#beta-ing

*crawls out of my cave* Um hi. How've y'all been?

Dusting off this account to promote my offerings in Fandom Trump's Hate! It's a fandom auction where all proceeds go to charity (there's a list to pick from!)

You can see them here but let me explain briefly here too. My first offering is to beta! I'll beta your fic from any fandom I've been in before, so that's Kingdom Hearts, Baldur's Gate 3, Legend of Zelda: BOTW/TOTK or Skyward Sword, Final Fantasy XIV or XV. I haven't created for the following fandoms but I would still be down to clown for: Cult of the Lamb, Nier: Replicant and Automata, or Persona 3, 4, or 5.

The second offering is to write you a fanfic between 1k - 5k words! (The technically minimum words is 0 but like I would not do that to you). Same fandom(s) as above but please take note of my ship preferences in the FTH official offering posts. More than likely, if you see this, you already somewhat know me and know what I fuck with and don't so. Y'know.

Anyway, bidding is open from right now to March 1st so if you would like to bid on me (or anyone else!) don't wait! :) I myself plan to bid on about 2. There's SO many offerings of all kinds of fandom works so please take a look!

I see a lot of writing advice, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen any beta-ing advice.  So I thought I’d write down my tips for being a good first reader/critiquer/beta reader.  Obviously your mileage may vary on this, as with any advice, but these are the things I try to do when I’m critiquing, and they’re the things I appreciate from a critique.

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angst with a splash of emotional hurt/comfort, beginning of a relationship, main pairing: stephen strange/wong, 5+1 one-shot, 3200 words right now

This is obviously something you will need to discuss with the author, as they will need to post it so you can get it marked off.

You then have 2 options:

1) You create a Tumblr post with a link to the fic (another Tumblr post, AO3 work, etc.), saying "@doctorrosebingo fill, beta-ing, [square]'.

2) The author creates a Tumblr post, which you would then need to reblog, saying "@doctorrosebingo fill, beta-ing, [square]'.

You can use a different prompt to the author, if they're using it as a bingo fill, too. One chapter in a work = one fill, just like for writing.

Beta(ing): Is it helpful?

You might be asking yourself what a beta is. Well, do not fear, Librarian Waffs is here to help! Or rather, talk through the pros of having a beta!

A ‘beta’ is a term that is used in fan fiction as someone who looks over the story before an author posts something publicly. This ‘beta’ checks the story for spelling/grammar, cohesiveness, plot holes, overall flow of the story, characterization, and any other notes that the author might find useful.

Now, some writers chose to use a beta whereas some writers chose not to use a beta. It ultimately is up to the preference of a writer and if they chose to have help or not. Is there a right way? No. Not using a beta is not wrong nor is there anything wrong with not using one. But using a beta can be very, very helpful!

Writing fanfic is a very intimate thing. I can tell you- I don’t let but 2 people in my real life know I have written anything- let alone stories based on another story. (Like, you’ll never publicly catch me owning up to the fact I write smut to people.) So sharing your writing with another person is scary, there’s really no way around it.

The idea of using a beta can be very daunting. Although you may be very proud of your work, having someone look it over to pick up on grammar issues, plot holes, or any other thing is scary. You’re literally sending a piece of work to someone to have them pick out all the ‘wrong’ things in your work. No one ever wants to hear about the faults in something they spend any amount of time on 

Although the idea can be scary- using a beta is a great tool!

Reasons to use a beta: (Shout out to @futurelounging for these!)

You are new to writing and have a lot to learn.

You are not new to writing and have a lot to learn.

You are too close to the story and need someone with some distance to point out the problems.

You know you’ve got typos. It’s a fact. They are everywhere.

Having a beta reader is a great resource because as a writer, you are always close to what you’re writing. A beta is a second set of eyes that is a bit more objectified and can look at your work with an eye for critiquing. They can help find the typos, help make sure your story flows nicely, and also just be an overall encouragement.

If you want to use a beta, try and find either a friend who you trust OR a writer who’s style you admire. It is nice to give some outlines to the person about what you want: do you want a full work up with grammar and comments and suggestions, do you just want a check on the coherency and flow, do you just want some small feedback? Be able to tell your beta what you want.

You need to be open to comments/suggestions. A beta will make suggestions and the intentions are always good- they are just trying to help you make your fic that much better. Don’t get upset if they make a suggestion and you don’t agree. Ask them why did they say this, why do they think this- and what are the suggestions to help fix or improve it. Talk through why they made the suggestion.

If your beta makes a lot of suggestions, after you fix it, ask for a second read through. This will help ensure that the suggestions and corrections were fixed. Sometimes it can take 2-3 times of back and forth with a beta to get a chapter good to go! 

Writers block? Usually a beta is there to help talk through plot choices, character choices, anything that pertains to the fic. They are great sounding blocks and can help you navigate the muddy waters of gathering a foundation for a story or keeping your bearings straight.

Overall, using a beta is a great thing. No, you don’t always need to use one- but there are great benefits out there to having someone help. Some writers use one, some don’t. It’s all a personal opinion.

I can tell you that I use one for most of my work; Sometimes I don’t listen to all the suggestions Kristin makes. Usually I do, because she just has the tendency to get exactly what I am trying to get down on paper and fix it. But at the end of the day it’s my story- and I will do what I want. So, if a beta makes a suggestion and you don’t agree with it, it is OK to say no and not do it. It’s your work. You have to be happy with it.

The entire idea of using a beta can be scary and daunting. It’s nerve wracking to put a labor of love into the hands of someone else, just to have them pick out all the things that are wrong with it. Though, when you take that step and try having a beta look over a fic- you’re going to make a chapter or one-shot that much better.

If you’ve never worked with a beta before, I highly suggest it. I know that I am willing to help, and any of the librarians would be more than happy to help as well.