Loose in the Wild
Beta Readers selected for Cupbearer, Swordbearer
Good morning! It’s a new week.
It’s -14 degrees Fahrenheit, -23 with the windchill here in Michigan. Back home in Maine the coasts are flooding and people continue to canoe down cobblestone streets I used to meander with friends on late nights more than twenty years ago.
So I hope you and your loved ones are safe and warm.
Last Friday however, I had opened a Google Form to collect Beta Reader interest and I’m happy to say I’ve selected four folks to entrust my rough story to, and the email was sent out this morning. (Technically I scheduled it for 8am, last night, along with this newsletter.)
I’m feeling tired (I spent much of the weekend trying to insert missing scenes or details and polishing on the fly — why do I do this to myself?) but really nervous and excited. I’m a sensitive person by nature, but I crave the feedback of others to elevate my writing. This is probably because I’ve spent so long daydreaming about this world. This is my second time writing about it! I don’t know if other writers feel this way, but I can re-read my work several times, take a break to make a matcha, and return unsure of what I formalized in the passage or if certain details remain solely in my imagination.
I can’t wait to know what the Beta Readers like and dislike. Of course, with the nature of the lion’s share of traffic to this content, I know all of the readers. This can complicate feedback but I hope they feel comfortable enough throttling my feelings with their honesty. They’re all prolific readers, they enjoy the genre, and true to my GM-ing nature I just want to make it a story that makes them smile (and maybe cry; sorry, friends). I’ve asked kindly that they try to make it through the first half of my manuscript before March 15, 2024.
So what will I be doing all this time? I’ll be finishing the story of course.
I’ve actually written past the point I decided to leave off at for the Beta Readers. I did this for several reasons: I wanted to leave a cliff hanger, I surmise it’s at about the halfway point, and honestly I’m wondering if each planned book should be two books.
It’s an odd thought, I know. I’ve had the general map for these stories for years. But yesterday I read a blog about 2024 publishing industry predictions and I can’t argue with the notion that social media and streaming media’s impact on reading trends (AND the current economy) may show more readers gravitating toward shorter reads, among other things. The entry is interesting, I would recommend if you also enjoy conjecturing.
And I think in my downtime I may deviate from my reading plan for the year and begin an immersive re-read of On Writing, by Stephen King. (This is when you read a print or ebook and listen to an audiobook, or so I’m told.) The title always motivates me and sparks a little curiosity and creativity.