January 2024
Hey there, friends,
Hey there, friends!
Happy New Year! Before I get into January’s post, allow me to briefly don my homeschool hat to share some of my homeschooling resources. If you aren’t a homeschooler but know someone who is, please forward this email to them. Thanks!
For January, I have unlocked my Hey, Miss Kelda Avoiding Burnout videos on YouTube here. I am also including a link to Daily Affirmations for Homeschool Parents here. The audio version is available here.
THE IMPORTANCE OF READER FEEDBACK
During No-Excuse November (my personal version of NANOWRIMO), I gathered and assessed feedback from alpha readers. I initially called them beta readers but then learned that because my manuscript was not finished and edited when I shared it, they were alphas instead of betas. Since TRIBESMEN: Circle of Elders is written for boys and men, I thought that fact might amuse them. What man doesn’t want to be referred to as an alpha?
Reader feedback along points in the writing and publishing process is invaluable to a writer. The willingness to read a writer’s words and offer constructive feedback enables the writer to improve his or her craft. It helps to generate ideas and see things from a different perspective. I appreciate the willingness of readers to participate in this ever-so-important step.
For clarification: Alpha Readers - Unfinished Manuscript, gives insights and suggestions. Beta Readers - Finished Manuscript, but not yet ready for publication. ARC Readers - Advanced Reader Copies - Published and willing to leave a review.
When I began writing fiction in 2016, I had no idea what I was doing. It was encouraging, and I am thankful for my friends and family who were willing to be experimental subjects (That’s a kind way of saying they read my words under a bit of duress.). The greatest surprise and relief EVERY TIME is that no one has hated it. (Insert audible exhale here.) Before Summer 2024, I will be searching for committed readers for a 4-part series. I began the Wanderer Series in 2016. It was my first attempt at fiction, and as my writing improved, it has gone through numerous edits.
What began as a stand-alone novel soon evolved into another story, then another, and finally, wrapping up in the fourth. You may wonder how this happens. Honestly, it was because the characters kept talking in my head, and future images of their world became clear. Since this was my first introduction to novel writing and world-building, I wasn’t sure it would ever stop. Could it be like Strega Nona’s magic pot that never stopped until you said the magic words? I didn’t know how it began, so how on earth could I make it stop? I have since learned that a story ends at the end.
The Wanderer Series covers the life of the main character through four novels. It’s set in a fictional place and fictional time. They ride horses, farm crops, raise livestock, and there’s no electricity. The names and places are allegorical, meaning the names and name meanings reflect their characteristics.
Requirements for a Beta Reader: 1. Able to finish reading through the novel in a month. 2. WIlling to briefly answer a few beta-reader questions. 3. Notify me of any grammatical or typographical errors. 4. Consider reading the next-in-series and repeating the process.
If you are interested, please email me at kelda@keldalaingpoynot.com with the subject heading WANDERER and let me know you would like to participate in the first book’s readthrough. I will also be making audio segments of the chapters available if, like me, you prefer to “read” with your ears.
Want to try your hand at fiction?
You still have a few more days to register for the class.
Beginning January 9th, I am offering a Short-Story Writing Class for Adults.
Click HERE to register for the Short-Story Writing Class for Adults.
