Surfing on over from fandom_betas on lj. I have to say, I've never had a truly bad experience with a beta. The worst problem I've ever had with one was when they didn't get back to me about a relatively short story (by my standards) till a month later. That was frustrating. But other than that, all my beta experiences (both being and getting one) have been pretty solid. That probably has something to do with the fact that even if they don't provide many helpful comment initially (they send it back with like, a comma or two subtracted), I will simply pepper them with questions in email to get their reactions to the story as a whole. Since I'm hopelessly vain, I consider the forced feedback exchange enough to constitute lemonade from my lemons.
That said, as far as beta-ing for other people, I tend to like direction. I will do a line edit if an author wants me to, but honestly, that's not really my specialty. I'm a big picture kind of gal with a side of continuity focus. I also concentrate especially on characterization, since characters are always the most important part to me. However, I'm aware that my natural tendencies are not always what an author wants and it's a lot easier to figure out what to give them if they ask for it up front. If not, I'll gauge how mature their writing seems, how long they've been in fandom, how long/well I know them, and make a judgment call.
If they're a newbie, I focus on the line edit and teasing out whatever spark of wonderful is in the story (and there's always something, even if it's a new spin on a character, or a neat plot trick or something that seems cool at least conceptually). I focus on being supportive and try to offer a few easy to implement suggestions so as not to overwhelm them. When I first started out writing, that's what I needed from my betas and that kind of encouragement led me to continue writing instead of giving up, and the practice made me a better writer over time. I shudder when I read over some of my old fic, but I knew my betas at the time made it the best that I was ready for it to be. And ideally, that's what I think a beta should do since fic writing is a labor of love for all involved.
As far as other people beta-ing me, I try to give people what I want to receive, which inevitably turns out to be long, rambling directions and questions. Usually for a shortish piece, I will ask my one beta to really look hard at my pacing, plot, and characterizations to see if the overall storytelling works. Line edits are really secondary, although mostly the betas provide them anyway.
With a long piece, particularly one that's complex and plotty, I usually will employ several betas and split up the responsibilities. I may even stagger them in time. I'll ask one beta for visceral responses to the story: did you like the characters, what worked for you, how'd you like the ending, where there plot holes, etc (basically, is this story even worth reading, and therefore trying to improve?). I tend to assign this responsibility to someone who's either an inexperienced beta (becoming a good beta sometimes requires practice too!) or is someone I don't know that well. I'll ask a second beta for the heavy-lifting kind of feedback: what do I need to change, where are the characterizations a bit thin, what scenes do I need to write to make this work. I'm always the writer that writes too little instead of too much (concise, one of my betas once called me) so usually I will need to insert at least a few scenes and fill out others. Often, I save the line edit beta for last and have them waiting in the wings until I produce my fully edited last draft since I've probably made substantial changes and added/erased things. They may do double duty with a line edit and their reactions to the story, but that's about it.
It's a long process, but I tend to like beta-ing for authors whose work I enjoy. I also enjoy working with betas in general. It's a nice, collaborative feeling.
no subject
That said, as far as beta-ing for other people, I tend to like direction. I will do a line edit if an author wants me to, but honestly, that's not really my specialty. I'm a big picture kind of gal with a side of continuity focus. I also concentrate especially on characterization, since characters are always the most important part to me. However, I'm aware that my natural tendencies are not always what an author wants and it's a lot easier to figure out what to give them if they ask for it up front. If not, I'll gauge how mature their writing seems, how long they've been in fandom, how long/well I know them, and make a judgment call.
If they're a newbie, I focus on the line edit and teasing out whatever spark of wonderful is in the story (and there's always something, even if it's a new spin on a character, or a neat plot trick or something that seems cool at least conceptually). I focus on being supportive and try to offer a few easy to implement suggestions so as not to overwhelm them. When I first started out writing, that's what I needed from my betas and that kind of encouragement led me to continue writing instead of giving up, and the practice made me a better writer over time. I shudder when I read over some of my old fic, but I knew my betas at the time made it the best that I was ready for it to be. And ideally, that's what I think a beta should do since fic writing is a labor of love for all involved.
As far as other people beta-ing me, I try to give people what I want to receive, which inevitably turns out to be long, rambling directions and questions. Usually for a shortish piece, I will ask my one beta to really look hard at my pacing, plot, and characterizations to see if the overall storytelling works. Line edits are really secondary, although mostly the betas provide them anyway.
With a long piece, particularly one that's complex and plotty, I usually will employ several betas and split up the responsibilities. I may even stagger them in time. I'll ask one beta for visceral responses to the story: did you like the characters, what worked for you, how'd you like the ending, where there plot holes, etc (basically, is this story even worth reading, and therefore trying to improve?). I tend to assign this responsibility to someone who's either an inexperienced beta (becoming a good beta sometimes requires practice too!) or is someone I don't know that well. I'll ask a second beta for the heavy-lifting kind of feedback: what do I need to change, where are the characterizations a bit thin, what scenes do I need to write to make this work. I'm always the writer that writes too little instead of too much (concise, one of my betas once called me) so usually I will need to insert at least a few scenes and fill out others. Often, I save the line edit beta for last and have them waiting in the wings until I produce my fully edited last draft since I've probably made substantial changes and added/erased things. They may do double duty with a line edit and their reactions to the story, but that's about it.
It's a long process, but I tend to like beta-ing for authors whose work I enjoy. I also enjoy working with betas in general. It's a nice, collaborative feeling.