on betas and really admired people

Aug 16, 2006 03:04

snarry_olympics was a huge milestone in my writing. After facing that, I felt like I could face anything and everything.

. . . and then, empathic_siren friended me. That's how April started. I was friended by writers I really, really admired. And they were over a decade older.

Needless to say, I suffered a brief identity crisis about the future of this LJ. Because, what the hell does a 30-something old woman is looking for in an 18 years old's Real Life journal?

I am still thoroughly bemused/overwhelmed. But I got used to it.

---

On that note, I'm a picky beta. I pick who I beta for very, very -- pickily. Ever since the caleyndar betaing escapade, I also made the rule: "Beta those whose styles are kind of similar to yours!!!"

I have no idea why I offered to beta medawyn's stuff, because I've never seen anything she's written. But she's a careful reader. So. I volunteered. {And haven't looked back ahahaha.}

One writer I'll never beta for? empathic_siren. No matter how tempted I am. Styles too different. Her writing is very vivid -- she's one of those who see what they write.

Me? I'm lucky if I imagine my characters having hands. I have to draw maps of rooms in order to know what's going where and not make silly mistakes. {Have done that.}

Her style is 'lulling'. It's very humane. And plotty. Even when the plot is character-driven.

Me? I go for fact-pace, mind-fuckity, and plotless. My characters are the only thing I care about, and even then I have no real grasp of them anyway. :D

She uses details.

I do minimal.

So, if I ever touch her writing as a beta, I'll end up so confused about what to do that I either ignore all of the mistakes I see or try to make her delete all of what I consider in writing 'over'. I don't mind reading that 'over', but as a writer, I'd never go to that direction, and when I beta I do very strange stuff. At times it's a comma, or seperating paragraphs, but then there's rhythm and sounds and descriptions. {Plot and characterisation are a given.}

So. I'll cling quietly to medawyn and annafugazzi, who are wonderful at not getting mad when I'm goign all pickity pick on their stories. {Unless, you know, I go into Pleasure Reading Mode. Which is a bitch, when you're trying to beta.}

---

*goes back to writing*

Will this story stay under 3k words? I wonder. . . .

|Meduza|

public post, betaing, writing

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