So You Want to Be a Good Beta Reader: A How-to
Editing is the part of writing that new writers don’t like to think about: after all, shouldn’t we all be geniuses whose work springs fully-formed from their heads, complete with the helmet of fresh metaphor and the spear of insightful prose?
Except that the birth of Athena is a myth, and writing is more like actual birth—a more painful undertaking than most people want to think about, and one that can’t be accomplished alone. Every writer needs a good reader’s feedback to light the path. Here then is the beta reader’s manual: a guide to helping your critique group members reach their full writing potential.
Bear in mind the author’s intended audience.
