My husband has been my Alpha Reader since the very beginning. After years of proofing and providing feedback on blog posts (and emails and marketing material…) he was the first person I trusted with my first novel. I was confident that he would a) read it, b) give me honest feedback and, c) be kind if the thought it was drivel.
Putting your work into someone else’s hands can be scary. Putting my story-starts out here for any and all to see is terrifying. I am able to do that in part because of the confidence I gained by having Alpha and Beta readers last year. I wrote, I shared, and I lived to tell the tale.
Tomorrow I will begin to return the favor for the first time – I get to be his Alpha Reader and be the first person to see the collection of short stories he created during Nanowrimo 2017. I pledge to be as honest and supportive of him and his work as he continues to be of mine.
Being creative in public is not for the faint of heart.
#doitanyway #showyourwork #failfaster #givefeedbackwithcare