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Q&A Helping my beta readers help me

My beta readers are family and friends - people who read a lot, but do not write. They are people whose opinion I trust, and who are genuinely trying to be helpful. (And I haven't found a writing g...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Galastel‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-12T21:57:38Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/45682
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T12:05:28Z (about 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/45682
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T12:05:28Z (about 5 years ago)
My beta readers are family and friends - people who read a lot, but do not write. They are people whose opinion I trust, and who are genuinely trying to be helpful. (And I haven't found a writing group.)

Here's the problem: sometimes the critique I get is: "I understand the character's motivations, but I don't really connect, don't know why." Or, "something's off, can't really put my finger on what".

How can I help my beta readers figure out what it is that doesn't work for them? What kind of questions can I ask them, to help me understand what's wrong with my story?

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2019-06-02T23:13:56Z (over 5 years ago)
Original score: 17