Plan B

Sometimes we have to revert to Plan B when Plan A doesn’t work out.

Earlier this year, I did just that when I decided to park my second manuscript, a manuscript I’d been working on for eighteen months. As disappointing as it was, and despite all the effort I’d put into completing it, I realised I wasn’t quite ready to put it out there in the world. And so I changed course and decided to focus on my third novel, which I’d already started writing. 

It’s a psychological thriller set in the Scottish Highlands and I’m currently sharing what I’ve written with beta readers. Their feedback is invaluable to me for informing future drafts. I am not looking to hear how wonderful my story is—that would defeat the object. And quite frankly, I know there is definitely room for improvement where my writing is concerned. I need an objective critique—readers who will tell me what doesn’t work, what might need changing or omitting altogether.

Beta readers are there to help shape my story, build my characters, sharpen my plot and ultimately make me a better writer. They also help me see things from a different perspective, especially when I’ve been entrenched in the manuscript for so long.

My beta readers comprise five people—all very different to ensure a broad range of opinion. They do, however, have one thing in common: they love reading, This might seem obvious, but I appreciate that not everyone enjoys reading novels. In fact, some of my friends rarely pick up a book, if at all (ah, what they are missing out on!) and others prefer non-fiction. 

These carefully selected readers provide valuable insight into whether my story—though still a work in progress—has potential. If it hasn’t grabbed their attention from the start, it is unlikely to further down the line, a sign my idea might not be compelling enough. And while negative opinion and criticism may hurt—-we writers are human after all—it helps us improve our craft in the long run.

Writing a novel is a long process where doubt and despondency can take root. The beta reader stage is not the time to give up because of negative feedback. It is a brilliant opportunity (perhaps the only opportunity) to gather advice and insight from others to ensure one’s manuscript is at its most polished and the best it can be before its launch into the wider world.

It is also an opportunity that should neither be rushed or missed.