Beta-Reading is the Way to Go!

Five or six years ago, I decided to write a book. I have loved writing since I was little, and the only thing I love more than writing is teaching others about writing. I am a writing teacher by trade, but I love reading others’ writing and sharing how it can be better. When I needed a partner to trade with, I started scouring Facebook for groups to share critiques with.

I found a few, some really good writers too, but their content was sometimes hard for to write. I’m religious and so it was hard to read and critique others’ writing that had heavy swearing, violence, or sexual content. I did it for a while, but afterwards, I felt like scrubbing my eyeballs, and that just wasn’t worth it to me.

I continued to look for higher caliber groups, but I could never find any with the goals I had in mind. So, I created one. I called it LDS Beta Readers. https://www.facebook.com/groups/475461645922698/

The group started with 30 members, and three years later, we are hitting our 1000 member milestone.

This group has surpassed what I ever thought it could be. Since starting, we have held so many writing events, including sprint writing contests, first chapter contests, and a query letter contest. We started a writing skills blog earlier this year. http://ldsbetareaders.blogspot.com

We’ve held two online writing conferences with authors sharing writing advice and workshops.  This year we published an anthology with 25 of our writers and we are working on publishing two more. https://www.amazon.com/Mindgames-Anthology-Compilation-Members-Readers-ebook/dp/B06X6F92RC/?tag=amazon09d4d-20

We have made lasting friendships, kept a safe sharing environment, and grown in our writing.

I have learned so much by reading and critiquing others’ writing. It’s one thing to look at your writing over and over and make it better, but it is a totally new experience to look at your writing, look at someone else’s writing that is totally different, and then look at your writing again. That is where the fun begins.  Beta-reading has helped me grow so much as a writer. Writing really is a collective art. You gather pieces that shape you into the writer you want to be. I feel so lucky to be a part of something so great!

Three cheers for beta-reading!