Progress Update

Ah, so you've stopped on by to check in on my progress again, have you?

That's awfully kind of you, dear reader. Truly thoughtful of you. Why not pull up that metaphorical chair and settle in while I tell you?

Care for some tea? Whiskey? Blood of your enemies?

No?

Very well then let's dive in.

Round Two of Beta has continued in its whirlwind as only it ever could, but I'm pleased to say things have been progressing and not just in comparison to the Fuster Cluck we had at the onset.

Since we last spoke in September, I've been subjected to a deluge of feedback whose sudden and dramatic appearance unfortunately made the onboarding of certain Round Two Newbies a little rougher than it should have been (but we got it worked out in the end!) and speaking of Round Two Newbies: the remaining ones are all cranking on through as I continue to dissect their responses and try to ask pertinent questions.

If you recall, dear reader, the last time we spoke of such things I briefly remarked upon the subject of the analytical side of the Beta Reading process and how it presented its own unique set of challenges as I tried to extract data from each person's read through (looking for overarching themes/problems/consistencies etc.).

This has led to something I've come to begrudgingly refer to as the "Greg Effect."

Let me explain: Imagine if you will, a theoretical reader who we shall dub “Suzy.” Suzy is reading the manuscript and comments after a certain chapter that she *really* likes the character Greg. In fact she thinks Greg is mysterious. Greg is complicated. Damn it all, why beat around the bush? Greg is *sexy*. Greg may very well be the central villain of the story going forward, a master puppeteer pulling the strings behind the heroes every woe right beneath his nose. Actually, there’s some tension between the main hero and Greg, isn’t there? In fact, is the hero *gay* for Greg? The plot thickens…

Now imagine, dear reader, you are the author of this piece of literature that has just been analyzed thusly and you find yourself staring blankly at the far wall of your living room as you ask yourself “who the fuck is Greg?” Followed by the near immediate thoughts “I named someone Greg?” and “Shit biscuits did I just inadvertently make a side character I can’t even remember the single most interesting plot device in my entire novel?!”

NOW imagine you go look up every mention of Greg in your manuscript and….he’s mentioned once. In passing. In a single sentence.

Greg is flavor text. Greg is a background character. A legitimate NPC. Greg may as well have never been born for the impact he will have on the evolution of the world he inhabits going forward. Greg didn’t even get a descriptor beyond his name and yet apparently oozes raw undiluted sex appeal.

Now, let’s call the Greg scenario above “Thread 1.” You as an author are taken aback by it but, regardless, it’s now something you have to pay attention to. Did other Betas think the same about Greg? Is Sexy Greg a thing? And so you go hunting for Greg through “Threads 2-20” and find….nothing. Nada. Not another living soul who has laid eyes on your manuscript even noticed or remembered Greg and yet obtaining that nugget of knowledge required your devoting several hours of your life to confirm.

Surely that’s a unique scenario, though, right?

Wrong.

We as humans are opinionated creatures and so almost every Thread has had a hot take at one time or another. Some are vague; some are specific; all are useful. Each one, however, has to be logged and compared against its peers as I try to look for Common Threads to make sure the characters I WANT to be the Gregs of the world stand out as such instead of…well, Greg.

Each theory must be handled with respect (it’s the raw opinion of each reader’s first read through after all) and, yes, while the Greg scenario above was an outlier it just as easily could not have been. There have been dozens of times my Betas have pointed things out where I’ve gone “oh, shit I totally did do that” and followed it up with a “yay!” or “whoops!” as appropriate. Every bit of feedback is precious, a data point of something I did right or need to tweak.

Being so close to the story as I am it’s easy for me to leave something out or explain something too much, which is why each piece of information from my Betas is so invaluable. That same level of divulgence, however, can make translating it into digestible chunks of information a herculean task. Back when I started Round Two I was only getting 1-3 chapters from a Beta at a time and had several weeks in between deliveries to think and organize. Now I’m getting the entire thing from several people all at the same time. It’s a good problem to have, mind you, and I’m sure I’ll muscle on through.

Now that I’m not travelling all the damn time and we’re through holiday season I may even be able to do so at home with some honest to goodness coffee for once instead of on the road with whatever caffeinated slurry I picked up at a gas station (one can only hope!).

In any case, I want to give a shout out to all my Betas- whether you’re still chugging along or have finished and are fielding my follow up questions just know that you’re awesome and I appreciate you!

Until next time.