What do you do?
So, I'm hoping for some advice from all of you.
1. How do you fire (in a polite way) your betas? It's not that I don't love mine, and when they have the time to beta for me, they do a great job. Unfortunately they are all super busy. One of them is in a microbiology graduate program; the second is working full time, taking a class at university, and two different non-profit boards; the third is trying to get her therapy business started. Even with reminders, I've been waiting over 2 months for them to come back to me on the first chapter of the fic I am currently working on. I need a new beta, but I don't want to hurt the feelings of my current ones.
2. What is the best place to look for a new beta? I've never actually had to search for one before, my current betas are all personally known to me. I know that there are lists of them all over the place. Is there one list that has better results? Is there something I should especially be looking for in a beta? I feel like such a newbie asking all these questions.
3. I don't generally have writer's block problems with my fanfiction. However, I'm working on an original fiction piece. Well, more accurately, I'd like to be writing an original piece. I have all these plans for a Young Adult novel, but I can't get it started. I have a background written, with bios about my characters and a general idea of plot. How do I actually get it started. Do you have any suggestions?
4, Last question has nothing to do with fanfiction. Do any of you who live in the US/Canada Pacific Northwest, have suggestions for a good place for a mini-vacation in late July? Mr. 17 and I are taking vacation then and we don't know where to go, ideas would be appreciated.
1. How do you fire (in a polite way) your betas? It's not that I don't love mine, and when they have the time to beta for me, they do a great job. Unfortunately they are all super busy. One of them is in a microbiology graduate program; the second is working full time, taking a class at university, and two different non-profit boards; the third is trying to get her therapy business started. Even with reminders, I've been waiting over 2 months for them to come back to me on the first chapter of the fic I am currently working on. I need a new beta, but I don't want to hurt the feelings of my current ones.
2. What is the best place to look for a new beta? I've never actually had to search for one before, my current betas are all personally known to me. I know that there are lists of them all over the place. Is there one list that has better results? Is there something I should especially be looking for in a beta? I feel like such a newbie asking all these questions.
3. I don't generally have writer's block problems with my fanfiction. However, I'm working on an original fiction piece. Well, more accurately, I'd like to be writing an original piece. I have all these plans for a Young Adult novel, but I can't get it started. I have a background written, with bios about my characters and a general idea of plot. How do I actually get it started. Do you have any suggestions?
4, Last question has nothing to do with fanfiction. Do any of you who live in the US/Canada Pacific Northwest, have suggestions for a good place for a mini-vacation in late July? Mr. 17 and I are taking vacation then and we don't know where to go, ideas would be appreciated.