Level Up with Writer Feedback
Level Up with Writer Feedback – How To Write the Future podcast, episode 192
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“If you start asking for feedback too soon, it can really destroy the creative process for you. It can make you doubt the direction you’re going in. There’s all kinds of reasons why I recommend that you get feedback after you finish your first draft.” – Beth Barany
Do you want feedback on the first page of your manuscript? Need to know if there’s something just missing?
In “Level Up with Writer Feedback,” this How To Write the Future podcast episode, host Beth Barany guides you through receiving creative writing feedback, with tips on joining local or online groups, reaching out to developmental editors, or potentially receiving feedback from Beth herself as she also explains the importance of finishing your first draft.
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About the How To Write the Future podcast
The How To Write The Future podcast is for science fiction and fantasy writers who want to write positive futures and successfully bring those stories out into the marketplace. Hosted by Beth Barany, science fiction novelist and creativity coach for writers. We cover tips for fiction writers.This podcast is for readers too if you’re at all curious about the future of humanity.
This podcast is for you if you have questions like:
– How do I create a believable world for my science fiction story?
– How do I figure out what’s not working if my story feels flat?
– How do I make my story more interesting and alive?
This podcast is for readers, too, if you’re at all curious about the future of humanity.
Transcript for episode 192 – Level Up with Writer Feedback
Introduction to Creative Writing Feedback
BETH BARANY: Today I wanna talk about one of the most important elements of being a creative writer. And this applies of course to science fiction and fantasy writers and all writers. Fiction writers and nonfiction writers alike. Now I specialize in helping science fiction and fantasy writers, but recently I was in conversation with a contemporary romance writer, and what we were talking about totally applies to all of you, and that is how to get more feedback on your writing.
[00:28] Importance of Finishing Your First Draft
Now this is especially important, after you have finished your first draft, so please finish your first draft before you search out feedback. If you start asking for feedback too soon, it can really destroy the creative process for you. It can make you doubt the direction you’re going in. There’s all kinds of reasons why I recommend that you get feedback after you finish your first draft.
We’re already critical of our own work, so I really recommend that you finish your first draft so that someone evaluating it and giving you feedback is looking at something that is a whole, even if it’s an imperfect whole.
[01:03] Where to Get Feedback
Okay, so getting feedback.
There’s a lot of places you can get feedback. Yes, you can hire an editor, a developmental editor, someone who can read your story and give you feedback on character and plot and setting, and how does one thing flow into the other, and do you have a deep point of view.
All kinds of things.
But actually most first time fiction writers, when you’ve completed your first draft, you actually need something else.
[01:32] Manuscript Review vs. Developmental Edit
And that’s called a manuscript review.
Now, I don’t do manuscript reviews anymore, nor do I developmental edit by itself.
I do that inside of my group mastermind where I teach people how to edit their work.
Manuscript review, and I, I know plenty of people who do this, is where someone will read your book and give you feedback on: the story, the plot, the characters, the setting, the flow, the point of view, but they won’t mark up your manuscript, they’ll give you pages of notes, and it might be smart to handle this, in a smaller bit. That is, don’t hire someone to do your manuscript review, for the entire book, have someone read your first chapter. Have someone read your first page.
[02:15] Page One Assessment Service
Now as a taster service, I do a Page One Assessment.
For a small fee, I will read your page one and I’ll give you an assessment based on key factors.
So what do I offer in the Page One Assessment?
Basically it’s to help you figure out: Is my book any good? Am I starting in the right place? Am I delivering the kind of story I hope to? So meeting and exceeding genre expectations. Does my opening hook the reader? Is the narrator interesting and compelling?
Now if you are wondering all of those things and you finish your first draft, and you are a science fiction or fantasy writer, but also any genre fiction anything but horror, I don’t do horror. I will read your page one and give you written notes. This is a bite-size look at your work to answer the questions above, and I will also notice the big picture, story structure, character arc, and world building, and I can tell from page one, how those are going.
I can also take a look at your prose and give you a quick assessment on that. Now, this isn’t a quiz, this is a real, customized, personalized look at what’s working and what needs improvement by a real person. Me, I do not use AI for this.
This is only for page one, not for any other pages.
Sometimes when people sign up for the service, it is a paid service, they hesitate to send me their one page. And I don’t put a deadline on it because I understand the tenderness of sharing your work with someone.
But I do recommend that you send it pretty soon. I, I have on my landing page here six to eight weeks, but really, sooner is better if you can. If there is, it really is meant to be a nurturing place. What I mean by that is, I’m not here to attack you. I’m here to help you see what’s working and help you see what you need more of.
Now, if your story isn’t science fiction or fantasy, but some other kind of speculative fiction, happy to look at it. If you like my vibe and you are writing some other kind of fiction, I’m open to that as well. I have written science fiction and fantasy and, and paranormal romance. And, also I’ve written sci-fi mysteries.
This offer is great for you, if you are a science fiction or fantasy writer that includes romance, mystery or thriller elements, or if you have contemporary romance, I can look at that as well.
Your work is done. It’s better to have your manuscript be done. And, if all you have is your first chapter and you are wanting feedback, I will look at it as well, but I really recommend that you have your whole manuscript done.
[04:54] Additional Feedback Resources
Now, there are a few other ways you can get feedback, and it’s quite fun to consider them. There are contests. There’s also different organizations that will allow you to submit your work to get edited, different editors and developmental editors, like Rev Pit. I see that Reedsy has, uh, that service. I wanna mention a few other things. Um,
There’s also a place called scribophile.com where you can critique other people’s work and once you develop enough points by doing that, then you can get your work critiqued. You can also search Facebook for “critique groups” and depending on where you are located, you can also look at your local writer’s club and meet in person with other writers and find critique partners that way.
[05:49] What’s working and what’s not
Critique partners, where you exchange pages with them, will not only give you an opportunity to get your work looked at, but it’ll also give you the opportunity to learn how to articulate what is working and what is not working in other people’s work.
[06:04] What we talked about today
So today we talked about getting a developmental edit if your work is ready. First time authors often need more of an assessment at first, or you could hire someone like me to give you a Page One Assessment. Also you can look for critique groups. You can look for online communities like Scribophile. You can look at offers, like Reedsy has and you can also look at the amazing, free competition called Rev Pit. And those resources will be in our show notes.
[06:34] Conclusion and Final Thoughts
So, getting feedback on our work is actually critical. Nobody writes in a vacuum. We’re all impacted by our culture. And then when it comes time to edit our work and put it out into the world, we actually all get our work read and we all receive feedback.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks I see for writers is they never show their work to anyone and then nothing really happens because they’re afraid to put themself out there. And I get it. It is very, very scary. So your ideal situation for getting feedback is a supportive environment where you feel safe with people that you like and respect.
And you can put some other requirements on looking for critique partners as well, like you all share similar genres. You’re all working on similar genres.
[07:22] Wrapping up – contact me!
All right. If you have any other questions or you’re curious about my Page One Assessment, do contact me. I am out there @ BethBarany. You can also write me through my website, howtowritethefuture.com.
And and reach out if you would like support or further resources on this topic.
Alright everyone, that’s it for now. That’s it for this week. Write long and prosper.
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ABOUT BETH BARANY
Beth Barany teaches science fiction and fantasy novelists how to write, edit, and publish their books as a coach, teacher, consultant, and developmental editor. She’s an award-winning fantasy and science fiction novelist and runs the podcast, “How To Write The Future.”
Learn more about Beth Barany at these sites:
Author site / Coaching site / School of Fiction / Writer’s Fun Zone blog
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