Sorry Not Sorry

Eugene: I’m a doctor Negan: *kills doctor* you’re the doctor now Eugene:

What sort of questions should I be asking my beta readers?

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR BETA READERS:

When I send out my chapter to be read over by my beta readers, I always include a set of questions typed out at the bottom, grouped into different categories such as: plot, pacing, character, setting, etc. 

You might want to tailor the questions depending on the genre or which chapter it is. For example, if it’s the first chapter you’ll want to ask them about how well your story managed to hook them, or if they managed to easily get an idea of the world you’ve introduced them to. If it’s the climax you might want to ask if the action scenes are fluid, and if the plot twist/s were predictable or surprising. 

Here’s some example questions that you could use:

Opening Chapter:

What is your first impression of the main character? Do you find them likable? Annoying? Boring?

After reading it for the first time, what is your first impression? Was it cohesive and compelling? Boring and confusing?

Did the first sentence/paragraph/page efficiently grab your attention and hook you in?

If you were to read this chapter in a bookstore/library would you be convinced to buy it? Or would you need to read further before deciding? Why or why not?

Did you get oriented fairly quickly at the beginning as to whose story it is, what’s going on, and where and when it’s taking place? If not, what were you confused about at the beginning?

Does the first chapter establish the main character efficiently? Do they feel believable?

Characters:

Could you clearly imagine what the characters looked like? If not, who?

Who was your favourite character and why? Has your favourite character changed? (if this hasn’t changed feel free to skip this question) 

Are there any characters that you do not like? Why do you not like them? (Boring, annoying, problematic, etc.) 

Was there ever a moment when you found yourself annoyed or frustrated by a character? 

Could you relate to the main character? Did you empathise with their motivation or find yourself indifferent? 

Were the characters goals/motivations clear and understandable? 

Did you get confused about who’s who? Are there too many characters to keep track of? Are any of the names or characters too similar?

Do the characters feel three-dimensional or like cardboard cutouts? 

How familiar have you become with the main characters? Without cheating could you name the four main characters? Can you remember their appearance? Can you remember their goal or motivation? 

Dialogue:

Did the dialogue seem natural to you?

Was there ever a moment where you didn’t know who was talking?

Setting/world-building:

Were you able to visualize where and when the story is taking place?

Is the setting realistic and believable? 

How well do you remember the setting? Without cheating, can you name four important settings?

Genre:

Did anything about the story seem cliche or tired to you? How so? 

Did anything you read (character, setting, etc.) remind you of any others works? (Books, movies, etc.) 

Plot/pacing/scenes:

Do you feel there were any unnecessary scenes/moments that deserved to be deleted or cut back?

Do the scenes flow naturally and comprehensively at an appropriate pace? Did you ever feel like they were jumping around the place? 

Was there ever a moment where you attention started to lag, or the chapter begun to drag? Particular paragraph numbers would be very helpful. 

Did you ever come across a sentence that took you out of the moment, or you had to reread to understand fully? 

Was the writing style fluid and easy to read? Stilted? Purple prose-y? Awkward?

Did you notice any discrepancies or inconsistencies in facts, places, character details, plot, etc.?

Additional questions:

What three things did you like? What three things did you not like? 

Can you try predicting any upcoming plot twists or outcomes? 

Was there ever a moment when your suspension of disbelief was tested? 

Is there anything you’d personally change about the story? 

Was the twist expected or surprising? Do you feel that the foreshadowing was almost nonexistent, or heavy handed? 

Feel free to tailor these to your needs or ignore some of them if you don’t think they’re useful. Basically, your questions are about finding out the information about how others perceive your own writing and how you can improve your story.

-Lana

At the end of every year, the team at Writers Write looks at which posts were viewed most over the previous 12 months. This year, however, we were curious to find out which of our writing posts were the most popular of all time.

So we decided to start 2017 with the 25 posts you’ve viewed most on our blog over the past five years. (The number of views indicated here are from 31 December 2016.)

Our top post has almost 2 million views, and we’ve seen it used in varying formats across the internet. The second and third posts have more than 1 million views combined.

The posts vary. They include reference sheets for writers, longer posts on grammar and creative writing, a selection of excerpts from poetry, business writing tips, writing prompts, and quotations. We hope you enjoy them.

Our Top 25 Writing Posts Of All Time

1.    45 Ways To Avoid Using The Word ‘Very’

2.    Cheat Sheets For Writing Body Language

3.    155 Words To Describe An Author’s Tone

4.    Synonyms for 95 Commonly Used Words - A Mini-Thesaurus for Writers

5.    123 Ideas For Character Flaws

6.    Persuasive Writing - Emotional vs Intellectual Words

7.    The Daily Word Counts of 39 Famous Authors

8.    17 Of The Most Powerful Excerpts From Poetry

9.    15 Questions Authors Should Ask Characters

10.  The 12 Common Character Archetypes

11.  350 Character Traits - A Fabulous Resource for Writers

12.  209 Words To Describe Touch

13.  Body Language Reference Sheet

14.  20 Myths To Use As Writing Prompts

15.  Eight Commonly Misused Words

16.  37 Ways To Write About Anger

17.  30 Examples To Help You Master Concord

18.  Psychopath Or Sociopath - What’s The Difference?

19.  The 5 Elements Of A Story

20.  16 Types of Government - A Writer’s Resource

21.  5 Incredibly Simple Ways To Help Writers Show And Not Tell

22.  6 Sub-Plots That Add Style To Your Story

23.  Write Your Novel In A Year - Week 35: 3 Must-Have Scenes That Reveal Character

24.  The Top 12 Literary Love Quotes

25.  Show! Don’t tell. - 10 Verbs That Make You Tell

~~~

The posts were mostly written by Amanda Patterson, Mia Botha, Anthony Ehlers, and Donna Radley. Thank you for your brilliant contributions.

How To Navigate My Blog

I know that I haven’t posted many things, only about 200 or so but I figured it might be helpful to make this so it’s easily accessible. If you’re on a phone or a tablet or really any technology other than a computer, this should be helpful.

Writing Help 

This is my collection of original posts I’ve made that are intended to aide in your writing. This includes lists of synonyms for those words you constantly find on the tip of your tongue and masterposts of incredible resources you never would have thought you needed until you saw it. 

Prompts

I don’t post prompts too often, but when I do, they all show up numbered and ready to explore. I usually post either individual prompts or large lists with a common theme, so you can find quite a few here.

Studyblr

I’m don’t have a ton put into the studyblr side of my blog, perhaps I will later, but for now, the study-related posts can be found here.

Aesthetic

These are all of my aesthetically pleasing posts in one handy spot so if you’re feeling stressed or need some inspiration you can scroll though it. It includes pictures, quotes, and collages that are nice looking and bound to light that creative spark in you.

Writing Playlist

Again, not much in this area yet but it will be expanding soon to showcase all of my favorite songs to write to and songs that I definitely recommend you listen to.

Q & A

This is just the spot where you can find all of the asks I’ve answered and some mini posts I’ve made in response to followers’ questions.

And of course, you can always use these links to submit your own works, ask me any questions you like, or request posts you’d like to see.

Submit Your Own Work

Ask Me Questions/Request A Post 

*Anonymous is turned on*

“Why won’t you just come out with us?”

“I’ve already told you, I’m tired.”

“Listen we’re all tired. I mean we’re in high school for gods sa-”

“No! You don’t get it! I’m exhausted! I’m so tired I can’t sleep! You have no idea what it means to be tired, because you are not fighting with your own mind every single day of your life, trying to find any reason to actually get out of bed in the morning!

What is your favourite superpower?

crackship - Amber Heard & Charlie Hunnam 

10 Easy Changes You Can Make To Your Lifestyle To Be Happier And Healthier Almost Instantly

I’ve been having some issues lately with staying positive and pushing myself to build healthy habits. At times I get too wrapped up in work and friends and my education that I forget that I’m a human being and that I need to put myself higher on my list of priorities. I have a major problems with articles that claim they have “easy” tips for being happy and healthy overnight. It’s really not that simple, and I’m not going to lie, the ones below aren’t a cakewalk for everyone, but I thought they were useful in my own experience and wanted to share them with you. 

Every time you reach for a soda or an extra coffee, switch it out for water. It provides a healthier and more long term boost of energy by clearing out those mentally depressing toxins from your body. 

Meditate once a day. Even if it’s only 30 seconds in the morning after you’ve finished getting ready, take a step back and devote some time to becoming calm and clearing your head to increase focus and encourage a peaceful mindset. 

Exercise. Don’t create a hardcore 2 hour daily workout routine right off the bat after months of little to no activity. Start small, maybe 10 abdominal exercises, 10 leg exercises, and 10 weighted tricep curls on each arm paired with a 15 minute walk around the block. There. That’s only roughly 30 minutes of your day and you’re not even sweaty enough to have to shower afterwards. 

Use natural ingredients as skin care. Moisturize with coconut oil, make your own essential oils and charcoal face wash, soap, and bath bombs, and maybe devote 1-2 days of the week to wearing no make up (if you wear it every day) in order to let your skin breathe. 

Keep your space organised. When you’ve just changed and that sweater you wore today is on the floor, take the two extra seconds to hang it up or fold it and put it away. When you’re done with your meal, rinse it and put it in the dish washer. It’s not that difficult to prevent your home from becoming a pig sty. 

Make your bed every morning. It’s a good habit to have, it makes your room look nice and clean, even if there are some things on the floor, and it makes it look even more appealing when you look over at 11 PM and decide whether to watch another episode of your Netflix obsession or get some beauty rest. 

Speaking of sleep, do it! Regularly! It is essential to your health and happiness to get a good amount of sleep every night. 7-10 hours is the recommended amount of nightly rest you should fit in, so set a bedtime and your alarm and get that shut eye. 

Spend the time to treat yourself. If you think a 20 minute sheet mask or some extra time to have a cup of tea and read your latest pick from the library shelves, set that time aside to enjoy yourself and wind down. You need the time to recharge, so keep that high on your priority list.  

Keep a planner. It may be something you’re already doing, but if you’re not, this is a life changing habit to have. Every morning, write down your to-do list, your schedule, and any reminders. Save some room on your calendar for any plans that may pop up and your life will instantly be more organised and you’ll be way less likely to forget that really important due date.

Don’t push positivity if it isn’t there. Nobody is happy and bubbly and super motivated all the time, so don’t spend all of your time reblogging positivity quotes on Tumblr or trying to ignore every emotion that is “negative”. You’re human. Life happens and sometimes you’ll be just plain blue. It’s healthy to acknowledge the feelings that make you feel hopeless and unmotivated and seem all too frequent. The sun will shine tomorrow and you will find more and more reasons to fill every moment with meaning every single day. 

Here’s to future health and happiness for you all. Cheers! x

Request a prompt list/ writing advice post here