It’s time again to look at what the trouble with writing is. This week, we’re looking at knowing when not to talk about your book to your beta readers, and when it’s okay.
This could be different for everyone. Some people say it’s never okay, some people say it’s okay sometimes, and some people say it’s okay all the time. For me, I would say it’s okay sometimes.
Beta readers can give you an advantage on how to edit your work. Last week, I was trying to not talk about my work to beta readers at all, but then, a very good friend of mine contacted me and said my book was a page-turner. That told me that it was okay to talk to her about it. We hung out later that night, and spent some of the time talking about it. The best thing? She was having the exact reactions I was going for. I was so glad to hear it!
Then there was another friend who seemed a little annoyed that I brought it up to him, so I quickly dropped it. I made a mental note to not talk to him about it. Only if he brings it up. Right.
Then there was another friend that contacted me and said that the beginning was terrible. That part was hard to hear, but exactly what I needed to hear. I knew it wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t know how bad it was, exactly. I mentioned it on Google+, and he commented once, but that was it. He didn’t really say much about it, either. So, don’t talk to him about it, either.
I haven’t heard from the others, so I’m guessing it’s not okay to talk to them about it. Well, one brought it up when he was starting to read it, but that was it. I’m going to go with talking to him about it is a no.
So, if your beta readers bring it up, talk to them about it. If they don’t, don’t talk to them about it. Sounds easy, right?