Like most of you I have a few people who read my work and help me to make them better, but I've been thinking that I need to be using them a bit more than I do.
In the past I've only been having them read through my chapters once and then doing the rewrites on my own. Sometimes I'll send them a chapter if I've completely rewritten it.
So here's my question:
What is your process with crit partners? Do they do multiple reads of your work, or just one or two?
11 comments:
Depending on how many people you have -- I would send A the chapter to crit. I would make the changes they suggest. I would send B that same chapter to crit. If they suggest changes, I would make them and then send that chapter to C.
After I got 4 or 5 chapters finished I would send each of them all of them for a general beta read. Unless you have a beta reader or two. To make sure the story is holding together.
I would say I do have them read multiple times, but probably no more than two times. I get their thoughts, make revisions based on those thoughts, then show them again to see if I interpreted their comments correctly.
I actually wait until I’m done with the 2nd or 3rd round of rewrites before I let someone read it.
Mine do an initial read and then do a second read. I'm trying to limit my rewrites and editing, because I do too much of it. Once I feel like it's the way I want it, I have them check out parts and see if I did them justice. =)
Right now mine only read the work that is re-written, however I'm about to change it up and send over a different story.
When I need them to re-read a chapter I know they'll have no problem reading a thousand times over until I'm happy!
Good luck with the rewrites!
I usually only send once, but if there's a request then I'll put in revisions and then send again if I feel uncertain on how I did with the revisions. I also have a writing friend who reads my work as a whole after it's finished. :-)
Just remember that there's always something to crit, no matter how many times you change it.
It varies. Some of my stuff my partners haven't read until the first or second draft was done. Others they've read a chapter or two before I even have an ending planned.
We just roll with what feels right at the time. :)
We usually reread the rewrites once, but if I have a ? about something, we reread the rewritten rewrites.
There are no rules in my loose group!!!
Otherwise we couldn't handle it!
Have a great weekend!
Patti
Well my current crit group goes over it once (or twice if I re-submit a chapter). When I look for betas, I will probably have them read over multiple times.
If you're in a writing group and everyone's willing to read each other's work, that's perfect.
If it's a full manuscript? I only ever ask my readers for one read so I make sure it's solid when it goes to them for that very reason.
To ask anyone to read a manuscript more than once assumes they have much more disposable time than they probably do. Though I don't think that's what you were asking was it? LOL!
Have a great summer, Patti.
Unless we make significant changes, we usually get one solid edit. Sometimes we'll send back certain sections that really needed work to see how we did, but the big edit comes once. Somebody in the blogosphere, I think it was Tahereh? said to send the most perfect version of a manuscript out to beta readers, because regardless of the types of changes you make, they will ALWAYS remember that first draft. Great advice I thought!
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