Writer’s Shop Talk: My Slow Tuesday…and Blessings from My Beta Reader

Late Morning/Midday, Wednesday, November 13, 2024, Miami, Florida

Hi, Constant Readers.

It’s another bright, sunny, and muggy autumn day in South Florida as I prepare for another workday as a first-time novelist. The temperature is 84°F (29°C) under partly sunny skies. With humidity at 62% and the wind blowing from the east-northeast at 17 MPH (26 Km/H), the heat index is 88°F (31°C). Today’s forecast predicts partly sunny skies and a high of 84°F (29°C). It’s not exactly fall-like here compared to New England; in Madison, New Hampshire, they’re enjoying a brisk 44°F (7°C) under sunny conditions—perfect weather for sweaters and pumpkin spice everything. Meanwhile, here in Miami, our idea of autumn involves swapping out flip-flops for slightly less flip-floppy flip-flops.

On Writing and Storytelling: Beta Reader OKs Chapter 20…Now On to Chapter 21

“Easy reading is damn hard writing.”― Nathaniel Hawthorne

Yesterday was a bit of a wash for my writing; the morning dragged me away to deal with other non-writing matters. By the time I wrapped that up, I felt drained and agitated, hardly the best frame of mind for diving into Reunion: Coda with any real substance.

However, my Tuesday was not totally a “lost” day. In the early evening, I received a notification from Google Drive advising me that Denise Longrie, my friend and designated Beta Reader, had left feedback on the “Beta Reader’s copy” of the Reunion: Coda manuscript with comments about the three scenes in Chapter 20.

Happily, Denise liked Chapter 20 overall; she did not, for instance, suggest any substantial revisions or find any plot holes or inconsistencies in my characters’ behavior, flaws that she’d spot easily by now because she’s been collaborating with me almost from the beginning of this project. Denise is so familiar with the characters (in both of the novel’s timelines) that she can call me out if Jim, Mark, Maddie, or Marty say or do anything that doesn’t jive either with their established personalities or core values. She generally enjoyed Chapter 20, especially my depiction of Jim as a professor who grapples with angst over one of his students’ self-destructive behavior instead of being vindictive.

The only quibble Denise had with Chapter 20 is that I left out “tags” at the beginning of each scene to establish where the action was taking place, and there were a few bits of other literary murkiness. Otherwise, she gave it a “thumbs up.”

Denise found Jim’s actions particularly touching. “This is sweet on Jim’s part. He wants to protect (Maddie) from seeing how bad he looks, though she could probably handle it. She’s probably imagining worse than what is,” she commented, highlighting Jim’s considerate nature and his desire to shield others from his suffering.

She also empathized with Jim’s predicament and appreciated his complex feelings toward Miguel. “Poor Jim sounds like he’s been through the mill. He would be perfectly justified hating Miguel, but that he feels some sympathy for him is nice. I don’t imagine he’ll drop the assault charges, though,” she observed, noting the depth of Jim’s character and his internal struggle between justice and empathy.

Overall, Denise’s feedback was invaluable not only in validating the integrity of my characters but also in ensuring that the narrative continued to resonate on an emotional level. Now, with her insights in mind, I feel ready to dive into Chapter 21 with renewed vigor and clarity.