It's UP! Hola - Beta Appreciation Week!

Finally, at long last, Primer to the Dark Arts is up somewhere other than ff.net!

The first third is now up at FictionAlley!
Snitchfiction!
InkStainFingers!

And, once the complete Beta is done, I'll send it in to Telanu at Walking the Plank (perhaps an NC-17 version? We wonders, aye we wonders...). Telanu reviewed it, liked it, mentioned a couple points I've since corrected.

*I went ga-ga when I saw her review... then my heart plummeted when she saw some things I should change... noooooo! It's not perfect?! But I saw she was correct, and she did say it was minor and....*

Why I post pre-Beta stories
I post pre-beta stories on ff.net, because I am impatient, and because I am paranoid. I had a Beta once who was uncomfortably comfortable with the concept of plagiarism (she winkingly suggested I stole Primer to the Dark Arts? It was the winking that bothered me). I recalled from a run-in with a con-artist co-worker that 'criminals' tend to accuse people of things they themselves would do. I posted my chapters of 'Primer' right away. She flipped.

Since then I've stake my claim to my stories right off, just in case. This beta was rather odd, and I found her at a slash group being reprimanded for posting threatening messages. I feel justified now for feeling rather freaked out by her.

It was just this one that was odd.

Beta Appreciation Week!
I have had many, many, many positive experiences with Betas. Here is where I give credit where credit is due.

Gabby Hope Beta'd my LOTR Frodo/Sam. She is the pickiest Beta I've ever worked with, and it shows in the final quality of the stories, for which I hold her directly responsible. She cut paragraphs, and she was right. We did no fewer than six revisions of my 'Too Many Friends.'

CLS is incredible, smooth and fast. She's very interested in the plausibility of the story and will point anything that doesn't make sense. She has that rare ability to leave the writing style alone while improving the story by asking questions rather than trying to write it herself. I will remember this when I Beta next time.

Belfrage was great, she's very choosy and when she sees something that's not fleshed out, she's all over it. Also, she really worked over my more awkward sentences, started in on my comma-addiction (Gabby did the same).

Flavoured Sugar Beta'd 'A Moment of Sin' and 'First Signs of Magic: Draco Malfoy.' Her writing style is fluid and poetic. She tells me where something is 'not quite proper English, but stylistically it works here, but not there.'

Kat and Desiree Beta'd 'First Signs of Magic: Hermione Granger.' Kat was doing her first Beta, and did a lovely job, particularly in the Brit-pick (metric please!) and pointing out inconsistencies. Desiree had good ideas on things to cut and sharpen the stories.

Wilderness Guru (my loffly boyfriend) Beta'd 'Sweet Hypocrisy,' 'Hagrid's Hut,' and 'Unexpected Guest.' His male perspective has been invaluable on my NC-17 porn.

I'm a good person to Beta for, honest. I listen, I make the changes you suggest, I send back my files quickly with responses to your comments - sometimes long ones...

I believe a writer is too close to their work to really see it well, so ought to pay attention to their editors.

Let's hear it for Betas!

Principles of Beta Review.

Alright. There are those who have the mistaken impression that Beta-review is a quick scan for glaring grammatical errors before you slap your work up on a website. This is a waste of your Beta's time and talents. UnBeta'd work should never mean uncorrected work. You should have proofed everything yourself, and not left the dirty scrubbing for your Beta (I've Beta'd for people who didn't even spellcheck).

A Beta, in my book, is an editor, with full editorial responsibilities.

A good Beta should be able to check:

1- Grammar, punctuation and spelling.
2- Consistency and continuity.
3- Pacing, plot holes, characterisation and phrasing.

All changes should be indicated in a different color or bold or some such so the author can see what they needed to correct. This teaches the author their consistent mistakes, for starters. And catches mistakes the Beta may have made (for example, changing British spellings to American).

How should corrections be handled?

1 - Grammar, punctuation and spelling should be simply corrected.

2 - Inconsistencies (first Ron has blue eyes, next he has brown) and continuity issues (Fred walked through the door, then he opened it) should be pointed out, but the correction should be left to the author.

3 - Corrections to the pacing, amending plot holes, fixing characterisation and especially changes to phrasing should be left to the author. It works best to phrase these as a question, to draw out the author's vision and creativity rather than trying create your own work. You may produce an outstanding turn of phrase, but it won't reflect the author's intent.

The conversation that should take place between a Beta and their Writer before any editing takes place:

What do you want me to check?
And...
when do you expect this done?
And...
what do you think needs work?

Treating your Beta well.

This is important.

First: give credit for the work they've done in your Author comments. Someone volunteered to slog through your writing, not the easiest of tasks, on their own free time. Say thank you. Sincerely. Even if a Beta doesn't work out, credit them for their efforts.

Second: don't get mad if they point out errors. This is their job. Yes, yes, I realise your story is close to your heart, and a good Beta is sensitive and polite. But you've asked for this (see the conversation that should have taken place..). I can't tell you how often people are defensive. I am guilty as charged.

Third: respond. When someone has Beta'd your work, send back the final corrected version, preferably with your comments. If you don't use a change, explain why. Don't be shy. It will shed light onto your writing style. If a Beta asks a question, answer it.

Fourth: where appropriate, take their advice. If there isn't a darned good reason not to, it's probably best to listen. Writers are myopic where their writing is concerned.

Betas should choose carefully whom they edit:

1 - Edit only stories that you like. If you hate AU, and a friend asks you to Beta an AU for them - don't do it. (Personal experience.) You can't be fair, no matter how well-written it is, no matter how hard you try.
2 - Send back unspellchecked documents and tell the author to do that part. Trust me, it's best to break people of that habit.
3 - Teach the people you Beta for. Most people have no idea how to utilize a Beta, and need to be told what is expected of them.
4 - Don't Beta for people who ignore your advice. There's nothing worse than to have spent all that time going through a document, been credited for the Beta review, only to discover they didn't even use your spelling corrections. Don't laugh. It's happened to me.

Making good use of Betas will improve your writing immensely.

Treating your Beta well will help guarantee that good Betas continue to make the take the time to edit for other people.

And taking care who you Beta for will keep you from uselessly spinning your wheels.

A great Beta/Writer relationship can last over many stories, and grow more interesting and insightful as a story developes between the two of you and in your hands. I've had that happen with several Betas now, and I count myself lucky.

Your truly,
~Icarus

What Poetry form am I?

A cywydd llosgyrnog; I'm one. "A what?" Well, quite. There'd be no fun In being understood; I Thrive upon obliquity. Don't comprehend or follow me, For mystery's my ally. What Poetry Form Are You?