Fortunately, I've
always had good eyesight. Amd after recent cataract surgery, I can see clearly,
except for small print in dark places. But that's not what I'm talking about right
now. What I'm talking about is the ability to see my own work objectively.
That's where I need a new pair of eyes.
With the manuscript on my fifth Kate Hamilton mystery coming out in June, I dream about the elusive mistake neither I nor my editors caught.
The problem is, when you’re so familiar with your characters and the plot—even the words on the page—you can't always see what needs to be fixed. Did I introduce a character without any context? Is there a plot hole I haven't plugged? Is my timeline off? Where am I missing punctuation or quotation marks?Are there typos?
I’ve heard it said
that there isn’t a book in print that doesn’t have at least one mistake somewhere
on its pages. And it’s so much easier for readers to find them than authors.
Why? It’s the familiarity trap.
Our brains are
wonderfully complex processors of information. Two tasks they do very efficiently
are filling in the blanks and correcting errors. Knowing what we intended, our
brains auto-correct the mistakes our eyes see. Here's an example:
Ot deson’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in
a wrod aepapr.
The reason you can
read that sentence pretty easily is because our brains are code-cracking
experts. Context is important—as well as the fact that we don't read letter by
letter. Most people see whole words, and as long as the first and last letters
are there, our brains figure it out. That's also why we may not catch our own errors.
Our brains correct them automatically.
Thankfully, there
are beta readers!
Beta readers are
people who read manuscripts before they are published, pointing out errors and suggesting
improvements. I have several. One is an Englishwoman who checks my work for “Americanisms”
in the mouths of British people. Another is a retired editor, part of a
critique group formed years ago. Yet another is my friend and fellow WWK writer
Grace Topping. I'm so grateful for the wise counsel and pertinent comments they
give me. They see my work with fresh eyes.
If you're a beta
reader, what are some of the things you look for in a manuscript?
If you're a writer,
how have beta readers helped you?
Interesting thoughts, Connie. I'm blessed to have four beta readers, and each is good at a specific thing: the actual writing, plot holes, subplots, and pacing. They are incredible and I'm lucky.
ReplyDeleteI'm blessed to have Grace Topping and E.B. Davis as beta readers - could not do this job without their wise counsel!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kait. I really enjoy reading your manuscripts.
DeleteAlways amazing to me what I can miss when I'm trying to edit my work. Even more frustrating, the new errors I introduce while trying to make corrections. I do send most pieces through several critiques. I have a friend who used to be a newspaper editor; her input was priceless. Unfortunately, she's not able to do that anymore.
ReplyDeleteI usually have my computer read the work back to me aloud. Anything that grates on my hearing is game for careful review. As are the words that don't quite fit.
Thank you, Connie, for the shout-out. It's a joy to read your manuscripts--I get to enjoy your stories well before anyone else.
ReplyDeleteGrace gave my new manuscript a thorough reading, and I couldn't be more grateful. She's the best! In my third book, a reader contacted me about six months post-publication to let me know I'd referred to one of the characters as Swedish most of the book but Swiss once. Ugh. She lived in Europe and reminded me there was decidedly a difference. (She was very kind, and I was very thankful. Nowadays, it's easy to make the fix and reload the book!)
ReplyDeleteMy first beta reader is my husband, aka Captain Comma. He sprinkles them everywhere.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Shari
DeleteSuch good advice, Connie. My beta readers are two friends who write picture books, biographies, children's novels, critical essays, and the most amazing, internationally acclaimed poetry - but not mysteries. We're an odd trio that has been meeting monthly for critiques for more than twenty years. I do not know what I would do without them and their wonderful eyes.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only author here without beta readers? However, I am in a group of mystery writers. We help and support each other with plot issues, title suggestions, grammar questions and other subjects, many of which have nothing to do with writing.
ReplyDelete