I belong to several critique groups, and I’m also a beta reader. The process of taking another writer’s words and seeing if I have a moment of inspiration that might make a good piece better is exhilarating. I often benefit as much if not more by the analysis. I have also discovered that I’m becoming an expert in assigning work.
The first time it happened, one of the authors in my sci-fi group planned to write a series of three novels, all on the same theme but with different characters and settings. I said no. “You need to write three books about the characters in the novel you’re writing now before you start with new characters.”
“But if you decide I need to write three novels about each set of characters, that will be nine novels. You’re telling me I need to write nine novels.”
“Yes,” I said.
The latest adventure in assigning work came when I was inspired by a novel I took on as a beta reader. The author had hoped to publish in the spring. I decided he needed another rewrite to make an interesting book an exceptional book.
The most amazing part of both stories is that both writers actually listened to me. My inspiration may have been inconvenient, but they agreed that they could make their good work better. That is the value of critique groups and beta readers.