Photo credit: M. M. Kastanek
Prompt: She looked down from her perch... Words: reflected, rhythm, skin, bite, lazy, metallic My Paragraph: She looked down from her perch, squinting as the sun reflected off the cerulean waters. Boats bobbed on their bright orange poles and thunked lazily against the stone docks to the rhythm of the waves. Biting her lip, she peered closer at the boats, counting them by the vibrant red numbers on their hulls. But no matter how many times she counted, number 24 was missing. She glanced back out to sea, but the waters were calm and only fishing boats puttered in the deep. Where was boat 24? She bit her lip again, tasting metallic blood as she bit off a piece of dried skin. Realization sank in the pit of her stomach. Boat 24 hadn't come to shore yet. Which meant her brother was dead.
1 Comment
Cps (Critique Partners) Critique partners, or CPs, are often fellow writers who help you along your journey. They read the first scratches of your story and are there to bounce ideas off. This should be someone you trust to give you advice as well as someone who can tolerate your moans of agony and constant complaining about the writing process. Typically, you reciprocate the CP relationship by reading their book or parts of their work (as well as being the listening ear when nothing is going right and the voice of reason when they want to throw everything in the garbage). Being a CP can be a lot of work, but it will help your writing a lot! Find critique partners through local writing clubs or online writing groups. Joining a writing organization is a great way to get involved with your local community's writers. I'm a part of two writing groups, one that weeks bi-monthly and one that meets monthly. This not only gets fresh eyes on my piece, but connects me with several writers in my area who might be willing to exchange pieces. I've met a number of great people this way! Alpha Readers Not all writers use alpha readers. I like alpha readers because they keep me motivated to edit. I have to do all my edits if my alpha readers are going to read it! Alphas are sometimes writers, but they can be readers too. Personally, my alpha readers tend to be my friends and family. There are pros and cons to this. Your friends and family are often more likely to stick around than random people you don't know, but sometimes they won't be completely honest with you and will instead be over-complimentary. Encourage them to give you critical feedback so your writing can grow. Most importantly, alpha readers have to be comfortable reading unpolished material and sifting through some messy spots in search of the diamonds. A good alpha reader will get your work much more polished and solve all of the big issues before passing your work on to beta readers. Beta Readers Beta readers are one of the final steps before submitting your manuscript to an agent. These readers are typically that - readers. They won't necessarily have the craft of writing in their head. Instead, they read for enjoyment and will look at your book through that lens.
It's important to find people who love your genre but who you don't know. After all, your book is going to see hundreds of readers who don't know you personally. This is the stage where your work has to stand on it's own. Betas will catch the final strings you need to tie up for the final round of edits! Again - network to find your betas! Reach out on social media and to local writers groups who might be interested in your work! It's amazing the connections you can form with a little bit of work. Good luck! What types of readers have you used during your writing process? |
AuthorM. M. Kastanek Archives
June 2022
Categories
All
|