Visit to an angry planet, revisited.

Feb 21, 2006 21:09

So there's apparently a lot of negativity attached to this post. Which I understand, I was a really angry person for a lot of reasons when I wrote that.

So as a result I was probably not as clear as I could have been.

Right here:

3. DO NOT SUGGEST REVISING MY BETA PROCESS. Even if in reality the author might need to, many just had bad weeks. My ( Read more... )

frothy rage

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mecurtin February 22 2006, 23:31:17 UTC
I can't read the linked post, and I don't really hold with anonymous concrit, so I'm commenting here.

I really admire your writing and your willingness to get down into themes (e.g. homophobia and the level of *fear* someone like John might be living under) that a lot of fan writers shy away from. But, as I suspect you know, I'm sometimes disappointed when you post something with a lot of typos, not least because my own standards don't let me rec such stories. I haven't been able to rec "Lesser War", for instance, because it contains so many sloppy errors. This upsets me because I think it's a really good and even important story and I'd like to be able to discuss it, but I don't let myself rec or seriously discuss stories where the author clearly hasn't tried to do her best.

I've noticed that your posts & comments often have many spelling (etc.) errors, so I assume that you don't have a Notice The Tiny Errors Brain (and I don't have a very good one myself, I just can rely on help from Mister Picky and our daughter, Miss Picky Junior). This is OK if you recognize it and get someone on your b*t* team who makes up for what you lack, and not expect one person (whose mind doesn't necessarily work that way, either) to do everything. And, of course, to wait for them to get back to you with revisions, which is why I'm not volunteering -- I'm a notoriously slow beta, though so thorough I've been called the Beta Dominatrix.

In the case of "Lesser War", I'd be willing to go over it with a fine-toothed comb now that there's no press of time, so you can put up a corrected copy. But I'd only want to do that if you truly think you *would* put up the proofed story.

Or you might want to think about whether there's someone you trust so deeply that you'd let them upload corrected versions of your stories for you, so you can get on with writing the next one. That would be a damn intimate relationship, of course, and it's perfectly understandable if you don't want to let someone in to that degree.

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amireal February 23 2006, 00:00:39 UTC
The post ended up filtered because SOME people felt I shouldn't you know, use my LJ to vent. That's another story.

First of all, I guess I tend to pick those themes because I feel others give them short shrift or don't deal with thme in a realistic manner. It's sort of a challenge I guess.

It's not so much that I don't notice tiny errors, or don't know the rules, it's that my fingers have this muscle memory that's hard to get over. (As for LJ I'm often posting at oh god thirty at night and well-- no brains for more than your basic expression of thought).

Here's the thing: I do wait for revisions. I do use people who copy edit for a living or just a helluva a lot in other more complex fandoms (the ones that are set in historical England are notorious) but it's been-- a couple of things. Some of it is notoriouos bad luck/bad weeks for all concerned.

I have made a resolution that for the next story I finish, I shall send ouot, edit and then send out again.

Coping Mechanisms, Physics, Quarks and one of two of the smaller ones published around the same time were beta'd by someone with an extreme eye for detail and those still ended up with "oopses". It's a process and part of me is going to get a little riled up when my stuff gets held to a higher standard than some pro work.

As for Lesser Wars. I know there are still some mistakes littered through it. But I honestly don't think that I'd use the word "many" at this point. Handfull at this point maybe? Thanks for the offer but I'm not sure if I'm going to take it just yet as I do have someone who, while not in the fandom, has supremely excellent copy editing skills. We've worked together before and she most definately hasn't read the fic yet so it'll be fresh eyes and she won't get distracted by the pretty, so it's good all around.

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wetdryvac February 23 2006, 10:05:54 UTC
"Distracted by the pretty"

*laughs*

"I was fine, I was fine, I got distracted by the pretty, I fell in the pool."

One of my friends is no longer allowed to walk near the bathing area when the volleyball game is on.

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mecurtin February 24 2006, 23:09:35 UTC
First of all, I guess I tend to pick those themes because I feel others give them short shrift or don't deal with thme in a realistic manner.

And I absolutely love that. That and the handholding thing, which is as big a kink for me as it seems to be for you.

Speaking of things given short shrift, the only element I really felt was missing from "Lesser War" was Teyla & Ronon's reaction(s). McShep writers almost always show Ronon & Teyla as accepting & tolerant of McShep to the point of yenta-hood (yenting?), but what if they weren't?

Along those lines, one thing I really like about the story is the way the reader knows Elizabeth's heart has been stomped a bit, but John never catches the clue -- because, let's face it, he never does.

But I honestly don't think that I'd use the word "many" at this point. Handfull at this point maybe?

There are still enough (at least on the LJ copy) so that when I re-read it the other day (before posting the above comment) I was irritated. I think they're concentrated in Part 1, which increases the irritation.

Thanks for the offer but I'm not sure if I'm going to take it just yet

No problem. Let me know if you change your mind.

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amireal February 24 2006, 23:17:28 UTC
At this point, section one has been reposted once more. Take a look, let's see how the new person holds up.

And handholding? HOTTER THAN NECKING! *koff*

I am -- So largely guitly of focusing on Rodney and John that I find it hard to make all the periferal characters fit in. Looking back, I see very easy ways I could have slipped Ronon and Teyla in a bit more, but it's all forest for trees sometiems I suppose.

As for Elizabeth *grins* I'm glad someone caught the almost unspoken backstory I gave her. It's not that she ever expected something to happen, but it was something warm and cushy to put in the back of her mind. If you watch CSI, it's similar to Catherine's reaction to Warrick's unexpected marriage.

As for offers, part of the problem somtimes is that I am OMGPROLIFIC. I don't *try* to be. It just happens. And I can totally burn out even the best of beta readers. I may knock you down sometime later now that you've thrown your hand in and see if you're willing. I'm about to spend many moons sort of making myself busy while other people do their thing. This means? Fic writing. This could mean *a lot* of fic writing.

p.s.

ICON TOO CUTE.

*cuddles it*

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mecurtin February 25 2006, 01:08:05 UTC
He rules all with the power of his pettable tummy.

At this point, section one has been reposted once more. Take a look, let's see how the new person holds up.

*arrgh* "Irreparable invalid markup ('') in entry." etc.

Looks like you or whomever maybe used Microsoft Word's save-as-html option, which is (speaking as a webmonkey) unspeakably evil. If you send me the file I can fix if she can't. My email is mecurtin at alumni dot princeton dot edu.

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amireal February 25 2006, 04:10:36 UTC
I think I fixed it, it's a matter of getting semagic in the right mode to interpret.

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