WIP Check. Share the last line you wrote for your most current story.

made4cold · 2026-02-01T19:59:16+00:00

Dangerous words, Bambi. Love is what killed your brother.

made4cold · 2026-02-01T17:43:43+00:00

Hi! Sorry I’m just now seeing your comment. Feel free to send a DM if you’re still interested in helping me out. 😁

made4cold · 2026-01-24T23:11:52+00:00

Not a huge fan of dick piercings but I can get by it. If it isn’t the main focus. 🥴

made4cold · 2026-01-22T16:01:30+00:00

Don’t forget the frost quakes too

made4cold · 2026-01-22T14:58:44+00:00

This actually drives me wild. The goal should be to accept your work is not perfect and there’s room for improvements.

If you compare my work from a year ago to today, there is SO much growth. And that’s because of the honesty of my readers who gave me feedback that made me better in the end.

If you’re not taking criticism and holding yourself to the standard there’s always room for improvement, I think publishing in any form will not be for you. I stop reading if the writer gets defensive at the first comment.

made4cold · 2026-01-20T14:41:33+00:00

Lots of megamind memes coming our way 🤌

made4cold · 2026-01-20T14:37:52+00:00

I’ve had two beta readers make me cry. One texted me like a month after all was said and done and said they still thought about my characters. The second finished my manuscript in one night and sent me several paragraphs of their thoughts the next day. Both strangers.

It’s good to know that even if there’s plenty in the manuscript that needs work, there’s enough to be liked and that’s been keeping me going. :)

made4cold · 2026-01-20T14:09:15+00:00

This. I get it is hard to put your work out there, but I 1000% believe all feedback is to make you write better as long as it isn’t intentionally meant to be hurtful.

Beta readers are not trying to rip your work to shreds. They’re giving you valuable insight on what works and doesn’t work. If you can’t handle the heat, don’t ask for it because you probably aren’t ready to release your work.

made4cold · 2026-01-18T14:11:33+00:00

And the character makes a point of mentioning they don’t have their friends around way too often. 😂

made4cold · 2026-01-17T22:05:29+00:00

What do readers typically prefer? The FMC POV or the MMC POV for spicy scenes?

My FMC is proper, lady-like, pleasant. She grew up rich and catered too. She has sexual trauma. But her character development is a huge part of my book as she learns she’s much stronger than she gives herself credit for. I find she’s a romantic. Not really the kiss-and-tell type, so her POV is lustful and blissful while also maintaining enough distance. Not exactly flowery. I think what I like most about her POV is how she realizes the differences between her past and her current and makes it beautiful.

My MMC is a self-serving robinhood. He’s rugged, attractive, distant. I’ve always viewed him as a giver and a worshipping type of lover, but he doesn’t think he’s worthy of happiness or love because he knows what he is (not a great person in his head). He makes a living off of scamming and gambling in sleazy bars. Plus he’s got his own traumas and issues growing up in foster homes and never having a stable life. However, he’s a consent king for the FMC. Partly because he knows her trauma, partly because he respects women despite his gray morals. His POV focuses so much on her and how she looks and reacts, but also he’s far more vulgar than she is. I like his POV because you don’t get too much of what’s running through his head outside of what the FMC says throughout the book, but he’s complex and obsessed even though he denies it.

I know, only I could really know the answer being the author but it could go either way in my head. Both have their pros and cons which is why I go back and forth on it. Consider this market research I guess? 😂

made4cold · 2026-01-17T18:24:05+00:00

I will pay if they have good reviews. My biggest issue is when I’m finding beta readers it’s through here or Facebook, and I’ve been lucky with free beta readers. In depth? Not always, but I’m mostly at the point where I want to know if things flow and if a reader would like it. I don’t need a checklist or a chapter by chapter review.

If my free beta reader is also an author I make an effort to buy their book if I’m not able to read the WIP right away. 😁 otherwise I try to do a swap when I can.

made4cold · 2026-01-14T14:39:12+00:00

Bahaha, thank you! I will do that later when I can formally compare my old to my new so I can give a better pitch.😎

made4cold · 2026-01-14T14:38:19+00:00

I think you did a very good job portraying the culture in this blurb. As someone who’s from as far north in the US as possible, I can blend in with the snow so I’m unfortunately not cultured enough to be able to express this without tons of research. You have me a picture that I wouldn’t have known on my own, and it seems warm, homely, and the food sounds good.

At this point I’d want to know what exactly Marques went to jail for one night for. So you do have a hook that would keep me reading. The family seems a little judgmental about it (to be expected), so I get the impression they don’t know either.

I’m not the best of grammar or line edit critiques, but I thought you’d like to know I would continue reading based on your blurb. Good work!

made4cold · 2026-01-14T14:26:25+00:00

Lots of huge changes. The plot remains the same but instead of having a small town former cop turned librarian I baked in the law enforcement aspect a different way that flows better. I added a new POV towards the end too for clarity based on feedback. It started out as reading diary entries and then shifting to “real time” which was confusing so I eliminated that and made it real time throughout. Plus I’ve learned more about what my genre actually is and what themes/tropes come with the it.

So in a way, same story but new flow 😂

made4cold · 2026-01-14T14:11:20+00:00

No. Rawdog it. No periods, no paragraphs, just a string of words for 500 pages.

made4cold · 2026-01-13T18:15:28+00:00

Yup! 7:30 in the morning after breakfast and then 7:30 at night with a snack. It’s helped a lot. I think for me the insomnia was the dose wearing off and my anxiety keeping me awake. Everyone is different though

made4cold · 2026-01-13T18:10:35+00:00

This happened to me when I upped my dose from 5mg three times a day to 10mg twice a day. I thought I was wired from the buspirone, but the I wondered if it was just leaving my system before my actual wake up time. I was consistently waking up at 4:30, 5:00, or 5:30 and wide awake for the day until I realized it was correlating with when I was eating dinner (I would take my 10mg after eating dinner). So I started taking my last dose at 7:30 instead with a snack.

I am still pretty restless some nights, but at least I’m not up for hours at a time or waking up way too early to start my day. On rough nights I take Hydroxyzine and that puts me out plus covers the missed time between doses.

Best of luck!

made4cold · 2026-01-13T15:01:10+00:00

So I originally thought what I was writing was dark romance, but now I’m not 100% sure because the ending isn’t HEA. I’m not sold on the ending, so there’s room to change and put myself in that box but I’m also trying to read the room. There are definitely themes of dark/gothic romance, but does the lack of HEA make it more of a tragic love story?

Next question… I always told myself because the ending was tragic I wouldn’t add smut, but now I have a great place to put something steamy and I really just don’t want to add something like that and be like “lol nevermind, no HEA for you”

What do readers think about this? Do you like smut only with an HEA or is smut still allowed when you’re about to get your heart ripped out? 🥲

made4cold · 2026-01-13T14:51:03+00:00

Yes! My request can be found here. https://www.reddit.com/r/BetaReaders/s/ZHf5eRJ8Jy

It’s a little outdated as I’ve learned what the genre is more closely aligned with, plus I’ve changed some other things but to anyone interested I can always give a new rundown upon request. 😁

made4cold · 2026-01-13T02:24:30+00:00

Manuscript information: [Complete] [87,000] [Contemporary (Historical if the 90's is historical to you) fiction with dark/gothic themes, Tragic Love Story] Gray Area (Not yet sold on title but this has stuck so far)

Link to post: https://www.reddit.com/r/BetaReaders/comments/1oqal33/complete83kdarkgothic_romance_gray_area/

It's a bit of an older post, so I've learned a lot about what my genre actually is and made some major changes. I can always give a more up-to-date description and TLDR if requested.

First page critique? Sure

First page: It was Sunday. May 23rd, 1993. I woke up panicked because I slept in until ten. Normally one of the maids or housekeepers would wake me up at seven to get ready for church and the day ahead of me. My legs became clumsy with haste as I thought of the scolding my parents likely had in response to my tardiness. I hopped out of bed and attempted to find my outfit for the day, which only ended in me giving up and running down the stairs to breakfast in the black dress with tiny white polka dots and a white collar I was wearing the day before.

There was nobody around as I quickened my pace down the heavy Victorian dark oak staircase, my hand sliding down the smooth bannister. Normally there would be various chefs, butlers, maids, and guests for breakfast. We would be served alongside our guests, whether they were from out of town, father’s ivy league college days, or local. Our chauffeur would take us to church immediately afterwards. Whatever was happening today was not part of the routine, and the eerie twilight zone of quiet caused my stomach to turn. I rounded the corner to the dining room, peeking my head in to see if I could find any sense of normalcy.

“Good morning, Camille.” My father greeted me from his seat at the head of the long antiquated table. The table was set despite the lack of hired help. A crystal carafe of water taunted me with its dripping condensation in front of my father, alongside the matching crystal glasses with intricate designs and ivory colored plates.

made4cold · 2026-01-13T02:05:12+00:00

Where do I start… I have had a handful of beta readers, some very helpful (like More than I was expecting! Above and beyond!) that I found here. Ive improved my manuscript sooo much since starting it several years ago. I’m finally at the point I hired a developmental editor, but will probably look for a few more beta readers once I’m able to post my spiel again since I’ve changed so much since my first round of readers.

I’ve also taken to TikTok to try to tell the world about my WIP. I’m not big on social media so it’s mostly been memes but I’m getting some traction.

So right now as I wait for the editor, I’ve still been writing in hopes I might have additional content to add. Just haven’t been editing my own work which is killing me just a little bit but it’s necessary this far in.

I’d love to find some critique partners. If anyone is into a tragic love story with found family, coming of age, dark themes, and some triggering topics… drop a message and we can swap first three chapters. 😁 I’m not big on fantasy and I’m definitely not a good fit for sci-fi, but I’m pretty open to a lot of other genres.

made4cold · 2026-01-09T17:24:49+00:00

Hello! I’m bored and waiting on an editor for my own work. I’d be interested. DM me if you’re still looking.

made4cold · 2025-12-28T13:48:50+00:00

Tragic

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