Mitriel Faywood

Just a quick post to note that in a recent Mark Lawrence interview on Fantasy-Faction Mark was asked about me and beta-reading for him and this is what he said:

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FF: It’s funny what readers pick up on, isn’t it? Oh, and while we’re on the subject: most of your fans, or at least the ones that you are connected with via all internet platforms, know that Agnes is your only beta-reader (or is it that there are others as well, and Agnes is the ‘chief’? That just came to me). Agnes started beta-reading for you since and after the Wheel of Osheim, if I recall correctly. Why did you choose her (as opposed to someone else), why do you think that you need her (or a beta-reader in the first place), and would you ever pick a new one?

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Mark: Well, first off “chief” here is not meant in the “in charge” or “organising” way. For Red Sister, because it was very new for me and I wasn’t hugely confident, I asked a few people to read it once it was finished. They were kind enough to give me some lines or paragraphs of feedback. Agnes’s beta reading is a whole different beast. She reads the books as I write them, often chapter by chapter. She picks up on typos, detailed inconsistencies, wording choices, and the general flow of the story, often making very useful suggestions that can impact future chapters.

I can’t really remember the details of how it came about. I think I asked if I could run a short story by her for feedback, and that proved so helpful I did it again, and later moved to getting her feedback on book chapters.

Some writers have many beta readers, and some, none at all. One suits me. A large element is having immediate reaction. It can be a long lonely wait before a story hits the shelves and you see what people think of it. Having someone enthusiastic and involved react the very next day, or even that evening, and tell you what they thought of the last chapter, is a great motivation to write the next one.

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To read the full interview click here: http://fantasy-faction.com/2017/interview-with-mark-lawrence