(no subject)
I'm unsure of the etiquette of rec'ing a story that I've beta'd. In recent months I've begun betaing more and more. kelliem was brave enough to be the guinea pig - her story Unforeseen (a really, really nice post-CotW fic, by the way - I recommend it) was the first fic I beta'd. Since then the flow has steadily increased.
Betaing is a very interesting process for me. I'm afflicted with what one old friend of mine called "valedictorian syndrome." What this means, in short, is that I'm really, really good at following instructions, but I have barely a creative bone in my body. I was an incredibly good student, because I always did my assignments the way I was supposed to. Being a good student is not synonymous with being a brilliant or innovative or creative thinker - thinking outside the lines is not something that gets rewarded in school, and my impression is that the people who are full of ideas and creative energy, the ones who really are brilliant thinkers, are often bored with the rigid constraints of school and aren't the ones who do the best. But that's not me - I tend to perform like a trained seal (a really well trained seal, but still), and thinking outside the box is very scary and foreign for me.
So anyway, when I started betaing I was incredibly anxious, because I didn't know if I was doing it right. I wanted an instruction manual, some directions to follow - following instructions is something I know how to do! But there wasn't one, of course, so eventually I just had to ... well, do what I do. And I've been really almost comically surprised at the fact that it's worked out okay! The people I've beta'd for seem for the most part to like how I do it, or at least find it helpful, and I'm thrilled by that.
But I'm very aware of my own limitations. I am such a detail person; when it comes to the big picture - constructing a story, figuring out what direction it should go in, thematic and major structural issues - well, I'm just about useless. My real strengths are way down at the level of the word, or the sentence - or maybe occasionally the paragraph. Word choice (particularly over-repetition of words), sentence structure, consistency, clarity of expression - and typos, of course *g*.
These are things that are useful, I know, but they don't really determine whether a story is good or not, or contribute to making it good - that's all the author, and maybe her other betas. So since I really can't take any credit for the quality of the fics I beta, I figure it's fine for me to plug them! So here goes - stories I've beta'd for two of my favorite people, both regulars on ds_discourse chat.
First is byob_kenobi's brand-new story Down East. This is byob's first full-length fic, and I've loved it from the first time I laid eyes on it, when it was only halfway done or so.
The story begins with a bit of angst - byob does a great job of capturing Fraser's resignation, his feeling of frustrated helplessness. - but develops slowly into sweetness, in character all along the way and never abrupt. One of the things that makes it unusually good is byob's amazing gift for voices - her Welsh voice is particularly spot-on, I think, but Ray and Fraser are fantastic too. Like Ray's thoughts upon meeting the proprietor - the unmarried, female proprietor - of a B&B where he and Fraser are staying:
Tina motioned them up to the desk, and...damn.
It had been a long time since Ray had looked twice at a girl.
He looked a few more times, just for practice.
I mean, to me that's just so ... Ray. And funny, too - Down East has plenty of nice humorous touches throughout.
It's also got a lovely, gentle tone, a plot that's pretty interesting and engaging but is there mostly as a vehicle for relationship development (which is exactly how I like it), and lots of wonderful little details. It feels fresh and original, not at all like a run-of-the-mill first-time, Fraser-and-Ray-get-together-after-various-misunderstandings kind of story. It's also got some very nice smut - always a plus for me. *g*
All in all, a really delightful story and a joy to read, from start to finish. Pretty remarkable for a first effort.
Second I want to mention two fics by lynnmonster. When I first met Lynn on chat I thought of her as a non-writer, like me, but it turns out she was a writer, just an "unrealized" one - she had ideas and intentions, she just hadn't acted on them yet! Now she has - she recently started writing for ds_flashfiction, and I've been blown away by how good she is. The two I've beta'd, both of which I adore, are Detour and Wesley One Night (but her others are also well worth reading, especially Weddings Are for the Dogs).
Detour was written during ds_flashfiction Amnesty 2003, for the cliche challenge. It's Ray and Fraser stuck in a broken-down car during a snowstorm. It's a cliche, yes - but she makes it seem so unbelievably fresh! She's got a great feel for Ray's voice - that self-deprecating, mildly wacky sense of humor, especially. She also has amazing attention to detail - the story is full of little things that bring it to life, like the smelly dog blanket, and the description of their struggle to get themselves arranged, elbows and knees flying. You know you're reading about these characters in that spot at this time - it's not one of those could-be-any-two-people-in-any-car-anywhere kind of cliches. It's also incredibly hot - I love Lynn's smut! - and wonderfully sweet and romantic, but always in a very in-character, guy-like way - no schmoop here. The ending is particularly brilliant - the last line is just perfect.
Wesley One Night was intended to be written for the One Night Stand challenge, but it wasn't finished in time, so it was posted separately. It's a crossover with Angel, and I have to admit that I've never seen Angel, not ever, not even once, so I have no idea who Wesley is (though Lynn did send me some pictures!). But that doesn't get in the way of my appreciation for the story!
Again, Lynn really excels with the details - things like the shirt Wesley's wearing, the sounds Ray hears when Wesley's taking off his coat while Ray is in the bathroom. She's also got a great touch with humor - there are lots of really clever bits, funny in an understated way, like this exchange, which always makes me snicker:
"I was told that you had the original witness statement here. Our copy," he covered his eyes here, like the light was just a little too much for him at the moment, "Our copy was, erm, irreparably mangled by an overenthusiastic administrative assistant."
"You've got a Turnbull, too?" I asked. He obviously had no idea who I was talking about, but got the gist of what I meant and nodded ruefully.
"I suspect we do. Her name is Harmony, but it probably ought to be Discord."
That's just so due South! And Lynn manages to make the one night stand a really nice one night stand - not a lot of angst here. It's also a really hot one night stand - as I said, Lynn's good with the smut! In the end everyone's happy, Ray and Fraser are together (key for me), and everyone's feeling good. It's a great little story.
Both of these are authors I hope will continue writing dS - they're really talented, and can only get better with time. And with me betaing for them, how could they go wrong! *snort* Actually, it's been my pleasure and privilege to beta for both of them - the skill is all theirs; they make my job easy.
And one last note: thanks again to heuradys for the perfect icon!
Betaing is a very interesting process for me. I'm afflicted with what one old friend of mine called "valedictorian syndrome." What this means, in short, is that I'm really, really good at following instructions, but I have barely a creative bone in my body. I was an incredibly good student, because I always did my assignments the way I was supposed to. Being a good student is not synonymous with being a brilliant or innovative or creative thinker - thinking outside the lines is not something that gets rewarded in school, and my impression is that the people who are full of ideas and creative energy, the ones who really are brilliant thinkers, are often bored with the rigid constraints of school and aren't the ones who do the best. But that's not me - I tend to perform like a trained seal (a really well trained seal, but still), and thinking outside the box is very scary and foreign for me.
So anyway, when I started betaing I was incredibly anxious, because I didn't know if I was doing it right. I wanted an instruction manual, some directions to follow - following instructions is something I know how to do! But there wasn't one, of course, so eventually I just had to ... well, do what I do. And I've been really almost comically surprised at the fact that it's worked out okay! The people I've beta'd for seem for the most part to like how I do it, or at least find it helpful, and I'm thrilled by that.
But I'm very aware of my own limitations. I am such a detail person; when it comes to the big picture - constructing a story, figuring out what direction it should go in, thematic and major structural issues - well, I'm just about useless. My real strengths are way down at the level of the word, or the sentence - or maybe occasionally the paragraph. Word choice (particularly over-repetition of words), sentence structure, consistency, clarity of expression - and typos, of course *g*.
These are things that are useful, I know, but they don't really determine whether a story is good or not, or contribute to making it good - that's all the author, and maybe her other betas. So since I really can't take any credit for the quality of the fics I beta, I figure it's fine for me to plug them! So here goes - stories I've beta'd for two of my favorite people, both regulars on ds_discourse chat.
First is byob_kenobi's brand-new story Down East. This is byob's first full-length fic, and I've loved it from the first time I laid eyes on it, when it was only halfway done or so.
The story begins with a bit of angst - byob does a great job of capturing Fraser's resignation, his feeling of frustrated helplessness. - but develops slowly into sweetness, in character all along the way and never abrupt. One of the things that makes it unusually good is byob's amazing gift for voices - her Welsh voice is particularly spot-on, I think, but Ray and Fraser are fantastic too. Like Ray's thoughts upon meeting the proprietor - the unmarried, female proprietor - of a B&B where he and Fraser are staying:
Tina motioned them up to the desk, and...damn.
It had been a long time since Ray had looked twice at a girl.
He looked a few more times, just for practice.
I mean, to me that's just so ... Ray. And funny, too - Down East has plenty of nice humorous touches throughout.
It's also got a lovely, gentle tone, a plot that's pretty interesting and engaging but is there mostly as a vehicle for relationship development (which is exactly how I like it), and lots of wonderful little details. It feels fresh and original, not at all like a run-of-the-mill first-time, Fraser-and-Ray-get-together-after-various-misunderstandings kind of story. It's also got some very nice smut - always a plus for me. *g*
All in all, a really delightful story and a joy to read, from start to finish. Pretty remarkable for a first effort.
Second I want to mention two fics by lynnmonster. When I first met Lynn on chat I thought of her as a non-writer, like me, but it turns out she was a writer, just an "unrealized" one - she had ideas and intentions, she just hadn't acted on them yet! Now she has - she recently started writing for ds_flashfiction, and I've been blown away by how good she is. The two I've beta'd, both of which I adore, are Detour and Wesley One Night (but her others are also well worth reading, especially Weddings Are for the Dogs).
Detour was written during ds_flashfiction Amnesty 2003, for the cliche challenge. It's Ray and Fraser stuck in a broken-down car during a snowstorm. It's a cliche, yes - but she makes it seem so unbelievably fresh! She's got a great feel for Ray's voice - that self-deprecating, mildly wacky sense of humor, especially. She also has amazing attention to detail - the story is full of little things that bring it to life, like the smelly dog blanket, and the description of their struggle to get themselves arranged, elbows and knees flying. You know you're reading about these characters in that spot at this time - it's not one of those could-be-any-two-people-in-any-car-anywhere kind of cliches. It's also incredibly hot - I love Lynn's smut! - and wonderfully sweet and romantic, but always in a very in-character, guy-like way - no schmoop here. The ending is particularly brilliant - the last line is just perfect.
Wesley One Night was intended to be written for the One Night Stand challenge, but it wasn't finished in time, so it was posted separately. It's a crossover with Angel, and I have to admit that I've never seen Angel, not ever, not even once, so I have no idea who Wesley is (though Lynn did send me some pictures!). But that doesn't get in the way of my appreciation for the story!
Again, Lynn really excels with the details - things like the shirt Wesley's wearing, the sounds Ray hears when Wesley's taking off his coat while Ray is in the bathroom. She's also got a great touch with humor - there are lots of really clever bits, funny in an understated way, like this exchange, which always makes me snicker:
"I was told that you had the original witness statement here. Our copy," he covered his eyes here, like the light was just a little too much for him at the moment, "Our copy was, erm, irreparably mangled by an overenthusiastic administrative assistant."
"You've got a Turnbull, too?" I asked. He obviously had no idea who I was talking about, but got the gist of what I meant and nodded ruefully.
"I suspect we do. Her name is Harmony, but it probably ought to be Discord."
That's just so due South! And Lynn manages to make the one night stand a really nice one night stand - not a lot of angst here. It's also a really hot one night stand - as I said, Lynn's good with the smut! In the end everyone's happy, Ray and Fraser are together (key for me), and everyone's feeling good. It's a great little story.
Both of these are authors I hope will continue writing dS - they're really talented, and can only get better with time. And with me betaing for them, how could they go wrong! *snort* Actually, it's been my pleasure and privilege to beta for both of them - the skill is all theirs; they make my job easy.
And one last note: thanks again to heuradys for the perfect icon!