In praise of brutal beta
This has probably been written a thousand times before, possibly even once or twice by me, but it bears repeating: good betas are an incredible gift.
When I try to explain to non-fen why I write fanfiction instead of original fiction, the answer comes down to a) I LOVE THESE CHARACTERS! and b) with fanfic, I'm writing within the context of a community.
In my experience, writing original fiction is almost always done in a vaccum. Relatively, anyway. You might have a writing group or do a course, or you might have a friend or two with whom you can discuss technical issues, plot snags, or whatever, but you will rarely find people who care about your characters as much as you do, who have a deep understanding of them, who will invest time and energy into helping you make your story work. Original fic is, by and large, lonely. Sort of the opposite of fanfiction.
In fandom, people read, comment, write fic and meta, chat, inspire, make icons and vids, post picspam, and beta. And the greatest of these is beta.
Is there any way to gauge the value of someone taking the time to sit down and focus their brain on your story, to what works and what doesn't work, and how you can make it better? Each beta brings their perspective, knowledge, and beliefs to the beta process and I, for one, learn a huge amount from the points they raise and the theories they relate.
Giving good beta can be tough. It requires time, attention, a willingness to trust one's instincts, and a preparedness to risk offending the author or hurting their feelings by questioning them or saying something doesn't work. Sometimes betas are faced with stories that squick them, or don't work for them purely because of the pairing, scenario, or personal preference, and yet somehow they have to put that aside and honour the story, work within the framework that the author has set up. Help to make that story the best version of that story it can be. Not try to turn it into something else.
I love brutal beta. I mean, I whine about it, and moan, and think that the suggested changes are completely impossible... and occasionally unnecessary. I don't always do what I'm told, but I usually do, and if I don't follow the beta's suggestion, I'll usually find a compromise rather than sticking to my guns. Above all, I am hugely grateful to my betas for being honest with me. For saying, "No, that doesn't work." "This Ray is a whiny schoolgirl." "This premise has been done to death, and I didn't like it the first time." "This is logically implausible: in this situation, here's what would happen..." "Make it funnier." "Fraser should talk more."
I've had betas say all those things. I've had maybe half a dozen stories now that have ended up on the scrapheap because a beta declared them irredeemable and, after some consideration, I've agreed. On other occasions, I've received crushing feedback and worked through that, stripped down a story and rewritten it from its skeleton, and made it better, spurred on by someone else's belief that there is a story there worth telling and I just haven't got it right yet.
I try to remember to thank my betas, especially the ones who say, "This sucks." It's like the way I thank my massage therapist for working on the sore, painful muscles. I want her to know I appreciate it. I want her to know that I understand that pain is part of the process, she's not being mean, it's just part of her job. I know how much it can cost a beta to say "I didn't like it" or "It could be better" -- there's such a risk of it being taken personally. But it's always worthwhile to hear it from betas you trust. I'd far rather know that a story should never see the light of day before I click "post".
How to Find a Beta: You can find a beta by asking people you know, or posting a request on your LJ. I think you can also post a more general request on ds_writers, or ds_flashfiction if it's for a challenge. I'd resort to ds_flashfiction only when other avenues have failed you, but the comm rules do say it's allowed. Keep your request short and sweet: pairing, rough word count, warnings and/or genre. A lot of people have the ds_flashfiction friended so, as a courtesy, maybe delete your post there once you've found a beta.
Discussion: Do you get beta on your stories? Why or why not? What do you like/dislike about it? Do you beta for other people? How? What do you like about it? What kinds of things do you look for?
When I try to explain to non-fen why I write fanfiction instead of original fiction, the answer comes down to a) I LOVE THESE CHARACTERS! and b) with fanfic, I'm writing within the context of a community.
In my experience, writing original fiction is almost always done in a vaccum. Relatively, anyway. You might have a writing group or do a course, or you might have a friend or two with whom you can discuss technical issues, plot snags, or whatever, but you will rarely find people who care about your characters as much as you do, who have a deep understanding of them, who will invest time and energy into helping you make your story work. Original fic is, by and large, lonely. Sort of the opposite of fanfiction.
In fandom, people read, comment, write fic and meta, chat, inspire, make icons and vids, post picspam, and beta. And the greatest of these is beta.
Is there any way to gauge the value of someone taking the time to sit down and focus their brain on your story, to what works and what doesn't work, and how you can make it better? Each beta brings their perspective, knowledge, and beliefs to the beta process and I, for one, learn a huge amount from the points they raise and the theories they relate.
Giving good beta can be tough. It requires time, attention, a willingness to trust one's instincts, and a preparedness to risk offending the author or hurting their feelings by questioning them or saying something doesn't work. Sometimes betas are faced with stories that squick them, or don't work for them purely because of the pairing, scenario, or personal preference, and yet somehow they have to put that aside and honour the story, work within the framework that the author has set up. Help to make that story the best version of that story it can be. Not try to turn it into something else.
I love brutal beta. I mean, I whine about it, and moan, and think that the suggested changes are completely impossible... and occasionally unnecessary. I don't always do what I'm told, but I usually do, and if I don't follow the beta's suggestion, I'll usually find a compromise rather than sticking to my guns. Above all, I am hugely grateful to my betas for being honest with me. For saying, "No, that doesn't work." "This Ray is a whiny schoolgirl." "This premise has been done to death, and I didn't like it the first time." "This is logically implausible: in this situation, here's what would happen..." "Make it funnier." "Fraser should talk more."
I've had betas say all those things. I've had maybe half a dozen stories now that have ended up on the scrapheap because a beta declared them irredeemable and, after some consideration, I've agreed. On other occasions, I've received crushing feedback and worked through that, stripped down a story and rewritten it from its skeleton, and made it better, spurred on by someone else's belief that there is a story there worth telling and I just haven't got it right yet.
I try to remember to thank my betas, especially the ones who say, "This sucks." It's like the way I thank my massage therapist for working on the sore, painful muscles. I want her to know I appreciate it. I want her to know that I understand that pain is part of the process, she's not being mean, it's just part of her job. I know how much it can cost a beta to say "I didn't like it" or "It could be better" -- there's such a risk of it being taken personally. But it's always worthwhile to hear it from betas you trust. I'd far rather know that a story should never see the light of day before I click "post".
How to Find a Beta: You can find a beta by asking people you know, or posting a request on your LJ. I think you can also post a more general request on ds_writers, or ds_flashfiction if it's for a challenge. I'd resort to ds_flashfiction only when other avenues have failed you, but the comm rules do say it's allowed. Keep your request short and sweet: pairing, rough word count, warnings and/or genre. A lot of people have the ds_flashfiction friended so, as a courtesy, maybe delete your post there once you've found a beta.
Discussion: Do you get beta on your stories? Why or why not? What do you like/dislike about it? Do you beta for other people? How? What do you like about it? What kinds of things do you look for?