Looking for a new Out Of Bounds beta.

[icarus]

Due to good fortune in her RL, I will be losing my marvelous beta for Out Of Bounds, perfica. But it's all good news for her RL, so I couldn't be more pleased on her behalf.

As a beta, perfica has been invaluable.

perfica has been there for me, talking me through my struggles with this massive, unwieldy story. She's helped me pick the music. She held my hand and offered her ideas and opinions on potential plotlines. She's the one who encouraged the Zelenka subplot. She nodded her head and egged me on in the plot concerning John's injury. A typical email exchange has gone as follows:

Icarus (strides into Perfica's email): *rant* *rave* *flops down on the couch*
Perfica (picks up a notepad and sits next to the figurative couch): Uhm-hmm.
Icarus (finally coherent) (mostly): Out Of Bounds is driving me crazy! Am I nuts to include this seemingly utterly superfluous plotline?
Perfica: I like the superfluous plotline.
Icarus: Really? It does seem to tie plot A and C together six chapters down the line, but I'm afraid it feels like it's coming out of the blue....
Perfica (picks up the notepad again; looks Freudian): Why don't you tell me about it?

Like I said: invaluable.

So, while I don't have a chapter waiting in the wings yet (school has me very, very busy) I am looking for someone to step into perfica's shoes.

I'm looking for someone familiar with Out Of Bounds (or willing to become familiar with it), who has a supportive attitude (I'm an artist; I'm fragile and- and stuff) and is comfortable with "big picture stuff," talking out the broader plan of the story, character development, future scenes, and then editing the individual scenes as they're written. I'm looking for someone who's willing to tell me when something won't work, and also is willing to encourage me the many, many, many times I get neurotic about this story. This is the longest, most ambitious story I've ever written and... I get a little frazzled. (See the above couch in Perfica's email.)

You will be provided with my Excel spreadsheet scene-by-scene outline of the story, including the rough outline of the last two parts. I tend to write Out Of Bounds in 1,000-word sections, so it's not a lot of copy-editing at any given time, although there are periods where I might write a scene every day or every other day. Email couch is also included.

Comments

[rabidfan.livejournal.com]

You know how I love OoB. You know I obsess to the point of speaking of them as tho they lived...not just in your marvelous fiction but in a skating rink near by. Yes, I'm pathetic...yes, I'm delusional...but I love them so.

I am willing, tho unworthy, to help in any way that you require. (Getting to read the story earlier than most? Totally doesn't enter into the picture at all!)

*pick me! pick me!*

[emeraldsword.livejournal.com]

I would totally love to do this. I'm actually kind of behind on it at the moment (I'm moving to Cardiff tomorrow) but I will be up to date by Tuesday night (my time) and I'd be very happy to work on this with you.

[sarka.livejournal.com]

I love betaing, and I really like Out of Bounds, but since English isn't my native language, I'd understand if you prefer someone else :)

But yeah, I do understand the big-picture stuff, I tend to write stories like that myself...

[dossier.livejournal.com]

I'd be willing to assist. spreadsheets are <3.

[celtic-tigress.livejournal.com]

Ok, so I saw you had like 17 comments here already, and I know that I am totally late on this bandwagon as I haven't been keeping up with the flist the last couple of weeks, but I really enjoy OoB and your writing in general, and I enjoy editing, and I know we worked well together before on that one SPN ficlet, so here I am, offering beta services.

Of course, now that you have seen that horrific example above of a run-on sentence, I'm sure you are like, "Grammar skillz? What grammar skillz?" and will never pick poor verbose little me. *face of woe*