Want to beta-read the beginning of my novel?

Hello fellowbeings,

Greetings from the cave—where I’ve been revising my novel, scene by scene, while applying, and preparing to apply, to artist residencies and the like, for the first time since 2014.

The moonshot on my list is the Wallace Stegner Fellowship, at Stanford University. Stegner Fellows attend a weekly three-hour writing workshop, and receive $50,000 a year for two years.

Each cycle, 1200 fiction writers and poets apply; 10 (0.8%) are accepted.

To apply, I must answer a couple essay questions and submit up to 9,000 words if fiction.

I would like those 9,000 words to kick ass. Hence, I am seeking beta readers.

What does it mean to beta-read?

To me, it means tracking your reactions to a text while you read it.

You don’t have to be a writer to do this. You just need to be willing and able to notice, and record, how you feel as you read.

Bonus points for linking what you feel to actions (like putting the manuscript down, or staying up too late to keep reading) and/or discerning and articulating precisely why you feel that way.

For example: You’re reading scene four, and, eight paragraphs in, you start feeling confused—because you can’t figure out why the protagonist did that thing she just did. Out of confusion, you stop reading and do something else.

That’s the sort of thing I’d love to know.

In other words, what I want from you, as a beta reader, is an account of your reading experience: what you felt, when and why you felt it, and what each feeling drove you to do.

Or, if that’s too complicated, you could just say, “I whizzed through it and wanted more when I got to the end,” or, “Partway through scene five, I started snoring.”

Or you could disregard all this, and respond in your own particular way.

Whatever feedback you offer—however you offer it—I promise to love it.

How do you know if this task is for you?

It intrigues, excites, and delights you. You’re like, “Lemme get my hands on that manuscript! I can’t wait to read it!”

What do you get if you complete it?

• A sneak peek at my story.

• The chance to influence its development.

• My eternal gratitude.

• Your name in the book’s acknowledgments.

What do you do if you’re interested?

Let me know by Monday, September 9—either by commenting on this post or replying to this email.

I will email you the manuscript by Friday, September 13, as a PDF. Check your spam/junk folder if you don’t see it.

Please send me your feedback by Tuesday, October 1. That way I’ll have plenty of time to absorb, process, and apply it by the November 1 Stegner deadline.

Please reply or comment with questions.

Thanks for considering my request.