You know you've done too much beta-reading when...

[icarus]

I'm doing some military research for my Draco/Ron 'SNAFU - Situation Normal: All Fucked Up.' Yes, yes, these are two 19-year-old wizards, they're not professional soldiers. But Ron's smart.

I've done too much beta-reading. There are punctuation errors, some clarity issues (you can't call your team 21st Airborne Search and Rescue in one paragraph, and the 'Knives of the 21st' two paragraphs later). I am annoyed by this shit. I've read World Airpower Journal. Those writers are brilliant, best technical writing I've ever seen. I've read Col. Hackworth. Damn good story. But this book. *Exasperated sigh.* Those who have been beta'd by me know. I get irritable. I expect better of you, dammit. I'm nothing like my own Betas who are gentle souls, kindly asking questions and making suggestions. I go fusion with Betas who are like me, while a simple, gentle nudge sends me spinning in the right direction at full speed.

I missed a call for a temp assignment today. Shit. Maybe the job is still available.

All I want to do is write.

Comments

Re: Your stuff? You bet, but beware

[schmevil.livejournal.com]

But see, that might make you a great match for me. I go off on some pretty insane tangents of description and... randomness, so you could be very, very good for me.

Re: Your stuff? You bet, but beware

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I go off on some pretty insane tangents of description and... randomness

Ya think? I've read syllable of yours I can get my paws on, and damn well know what you do. Sometimes those random bits are like a kaleidoscope, telling the story in three dimensions. Brilliant and fascinating. Your 'What I did for my Summer Vacation' (no I can't remember the title exactly) is a wonderful of example of that. 'Ambulatory' is another. Also your petty Death Eater christmas story (with the Latin name) is rich with this kind of detail. Other times it diffuses the plot and storyline.

It could work. Or you could discover a way to reach through a computer and rip my lungs out. We're both pretty intense, MHC. Isis and I went fusion over a beta project. Our friendship survived, but by our fingernails. And I'm convinced that it was mostly our personalities (my hyper-sensitivity and control-freak nature where my stories are concerned combined with Isis' blunt, unfiltered ferocity). So I'm cautious, do you see. Interested. Cautiously interested.

Oh, by the way. I saved a copy of 'Arithmancy & Flowers' loooong before you were able to take it off the air. Nyah-nyah.

~Icarus

Aaa!

[schmevil.livejournal.com]

Bitch! Evil bitch! I'm editing, you understand. Things are changing in A+F, from the wording of specific passages, to the structure of scenes, to the order of things. I'm adding more MWPP, more Wilkes, more Bellshire. *hiss!* You can't go and keep a copy of The Story, on me. Now you've got me wondering how many other copies are out there. *wince* I'm really ashamed by some of the writing in it. Everything is really uneven and the beginning needs an insane amount of revision...

Anyway. I don't have any HP projects in the works and sajasma is slowly back-betaing what fics I am keeping online. I'm eventually going to begin reworking all the rest of my fics. "That Summer" may just go back up, but I'm thinking of making it into a larger fic. Same with a lot of the other stuff. I"ve already begun the process with "Small Gods".

Could I call on you for help while I rework A+F? I was having trouble with a Smallville fic, so I posted and reposted drafts to a small lj filter, for beta-commentary. I'm hoping to do the same for A+F, but that might just spoil the reading experience for you. *shrugs*