beta readers
How does one go about finding a beta reader?
At the moment, all of my recent fic is un-betaed. I'm a pretty strict self-editor with a good grasp of character, but that's only going to get me so far. I realize this more every time I write.
Most of my Voyager fan fiction is betaed. Believe it or not, the beta was my mother. She's a published writer and a former teacher, and she was interested in the show. But our tastes and our relationship have significantly changed since then, so she's no longer a good beta option.
I really wanted a beta for "Lent" and in fact requested one through FanFiction.net's beta match service. There were five beta readers listed for Earth 2. I had to eliminate one based on a profile request, but I contacted three of the other four. None of them responded.
So I finally went ahead and posted the fic without a beta, but I was nervous doing that. I was similarly nervous at Yuletide. I've since spotted errors in both "Lent" and my Yuletide fics.
I can correct that, but I'm still writing new work as well. Therein lies the issue.
So, my fanfiction friends, how do you find betas? How would you approach someone you don't know, if you knew that you shared a fandom and they possibly could beta? What if you felt like you could offer a beta in return? Does that hurt or help?
The general concept isn't unfamiliar to me, even aside of working with a relative. I have an edit partner at work. I'll admit that it takes me a while to get comfortable with a particular person, but I am able to do it. For this reason I'd prefer a long-term beta if I could find one, but well, beggars can't be choosers.
At the moment, all of my recent fic is un-betaed. I'm a pretty strict self-editor with a good grasp of character, but that's only going to get me so far. I realize this more every time I write.
Most of my Voyager fan fiction is betaed. Believe it or not, the beta was my mother. She's a published writer and a former teacher, and she was interested in the show. But our tastes and our relationship have significantly changed since then, so she's no longer a good beta option.
I really wanted a beta for "Lent" and in fact requested one through FanFiction.net's beta match service. There were five beta readers listed for Earth 2. I had to eliminate one based on a profile request, but I contacted three of the other four. None of them responded.
So I finally went ahead and posted the fic without a beta, but I was nervous doing that. I was similarly nervous at Yuletide. I've since spotted errors in both "Lent" and my Yuletide fics.
I can correct that, but I'm still writing new work as well. Therein lies the issue.
So, my fanfiction friends, how do you find betas? How would you approach someone you don't know, if you knew that you shared a fandom and they possibly could beta? What if you felt like you could offer a beta in return? Does that hurt or help?
The general concept isn't unfamiliar to me, even aside of working with a relative. I have an edit partner at work. I'll admit that it takes me a while to get comfortable with a particular person, but I am able to do it. For this reason I'd prefer a long-term beta if I could find one, but well, beggars can't be choosers.