I went out a select group of friends and colleagues two weeks ago and asked a very big favor. Would you read my manuscript for me? Oh, and can you possibly do that in the next two weeks and send me feedback before I go to my conference? Pretty please?
I was pleasantly surprised that I had 13 1/2 brave volunteers offer to help me out. (The 1/2 is my husband. The book that I wrote is completely outside his usual genre of interest. Being the supportive spouse that he is though, he did offer to read it and has read the first 5 chapters so far.)
I sent out the manuscript on September 1st with my specific request for feedback on:
* Gaping "plot"holes
* Places where there should more detail
* Places where the story moves too fast/too slow
* Under-developed characters
* Stiff/uninspired/boring dialogue
* Anything else they thought may be helpful to tighten up or expand the story to make it more interesting
I also told them to chuck being nice by the wayside and give it to me straight. The only way I was going to improve the story was by getting honest feedback. (And I'm a big girl and can take it.)
As of today, I have had 7 wonderful people finish the book, and 2 others who are well into the story offering feedback as they go along. Each one said that the plot had some good twists and that is was easy to read.
The great thing is that no one spotted anything major that I didn't already know needed to be fixed. (There were two subplots that got lost in the mad dash to the end of the story.) Questions about characters and story lines have been insightful and telling. It has been a great experience so far.
This has given me the extra boost of positivity and energy that I needed to finalize the manuscript and get it ready for prime time! Thank you beta readers!!
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