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Dream wrote:

showa58taro wrote:I’d find it hard to be mean to you guys about your writing. Although I’d be a shit beta reader.

There's a difference between being mean and being critical. Being mean doesn't help. Telling us you fell asleep reading X part because it just dragged on helps. Letting us know that our character was being a whiny unrelatable jerk for no reason in this one part helps. Sometimes we mean for them to be whiny and unrelatable or we intentionally make a slow part to world build a little, sometimes it's an oversight and having it pointed out can help us refine things we might've been overlooking. The why's of things that don't work are way more important than just laying out the specific scenes that don't work. For example, if someone told me they didn't like this particular scene because they are uncomfortable reading about a gay relationship or reading about an atheist doing good in the world, I'm not gonna do shit to change it. If they tell me that my gay character is coming off as just a blank stereotype without any real depth as a person or character, or my atheist is acting high and mighty while presenting themselves as altruistic through the narrative (unless I intend for them to be an unreliable narrator) then I have problems I need to figure out how to correct.

DancesWithWerewolves wrote:

Dream wrote:

showa58taro wrote:I’d find it hard to be mean to you guys about your writing. Although I’d be a shit beta reader.

There's a difference between being mean and being critical. Being mean doesn't help. Telling us you fell asleep reading X part because it just dragged on helps. Letting us know that our character was being a whiny unrelatable jerk for no reason in this one part helps. Sometimes we mean for them to be whiny and unrelatable or we intentionally make a slow part to world build a little, sometimes it's an oversight and having it pointed out can help us refine things we might've been overlooking. The why's of things that don't work are way more important than just laying out the specific scenes that don't work. For example, if someone told me they didn't like this particular scene because they are uncomfortable reading about a gay relationship or reading about an atheist doing good in the world, I'm not gonna do shit to change it. If they tell me that my gay character is coming off as just a blank stereotype without any real depth as a person or character, or my atheist is acting high and mighty while presenting themselves as altruistic through the narrative (unless I intend for them to be an unreliable narrator) then I have problems I need to figure out how to correct.

Basically yeah.

I had one beta reader constantly complain about vulgar language and it needs to be cut. My thoughts were: "they know it's not a Young Adult novel, right?" I ain't cutting it. People curse, a lot, and my shit's playground is Rated R stuff, so I ain't cutting it for fuck'n PG.

But yeah, just cause something's suggested, doesn't mean you have to take it. Unless multiple readers say the same/similar things, then it probably needs work in that area and you should start listening.

If they're being mean in their criticism, it's totally fine to just chuck their entire report, imo. They're deliberately being an asshole. It's not "tough love", it's abusive.