First Readers, by Natasha Mostert

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I am often asked who gets to read my finished manuscripts first.   My mother and my husband are first in line.  My mother is a tough lady and does not hesitate to point out the weaknesses in my prose.  My husband, on the other hand, is invariably complimentary.  He values a quiet life and is a clever man.

I also receive feedback from my brother.  Deep breath here.   My brother is my mother's clever child (Ph.D in Physics) and my mother swears his first word as a baby was "quark".  Mathematically gifted, he despairs of his sister's "fuzzy thinking." Even though he is seven years younger than I am, he has succeeded in intimidating me since the crib.  

In my new thriller, Keeper of Light and Dust, I dip a toe into the realm of quantum physics - courageously I thought - but my brother used a different word.   When he gave me his feedback, I took his comments on the chin and rewrote those passages, which caused him such distress.  I won't say he was one hundred percent happy with the finished product but at least he stopped talking to me through clenched teeth.   For some reason he took it personally that I had criticized Einstein.

Apart from my relatives, I also have another group of people on whom I rely before I send on the manuscript to my agent and editor.  These people are gifted readers and I trust their judgment implicitly.  They are wonderfully supportive but they also know it is not in my best interest for them to lie.  Even though they tend to couch their criticism in diplomatic terms, they do not hesitate to tell me where they think I've lost the plot.  I am happy to say that their comments on Keeper of Light and Dust were gratifyingly positive.  Everyone seemed to have had a good time reading my story - although there was one or two... or maybe three little things, which had escaped my attention and needed to be fixed.  One of my characters had inexplicably turned into a brunette after being a blond for most of the book.  One character had simply disappeared never to be heard of again and a few of my readers, not unreasonably I suppose, wanted to know what had happened to him.

Are first readers necessary?  My answer is an unequivocal yes.   Mine have saved me from embarrassment many times.  For aspiring writers out there - look for friends who have eagle eyes, and generous hearts.  And treasure them!  

Natasha Mostert, Keeper of Light and Dust, Dutton, Penguin Books