I guess the first reader is most often the ‘beta reader’, the person who pretty much ‘tests’ your story for the first time and often gives you feedback. For me, this person has been instrumental in making me stick to the writing and finish.

Whether my writing is good or my characters strong, I have always managed to find one reader who is hungry for more of my story. That eagerness has spurred me to not only work harder on my writing, but also see it through to the end.

You see, I don’t know how common it might be in other writers, but I get very self conscious about my work. I worry constantly that it is not original, not plausible, or uninteresting. Its that first reader who deserves the credit for allowing me to finish; all for genuinely enjoying it, and reassuring me of it’s worth.

I’ve had a few of these readers over the years. Some I knew better than others, but there is one who is still considered my best friend and confidant. I will freely admit that she’s half my age, but an excellent reader with incredibly mature insight. Considering all the works she’s read, it’s amazing that she enjoys my writing at all. We both know I’m no prodigy in the literary world, but the fact that I can still keep her interest baffles me. Considering our friendship, she could only be indulging me, but she has always been strictly honest when it comes to my scenes and typos. There were times when she practically acted like an editor with a long list of fixes! She’s immensely creative in her own right and a lot of my inspiration comes from her. Should I ever publish my novel, I plan to list her name as one of the main reasons the novel came about. Honestly, without her, I don’t think any of it would be possible.

I’d love to know if anyone else has such a wonderful friendship with their ‘beta reader’(s). Maybe someone would be kind enough to comment about theirs.