My second beta reader graduated from a university in Chile a few years ago.
She spotted a major issue I myself was concerned about when writing my first draft. I attempted to address it when writing the second draft and had my fingers crossed that I had. But no such luck. She struggled with it in much the same way I had but stopped short of giving me a solution. Seeing her shine a light on it energized me. A few hours after receiving her report a solution popped into my mind. It is so simple. I don’t understand how I missed it before. Hopefully, it will hold up better than my second draft patches.
Something similar happened when it came to another of her major critiques, this one about the relationship between a young man and woman, co-protagonists. In the first draft, I recognized problems with the way their relationship began. I tried a few things in the second draft to fix it and came to the conclusion that I had done all I could. I was willing to settle; the beta reader was not. I don’t know if I dreamt it, but a simple, effective solution presented itself within a day. Why it hadn’t done so earlier, I can not say. Lacking this beta reader’s prodding, I likely would’ve continued to settle. That would have been a shame, especially considering how little it will take to provide not only a solution but an improvement.
A few other of her suggested revisions are less weighty but will take more time to do. I’ll honor her recommended revisions with my best effort. Any thoughts?
(first published on 28 Sept 22)
