One of the problems with writing is that you get so immersed in the text that you can no longer tell whether it is saying what you think it is. You redraft, you rewrite, you close edit. You move a paragraph, move it back, delete it, you rewrite it only to think the first version was better. Or was it? You add it back. There are green wellies. You know the green wellies signify something but does the reader? How can you tell? Are those wellies signifying what you want them to? Should they actually be black wellies? Oh, why did you even add wellies!

Writing is a lonely and solitary business, demoralising and full of crippling self-doubt and self -criticism.  Completing the manuscript is perhaps the easiest part. Now comes the time to let it out into the world. Hang on. Stop! Like the famous beer commercial – that novel is not ready. Is it?

This is where beta readers come in. I can give you constructive and honest feedback before you release your manuscript to the general public and risk soul destroying criticism which could crush your dreams. I will tell you what those green wellies mean to me.