Alpha Readers

The term BETA READER is tossed around a lot in the writing world because beta readers are crucial to bettering your novel. They're the people who you send you novel to after you have finished it and more or less mopped up the casualties boo-boo's in your writing. Granted, boo-boo's you never even thought possible are going to be unearthed by the wonderful eyes of these super-humans, but that's the point, right?

I, however, find another kind of reader extremely helpful to my writing process, and that is the ALPHA READER. These are the medics in the battlefield who watch the chaos unfold firsthand. Usually, they'll be reading as you write. For example, I had a group of 2-3 alpha readers who braved through INGENICIDE chapter by chapter as it emerged. There was a lot of cringing. And moaning. But there were also some parts of the story that were good enough to make it to the version of the MS I have today (v6!) and we discovered them together and had our little parties on the googledoc.

Alpha readers are great for a whole list of reasons, but I'll give you the two that make them especially dear to me:

1. They hold you accountable.
  (AKA I bug them incessantly with READ READ READ READ!)
No, really. When I found myself with writer's block, I reminded myself that no matter what, I had to get my chapter out there! So I could send out a fancy notification email to all my lovely alphas! With a oh-so compelling quote! Like this:

NEW!Ingenicide   Chapter 10- COLOR OF POISON

"I try to rationalize, make list of parts of me that I can cope without. But when I’ve taken all of me for granted for so long, any relinquishment feeds a black cloud of doubts. I need my sight. I need my hands, my feet. I need my brain to work."

See? I was really into it :D 

2. They catch problems early on.
Some problems you should not get hung up on as you are writing because they make you stuck in a rut. Those are the problems that you go back to at the end. Surface wounds. On the other hand, some problems are like infection. The might start small but then they start working their way into the core of the story. Usually, these are the problems that, if left untended, cause the major rewrite. While it is not guaranteed that a manuscript won't have to undergo a rewrite, alpha readers do lessen the chances. Reading along, they'll point out the most glaring of problems as you go, even catch the occasional typo and inconsistency that won't hurt to fix as long as you don't become obsessive about it. Ultimately, your first draft will be cleaner (though that doesn't mean you won't still have work to do!) if it passes through the eyes of the alpha reader.

Thank you and much love to my aplhies if you are reading this. 

I'm actually in need of alpha readers for my next project, IF LIFE WERE FAIR (click on the link for the description--at the bottom of the post). Comment with your email OR email me at joanart6 AT gmail DOT com if you are interested! Thanks a bunch!

Do you use alpha readers in addition to beta readers?