The Role of a Beta Reader

by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA

Dear Reader,

Beta readers have become very popular in an author's fiction writing process. In case you are not familiar with the term, a Beta reader is a person who reads an author's book before publication in order to provide valuable feedback to the author.

While a Beta reader is not a professional editor nor a professional book reviewer, he or she can alert the author to plot holes, logical inconsistencies, or passages in the novel that are unclear or that don't make sense.

A Beta reader is an avid reader in the author's genre. He or she should be familiar with the tropes and other specific characteristics of the genre. A Beta reader reflects the author's target audience and knows what that audience likes and doesn't like.

Authors sometimes search for Beta readers who are experts in the occupation of the main character in the story. For example, in a police procedural novel, the author might ask a private detective or a police chief to read her story for accuracy of professional detail.

Beta readers should not be confused with Alpha readers. Just as A comes before B in the alphabet (an Alpha reader comes before a Beta reader in the critique process), an Alpha reader reads an author's manuscript while the manuscript is still in its first draft. Alpha readers are usually close friends or even relatives, while Beta readers don't necessarily have to be. The main thing to remember about Beta readers is that they look at an author's manuscript from the point of view of a reader. And this is critical.

Finally, Beta readers usually receive a copy of the author's book for their services. Acting as a Beta reader is a great way of building your personal fiction library while actually participating in the creative process. 

While we are on the topic, I will be needing five Beta readers for my current work-in-progress (WIP), The Farmer and Mrs. Lombardi. If you are interested, please contact me privately at maryann@maryanndiorio.com to let me know your qualifications.

Have you ever served as a Beta reader? If so, please comment on your experience in the box below.


Thanks and Blessings,

MaryAnn


Featured Novel This Week . . . 


IN BLACK AND WHITE

A white woman. A black man. And their forbidden love.

First Place in Historical Fiction in the 2020 Christian Indie Book Awards

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Copyright 2024 by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD. All Rights Reserved.

Why Learn to Analyze Fiction?

by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA

Dear Readers,

(This post originally appeared on author Kaye Dacus’ fiction blog at https://kayedacus.com/2007/11/28/critical-reading-why-learn-to-analyze-fiction-by-maryann-diorio-phd/. A slightly edited version appears here.)

I’ve read with keen interest Kaye’s great posts on the critical reading of fiction, partly because I want to learn all I can about fiction writing, and partly because she asked me to write today’s post and I didn’t want to come across as clueless regarding what’s been transpiring on this awesome blog. Have you ever jumped into a conversation mid-stream and embarrassed yourself? Do I hear a weak “yes”? Well, then, you know exactly what I mean.

Anyway, Kaye has given me the honor of talking a bit about why I think writers should learn how critically and objectively to analyze the work of other published writers. As someone who spent years doing this as both a Master and a Ph.D. student in Comparative Literature (with a concentration on the novel) and a former university professor who has taught fiction writing, I’d like to share with you some of my insights.

It’s one thing to read a novel; it’s quite another to dissect it. Whereas simple reading provides entertainment, dissecting a novel provides an understanding of how that novel was constructed. And knowing how a novel is constructed is crucial to writing one. I call this dissection process modeling.

Modeling, as I define it, is the process of analyzing a novel for the purpose of writing one oneself. Analyzing a novel for other purposes is called literary criticism. Basically, literary criticism is the act of evaluating, understanding, and interpreting an author’s writing for the purpose of appreciating it more fully, not usually for the purpose of writing a novel oneself.

In today’s blog post, we are going to focus on modeling as we explore why it is important for fiction writers to develop the critical and objective analytical skills essential to understanding how to write fiction. Here are some key reasons:

1. Structural Understanding. We analyze in order to understand. When I was a little girl, I enjoyed taking things apart and then putting them back together again. I wanted to understand not only the individual parts but also how those parts fit together and worked together. The same is true of novel analysis. We take a novel apart to understand its individual parts (characters, plot, theme, etc.) and to understand how those parts fit together and work together. It takes this kind of understanding to write a story.

2. Language Understanding. Modeling gives the writer an understanding of the author’s use of language. This use includes literary devices such as metaphor, simile, synecdoche, and personification, among others. Because fiction employs a host of literary devices that create a particular effect, knowing how to analyze a work of fiction helps the writer focus on those language devices that will enhance her own fiction writing and render it more powerful and memorable.

3. Character Formation. Characters drive fiction and are its raison d’être. As we analyze an author’s characters, we observe whether a character is strong or weak and why. We note how the author used dialogue, backstory, pacing, and tension to create his character. As we learn what another author did to create powerful characters, we are better able to create powerful characters of our own.

4. Theme Recognition. Another reason to learn how critically and objectively to analyze a published author’s work is to understand how an author weaves theme into his fiction. Theme is organic to a novel. It grows from the inside out and often emerges without the author’s conscious awareness. As you write your own novels, you may know your theme when you start, but sometimes the theme will not become evident until the novel is finished.

It is a well-known fact that we learn by doing. Dissecting a novel is halfway between reading one and writing one. But how you handle that halfway point can make all the difference in your reaching your final destination.

Now . . .
What about you? Do you like to dissect novels? If you are a novelist, you do. But what about those of you who are readers only? Do you ever find yourself taking a novel apart and analyzing it? Please leave a comment below.

My Featured Book for This Week . . .

The Madonna of Pisano
by MaryAnn Diorio

Book 1 in The Italian Chronicles Trilogy

A young woman. A priest. And a secret that keeps them bitterly bound to each other.

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My Featured Pick of the Week . . .

A Vow to Cherish
by Deborah Raney

The battle they face will either ruin them or bring the deepest fulfillment they could ever know.

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© 2007-2024 by MaryAnn Diorio, Ph.D. All rights reserved.
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How Important Is a Book Title?

by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA

Recently, I asked my amazing Reader Team to help me create a title for the third book in my Wives of Old Cape May series. It was a fun exercise that taught me a lot about what makes a good title and what readers look for in a title.

To give you a heads-up without giving you a spoiler alert, this third book in my series is about a 19th-century, 48-year-old mother of four who bears a child with Down syndrome. The story develops from her reaction to this shocking event and how she handles it. The title I eventually choose will need to tell enough about the story to pique the reader’s interest without giving away the whole book.

So, why is a title important? Here are a few reasons:

1) A good title sets the tone for the book and gives an idea of its genre. For example, the title of a thriller will have a different feel from the title of a romance.

2) A good title is the first impression a reader has of a book. Although we tell ourselves that we should not judge a book by its title, truth be told we do.

3) A good title reflects the book’s essence. For example, in my first two novels of the series—The Captain and Mrs. Vye and The Rabbi and Mrs. Goldstein—the titles reflect that there is some sort of relationship between the two main characters of each story. The reader wants to know what kind of relationship.

4) A good title piques the reader’s curiosity, causing her to want to read the book. In other words, a good title raises a question in the reader’s mind, a question the reader wants answered.

5) A good title is memorable. The reader will not easily forget it.

How about you? Do you judge a book by its title? How important a role does the title play in your choice of a book?

My Featured Book for This Week:

The Captain and Mrs. Vye
by MaryAnn Diorio

A middle-aged, childless widow discovers that her late husband has left her destitute.

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My Fiction Pick for This Week:

After the Frost
by Milla Holt

He’s a widower who has lost the perfect wife. So, why is he drawn to a woman who’s not the marrying kind?

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Copyright 2024 by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD. All Rights Reserved.

Reading Challenges: Your Thoughts

by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA

Over the past few years, I’ve noticed an increase in events called “Reading Challenges,” especially on platforms such as Goodreads. These “Reading Challenges” challenge readers to read a personally chosen number of books, usually within a year.

There are pros and cons to such challenges. Let’s take a look at each:

PROS

1. Readers report reading more books than they normally would read, due to the “peer pressure” such reading challenges impose.

2. Readers report reading books in genres they would not normally read.

3. Readers report the surprise good feeling they experience when they “stretch” themselves beyond what they thought they could accomplish.

CONS
1. Readers report that “peer pressure” creates stress on them.

2. Readers report that they don’t always enjoy books recommended on such challenges and that they would rather spend their time reading books they like.

3. Readers report that they feel bad when they don’t meet their goals, especially since the whole world knows about their failure.

What are your thoughts? Do you participate in reading challenges? If so, what are your pros and cons? If you do not participate in reading challenges, do you think you would like to?

My Featured Book for This Week:

In Black and White by MaryAnn Diorio
A white woman. A black man. And their forbidden love.

This novel won First Place in Historical Romance in the 2020 Christian Indie Book Awards Contest.

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My Fiction Pick for This Week . . .

The Legacy of Longdale Manor by Carrie Turansky
Two women–a century apart–embark on a journey to healing, faith, forgiveness, and romance.

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Copyright 2024 by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD. All Rights Reserved.

Book Club Fun

by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA 

I’m a big fan of Book Clubs. Why? For a number of reasons:

1. Book Clubs are among the most amazing places on earth. They are wells of intelligence, knowledge, and insights that are found in few other places. Book clubs are safe havens of camaraderie, shared viewpoints, and a place where iron truly sharpens iron.

2. Book Club members are among the most amazing people on earth. They are avid readers of topics from a broad spectrum of books. They are creative, intuitive, discerning, and friendly. Book club members are just plain fun to be with.

3. Book Clubs inspire us to read more critically and thoughtfully and to stretch our reading choices into areas which we may never have explored on our own. When we belong to a book club, we are introduced to books outside our normal reading genre. We discover new authors and new subject matter we may not have considered before. We also know that we will have to discuss what we have read, so we read more attentively.

4. Book Clubs hold us accountable to our fellow members by encouraging us to commit to reading. When we read on our own, we may not finish a book or we may read it over months, or even years. But when we belong to a book club, we become more intentional about our reading and our reading schedule. Why? Because we have our fellow members to consider.

5. Book Clubs help us develop long-lasting friendships. This is one of my favorite things about book clubs. When we read together and discuss books together, a special bond is forged that knits not only minds but also hearts.

I could list many more reasons for which I love Book Clubs. These are just a few.

How about you? Do you belong to a Book Club? Please tell us in the comment box below. If not belong to a Book Clu b, consider joining one.

By the way, I love to visit Book Clubs via Zoom. When I visit, I usually offer a giveaway of one of my novels. So, if you are looking for an author to speak at your Book Club, please contact me at maryann@maryanndiorio.com. I would be happy to send you details.

Blessings,

MaryAnn

New beginnings are in the air! Check out my featured book for this week!

A Sicilian Farewell by MaryAnn Diorio
Book 2 in The Italian Chronicles Trilogy Series

A young woman, a new land, and a dream that threatens to destroy her marriage, her family, and her mission.

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E-BOOK

My Fiction Pick for This Week . . .

Finding Wings by Deb Raney

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Copyright 2024 by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD. All Rights Reserved.