Hey there fellow keyboard warrior,

When seeking feedback on your manuscript, it’s extremely important to be honest with yourself regarding exactly what type of feedback you want.

Whether you’re providing the piece of writing to a spouse, a critique group, or beta readers, you’ll need to let the reader know specifically what you require from them in return.

The worst possible thing you can say is, “Just let me know what you think.”

When you leave your request so wide open and vague, the resulting feedback could be regarding typos, the giant plot hole in act three, or something else entirely; all of which may or may not be helpful.

The exact type of feedback you should be asking for will depend largely on what stage you are at in the drafting process.

When seeking advice from beta readers, for example, you’ll likely be sharing a completed manuscript, in which case you’ll probably be looking for comments on things like character arcs or over-all pacing. Whereas, the feedback you’re going to want from a critique group that you’ve just read the 1st draft of a single chapter to will be very different and will likely be more focused on things like tone, word choice, and style.

Before requesting feedback from any reader, I recommend reviewing Jami Gold’s helpful beta reader worksheet, and then using the questions relevant only to the stage you are at in the crafting of your work.

All of that said… it’s time to address the elephant in the room.

Your pal in writing,

Kevin T. Johns, writing coach

www.kevintjohns.com