Unsung Heroines of Fanfiction. The Good Beta!

[lady_windermere]

The true unsung Heroines of fanfiction is a good beta. I mean a good one, I've had my fair share of bad ones in the past to know the difference, but I will not go into that.

There is more to a beta than spelling, punctuation and grammar, but that is what a lot of people look for, and yes, me too. for a various reasons, I need a lot of help with these subjects. I'm not an easy author to beta for when it comes to this

A) I'm slightly word blind

B) I missed a lot of primary school because of ill health

C) When I went to Secondary School, it was during the time they were experimenting, and not using punctuation or grammar.



So massive gaps in my knowledge. Yes, I did get a "B" in English as Higher level, but that was because I can see the hidden meanings. I could wax lyrical about the comments on Victorian Society and class in Oscar Wilde's fairy tale, The Little Prince, or interpate anything, but still gaps.

I tend to just accept what a beta tells me in these subjects, because of the gaps in my knowledge, and that has been a mistake in the past.

Being timely. If I'm waiting for a long time for the beta got come back to me, I can go off the boil on a fic, and it ends up sitting as a WIP, and never gets any further. I have two like that.

Constantly changing things, and insisting that the author doesn't post until the beta says so, especially when they are constantly changing things. I missed a deadline, which the beta knew about, because of that, and the fic never got posted. In the end it is the author who posts and basks in the feedback. They are the ones in ultimate control, and stand, or fall, by the fic. Responsiblity is the authors, as is control.

Which brings me neatly to, just changing things. The work coming back and not with beta notes for consideration, but rewritten to such an extent that it is no longer the author's work, but a co-written fic.

The Indepth Beta

The Indepth Beta will not just offer spelling, punctuation and grammar, but be willing to talk plot with you, characteristion, character voices, guides on how to move the plot forward and feedback. This is time consumming, and could mean you end up having to talk for hours in IM, or exchanging messages a lot. For such a beta, you have to have a good understanding of where the author is going, and the work they are trying to produce. But untimatly it is still the author's work, and should still get most of it's direction from where the author wants to go.


The Good Beta can make your fic into something to be proud of, can win awards with, get recommendations with and be an enjoyable read. The author needs to remember that, despite all that, they are still the one who will stand or fall by the work, and still have to take responsiblity for it. Talk to your beta, ask advice, listen to them, but it is still your work.

Comments

[xenodike.livejournal.com]

Very true, all of it. I've had some very bad luck with Betas myself, it's very annoying when you get a fic back and you can tell that it's not right, but of course seeing as English is not my native language I get insecure and tend to trust the Beta.

I wish people would realize that just because English is your native language doesn’t mean you're a good Beta. I'm Swedish but I would never offer to Beta a Swedish text because I'm horrible at grammar.
Anyway, good meta!

Hugs

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

I would never offer to beta for Spelling, punctuation or grammar myself, as I have far to many gaps in my knowledge, I will help in other ways, but it never seems to get acknowledged.

A good beta is a Godsend!

*hugs*

[pippii.livejournal.com]

WOW
I suck as a beta then...
♥

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

I'm sure you don't!

*hugs*

[kitty-poker1.livejournal.com]

You make some excellent points.

A beta needs to be realistic with the writer about timings, especially with regard to deadlines.

S/he needs to tell the writer why changes have been made, not just assume the writer will unthinkingly make them. That also has the benefit of reducing the possibility of the writer repeating mistakes.

A good beta should be trusted, but not implicitly. We make mistakes too.

The beta should always remember it's not her work but the writer's, and never rewrite. Blimey, if you want to write so much, write your own stuff. That's what I did. *g*

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

Thank You Kitty, I was very interested in what you would say. Yes, the Beta is very important, but it is still the author who will be remembered for the work, and will get the feedback, so they cannot just hand over to the Beta, they have to take the final decisions.

Sometimes fellow writers are the worst offenders in re-writes *g*

[kitty-poker1.livejournal.com]

Absolutely! The beta has to remember that she's an important part of the process, but the writer is the one whose reputation lives or dies by the work. When reading a fic with many mistakes, a beta will think, 'the beta should've picked those up' but any reader will blame them on the writer because, ultimately, it's up to the writer to double check every change made.

LOL! Very true. I sometimes have to fight against the instinct to rewrite. *g*

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

Yes, a Beta is very important, but the writer still has to be the one who puts their name on it. They cannot hand over responsibility, in the end, it is still their work.

It is tempting to give into the urge to take over *g*

[jaded-jamie.livejournal.com]

I am sure a good beat is half the battle love!

[http://users.livejournal.com/woman_of_/]

:-) *hugs*