A lot of what I've betaed (and I've civic-betaed some horrible stuff) is crap. But I do the best I can. I'm honest, at least.
Inara: Who's winning? Simon: I can't tell. They don't seem to be playing by any civilized rules that I know.
'Bushwhacked'
Fan Fiction: Writers, Readers, and Enablers
This thread is for fanfic recs, links, and discussion, but not for actual posting of fanfic.
esse - Feb 04, 2003 8:02:11 pm PST #3321 of 10000
S to the A -- using they/them pronouns!
P.M. Marc - Feb 04, 2003 8:03:17 pm PST #3322 of 10000
So come, my friends, be not afraid/We are so lightly here/It is in love that we are made; In love we disappear
A lot of what I've betaed (and I've civic-betaed some horrible stuff) is crap.
I know *g*. I send you an assload of it.
Anne W. - Feb 04, 2003 8:07:29 pm PST #3323 of 10000
The lost sheep grow teeth, forsake their lambs, and lie with the lions.
Oh, yes, the delivering of bad news. "Yes, it was technically good, you used all the right grammar, and the story was even interesting. But the characters were horrible." I suck at that in real life.
Teaching middle school for three years helped me to deal with situations like this. Talk about your fragile egos... There's a fine line between criticism such as "The characters' behavior wasn't convincing. Maybe you should go back and rethink why Buffy would go after Willow with an icepick. Then, you can work on getting that information into the story," and "Your characterization was way off. Buffy would never try to murder Willow with an icepick."
Connie Neil - Feb 04, 2003 8:08:47 pm PST #3324 of 10000
brillig
Anne, that's perfect differentiation.
Connie Neil - Feb 04, 2003 8:08:48 pm PST #3325 of 10000
brillig
Steph L. - Feb 04, 2003 8:09:42 pm PST #3326 of 10000
I look more rad than Lutheranism
A lot of what I've betaed (and I've civic-betaed some horrible stuff) is crap.
I know *g*. I send you an assload of it.
I was just gonna say! Before I finished "Graveyard Shift," SA told me flat-out, "you have two different stories here."
Now, I am a pigheaded writer, so I stuck to my original plan, but it was a DAMN good beta nonetheless. Seriously. And I don't think I ever said that.
Theodosia - Feb 04, 2003 8:20:58 pm PST #3327 of 10000
'we all walk this earth feeling we are frauds. The trick is to be grateful and hope the caper doesn't end any time soon"
I actually think I'm ready to start beta-ing/critiquing again, which is not a place my head's been in for a good long while. In some ways, it would actually be easier to do it for someone that I don't know very well, since I'd be able to be a bit more dispassionate about the piece itself -- which is not to say "be harsh" since with writers I like personally a lot, I tend to like their writing more than I should, which is not what a proper critique needs, and then there's the worry about hurting their feelings inadvertantly....
Elena - Feb 04, 2003 8:36:19 pm PST #3328 of 10000
Thanks for all the fish.
You should only ever hurt someone's feelings on purpose. That's the true definition of 'lady'.
Nutty - Feb 04, 2003 9:51:31 pm PST #3329 of 10000
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."
I was rereading old betas recently, and I discovered two things: (1) I betaed a lot of really good stuff over the years, and a good 30% of if was never published/finished; and (2) it's a million times easier to beta with Word and track changes or colored fonts than it is to do in plaintext.
Not that I'm not still devoted to plaintext as a publishing medium, but holy fucksticks. I'm surprised people weren't publishing with beta notes still in the final versions of their stories.
esse - Feb 04, 2003 9:58:52 pm PST #3330 of 10000
S to the A -- using they/them pronouns!
I know *g*. I send you an assload of it.
Take that back! You so do not.
I was just gonna say!
Hey! You take that back too!
Crazy women.