I was just over at Gary Corby’s blog, simply checking in. Gary was giving a nod to his beta readers with comments such as, ‘Asks all the tough plot, theme and character questions that I really wish no one had noticed’ and ‘His critiques are always so depressingly right.”

Yes, yes, been there. I expect most writers have. This is exactly why good beta readers are so crucial, because they notice plot, theme and character problems and issue critiques that are ‘depressingly right’. I vividly remember, for example, my brother’s suggestion to cut a hundred or so pages out of the middle of one of my books (this advice was spot on, as it was [depressingly] obvious as soon as it was given). From time to time people tell me about the book they are writing or have written, and the best advice I can give them is: You need a beta reader and you need this person to be (a) widely read in your genre, and (b) HIGHLY ANALYTICAL.

The first point is surely obvious. Having read plenty of sf & f over the past few decades is surely necessary for a reader to give you good feedback about your specific foray into the genre. But even more important is that your beta reader is naturally, profoundly analytical about books and writing. And I have recently realized there is a particular litmus test for an analytical mindset!

Isn’t that helpful? Here, in one quick step, is how to tell whether someone has the crucial analytical bent:

Does this person frequently ruin books and movies for you by saying things like: “But why didn’t the main character do This Really Obvious Thing? Because that would have immediately solved the whole problem.”

To which you can only respond, “Ummmm . . . gosh, that’s true.” [Pause.] “Thanks for sharing.” Then you give the book or dvd away because you’ll never be able to enjoy it again.

Though it may be annoying to have to give away so many books and movies, this is EXACTLY the sort of person who was just born to be a beta reader! He (or she) can see gaping holes in plot and obvious problems in characterization even when engaged with a story — so he can also catch YOUR VERY OWN horrible mistakes before they make it into print! And isn’t it far, far better that your beta reader find them than that they continue to live cozily in your manuscript?

So,I’m definitely more comfortable if my very analytical brother reads a manuscript before my agent sees it, and CERTAINLY before my editor does! And I definitely encourage every aspiring writer to think about which of their friends can ruin a movie with one incisive comment.