WIP Challenge Check-in, Day 19 -- Saturday

[linaewen]

Hello on Saturday!  It's a good day for writing where I'm at -- how's it going for you?

Today is a good opportunity for us to take part in chatting/snippet-posting/beta-seeking activities.  In addition to sharing how it's going today with your writing, post a bit of what you are working on if you are in a sharing mood.  Do you have a question that needs answering? Do you need help with something that's giving you trouble?  Do you need a place to vent and complain?  Leave a comment & we'll see what we can do to help you!

For Discussion:  Do you use beta readers for your writing projects?  What do you look for in a beta?

Comments

[linaewen]

I've got my various writing projects open on my computer, so that's a start! ;-)

I use beta readers much less than I used to; I'm pretty confident in my ability to edit and catch grammar issues, so I've gotten away of always passing everything by another reader. Sometimes I'll have someone look at something if I want a second opinion on a character or the tone of the piece I'm working on. Then I am looking for someone who knows the canon and is familiar with my other work, and who will tell me truthfully if I'm going in the right direction or not. I have a short list of friends who I send things to if I need such a second opinion.

[merryghoul]

I've got a start on my femslashex project. Still a bit stalled. Can't share, because that's for an exchange.

I typically don't use a beta only because it's hard for me to find betas. But if I'm looking for a beta, I'm looking for someone versed in a show's canon in case I make a glaring mistake when I reference said canon.

[lilly_c]

I've been doing some more editing on a oneshot and I'm hoping to get that posted tomorrow.

In the past I've used beta readers and my last beta was a friend in real life until she stepped away from fandom and fic completely. I regularly do my own editing even though there are days when it feels impossible because of my dyslexia but I can spot and fix mistakes quite easily.

When I do ask for something to be beta read I look for someone who can point out spelling and grammar issues that I may have initially missed as well as consistency, plot holes and any scenes and dialogue that seemed to be rushed. I avoid asking for fandom/canon specific knowledge because that has never worked out too well when I have.

[the_rck]

I've done no writing so far today. It's 3:30 p.m. here, and I've been busy with family stuff all day. I need to start reviewing canon for my Yuletide fic, but that will probably wait until Monday, when I'm home alone. Today, if I can, I want to work on the fic I've been writing for most of the month. It's nowhere near done, but I'd like to get closer. It needs to be done by 5 November if at all possible.

I use beta readers when I can. There have been fics I've posted unbeta'd because I couldn't find anybody who knew the fandom. I need a beta for story flow, plot and characterization more than I do for SPaG, so it can be hard for me to find someone.

[rebecca2525]

Work has been crazy this week, so I didn't work much on my crossover. It should get a bit less stressful for now, though.

Today I spent doing canon review for Yuletide, and I've already got a few vague ideas that might turn into stories.