Progress Update III

It has been a bit of a whirlwind process-wise, dear reader.

Let’s just say the recent volatility in the world hasn’t exactly been conducive to a smooth and meditative beta reading experience. Yet, somehow, my betas have been giving it their all from day one! Of course, Round One betas got to experience both the advent of the Big ‘Rona and, let us say, a “gentle rocking” of the global stock market (in addition to helping me iron out some kinks in the process).

Actual footage of me trying to follow the advice of established authors regarding the beta process c. 2020 colorized

Round Two meanwhile has, without going into too much detail, experienced a horrendously prolific and unfortunate combination of work, family, and medical emergencies. When you go from asking your betas “hey how’s that chapter coming?” to “are you ok?” you know things have, to quote Bugs Bunny, “taken a left turn at Albuquerque.” Quite frankly given the amount of stress they’re under I’d expected most of them to opt out to focus on damage control. With how this year can’t quite seem to grow out of 2020’s hand-me-down sneakers into its own the fact that any of them have managed to read anything at all is nothing short of a miracle. That they’ve been so optimistic and responsive even more so. Given the gravity of some of these situations having them even respond to one of my texts would have been a humbling enough experience, but to actually have them take time out of their day and provide constructive feedback? I don’t even know what to say so I’ll just raise a glass to them instead.   

That being said you can imagine my surprise, then, when I glanced down at my notes to find nearly all of Round Two are a mere stones throw from finishing the last batch of chapters.

Yup you read that right- despite the insane amount of stuff going on in their lives (the good the bad and the ugly) my betas have rolled with the punches and delivered their feedback with a smile.

So is Round Two going as swiftly as I’d planned? Well, no- though I’ve learned to temper the expectations set by the internet-recommended-timetables after a healthy dose of reality during Round One.

Actual footage of reality introducing itself to my beta process after less than a week c. March 2020

More importantly: is Round Two drastically exceeding my expectations? Abso-freaking-lutely!

And the lengthy duration of Round Two has been, in a way, a blessing in disguise. I’ve been able to better organize my notes, ask deeper questions, and (perhaps most importantly) have been able to really focus on my outline for Libro Numero Dos.

So that’s where I’m at, dear reader. Waiting for the day when Round Two is complete, where upon I will begin compiling their data and cross referencing each of their responses against each other and, most likely, against the data I gathered from Round One as well. Once that’s done I’ll need to make the decision on whether I need to go in for Beta Round Three or if it’s finally time to shell out for an edit and start drafting that Query Letter.

So if you’re reading this, dear reader, and would like to throw your hat into the ring for being a beta reader (or if you had already and you’re still available) feel free to drop a comment down below or shoot me a message on Facebook, Instagram, or even good old fashioned email. As always I’d love to hear from you.

And to all of my betas (both past and present): thank you. If you need anything you know where to find me. And you Round Twos out there, please just continue to do what you can when you can. I am in awe of all of you and can only wring my hands in thanks so much before they begin to chafe (so I’ll raise a glass to you again instead).

He isn’t wrong

So, until, next time,

Sláinte