You Betcha, Beta!

If you have been following my blog for the last few months then you are probably tired of reading about me editing my YA Fantasy. Well you are in luck because I am changing my focus to a new story which at the moment is only an outline and a few hundred words of nonsense. The new story is a YA Retelling, there are fantasy elements, of course.

The YA Fantasy will continue to be edited and critiqued two chapters at a time with my super fabulous critique group. But I won't be waxing on and off about here.

I have finally sent copies to a few Beta Readers.

Eek!

It isn't perfect, far from it actually. However, it is time for it to be read. I am tired of keeping it to myself. I keep thinking about what Ursula LeGuin said.

"An unread story is not a story; it is little black marks on wood pulp. The reader, reading it, makes it live: a live thing, a story.”




I want it to come to life, to be a proper story. And then I want to perfect it. I want to know other peoples' thoughts because I am getting lost in the minutiae. For every hundred words I add, I remove just as many. I need to talk to someone who has read the whole thing, so they can ask questions.

It's time to let my sweet betas breathe some life into it and see if it can stand.

First Comes Book Love

I got this from my friend Ashley who is getting married this September.

Inside she wrote a sweet note and even promised we would "party it up Harry Potter style!" How could I say no to that? I couldn't. Honestly, I was so flattered to be a part of her wedding day I teared up a bit. We only see each other once a year or so. After college Ashley moved away with her boyfriend, now fiance, who is in the Air Force. They live at an Air Force Base in New Mexico. No, it's not Area 51, I already asked.

Why did she mention Harry Potter in her adorable wedding related note? Ashley is one of my Harry Potter friends. During English 101 we decorated our journals for extra points. I covered mine in HP stickers. Ashley was in my class and made a mental note of it. This was when we were still waiting on Half-Blood Prince to come out and I was in the height of my HP love.

The following semester we had another class together. One day she said, "Monica, you read Harry Potter, right?" and I said I definitely read and re-read them and then she said the magic words which changed our relationship forever: "I have a Harry Potter question for you."

It started casually enough. While Ashley read the books for the first time, she'd ask me a question before or after class. I was full of theories and could regurgitate certain lines (or paragraphs) verbatim. During Order of the Phoenix she ran to my dorm room in tears because of Sirius. My roommate looked terrified and excused herself. Before our second semester was over we were more than book friends we had become actual friends.

Ashley (Gryffindor) and me (Ravenclaw) at one of my HP Parties.




Ashley credits me for making her love the series so much. She says it was our long talks, my detailed theories and ability to recall practically any fact from the books on command which fed her passion. Be careful kids, book love is contagious!

Even though the last book has been out for years and the final movie installment is due in July our friendship born from fiction will continue on in the real world long after the lines at the theme park subside. I know it's dorky but this is the power of a really great story, to bring people together. First you're bonding over books and baking pumpkin pasties and before you know it you're putting on a bridesmaid's dress.


Happy Friday!