Thursday, May 10, 2012

Writing Marathon 35

15 minutes. I may get in more with notecards, but I won't be getting on the computer after that. Mulled over the flash I've written/still writing recently.

Let me say, beta reading has really sped up my personal evolution as a writer. I wouldn't say that beta reading or getting beta readers is absolutely necessary, but feedback in some form is essential for improvement. You need other people to help you understand the forest you can't see when you are looking at the trees. Some of it you can learn on your own, but it may be a longer road. There is the obvious benefit of having others beta read your work, assuming you find decent beta readers. But I am also talking about reading other writers' work and commenting critically on it. Seeing the problems that other writers run into with their manuscripts, and brain storming with them, helps me do the same for my own work. It helps it feel more like a process that every writer goes through, rather than some personal failing of mine. And, it helps me be aware of the types of solutions that work for a variety of problems. Changing scene order, changing POV, how to edit for consistency, and all that good stuff.

Now, I found the note cards I was working on last, so I'm going down to re-familiarize myself with them while I eat.

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