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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E-BOOK

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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.

E-BOOK
PRINT

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.

EBOOK
PRINT

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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.

E-BOOK
PRINT

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?

E-BOOK
PRINT

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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.

PRINT
E-BOOK

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.

PRINT
E-BOOK

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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.

PRINT
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.

To Read, or Not to Read?

by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA

Dear Reader,

With so many books to read and so many more being published every day, the task of choosing which ones to read can be overwhelming. This week, we’re going to discuss how to choose the next book to read.

Many factors play into a reader’s decision to read a certain book. Here are a few of them:

1) Personal preference. Do you like fiction or nonfiction? If fiction, do you prefer sci/fi and fantasy, romance, or thrillers? If nonfiction, do you favor biographies, memoirs, or self-help books?

2) Recommendations by family or friends. This is, perhaps, the biggest reasons readers choose certain books to read. This factor is called “word-of-mouth” and accounts for nearly 80% of book choices. Now that’s a lot of books! It goes to show the power of peer influence on one’s reading habits.

3) Advertising. Publishers and authors continually promote their books in order to make readers aware of them. Promoting books is a huge industry in itself. With millions of books published each year, it’s quite a challenge for authors and publishers to get their books in front of potential readers.

Now it’s your turn. How to you choose what book to read next? Please share in the comment box below. Thanks! 🙂

Blessings,

MaryAnn <3
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Celebrate the Month of Love with a HUGE SALE!

February is fast coming to an end, and so is the special sale on my award-winning romantic suspense novel, Miracle in Milan, available in ebook format for only $0.99 until the end of the month. This is a $9 savings off the regular price!

Miracle in Milan is a story about a young female auditor who discovers convincing evidence that the man she loves is an embezzler.

Don’t miss out on this very special offer. It is good only this month. Order it now so you won’t forget!

MIRACLE IN MILAN SPECIAL FEBRUARY OFFER

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.

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Where Do Authors Get Ideas for Their Stories?

by MaryAnn Diorio, PhD, MFA

Readers often ask us authors where we get ideas for our stories. Today, I’m going to answer. that question.

Ideas are everywhere. We authors simply have to look for them.

So, what do I mean by “everywhere”? I mean everywhere. 🙂

Here are some of the places where we find ideas:

1__In the normal activities and places of our daily lives: like grocery-shopping, at the car repair shop, at the dentist’s office, at our child’s school, at the library, at church. You get the idea. Wherever there are people, there are ideas.

2__In the people around us. People are the substance of story. In fiction, those people are called characters. Every good story starts with a character. So authors get their ideas from observing people—their behavior, their speech, their mannerisms, their appearance, etc.

Now, don’t get paranoid! 🙂 We authors do not take a single person and turn him into a character in our stories. We study the traits of many people and combine those traits to create an original, unique character for our stories. There is a saying among authors that writing fiction is the only profession in which it is not poor manners to eavesdrop. We authors continually eavesdrop to learn about human nature so that we can accurately reflect it in our stories.

3__In newspapers and magazines, both physical and online. A headline can trigger an idea for a story. Even an ad can trigger an idea for a story. So we authors scan newspapers and magazines, looking for story ideas, and often, we find them.

4__In the experiences of family members and friends. Being close up to the suffering of others gives us a clearer perspective on human nature. While we authors protect the identity of our family members and friends, we often use their experiences as the basis for the struggles our characters face in our stories.

5__In the experiences of our own lives. This is one of the key places where authors find ideas. When we have lived through a painful experience ourselves, we understand it intimately. We know the emotions, the struggles, the suffering we have endured. This personal experience makes it easier for us to translate those emotions to the written page.

So, there you have it! Some places where authors get their ideas for their stories. Please join in the conversation and share your thoughts with us. If you are an author as well as a reader, please share with us where you get your story ideas.

And please share The Reader Connection with the readers in your life.

Thanks and Blessings,

MaryAnn <3
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Celebrate the month of Love with a HUGE SALE!

For the month of February, my award-winning romantic suspense novel, Miracle in Milan, will be available in ebook format for only $0.99. This is a $9 savings off the regular price.

Miracle in Milan is a story about a young female auditor who discovers convincing evidence that the man she loves is an embezzler.

Don’t miss out on this very special offer. It is good only this month. Order it now so you won’t forget!

MIRACLE IN MILAN SPECIAL FEBRUARY OFFER

My Fiction Pick for This Week:
For that special child in your life . . .

Under the Tangerine Tree by Esther Bandy
Middle-Grade Fiction (8-12-year-olds)

Twelve-year-old Angie Mangione lives with her parents and her five-year-old brother, Joey, in New York City. After Papa is shot, Mama moves with Angie and Joey to Granny’s house on a country lake in Florida. How can Angie cope with missing Papa, moving to Florida, being the new girl at school, and living with her angry teenage cousin at Granny’s house? Will Angie and Joey be able to survive the mysterious danger that lurks in the lake? With all the changes in Angie’s life, will she ever be happy again?

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

The Power of STORY

 

by Dr. MaryAnn Diorio | Blog | 2 comments

February 9, 2024

Who doesn’t love a good story? There’s nothing like a good story to grab our attention, engage our emotions, and bring us a deep sense of satisfaction.

Have you ever wondered why Story is so powerful? Here are a few fascinating reasons:

1. The human brain is wired for Story. God created us in such a way that we gravitate to Story. We’ve all experienced this. Think about all the many sermons or lectures you’ve listened to over your life. Which ones do you remember most? Or which parts of them do you remember most? It’s very likely you most remember the stories the pastor or speaker recounted.

2. Story takes us to places we might never visit. When I was a little girl, my dad used to tell me that I could go anywhere in the world just by sitting in a chair with a good book in my hands. He was right!

3. Story engages our emotions. Story can inspire us to action, help us solve problems, take us to faraway places, and stir our imaginations. Story can teach us, encourage us, and just plain delight us.

Jesus used Story to teach profound truths. We call His stories parables. If you haven’t read them yet, I encourage you to do so. They will transform you.

And yes. That’s another function of Story. Story transforms the heart. This is the reason I write stories. While nonfiction appeals to the mind, Story appeals to the heart. And the heart is the place where transformation takes place.

So, the next time you read a good story, be thankful for the author who wrote it and for God Who inspired it. As you will discover, the best stories all point back to the greatest Story every told. The Story written by God Himself as found in the Holy Bible. If you read no other story in your life, be sure to read that one!

And now, I’d love to hear about the power that Story has wielded in your life. Please leave a comment in the box below.

And if you can, please share The Reader Connection with the readers in your life. Thanks

MaryAnn <3



Celebrate Valentine’s Day with a HUGE SALE!

For the month of February, my award-winning romantic suspense novel, Miracle in Milan, will be available in ebook format for only $0.99. This is a $9 savings off the regular price.

Miracle in Milan is a story about a young female auditor who discovers convincing evidence that the man she loves is an embezzler.

Don’t miss out on this very special offer. It is good only this month. Order it now so you won’t forget!

MIRACLE IN MILAN SPECIAL FEBRUARY OFFER

My Fiction Pick for This Week

Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke

This is the book that started the ball rolling in Christian fiction. If you haven’t read it, I encourage you to do so. This latest Kindle edition is free with a trial membership in Amazon Prime.

https://amzn.to/42nskBj