My favourite comment was one I tweeted yesterday:
My favourite beta reader comment thus far: "I hate you… [Redacted] is so going to die."
— S.M. Carrière (@SMCarriere) June 4, 2018
Though, I might be becoming a little predictable. Hmm...
It was actually really affirming. I was worried that I had missed all the big things; that I had utterly failed to draw the emotions that I had hoped to, I didn't create the tension I wanted, or the uncertainty, that the dichotomy of the protagonist's character was not developed, and neither was his fight with depression and post traumatic stress disorder (I write happy stories, y'all).
But the reader got it; all of it.
Phew! There is nothing more gratifying than having a reader pick up on the things you were trying to get across, even if I feel badly for making them cry. Sort of. That means I did my job.
I'm also impressed that this time around the subtler things in the story made their mark. There was lots of speculation happening in the comments that made me happy. I love it when readers start theorising about what's happening and why. Fan theories have always been my favourite kinds of theories, because it means that the story has captured their attention enough that they're expending copious amounts of time and mental energy on the story.
It is my dream to capture readers' attention in such a profound manner.
So, all in all, this round of edits did wonders for my writing ego, and it helped me put faith back into the story; that not only was it written well enough that what I wanted to portray managed to be adequately expressed, but that it was also a story worth telling.
I've had my doubts about that second point many a time with this particular story.
Right, I have to get video editing. So much catching up to do!
Ciao!