The danger of revealing a novel idea too early is that the ideas are fragile. It’s easy to kill a dream when it’s still an embryo.
I’m careful choosing alpha readers for that reason. An alpha reader needs to realize her power and use it gently. How to do that? It’s not easy, and therefore worth cultivating.
- Honesty. This may seem to be in opposition to my previous statement. However, as a writer, I want to know the honest responses to a first read. If something feels wrong, it is helpful to know that in the first draft. Characters are not always full-grown at the early stages, in particular, and hearing that a character’s actions or words don’t fit the image the reader has is invaluable as feedback. As an alpha reader, don’t be so afraid of crushing an author that you leave out what could be useful criticism.
- Tact. I was once a member of a writing group who had adopted a specific formula for criticizing someone’s work. One, you had to be specific about the problem. (“The main character on page 2, paragraph 3, says something that struck me as out of place.”) Two, you had to be able to say why. (“Earlier the character was defending communism and this statement flies in the face of that idea.”) Three, you had to either ask for clarification, or make a suggestion. (“Is this disagreement within the character intentional? Perhaps showing the character as being unsure of his beliefs would make this easier to understand.”) I still use this when alpha or beta reading for others.
- Creativity. Speculate on what you believe will happen based on what you’ve read. Statements such as, “Where I see this going is…” or “I won’t be surprised if …” are useful to writers. Sometimes it is beneficial that the reader is able to predict, and the writer wants to foreshadow certain events. Also, it can be beneficial to mislead a reader and surprise her instead.
- Focus. You may have to read something several times. It is helpful to tell the writer why you read it again, especially if the writing was confusing, unclear, contained too many characters or details. Try to identify aspects that make it difficult to focus. A dedicated writer can repair those.
- Personality. Don’t hold back on sharing how the work reminded you of something you experienced or read, or how something made you feel. If something makes you laugh, cry, cringe, or you want to get on a soapbox and preach, add it to your report.
Prepare to be bombarded with appreciation if you can deliver such an alpha reading.
