Meme: 30 Days of Fanfic
Oct. 8th, 2015 09:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
argentum_ls24 – Betaing – How many betas do you like to use to make sure there aren't any major flaws in your fic? Do you have a Beta horror story or dream story?
Both my use of betas at all and the extent of that use depend highly on what my story is being written for. If it's a bingo fill or something for fan_flashworks or comment-fic, I probably won't use a beta at all. I may not even mention the story to any of my regular betas. I'm always open to concrit on those works, but I'm going to deal with that after I get the credit for the fill and not before. If I'm writing for a fest or exchange, I try to have at least one beta. The only problem there is that...I really, really suck at deadlines. I don't often allow myself the time to get a proper beta read on stories. That said, I've probably been working very closely with at least one person for the duration of the story development and writing. I've had as many as five people help me out on stories in some capacity including, as mentioned previously, everyone in my family who understands fanfic including the kid, the spouse, my mom, and my nieces.
I don't think I have a beta horror story. All of my beta stories are my dream story because I've taught them pretty well to not let me get away with the crap I keep trying to get away with. Wait, there's a story. I had written, what I thought was, chapter 3 of "The Thickness of Blood" and sent it off to my beta for a SPaG check. Her primary note on returning the story was that the main character's actions weren't believable from the motivations I'd provided. So, rather than posting a chapter, I ended up having to rewrite the entire thing--and it really was a rewrite of the entire thing. Then, when I sent the revised chapter back to my beta, she came back with more notes that required a substantial rewrite. That was a great experience. The new chapter was so much better than the first attempt.
Both my use of betas at all and the extent of that use depend highly on what my story is being written for. If it's a bingo fill or something for fan_flashworks or comment-fic, I probably won't use a beta at all. I may not even mention the story to any of my regular betas. I'm always open to concrit on those works, but I'm going to deal with that after I get the credit for the fill and not before. If I'm writing for a fest or exchange, I try to have at least one beta. The only problem there is that...I really, really suck at deadlines. I don't often allow myself the time to get a proper beta read on stories. That said, I've probably been working very closely with at least one person for the duration of the story development and writing. I've had as many as five people help me out on stories in some capacity including, as mentioned previously, everyone in my family who understands fanfic including the kid, the spouse, my mom, and my nieces.
I don't think I have a beta horror story. All of my beta stories are my dream story because I've taught them pretty well to not let me get away with the crap I keep trying to get away with. Wait, there's a story. I had written, what I thought was, chapter 3 of "The Thickness of Blood" and sent it off to my beta for a SPaG check. Her primary note on returning the story was that the main character's actions weren't believable from the motivations I'd provided. So, rather than posting a chapter, I ended up having to rewrite the entire thing--and it really was a rewrite of the entire thing. Then, when I sent the revised chapter back to my beta, she came back with more notes that required a substantial rewrite. That was a great experience. The new chapter was so much better than the first attempt.
