The plan was to give copies of the manuscript to a group of
volunteer students from local schools. They would have a month to read the
story, guided by a page of questions and thoughts to consider while reading.
They were not told who wrote the book. At the end of the month, the group made
plans to meet with the author for a discussion at the library.
The librarian moderator warned me that this particular group
of students had no problem speaking what was on their minds! Needless to say, I
was prepared to bear the brunt of their criticisms and use those comments to
better the work, this being my first foray into YA writing.
On the appointed Saturday afternoon, I arrived at the
meeting room and many smiling faces greeted me. The girls ranged from 8th grade
through 12th, and came from a wide range of backgrounds. One student is a
writer herself, and another has her own YA book review blog! (A really good one!)
Though, understandably, the discussion started out a little tentative, within a
few minutes, the dialogue flowed freely and I was stunned by the depth of
thought that went into each comment. These students had all read the story
through at least twice!
At the end of the hour, I had positive, constructive input
from the exact age-group that would read the book when it's published. Several suggestions and
ideas were good enough to set my brain on fire and my revision cycle in gear.
It appeared that the group enjoyed the process and learned a little something,
as well.
I share this experience because I believe it could be a
valuable tool for almost any writer of any genre. Your libraries are staffed by
helpful people, and populated with avid readers. Why not involve them in your
writing process?
Oh, and if you’re looking for a great YA review site, check
out Library Lurker !
2 comments:
What a great idea, Toni! I'll have to recommend it to our YA MFA students.
I agree. And actually, the idea would work for just about any type of writing. One would simply focus on a different audience.
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