Welcome and Ground Rules

Welcome

Thank you so much for taking time out of your life to read my book and offer your insight and thoughts.  For right now, the working title is “Betrayed” and that is how it will be referred to throughout my comments as I work.

The “Books” link in the menu will take you to the chapter posts.  They are password protected. If you don’t have the password and would like to read along, add a comment below.

Ground Rules

As part of this read-along process, I would ask you to direct your comments towards four main areas (listed in order of importance to me) below.  Each of these areas can be directed toward character, plot, and/or setting.  I am looking for both positive and negative – I want to know if you find something awesome just as much as if you find something boring.  Some questions you could ask as you read might be similar to these:

1. Clarity – Does the prose make sense? Can you distinguish which character is speaking when no dialog tags (he said/she said) are used?  Can you see the setting clearly? Does the story make sense?
2. Interest – Are you bored?  Did you find yourself skimming any section? Do you like the characters/setting/plot? Do you want to keep reading?
3. Believability – Do the characters react/behave in a consistent fashion? Are they motivated by big enough goals?  Is the setting consistent and do the characters interact with it as you would expect?
4. Impact – Does the scene move you?  What is your emotional response to what has just happened?  Do you fear for the character? Do your emotions mirror that of the view point character?

The more detail you can put into your comments, the better.  Try as best you can to relate what you felt as you read.  Please feel free to ask questions or post suggestions. I will try to respond as I have time.

Laura Christensen has written an awesome primer on alpha reading.  I recommend it.

A Note on Brackets

Brackets will show up in several areas in my chapters. These are not mistakes. Rather they are reminders and notes to myself of things I need to correct, change, or name. Please ignore them for the time being.