Beta Reading At The Writers Bloc Part 2

Sam van Zweden, the editor at The Writers Bloc, asked me to write a check list to help readers workshop writing. Late last month the first of two articles, Beta Reading as Translation, went up. Today, the companion piece, A Practical Guide to Beta Reading, is live.

The last few months with the Magic Puppies (yes, my writing is group’s name is abbreviated to ‘magic puppies’) has given me new insights into beta reading. Even so, these articles have been the hardest non-fiction I’ve written in some time: trying to quantify, qualify and then articulate what is often a gut feeling informed by time, experience and the story at hand.

Today’s article covers etiquette, basics, a six-point frame of focus for looking at problem areas and an extended list of questions that can be used by beta readers as a guide for deeper deconstruction of work or for authors to assist in constructing a beta reading brief.

From A Practical Guide to Beta Reading:

Beta reading is the truthful evaluation of a story’s effectiveness.

• Beta reading is a request from an author for assistance to improve their story.
• It provides the author with an overview of what is working and not working in the story.
• It is framed as an opinion and is only one of many on the story. Adding a caveat at the bottom will reinforce this.
• Opinion is always influenced by taste and experience. Biases need to be transparent.
• There is no place for ego gratification or back-slapping.

You can read the full article and get the extended downloadable question guide here.

Ballarat Workshop

 

Would You Look at My Story?

Critiquing Skills for Fiction Writers

3 hours theory/discussion/practical exercises

CANCELLED DUE TO ILL HEALTH

Writers accept that receiving feedback is an essential part of the writing process, however most shy away from the actual task of critiquing, afraid they’ll do more harm than good, or not knowing exactly how or where to start. I share my skills, experiences and insights to provide writers  with practical skills and knowledge to tackle the process of critiquing with confidence, armed

What is Covered?

• What is Critiquing
• The Benefits of Critiquing
• Reasons to Critique
• Reasons not to Critique
• Exorcising Bad Critiques of Past
• The Six Rules of Engagement
• What to Put in a Critiquing Brief
• Where to Get Critiqued
• How to Write a Critique
• What to Look For
• Practical Critiquing Exercise

Extras

• Places are limited to ensure the highest level of interactivity between the participants and myself, so please book early.
• Please bring with you a pen and something to write on.
• We need to vacate the premises at 1:00pm but I am happy to meet with the participants for a casual lunch in a nearby cafe if anyone has any recommendations.
• For more about me and my passion for running this workshop see my official workshop page.

Bookings

Booking can be made by paypal or content me direct jodi[at]jodicleghorn.com for direct debit details. Ballarat Writers Centre members are eligible for a discount. When filling out the enrolment form, please put your membership details to validate your discount!

$45.00 (standard)

$40.00 (Ballarat Writers Centre members)

The Chameleon Accepted for Publication

Late last year a fellow Chinese Whisperings writer Tina Hunter contacted me about Absolute Xpress’s Flash Fiction Challenge. She told me to keep an eye out for the 1st December when the prompt for the challenge would be announced, adding my writing would definitely suit the anthologies they were producing.

Thieves and Scoundrels is the third anthology, coming in the wake of Creatures of the Night and The Seven Deadly Sins (Tina had stories published in both!) cementing Absolute Xpress’s committment to the Flash Fiction form, which is growing in popularity with writers and readers alike.

There is nothing like someone making, even the smallest investment in your writing life, to spur you on to bigger and better things. In many ways it was the indebtedness to Tina which made this a priority once I had submitted to the 12 Days Project (work begets work… I’m convinced of that!)

The prompt was:

Would your characters try to swindle a dragon out of his treasure? Perhaps they’d try to steal the fastest spaceship in the galaxy? Or are they after something a little more sinister that’s in need of taking? Where ever and when ever they take place, the stories of these Thieves and Scoundrels will take hold of your imagination and ransom it back to you.

I had a couple of ideas floating around in my head, especially after Vasia Markides and Anna Barros posted to their Facebook pages an article about a group of elderly Cypriots being charged with illegal gambling. The youngest was in their mid-70s. While it didn’t end up firing for this competition but it is latent waiting for the right trigger.

It was a moan about shopping hours which lead me to ask: What could possibly happen to someone in the dead of night in a supermarket.  ‘The Chameleon’ answers that and is my debut story in the sci-fi/spec-fic genre. This from someone who said two years ago, “Oh but I don’t write sci-fi.”

While I’m indebted to Tina for encouraging me to enter, I’m also indebted to some wonderful people who read the first draft, commented and compelled me to distill and capture the essence of the story. These wonderful beta readers were Chris Chartrand, Annie Evett, Dan Powell, Diane Ballard and Jen Brubacher… oh and my Mum, who is captured here mid-story. Why mention them… because these amazing folk are the real powerhouses behind any writer, the unseen who help to sculpt and solidify creative flights of fancy. Who ensure a piece goes from “er, yeah,” to “OMG!”

The anthology is scheduled for release later this month, so watch this space.