Beta Meta
Sometimes meta ideas come up without having to think about them.
So, this is the result of a volley of comments with a DeviantArt friend of mine. I liked how it turned out and decided to put this up for discussion:
A beta reader is your second pair of eyes, so s/he should compliment your personality and abilities. That's why, for me, a good beta is nitpicky and relentless. I've gone for a native English speaker, since I need someone to correct my spelling and grammar mistakes. I also wanted someone who puts emphasis on characterization, because I know I have, in my early writing days, been prone to fall victim to OOCness in some of my characters.
Grammar or mechanics, contents or overall critique, betas specialize in all sorts of aspects of storywriting and it's up to every writer which exact aspect they want a beta reader to focus on. It is also wise to clarify beforehand which amount of critique you as a writer are able to stomach; some betas are blunt, others want to word their comments more diplomatically. Just think about what you can offer and what you're good at. You could take a look at FFN's 'beta readers' section, it'll give you an idea as to what being a beta readers entails.
In any case, I'm not sure you should use beta reading as a therapy against writer's block. Beta reading needs dedication; it means keeping yourself at 'your' writer's every beck and call for at least one, probably several weeks, depending on the length and quality of the story. It means having to be available at any point to discuss characterization, story flow or bounce back ideas. Even if you have not explicitely been asked by 'your' author to act as a sounding board, the author might still find the need to ask about one or two comments you made or disagree with your assessment of any aspect concerning his/her story; in these cases you will need to be prepared to deal promptly with the impromptu discussion that is bound to follow, no matter which means of communication you are using.
If you want to be a beta reader, you should be willing to invest a lot of time. I have done some beta reading during the past few months (while waiting for a beta-ed version of a new chapter myself) and have not been able to do any writing besides. It was reading, reading, reading some more as well as composing loooong comments and e-mails for the writers in question, detailing what I would or wouldn't change about the story and why. There wasn't much time left to do anything else.
(...) Writers are always itching to post their stories. That's why beta readers have to be flexible, because leaving 'their' writer - and his/her readers - hanging is pretty unfair. While writers can excuse themselves with RL issues, beta readers cannot because of the short period of time during which their service is needed. If they don't have the time to devote to the beta job at the time their author asks, I consider it polite to either decline the request or to outline the period of time during which they won't be available. In a long-term partnership between a writer and his/her beta, this shouldn't pose a problem, but at the beginning of each co-operation with a new beta reader/writer, this point should be discussed.
On the other hand, investing time into doing beta work is rewarded with what I experienced as a wave of prideon bahalf of 'your' author's performance, a sense of accomplishment and excitement in the face of the fact that I was among the first persons to be offered to read something newly written.
Please give me your opinion about this topic.
Writers, what are your expectations in a beta reader? Beta readers, what is your agenda and what do you expect from 'your' writer/s?
Discussion floor open. Thank you.
So, this is the result of a volley of comments with a DeviantArt friend of mine. I liked how it turned out and decided to put this up for discussion:
A beta reader is your second pair of eyes, so s/he should compliment your personality and abilities. That's why, for me, a good beta is nitpicky and relentless. I've gone for a native English speaker, since I need someone to correct my spelling and grammar mistakes. I also wanted someone who puts emphasis on characterization, because I know I have, in my early writing days, been prone to fall victim to OOCness in some of my characters.
Grammar or mechanics, contents or overall critique, betas specialize in all sorts of aspects of storywriting and it's up to every writer which exact aspect they want a beta reader to focus on. It is also wise to clarify beforehand which amount of critique you as a writer are able to stomach; some betas are blunt, others want to word their comments more diplomatically. Just think about what you can offer and what you're good at. You could take a look at FFN's 'beta readers' section, it'll give you an idea as to what being a beta readers entails.
In any case, I'm not sure you should use beta reading as a therapy against writer's block. Beta reading needs dedication; it means keeping yourself at 'your' writer's every beck and call for at least one, probably several weeks, depending on the length and quality of the story. It means having to be available at any point to discuss characterization, story flow or bounce back ideas. Even if you have not explicitely been asked by 'your' author to act as a sounding board, the author might still find the need to ask about one or two comments you made or disagree with your assessment of any aspect concerning his/her story; in these cases you will need to be prepared to deal promptly with the impromptu discussion that is bound to follow, no matter which means of communication you are using.
If you want to be a beta reader, you should be willing to invest a lot of time. I have done some beta reading during the past few months (while waiting for a beta-ed version of a new chapter myself) and have not been able to do any writing besides. It was reading, reading, reading some more as well as composing loooong comments and e-mails for the writers in question, detailing what I would or wouldn't change about the story and why. There wasn't much time left to do anything else.
(...) Writers are always itching to post their stories. That's why beta readers have to be flexible, because leaving 'their' writer - and his/her readers - hanging is pretty unfair. While writers can excuse themselves with RL issues, beta readers cannot because of the short period of time during which their service is needed. If they don't have the time to devote to the beta job at the time their author asks, I consider it polite to either decline the request or to outline the period of time during which they won't be available. In a long-term partnership between a writer and his/her beta, this shouldn't pose a problem, but at the beginning of each co-operation with a new beta reader/writer, this point should be discussed.
On the other hand, investing time into doing beta work is rewarded with what I experienced as a wave of prideon bahalf of 'your' author's performance, a sense of accomplishment and excitement in the face of the fact that I was among the first persons to be offered to read something newly written.
Please give me your opinion about this topic.
Writers, what are your expectations in a beta reader? Beta readers, what is your agenda and what do you expect from 'your' writer/s?
Discussion floor open. Thank you.