Bethany Henry: Writing & Wellness

It’s too easy to be busy. We have meetings, commutes, chores, errands, classes, and bills to pay. We have families and coffee dates. And somewhere in there we should probably shower, eat, and sleep. Now these aren’t bad things. In fact, they’re important and good. (Please don’t give up showering! 😉 ) The problem is that sometimes we get caught up in our activities. We go go go until we forget what it’s like to slow down. Our lives are filled with busyness. Sometimes we forget that being busy is not the goal. Busyness is not inherently good. It does not make us more important. It doesn’t even always make us more productive. Being busy should not be our identity. Ever feel proud of being busy? Brag about how tired you are or how many meetings you have scheduled in one day? I’ve totally done that. There’s something in us that says we must be important if we’re busy. We must be getting things done and taking names. Out time must be in high demand. What happened to working smarter not hard...

Beta reading is the process of having other people look at our work and give critical feedback. I know, I know. I hate asking for help too. And who likes receiving criticism?  Unfortunately, the solitary writer who classily churns out novel after novel on their vintage typewriter completely on their own isn’t a practical model to live by. Getting support and feedback from others is necessary for our writing to reach its full potential. Today we’re looking at why beta reading is important and how to use it effectively. This post is Part 7 of the Steps to Success series designed to walk us through the process of writing a novel from beginning to end. As always, personal preferences and experiences differ. This guide is based in part on my own experiences as well as from authors I have worked with and/or learned from along the way. First of all, do we  really  need beta readers for our work? It can be scary to let other people look at our writing. (What if they laugh at...