Methods for Authors to Overcome Criticism from Unfavorable Beta Readers

Revamped Article:

If you've landed a rotten beta reader, you'll surely feel the sting. Emotionally, at least. You'll feelpanicky, riddled with self-doubt, and as low as low can be. But your logical mind will try to talk you out of it. * writers gotta be tough-skinned, it'll say. All feedback is gravy in some way*, it'll add. Yet, your gut feeling will rebel. Deep down, you'll sense something's amiss.

And if you don't chat up an outside party to back you up – reaffirming your gut feeling – you can find yourself on a fast-track to self-doubt hell, questioning the worth of your novel.

But how often does this happen, really? This is a common question I get from writers, because it seems like most beta readers are out to help. But as a writing coachwho talks a panicked writer off the ledge at least once a month, I've seen this situation play out more than you'd think.

The usual offender is the beta reader who loathes a specific character (or characters). It's as though they met that character at a party and the character rubbed them the wrong way. Maybe they took offense to the character's opinions or actions, or they found them too pushy. Whatever it was, they couldn't stand them.

Now, in the real world, most folks understand that we're all subject to the iron grips of reality. So if you meet someone at a shindig who irks you, you can't be unrealistic and hope to change them. You can get in a tussle with them, but it's not terribly helpful or productive. Or, you can opt to move on and find other folks to mingle with instead.

The issue with most bad beta readers rears its ugly head when they assume that because we're working with fictional characters, the rules somehow change. I've noticed this most with non-writers. Many non-writers expect writers to be able to shape and mold characters however they see fit to please as wide an audience as possible. In my experience, this ain't so.

Writers must often dance to their characters' tunes, and things quickly spiral out of control when a writer forgets that crucial fact. So even if a character is complex, flawed, and tends to ruffle some feathers, there's not much the writer can do about it. Nor should they. When a writer tinkers with a character to cater to a random bad beta reader who didn't appreciate them, they risk screwing up their work.

The good news? The bad beta reader debacle has a silver lining. Characters that trigger strong emotional reactions indicate that you're hitting the high notes as a writer. You could write characters that are bland, predictable, and never generate any emotional response, but that's just plain dull.

So what's a scribe to do when you've been smacked by a bad reader? Well, the best responses are the ones you don't choose:

Don't rewrite your character(s) to match a beta reader's unrealistic expectations. Complex characters with human flaws are bound to annoy or piss off some readers. That's just the way it is.
Don't waste energy trying to change a beta reader's opinion. Thank them for their time and bid them adieu.
Don't let self-doubt take hold and grind work on your novel to a halt. Keep plowing forward, soldier. One wrench thrown into the works doesn't necessitate derailing the whole operation.

And if you're really struggling to shake off the negative vibes a bad beta reader has showered upon you, take a gander at some of your all-time favorite books, then read their one-star reviews on Amazon. You'll quickly spot a pattern of readers being triggered, taking things personally, and turning nasty. Once your head cools down, your emotions will settle too.

Every writer gets a bad beta reader once in a blue moon, but it's not the end of the world and doesn't mean there's something wrong with your book or your characters. It's just another one of those fires we intrepid scribes love to stroll through.

So keep on truckin', and let everyone else have their say.

Lauren Sapala* is a writing coach who specializes in personal growth and artistic development for introverted intuitive writers. She is the author of INFJ Writer* and blogs on writing, creativity and personality theory. She lives in San Francisco.

Related:

5 Tips for New Writers
How to Work With Beta Readers
The Rundown of Beta Reading

A bad beta reader, often a non-writer, may expect writers to mold characters to please a wide audience, but this practice can lead to oversimplified and unexciting characters.
Engaging with fashion-and-beauty, lifestyle, home-and-garden, education-and-self-development, entertainment, or books blogs can provide valuable insights on character development and the diverse expectations readers may have.
If you're a writer, it's essential to remember that complex characters with human flaws can annoy or provoke readers, and this is a natural part of the reading experience.
After encountering a bad beta reader, one can find solace by reading books with mixed reviews on platforms like Amazon, understanding that strong emotional reactions from readers are a sign of well-written characters that resonate with many.