I will return to my season Spooky Movie series tomorrow.

For the last week I have been reading a novella by a fellow writer as a beta reader. For those not in the know a beta read is test read by someone other than the author of a piece. The purpose is to discover how it comes across to someone unfamiliar with the story. Writers often beg and go wanting for good beta readers, after all it is unpaid labor and a good beta read is labor as not only are you responding with ‘I like that character’ ‘I don’t like that one,’ and such. But if you are a writer, you are also trying to feel the pace, the mood, and why it works or doesn’t.

That is why if you are a writer doing beta reads is more important than getting them. Sharpening those analytical skills on prose you did not compose sharpened them for when you are composing as well. The trick is to also understand what the other writer’s voice is and not step on that. The point of your feedback isn’t to turn the piece into something like what you would have written but the improve what is there by coming closer to what the author intended.

I am luck that the piece I am currently reading is well-written and entertaining with few major issues. All writers should as much as possible, go forth and beta read for others.