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| Nope, this is a betta. |
I hooked up with my first two beta readers (via Mary Kole's kidlit blog) before I knew what a beta reader was. It worked out fine (*hugs Katherine! *hugs Michelle!), but I blundered my way through it, stepping on toes, nudging when I should have been stroking, keeping silent when I should have been praising, critiquing when I should have been beta-ing -- well, you can imagine.
I've seen writers make a distinction between betas and critiquers (and a third category: test readers-- kids, family, house guests, quick readers), but I'm not sure how widely held these assumptions are.
The Beatific Beta
Betas, in this view, are big picture people. They refrain from line editing, correcting punctuation or word choice, or really close reading.
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