Beta readers are essential when
the writer isn’t part of the audience.
I read a lot of middle grade
fiction, but I read it with adult eyes. And I was a middle grader once, but
that was a long time ago.
So after I did an initial
polish to the manuscript for my middle grade novel, I went looking for beta
readers. Within the past few weeks, I gave out eight copies. Sunday I got my
first two responses.
These two evaluations came from
sisters—one in 4th grade and the other in 6th grade. Both
told me that my main character acted too young for her age (which I had been
unsure about) and that the chapters were too short (contrary to what the “experts”
said chapter lengths should be). The 4th grader really took the
assignment to heart, telling me that I should show more of my protagonist’s
routine before Pearl Harbor, help the reader know Emi’s father better, and make
the chapters flow more smoothly. (Her actual comment was that the book “kind of
jumped around.”) She even pointed out that I used “choked back a sob” and “gulped
back a sob” a lot. Pretty perceptive for a 4th grader.
On the other hand, I had
worried about the vocabulary level. I wanted it to be challenging but not
frustrating. Both comments indicated that I had succeeded in keeping the
vocabulary understandable.
I already have some ideas on
how to make changes, although I will wait on most until I get the other
responses back.
These two evaluations also
confirmed something I already knew—when writing for an audience the writer
doesn’t belong to, beta readers from that group are a must.
And I can’t wait to read the
rest of the comments.
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