The importance of a quality beta!

I have this problem. It’s kind of like author ADD. When i get deep into a story I can’t normally see my own mistakes. I know what I want to say and what I meant to type and sometimes when i read back over my work that’s exactly what I see. What should be there, not what is there. This is when a quality proofreader, or beta, comes in handy. I’m very lucky in this aspect. I have one of the best Beta’s around. We work exceptionally well together. She’s also a writer and we enjoy each other’s work so proofreading isn’t that much of a chore for either of us. LOL

We also don’t believe in sugar coating the truth. If she reads something of mine that sounds off or just plain sucks she’ll tell me so and then we work together to fix it. She always has great suggestions and her grasp of punctuation is fabulous. (I envy that a lot) But it’s the honesty that makes the whole relationship work so well. She doesn’t beat around the bush about what needs fixing. She’s not mean either, just up front about it, and in this job of being a published author you have to be able to take criticism. If you can’t you might want to consider a career change. It comes with the territory. There will always be people picking on your writing. HArsh reviews, people that hate everything you do. You have to accept it and move on, but having an amazing beta goes a long way towards putting out the best possible work you can.
Thanks Cassandra. You rock!!!

Beth
http://www.bethwylde.com

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