Write Better: Tips and tricks

Who do I ask for help with my story?

3. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS AFTER, ASK. If you disagree with something they said or don't understand why they said it, feel free to ask for clarification so when you're making edits, you understand where they're coming from. This is not the time to say: FYI, just so you know... and tell the editor what you feel they got wrong. This is a chance for you to see why they think something needs to be changed.

Beta Readers

Traditionally, these are readers who will read your entire novel for free and give you feedback on it. By definition, they're unprofessional. They're readers who get a sneak peak at a novel before it's actually published and sometimes they would get a free copy of the finished product as a thanks: that's the traditional rewards, so-to-speak.

In the modern day, there are people out there who have decided that beta reading is a lot of work, and as such, they should (and do) charge for their services. A lot of these people did not go to school for beta reading. Their are no real rules and regulations about what they should provide you. A lot of these people are basically offering editorial services under the guise of 'beta reading.'

Be VERY careful if you decide to pay for a beta reader. Do your research. Ask around to see how rates compare. Ask for examples and samples. Find out what a beta read from this professional entails. If the work they're offering sounds like something one type of editor does, compare this beta reading experience to what you'd get from asking an industry professional. If you like the price and what they're doing, feel free to pay. If not, move on. Hiring a beta reader isn't a bad thing, but make sure you get all your information first.

If they're doing it for free, congrats. You can get some great, solid feedback!

Unfortunately, finding beta readers can be really difficult, both on and off wattpad. You may have to do a little legwork. Sites like Goodreads has a beta reader group (be careful; several of them will charge). If you have a story that needs betas, feel free to note that in the story itself, or ask some of your dedicated readers to help you out if they can. I've had people volunteer without asking to beta some of my stories, and likewise I've asked readers who agreed to this. I just explained myself, sent them a nice message about how I valued their input, and the ones who had time agreed. :)

I've also found free beta readers by asking around on twitter and by using google to search for them. Sometimes I look for just beta readers. Other times, I search for more specific things, like new adult beta readers, and poke around the search results. Or I ask other people who have found beta readers, see where they got them, or if their reader might be interested in checking out my writing, too.

A good place to start is also a good place to ask for your story help, which brings me to the next group of people who can help you:

People who read your genre.

Wattpad has forums for this. Some are more popular than others, but if you have questions about your story, sometimes the best people to ask are those who have experience reading it.

For example, say you write sci-fi and want to know if your Transplootometer sequence sounds realistic. So you ask for help from people at large. Wanting to be helpful, someone comes along who mainly reads Supernatural fanfiction and erotic contemporary romances.

And they look at your sequence and check out the spelling, grammar, flow. Thing is, they read it as JARGON JARGON JARGON FLASHING LIGHTS ENGINE ROAR JARGON JARGON SHIP ESCAPES. Yup! This sounds good!

The same thing can happen in other genres, like historical fiction, where the average reader may not know what types of clothing or firearms were available in the 1820s, but a reader who reads that sort of story might.