Writers rely on feedback from peers, beta readers, editors, and book buddies. This feedback exposes blind spots and stress tests plots. In the age of the internet, most feedback is free and comes from people with a variety of opinions.
It’s important to understand how reader feedback works so that you can interpret it properly. A reader response is not a summary of the text, nor does it involve discussing how well the writer has met certain criteria (such as how well the author uses figurative language). Writing through a reader response lens involves examining and explaining a personal reaction to the reading.
Some reader-response theorists see the individual reader as driving the entire literary experience, while others see the experience as largely text-driven and uniform, with the differences between individuals being irrelevant (individualists).
The purpose of a reader response is to examine and explain one’s personal reaction to a text. This is accomplished through a critical analysis of the text. Critical analysis can include praise, criticism and comparisons to other texts.
Beta readers, who give story feedback for free, are usually avid readers and writers in your genre. They can be useful for identifying plot holes, glaring inconsistencies and character flaws that you might have overlooked due to your closeness to the work. However, you should always weigh the opinions of a beta reader with your own. Be wary of a critique that seems to be based solely on one’s personal opinion or biases, and remember that beta readers invest hours helping you write your book. Show them your appreciation by offering to include them in the acknowledgments of your published work.