How much feedback should writers get?
Feedback for Writers
I’ve been an Indiana Jones fan since Raiders of the Lost Ark. So I went to see The Dial of Destiny. When the opening credits showed four screenwriters, I knew the movie was going to be a mess even before . . . well.
When you see more than two people with screenwriting credits, it’s always a bad sign. It means no one trusted anyone and everyone stomped all over whatever vision anyone else had and then everyone lobbied for their favorite bits to stay in whether they made sense to the final story or not. Usually a director who thinks they’re a writer is involved, and a couple of nervous producers are casting doubt.
What you need when a story is going wrong is an editor, not a bunch more writers.
Anyway, this isn’t a post about screenwriting. It’s a post about letting people stomp all over your vision.
Best Tips for Getting Feedback for Writers
I’m a big fan of using a beta reader or two to give you feedback on your work. Getting another pair of eyes on your ms is essential to helping you see obvious problems you might have overlooked. It’s notoriously difficult to see the flaws in your own work.
But I cannot count the number of people who have come to me after they sent their work out to four or five or ten beta readers and the accumulated feedback is just . . . a tangled knot of contradiction and confusion.
Readers A and B liked the main character but Readers C and D did not; Readers E and F had a problem with the inciting incident (implausible) but Readers A and D did not; Readers C and F found the ending unearned but A and E thought not a word should be changed whereas Reader B wanted the nuclear bomb to go off after all.
Seeking lots of feedback is like having four people write a screenplay. You’re going to wind up with a tangled knot of confusion when your goal is a strong, engaging story.
A good dev editor can help you make sense of this mass of contradictory feedback, but I would recommend not getting it in the first place. Pick one or two beta readers and go on with your life. You know what story you’re trying to tell. Let a small number of people help you see places where the cracks show. That’s it.
A good developmental editor is skilled at developing feedback for writers.
As a dev editor, I’m happy if you pick me instead or in addition to the one or two beta readers, but in any event do not fall victim to the idea that if one is good, five must be better. It’s not.
Related Reads
-
Editor Insight: Shannon Scott
I’ve been asking newer editors for insights into how they find clients and deal with the ups and downs of freelancing. This week’s editor is Shannon Scott, who has been self-employed since July 2021, going full-time in December 2023. This is our Q&A: Tell me a little about your background and the kind of editing…
-
How Editors Use AI and Respond to AI Use
I asked a number of freelance editors how they’re addressing AI in their businesses—how they use it (if they do) and how they respond to authors using AI in their work. My Approach to AI For myself, I don’t use AI for any part of the editorial or teaching process, and I don’t work with…
-
Editor Insight: Maria Georgiou
I’ve been speaking with a few newer editors about how they find clients and how they cope with the ups and downs of freelancing. This week’s interview is with Maria Georgiou, who has been a freelance developmental editor and beta reader specializing in romance for two years. Here’s our Q&A: 1. Tell me a little…
-
Naked Writing – Starts Tomorrow!
A few years back, I ran a class called Naked Editing for newer freelance editors who wanted to follow along as I did an actual manuscript edit. I’m a developmental editor, so people were curious to see how I identified developmental problems and how I addressed them in the edit. It’s a very different process…
-
Editor Insight: Khelsea Purvis
I asked several experienced editors if they’d give some suggestions for newer editors about the all-important issue of finding clients and dealing with the ups-and-downs of freelancing. Khelsea Purvis (website here) has been freelancing for about eight years, part-time. She works mainly as a story editor for children’s books but also edits other types of…
-
Finding (and Landing!) Indie Author Clients | Getting Editorial Work from Book Publishers and Packagers | Money Question(s)
Make Money Fast as a Freelance Book Editor
It happens to all of us from time to time: work slows down, and we need to generate quick income. Note that this is not a blog post about how to start your business as a freelance book editor tomorrow and make fifty grand by Friday. That’s not gonna happen. Tips for How to Make…
