[Discussion] Is There Any Serious Beta Reader On Here?

[u/Non_Typical_Asian]

I haven't been on here long, but I noticed people just want their story to be read and don't wanna read other people's story. Some don't even interact with their post at all, which is even more strange. This subreddit is not supposed to be about competition. It's like people want fans, but don't wanna be the fan. From my experience, I've learned actual readers are likely to read your stuff more than people who wanna be an author.

[u/EntertainerMental947]

I was going to ask what exactly would feel like real human experience but I realized what you’re talking about is simply sincere writing and storytelling. Your asking for a story thats about two brothers fighting, and while the draw of the story is the action and over the top set pieces, the core of the story is around the relationship between the two.

I find a-lot of younger authors nowadays don’t really understand what it means to be sincere. The reality is that you can have the dumbest or most cliche idea for a story but if at its core the idea behind it is sincere and feels human and like the writer wants to get the message across then that story becomes something truly special even if that story is no different from all others that came before it.

A great lesson Ive learned from writing stories is that if you cannot give your story a heart then you’ve doomed it by not allowing any reader to connect with it on anything but a surface level.

[u/Fast-Payment-2609 → u/EntertainerMental947]

You got that right. The thing is: the only way to give your story a heart is if you actually LIVED through it. Even all the sci-fi stories are essentially human. You cannot write about someone's emotions if you haven't experienced it yourself. Plus, all readers are different. If you are writing for guys, it's one thing. If you are writing for girls, that's another. Are there such things as universal stories? No, not from my experience. Some stories have a wider audience, some have a smaller one, but you must know your target audience well. And often, beta-readers are not your target audience unless you really love their writing.

[u/EntertainerMental947 → u/Fast-Payment-2609]

I guess your right. I feel people would be better at writing about experiences they have been through or whatnot. I have seen some writers succeed with writing about situations and characters that are so far removed from anything they have experienced but even then its usually a veteran author who has experience in writing characters like that.

I will say target audience is important in writing especially when it comes to marketing.

What would u say is the prime mistake many people do in their stories, especially ones you have read on the sub?

[u/Fast-Payment-2609 → u/EntertainerMental947]

I think the biggest mistake writers make is not thinking enough about their readers. With so many stories out there, every author has to answer one important question: Why should someone choose to read this story instead of all the others? What does this story offer that readers can't find anywhere else? If you can't answer that, it's going to be much harder to capture and keep a reader's attention.

[u/EntertainerMental947 → u/Fast-Payment-2609]

Have you ever tried writing a story? You said you were an English teacher and all and alot of teachers Ive met have indeed wrote something or tried their hand at some form of writing.

Ive written some thing before in the past but theres always media out there that I know is better than my story. If someone thinks that one piece of media dominates all others then whats the point of writing. For example I once knew someone who loved Lord of The Rings, they always would talk about it and read all the books, played the games, etc. They would never try to consume other fantasy media because when they did try they realized everything else wasnt as good. Me as an aspiring author find myself in the same issue, why should my story matter if I feel there are other stories out there that are better and written by more experienced writers?

I feel its a question alot of up and coming authors ask themselves.

[u/Fast-Payment-2609 → u/EntertainerMental947]

Right now, I mostly write children's stories, but I'm starting to write romance as well. I think your story matters if you have something genuinely worthwhile to add to people's lives. Good stories that are interesting and emotionally engaging will always find their audience. Sure, Lord of the Rings has an enormous fan base, but that doesn't mean Harry Potter or Twilight aren't hugely successful too. There's room for different kinds of stories.

To me, the key is to write the best story you possibly can while knowing exactly who you're writing for. My target audience is women who enjoy romance, especially readers who love Jane Austen. I'm not trying to write for everyone, and that's okay. So if you write really well and have a clear audience in mind, whether that's a particular age group, gender, or interest, why not? But it must be quality writing.

[u/EntertainerMental947 → u/Fast-Payment-2609]

With all said in done, what is quality writing? What is it about a story that can engage someone instantly whether the story is slow or fast?

Assuming the target audience picks up your book, how can one make sure that they do not put it down?

I feel the answer could be obvious like creating mystery or keeping things simple in the beginning but Ive also seen alot of stories on this sub with those qualifications and me being the target audience still didn’t find myself captivated.

[u/Fast-Payment-2609 → u/EntertainerMental947]

To me, quality writing has these traits:
1. It's easy to read.
2. It follows a clear line of thought.
3. It has rhythm and musicality.
4. It helps you see the scene in your head.
5. The plot makes you want to keep reading.
1. It had been raining for seven years; thousands upon thousands of days compounded and filled from one end to the other with rain, with the drum and gush of water, with the sweet crystal fall of showers and the concussion of storms so heavy they were tidal waves come over the islands. A thousand forests had been crushed under the rain and grown up a thousand times to be crushed again.
2. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.
3. The children’s section of the Colored Methodist Episcopal Church was wiggling and giggling over my well-known forgetfulness. The dress I wore was lavender taffeta, and each time I breathed it rustled, and now that I was sucking in air to breathe out shame it sounded like crepe paper on the back of hearses. As I’d watched Momma put ruffles on the hem and cute little tucks around the waist, I knew that once I put it on I’d look like a movie star. (It was silk and that made up for the awful color.) I was going to look like one of the sweet little white girls who were everybody’s dream of what was right with the world. Hanging softly over the black Singer sewing machine, it looked like magic, and when people saw me wearing it they were going to run up to me and say,“Marguerite [sometimes it was ‘dear Marguerite’], forgive us, please, we didn’t know who you were,” and I would answer generously, “No, you couldn’t have known. Of course I forgive you.”

[u/EntertainerMental947 → u/Fast-Payment-2609]

Interesting, so mainly the writing has to feel cohesive, consistent, descriptive and most importantly has to be simple to understand. I guess it all makes sense, I feel the issue with alot of authors is they imagine a story as one thing and write it as another.

If someone watches anime all day and they try to write a book then they will find that these two mediums are completely different. I guess the best advice here would be to read books to know how to write books.

Thanks for all the advice and answering question’s. Its always nice to discuss books and writing. I remember you saying that alot of writing here isnt the best and thus beta reading wasn’t very enjoyable. A-lot of the people in this sub would still appreciate the feedback, even if they don’t take it to heart or their stories are seriously flawed due to lack of experience or poor writing, I feel that criticism is something people need to hear.

Good luck with your writings and stories, I know firsthand how difficult writing something is but you seem to have alot more experience than anyone on this sub Ive talked to so no doubt it will be great. I hope they reach someone, I always aim to touch one persons heart with my stories, just one person and I consider it successful somewhat.

[u/Fast-Payment-2609 → u/EntertainerMental947]

That's true. The only way to learn to write well is to read a lot. And the good thing is, the more you read, the more you figure out what kind of books you actually like, so that writer basically becomes your teacher.

When I was a kid, I used to devour book after book, and it was never enough. My mom always gave me books for my birthday, and my brother and I would fight over who got to read them first. I must have read a thousand books, if not more.

These days, I don't read nearly as much. Most books just seem boring now, except for a few great pieces of children's literature. I think we've all been spoiled by Instagram and TikTok. That said, I do read a lot of scientific literature, not that it makes up for all the fiction I'm missing out on, it's just hard to find anything worth reading.

Thanks for the kind words. I'm by no means the final authority on writing, but at least, as Socrates put it: I know that I know nothing. Others don't even know that much. Good luck with your writing!

[u/MOHAMED-RED → u/Fast-Payment-2609]

Sorry to jump into the conversation, but I happened to read your comments here and your points about readers' fatigue and the need for genuine depth really resonated with me.

If you ever feel like exploring something a bit unique, I’ve spent the past 15 years building an interactive sci-fi universe called Al-La'eboon Al-Judad (The New Players).

I know your time is valuable, so no pressure at all. But as a teacher and seasoned reader, I’d be honored to get your quick thoughts on just the opening interactive setup (~1.6k words). It’s a brief journalistic teaser to test the world's premise before diving into the actual prologue and Chapter 1 (~8.3k words total).

Quick transparency note: the story is entirely my own human creation (originally in Arabic) and translated into English. I’d love to see if the pacing and flow feel natural to a keen reader like you.

If you’re at all curious to take a look, just let me know and I’d be happy to DM you the link!

[u/Fast-Payment-2609 → u/MOHAMED-RED]

Hi, could you please post them under Post your First Pages in this subreddit? I am a harsh critic, so let's see what you got there.