018 Bonnie Cehovet

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How Joanne Fluke Influenced My Writing

I have decided to institute a monthly theme to my author's blogs. My theme for the month of March is female writers of (cozy) mysteries that have influenced my own writing in some way. This week I am talking about Joanne Fluke.

Fluke is the author of the "Hannah Swensen" series of cozy mysteries, as well as a young adult horror series under the pseudonym Jo Gibson, and a series of edgier mysteries (as Joanne Fluke) from Kensington Press. (Note: Kensington Press is in the process of reissuing many of these books.)

There are so many elements of Fluke's writing that I am drawn to. In the Hannah Swensen series we see a single woman running her own business (a bakery), and is owned by an adorable cat by the name of Moishe. The series is located in Lake Eden, MN (I am a MN native), and features the culture of that area. There is a food thread that runs through each plot, with recipies at the end of each book. This is old home week for me!

Fluke not only developes her characters well, but has them interacting with each other consistently. We are talking about small town america here, where everyone knows everyone, and anything can happen! The Hanna Swensen series is centered around family and community, and will bring out good memories for anyone that is from this area, or is familiar with it.

My hope is that in my books I can reflect the world that my characters live in accurately, as well as their lives, their hopes, and how their pasts can act as shadows.   

Next week I will be talking about Susan Wittig Albert.

(c) March 2018 Bonnie Cehovet

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How M.C. Beaton Influenced My Writing

I have decided to institute a monthly theme to my author's blogs. My theme for the month of March is female writers of (cozy) mysteries that have influenced my own writing in some way. This week I am talking about M.C. Beaton, author of the Agatha Raisin and Hamish MacBeth series.

M.C. Beaton is a pseudonym for Scottish writer Marion Chesney. Her books include a number of romance novels, under different pseudonyms, but she crossed my path originally for her Agatha Raisin series, followed by the Hamish MacBeth series. I love the character Agatha Raisin, a retired publicist from London that has chosen to live in the country. She stumbles around, wanting to be one thing, but unable to quite bring that about. She wants to think she is in the prime of life, she wants a steady relationship, she wants to be taken seriously -  but the small things seem to constantly trip her up. Like her absolute inability to cook anything, and her existing relationships - one a professional relationship with a young man that she trained, and one a relationship with a wealthy socially prominent gentleman with a roving eye. The situations that she gets herself into, the people that she meets - all very plausible, all things that could happen to any of us. Her characters each have their own story to tell, and are very consistent in telling it.

In Hamish MacBeth Beaton has created a totally different type of character. Here we see a Highland village policeman that is not especially ambitious, in fact he trys to avoid attempts at promotion, but uses his wit to solve cases. He is very much a part of the village that he serves in, and he wants life to stay just as it is. His way of thinking isinfluenced by the fact that he comes from a large family (three brothers and three sisters), where his parents are crofters.  

Both the Agatha Raisin series and the Hamish MacBeth series have been made into TV series, which may or may not be a thought with all writers, but I do hope that at least one of my books will hold enough interest that it will be made into a movie, at the least. This is the hope that writers like M.C. Beaton give us.  

Next week I will be talking about how the author Joanne Fluke has influenced my writing.

(c) March 2018 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.

How Agatha Christie Influenced My Writing

I have decided to institute a monthly theme to my author's blogs. My theme for the month of March is female writers of (cozy) mysteries that have influenced my own writing in some way. Agatha Christie has influenced me from childhood with her characters, so she is going to take the lead for March.

 

Christie wrote 66 detective novels, and fourteen short stories. She introduced two of my favorite characters: Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. I want to think that I carry a tiny bit of each of these characters in my psyche: Miss Marple for her astute observation of the people around her from a very down to earth point of view, and Hercule Poirot for his astute observations of the people around him from a more intellectual point of view. Both of these characters have given me many hours of reading pleasure, and will continue to do so.

Christie is known for her well developed characters, as well as descriptive backgrounds, and portraying the mores of her time well. I absolutely adore both the book and movie versions of "Murder On The Orient Express" - it is absolutely riviting about the inter-relationship between the passengers, and one does really not guess the truth until it is spelled out at the end of the story.

Christie's story hooks were often very simple facts of life - such as a character knowingly exposing a group of people to measles, causing a death that did not have to be (Miss Marple - "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side"), or blackmail (Hercule Poirot - "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd"). 

Another character that Christie developed was Raymond West (Miss Marple's nephew). It took me a while to get used to him, but hehas great charm. He is an author, married to an artist, and he helps support Miss Marple financially. Through this character, Christie is able to expand her stories to a wider audience (IMHO).

Through Agatha Christie I have seen what a cozy mystery really can be. I have no intention of tring to duplicate her work - it stands alone, and always will. What I do intend to do is to reflect the life and mores of my time through the genre of cozy mystery. 

Next up: M.C. Beaton, author of the Agatha Raisin and Hamish MacBeth series.

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(c) March 2018 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.

How I Manage My Writing - Or How It Manages Me!

How I manage my writing day is by the seat of my pants! I have a WIP, as well as a monthly committment to write a newsletter, and weekly committments to write one flash fiction article, and one writer's blog (this blog). And I am a co-writer on another project that for now will remain under wraps. I also have a 9-5 that pays the bills. (The good thing about the 9-5 is that it is not 9-5 - I work for a phone line that allows me to log on and off at will.)

I have designated seperate days of the week for the flash fiction and this blog. Monday's are for this blog - I try to find topics that interest me, and that will interest other writers. Starting in March (next week) I will be following a pre-set schedule of topics, with each months topics being connected. Tuesday's are for my flash fiction (under 100 words). I find a graphic that I like, and work from that. I love trying to fit some semblance of a story into 100 words!

My WIP, and the project that I am co-author on, I work on during the weekends. Each of the four chapters that I am writing for the book that I am co-authoring has a pre-set topic, which simply needs to be fleshed out. My WIP already has an outline, and the beginnings of a bible, with work-ups for each of the major characters. One thing that I realized this past weekend is that my bible is going to have to reflect when major events happened, and where (there is a lot of reflection to the past).

My newsletter is a WIP on its own. It's purpose is to help me build a fan base for my mystery books, and to help connect me with other authors. I am fine tuning it on a monthly basis, offering snippets from my current WIP, a flash fiction piece that only appears in my newsletter, links to my existing work, and links to reference materials for writers. I occasionally showcase work that other writers have done. For my April newsletter, I will be featuring a book give-away, with a winner chosen from my subscriber's list.

Things that I am looking into doing are writing submissions for mystery short story contests, and writing pamplet sized books (around 20,000 words) on topics of interest in a wide variety of areas. 

For all of my writer friends - how does this compare with your writing days? Share how you handle your writing - we can all stand tolearn new tricks!

(c) February 2018 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction prohibited without written permission of the author.