Wash ,'Serenity'
A place for Buffistas to discuss, beta and otherwise deal and dish on their non-fan fiction projects.
Pillock's the word, Fay. Although I've been using "prat" just as much. And since they get to remain faceless, genderless and notes-on-paperish, I've no idea who or what he/she may be.
Still, my publisher loves me and if this jinglebrained ninnyhammer hadn't gone and done this on top of copy-editing a complete dinsosaur of a version of the novel, thereby forcing me to compare every damned word between the red-inked printout and my screen, I'd be in a much better mood, you bet.
Victor, I edit rather a lot as well for other people, but I don't stick my own views into someone else's character's brain.
Oh, I know. There's a definite line between preserving the author's voice and intent, and arrogance, masturbation and trying to make one's self feel better by belittling others. Sorry you got stuck with one of the latter.
I have had to rewrite entire articles from the bottom up, on the fly, when we can't find the author at deadline. Of course, we're talking about two completely different things here, but it's worth mentioning, because when I have to do that, I usually announce loudly that the articles officialy more "me" than "journalist X." Of course, I've never had "journalist X" complain, so there you are.
I'm big on being around if my work's being used somewhere; hell, why wouldn't the writer be, especially for a non-fic press piece? I'd be camped by the phone until deadline had passed.
QUERY: Can anyone beta a very short piece (not Buffy, not fanfic, at the request of someone for magazine submission)? Needs to not have one word appear anywhere before publication. VERY short, only about 400 words?
I'd be happy to look at it, Deb. What kind of beta reading are you looking for? Nitpicks, general impressions, or...?
Anne, fast impressions, mood mostly, setting, anything glaringly wrong.
Sending....
....aaaaand, sent.
It's a quickie, because it had to be under 500 words.
Got it. I'll turn it around as quickly as I can.
Anne, I can't submit until Tuesday anyway (they're a quarterly, and take no subs in march, so the request was for April). No rush.
But really, it's just a nice little mouthful.
Deb, if you want a second beta, I could take a look at it too. I can't guarantee I'd get to it before tomorrow, though.
Me, Deb, too.