author_by_night | (no subject)

So I was doing that fanfic meme, and realized I had some sudden beta-reading thoughts that needed their own entry.

So, here is my Standard List for Authors in Relation to Beta Readers.

1. Yes, you need a Beta Reader, even if you have a PhD in Creative Writing.

We're not as impartial to our fics as we'd like to be. Yes, proofreading is good, but many people read knowing what they know. In other words, the typo is automatically spelled correctly in our minds, or perhaps we don't realize we spelled "egregious" wrong. We also don't realize a line doesn't make sense - to us, it does, because we know the character who says it. And if something doesn't fit with canon - well, it's our fic, right? So we already know our ficverse. We may be blind to the fact that in canon, that doesn't work. (And even if your fic is AU, or simply not meant to be canon, you want to make sure you still keep the canon basics. Voldemort is not a ballet dancer. Unless you are writing a parody, and it's supposed to make the reader laugh and shudder.)

2. Don't "Call a Friend", unless your friend is very honest.

If our fics are our babies, our friends are their aunties, and that means chances are, they are going to automatically love the "child." Why? Because you wrote it. Or they may hate the fic, but they don't hate you... and therefore, are not about to tell you that your fic should be rewritten immediately.

Unless, of course, they are going to be the type of aunt who will tell you, "don't make Johnny wear that outfit to school, he'll have food thrown at him during lunch." And even then, make sure they actually will. If I have friends beta read my work, I always ask them things like, "will this make sense to other people?" And otherwise invite them to open criticism. And I always try and find two people who don't know me as well. Sometimes you need a few sets of eyes, too.

3. Don't nag your Beta Reader.

Believe it or not, your Beta Reader probably has other people he or she helps, not to mention their own stories - and then, even more importantly, real life matters. (Work, school, family, etc.) They're not going to necessarily be able to get your fic done in a day. I range in when I can get back to my beta-ees: If it's during a weekend, probably within a day, but if I get the fic during the week days, I usually take a bit longer. And that's if the fic is a seven page one shot. If your fic is a long chapter fic... give me a week. And a lot of betas need a week even for one shots. You need to remember that while we care, we do have other tasks.

However...

4. Don't be afraid to send a reminder.

If you haven't heard from your Beta Reader in two weeks, and they normally do not take that long (or they told you they'd have it back in five days), email them. Chances are they thought they sent it back, got busy and forgot to email you, or even lost your email address and have no means of contacting you. (This actually has happened with me and a Beta-ee... I lost her email address because I accidentally deleted it, and couldn't find it again. I wish she'd emailed me and asked what had happened, because it would've been appreciated!)

That said, be careful how you do it. Rudeness doesn't win anyone over.

5. Feel free to let your Betas know when the fic gets posted.

We like to know the aftermath, so to speak. :) However, this isn't a must, just something that is appreciated.

Anyone else have Beta tips?

Threaded | Flat

We like to know the aftermath, so to speak. :) However, this isn't a must, just something that is appreciated.

A heartfelt agreement to that! The greatest frustration of my beta-ing life was an author who just did. not. tell. me where she was putting her fic. I asked outright, and she never said. It was so annoying.

My beta-ee tip: send an email after recieving a beta'd fic to say thanks, even if you have no issues with any of the suggestions,e tc. A] It lets the beta know the work got though and B] these small courtesies are much appreciated and will help build a good relationship.

My tips:

Agree the remit of the job. I tend to have at anything, unless told otherwise.

Firmly agree tolerance levels. The most horrid experience I ever had as a beta reader included the most ghastly and vomitous sex scene I'd ever clapped eyes on (sadly, it's not even the Bronze, these days). Spend some time agreeing what content squicks, it will save tears later.

Finally: respect your beta when she says the bit you think is really cool is actually out to lunch. This is your last chance to take a reality check before a less friendly reader gets to you. I once lobbed a present-tense chapter into a past-historic fic. I thought it was all "dream like" - my beta (quite correctly) pointed out it was just a bit stupid. I fixed.

Wonderful post, Amy.

I agree with everything. I think the most important thing is to keep an open mind when you get your beta'd fic back. I think that'd go for the beta-er (is that a word?!), as well.

I'd love to see a post for the "5 commandments of being a Beta-Reader."

Haha, nice. You should talk to my friend who used to beta all the time...she wanted to create the Society for the Promotion of Beta Reader Welfare. lol

Hi. Here from

hogwarts_today

To everything stated above, I'd add:

- If you disagree with a comment/correction/suggestion your beta makes, ask rather than just ignore it.
- Be up front about what you want from your beta. Unless I hear otherwise, I make comments/suggestions about everything, starting with characterisation and plot (sometimes to the chagrin/horror of the writer).
- Acknowledge your beta when you post.
- For heaven's sake, spell check! :D
- If you know the characters are wildly OOC, please tell your beta this up front, so they don't write two pages of comments as to why they think Snape wouldn't become a florist after the defeat of Voldemort (or some other such thing).
- Read your fic through at least once before you send it. Make an effort to get it in posting-ready shape first; if I have to plow through a rough draft and re-write it, I consider that co-authorship, not editing.

1). Always ask how your beta would like to be acknowledged.

2). Try to be content with your chapter before you send it. If you don't like it, don't send it to your beta and then send them three other versions, one right after the other, and expect them to enthusiastically beta read them all within 24 hours to put together the chapter that really works.

3). Even if your beta has been your beta for one long story, always ask if it's okay to send your next story.

4). Get the important thing settled first. What won't your beta read, what sort of timeframe can you expect your chapters returned, et cetera.

5). There is no harm in asking for references, and there's no harm in supplying a writing sample or giving references yourself.

6). Don't blame your beta if a moderated archive requests corrections.

7). That there are special Canon spellings in your fandom, add them to your spellcheck program and use it.

Thank you!

[Here from

metafandom. [wave]]

I basically agree with you, except for number one. :) I've never used a beta reader and have never gotten any complaints. Being the only person responsible for what gets posted with my name on it has, I believe, made me a stronger and more thorough editor of my own work. I have no one to point at if something sneaks by; it's all on me.

And things do sneak by and I make corrections when I spot them, even months later, but on the whole my stories as posted are mechanically cleaner than those of many other writers who do use betas. Multiple betas even. [wry smile]

When I first started posting fiction online, in the late eighties, the term "beta reader" didn't exist. It just wasn't there, hadn't been coined yet. Some people had friends read their stuff over, some people workshopped, but most just paid attention to what they posted and did their best to learn and improve, which made them better writers in general as well as help prevent them from being embarassed when other people read their stories. And honestly, the general level of craftsmanship in posted stories back then was no worse than it is now.

But I never got into the habit of having someone else read my stuff before I post it and still don't see the need to change my work habits. I'm comfortable with the way I do things and as I said, no one's ever complained so I guess I'm doing well enough. :)

I'm not saying other people shouldn't use betas (although I have some issues with the kind of (poor) job too many betas clearly do) but I don't think it's right to state that everyone "should" use a beta. I think it's an individual choice and so long as the writer is willing to live with the consequencess, that's up to them.

Angie

Good points. :)

Going to link this with my Writing help links (http://lira-snape.livejournal.com/12817.html). :)