What To Do with Beta Reader Feedback
So you have a bunch of feedback from your beta readers. Now what?
First off, celebrate! Not only have people read your work but they took the time to help make it the best it can be.
Next, let’s look at some common types of feedback and how to tackle updates.
Four common types of feedback and how to approach
1. In-line Grammar feedback
You’re going to have typos and awkward phrasing, especially if you received feedback on a first draft. Afterall, a first draft is meant to be a mess! These errors are probably the easiest to fix because you only need to read the sentence to understand what the typo is supposed to say. With phrasing, you might need to read a line or two leading up to the sentence in question to get an idea of what needs to be said, but that’s still quick and mostly painless. No need to get sucked into the story and the finer details, you can check off each of these feedback items quickly.
2. Pacing
If your beta readers left any feedback on pacing they would have let you know what parts of the story were too fast or too slow. Before you start rewriting scenes or creating a pie chart based on scene length there’s something to consider. Was it only one beta reader that pointed out the pacing issue? Well, do you agree with them? Any time you have one beta reader pointing something out it’s best for you to decide if you see where they’re coming from and want to go ahead and make the changes or you can reach out to more beta readers and ask them to specifically read for pacing feedback.
Feedback specific to pacing may be detailed, letting you know what dialogue drags on, what's missing or what feels like unnecessary filler. In this case it’s easy to jump into a scene and quickly tweak it. Vague feedback however, could be a few readers saying the middle is slow or they lost interest after chapter four. You might need to follow up with them and ask some questions to really pinpoint if it’s plot, dialogue, lack of character depth, or something else.
3. Character Depth, Arc, and Consistency
Consistency can be a quick fix, maybe a reader realizes your character had brown eyes in one chapter and now they have green eyes. However more commonly there’s inconsistency in character behavior. Readers may point out that one character is shy and reluctant to act at the beginning and suddenly they’re a huge daredevil and leading the mission without any insight into how and what caused them to change. With this kind of feedback it’s important to look at the character’s growth arc (you can even plan out their arc with this template). Once you have a clear view of the arc you intended and how they’re currently acting in the story you will be able to go back and find key scenes where either you change their behavior to fit their personality or you add more detail or events that show how and why they’ve grown.
Similarly you may get some feedback that says a character is flat, has no motivation, or personality. Just like how you reviewed their arc and updated accordingly, you would do the same but instead adding character quirks, or insight into who they are and what they want.
If you need help keeping track of a character’s traits, motivations, and other factors, this template might be helpful for you.
Steps for utilizing any feedback
These are only a few common types of feedback. Your readers might also point out theme development, gaps in worldbuilding, unrealistic dialogue, how the reading flows, lack of tension, shifts in perspective, and so much more. Getting a lot of feedback can be overwhelming but it’s important to reflect on reader input and consider how it can help you develop and even better story.
No matter what feedback you’re getting it’s important to:
Record the feedback so you don’t lose it before you’re ready to use it.
Identify where it’s relevant (specific to a sentence, chapter, different scenes, specific character, or overall).
Determine if using the feedback will improve your story
Utilize your plot outline and personal notes on character arc, traits, worldbuilding, and other details to use as a map when you need to pinpoint scenes and sections to add to, remove, or re-write.
