Capybara
We all know about Beta Readers. They are the ones who read our works when we’re reading to get outside opinions. Very helpful and, many would say, essential people for authors.
Some of us get help from Alpha Readers. They are the ones who read the books before the Beta Readers. Some many get to it as it’s being written and see it in its raw state. Many times this is a single person or 2-3 trusted individuals. Not as common as Beta Readers.
But can anything come before an Alpha Reader? . . . Yes?
I’m talking about sounding boards, listeners, or whatever you want to call the people who hear your idea before you do anything else. That friend or family member who you can trust with the spark of a concept and get some insight. I’ve had a few friends take this role and it’s definitely a good way to flesh out ideas before writing that actual story.
So, does anybody else do something like this or do you keep an idea close to your chest until you actually start writing?
(I will admit that I haven’t been able to utilize a sounding board like I used to. Part of this post is stemming from an idea that is driving me nuts. I would talk about it here, but I’m learning that I can’t reveal too much on a blog post.)
Legends of Windemere 
It’s just me at that point.
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I have a feeling that’s the more common method.
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Depends. If it is my story, then it’s just me…but my crime fiction involved my husband because he is such an avid reader. Retrospectively, (and I’m not saying this to sound like I didn’t appreciate him, because I did) after the beta readers, a chunk of his contribution had to be scrapped. He knows what HE likes, but it is not necessarily what the majority will.
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I think that’s common because a reader only knows so much of the story. Was he an alpha reader or a pre-writing sounding board?
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He was my sounding board. I talked through my ideas and he made his contributions. He did not read it as I wrote it, though. When it was all done, he read it. Things he wanted to see changed, I rewrote, but I had reservations about some things he wanted and my betas agreed with me. But some things he suggested they loved. It was ALL worthwhile.
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I’ve yet to talk with someone about an idea and use all of their suggestions. All part of the process.
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My friends and I use each other as sounding boards pretty regularly. I think it sometimes helps, sometimes not so much. Usually I try to wait until I started writing, but I’ll even sound board before getting all the way through.
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I had a few friends that bounced ideas back and forth with me. Nowadays time seems to be at a minimum so I end up on my own. Not many people want to discuss an idea unless you accept everything they say.
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Haha this is super true, which is too bad.
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When I began writing, I thought my grandma would read my writings no matter what state they were in. But she lost enough sight that she can’t read for me. And my mom was going to but she has multiple sclerosis and can’t read. Other than my eleven year old son, I’ve tried a friend but he never told me a thing to change and there was plenty. So now I edit myself, use grammerly.com and hope that when I put my books up for sale soon, they won’t be terrible. I don’t know how to find beta readers. I love to edit books but have no clue how to find people like me for my work.
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I have a friend who helps with editing, which is a great help. That’s only after I finish the book and edit a bit myself. I don’t really have anyone to work as a sounding board any more. I feel bad pestering some friends, especially if it’s the same idea over and over again.
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This seems like a great way to do it. Alpha beta gamma delta epsilon… all kinds of readers, and not necessarily Greek. 🙂
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True. Though i do wonder what you would call the pre-writing person. Alpha readers still seem to get a chunk of the written story.
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Zeta for zero. 🙂
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Genesis Reader?
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I have a couple of people that I trust well enough to run an idea by if I need to, but I only do that if I have an aspect of a story that I really need to flesh out or work through to figure out the resolution, or something that I’m stuck on like that.
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Ever try to redesign an idea and try to get help for it?
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Actually yes. And it helps to have outside input, because as the author you tend to be too close to the original idea to have objectivity.
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That’s the nightmare I’m tackling now. Not sure what to keep and what to toss.
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Feel free to email me if you want. I understand the need to keep everything close to the vest though. Just throwing it out there in case you want to run it by someone.
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That’s the trick on this one. It’s so much information that I couldn’t fit it into a solitary email. At least not until I cut it down, which is the hard part. I have about 50-60 characters from this idea that is being moved into Windemere and chopped down to a trilogy at most.
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Yikes. Sounds like you have your work cut out for you! Well, feel free to use me as a sounding board any time.
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Thanks. Appreciate the offer. Hopefully I can sort through this before I pass out. At least check off the ones that I won’t be keeping.
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I usually bounce story ideas off my brother and my mother. The only thing is I need to make sure I’m really confident and invested in the idea, because they really like to tear apart my ideas (they don’t mean any harm, it’s just their nature), so if I’m not 100% on board with the idea, I usually end up scrapping it or getting depressed about it. But I guess the upside is if the idea DOES make it past them, it’s at least halfway decent!
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I tried using family a few times. Never went well. Either no understanding whatsoever, fixation on a tiny point like a character name, or they wander off while I’m talking. I tend to avoid the idea shredders though. Only because the people I know who do that take a little too much enjoyment out of the activity.
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Charles, great post and some wonderful responses. I used to use my grandmother like nightshadelane as a pre-alpha reader until she became too unwell to read much, it was great because she wasn’t one of those friends/family members who tell you the things you want to hear but say the things you need to hear and it is important to have someone who is not biased (she was also a school teacher, so her patience was legendary and she even used to ‘mark’ my efforts, which seems funny now but was, in fact, really useful). I attend a writers’ circle and we all act as each other’s alpha and beta readers, but this is time restrictive and we can’t always get the best advice, though there are some helpful tips and constructive criticism. I acted as one of T.J. Therien’s beta readers for his fantasy novel, but I took a long time to read it due to other pressing matters (I have now finished it and left reviews on smashwords and barnes&noble, but I wasn’t much use to him after the first eighteen chapters as life got in the way and I didn’t finish the rest until he’d published it). I will gladly read anything anyone sends me and offer an opinion/advice but can’t commit to a deadline, which is a shame as I love being a part of other writers’ projects; helping someone creative to realize a part of their dream is rewarding and inspires one to be more productive oneself. If it’s ideas you need a discreet sounding board for, you’re welcome to email me or facebook message me, anything else like a large body of writing, I’m still happy to help but must be honest about my time (which is always free and gladly given) and be realistic about how quickly you can receive my feedback/help. I am always grateful for your constructive criticism and support, Charles, it would be an honour to return the favour. Best wishes from Baldy
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I’m in the same boat as far as time goes. I’m also finding that doing the pre-alpha stuff over email takes more time than I have. That’s why I keep wishing I had someone to physically meet up with and just bounce ideas off of. That pause between emails can cause breaks in concentration. Maybe it’s just me though because I work on these ideas at a fast pace. Thanks though.
I did try a few writer’s groups, but those seem to only work if you have semi-completed works. As a fantasy author, I also run into the problem that people don’t always understand what I’m talking about.
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The danger, I find, is that you spill your great idea, and then feel no need to actually write it. After all, you told the story.
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I’ve never had that happen to me. Maybe it’s because I don’t tell the whole story and only the idea. There’s the nuances that don’t come out during this initial brainstorming idea. Though, I do know some people who explain everything and hold nothing back.
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I don’t have a soul who would take the time to be an alpha reader. You are very lucky.
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I don’t have an alpha either. I do have an editor who keeps threatening me with a flyswatter.
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I think its a great thing and I utilise it a lot. It can work out perfect as long as the Alphas know that not every of their ideas and/or advices are mandatory to be heard and implemented. After all, it is just an advice; I am not obligated to take it. A lot of times, feelings can get hurt over this, so it is very important how to pick your Alphas.
The biggest benefits I get from it is that I am getting opinion and advice from someone who does not only care about my writing, but my characters too. It is like feeding a crazed fan with a spoon, at least for me.
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Good point on the hurt feelings. I’ve known a few alphas and betas who feel that every suggestion should be adhered too, so it makes things a little awkward.
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I used to bounce ideas off Electra (my wife). But she now says she doesn’t want to ruin the surprise if I want to discuss Pearseus, as we’re in book 4 and the suspense is killing her. That’s why I only show her first edits nowadays, which pretty much makes her a beta-reader.
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I’m in a similar boat. My wife kind of stopped listening years ago, so she’s still thinking of the older versions of Legends of Windemere. This leads to very difficult conversations because she tries to use that old info. Her ADD doesn’t help the situation. Seriously, she’s kind of just wandered off or started talking about something else in mid-conversation. So I only ask her to read first drafts for fun and continuity now.
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