What to do when your Beta readers hate your story?

[BlueLotus]

I sent out the first chapter to a few readers to get an idea of what was working and what was not.

I got several mixed replies.
But for the most part I got "hate it" with a list of reasons...
Now I know I should suck it up and keep going. However, it stings quite a bit.

I can address some of the issues in re writes but, there is a lot there that I feel should be there as it sets the stories tone, motivation etc.

One suggestion was 'boil this chapter down to a single paragraph and use it as a prologue or something like that.'

Frustrated does not begin to describe how I feel.
Will I suck it up and re work my work? Yes.
But now I wonder do I dump the whole beginning and re think or try to make it work?


What do you guys do, assuming you have had the same experience?

[Lily]

I know this isn't the popular view, but I honestly believe that showing our story to others is not always such a good idea. Send it out to six people and you'll get six different viewpoints. Which one is right? Well it's all so subjective.

[BlueLotus]

Yeah I kinda felt the same way until I realized that since I have never written before that I may be very weak in a lot of areas, couple that with the fact that while I love you guys a million times over, you kinda "know" me and may not tell me how crappy something I post is.

I need to find out what sucks. If having a stranger tell me that everything reeks I guess that is the price I pay to try and get published.

Sure I could write spell check and have my editor run over it with me to clean up a few things. However, once it is sent out it will be rejected-- a lot! And they are not likely to tell me why.
After a bit of sleep and a little distance and re-reading the two reviews with notes I can see where I can tighten up some without losing everything. That (Idea) is just a tad too dramatic for me.
I could maybe lose a few paragraphs but not more than that, I do not like the idea of chopping out the whole first chapter because then I'd have to write a whole new one. Which I mean could work, but ... I don't really wanna. Unless a publisher says cut it I think i will keep it and just tighten up the weaker points.

[Lily]

Richard said this in another thread, and it's bang on the money!

"It all comes down to you, so don't let others re-write what you are happy with. It is your book."

Read more: wherewritersmeet.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=spotlight&action=display&thread=833#ixzz1iuh17UTg

[BlueLotus]

Thanks for the link Lily.