Friday, October 12, 2007

Letters and words...

I spent much of yesterday being a beta-reader. Remember in High School, when the teacher gave a writing assignment, and upon completion, asked you to trade with the person next to you? The person next to you read it and then shared their thoughts about what you'd written. That's kinda what beta reading is.

I had about fifty pages to go when the kids got home. My Kindergarten Boy stood beside me and started pointing to letters on the page and saying "Look Mummy! That's an S. And that's a C, like in my name!" The beta-book became a lesson in letters and words.

So not only will I get paid for beta reading, but it provided a terrific teaching moment for my son. I couldn't get this boy to spend one minute on letters before he started school. Now, I can't get him to stop talking about them. WOOT!!!

I finished the book after dinner and emailed my comments to the author. I probably should have thanked her for the above mentioned opportunity, but I was too busy listening to my son point out letters on the computer screen.

4 comments:

veinglory said...

I think sometimes I learn more from betaing than from being, um, would you called it 'beta-ed'. That sounds like a euphemism ;)

Nita said...

Have to laugh at veinglory's comment, beta-ed, funny. Oh, yeah, as I came in to say, as mom's we learn early to use every possible situation for learning. Glad you little one found an interest in letters and words. May he be a life-long reader.

Anonymous said...

The last time I beta-ed someone, the author got very quiet and didn't have much to say to me afterwards. (And, no, I wasn't harsh.) You're a braver soul than I am!

VirtualWordsmith said...

Well, the author seemed kind and appreciative of my comments, so it all turned out well. :)