~~ when self-betas go bad
Mar. 6th, 2004 01:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
reenkaI just found a reference to something the person claimed was one of writing's oldest rules: Finish your first draft.
I've never heard of this being a "rule" before. Are there more rules where that came from? Something like, "make sure you always make the character's motivations clear" or "go over the text and look for cliches" or "construct a time-table and see where everything fits" or "make sure you know what the other character's motivations are even if you never mention them" or something (see, those are things a beta wouldn't bother with, but I have to do anyway). Or are those too vague and general? I mean, those are things I just do -naturally-, without thinking about it, but maybe it'd be helpful to have it in list form?
So this is your chance to tell me what to do, or something like it. I'm currently in the self-editing stages of a fic, and even though I feel it's -done-, I'm vaguely dissatisfied with it, but the inspiration to write new things for it and really rethink it is gone. I was just wondering if there are some things you -do- ... like a writer's postfactum check-list toolkit sort of thing. Yes, a check-list; that sounds all organized and writerly (well, to my easily impressionable ears).
I realize this sounds like the job for a beta, but the fact is... I have some sort of mental road-block with being beta'd. First of all, it's such a Big Deal to even ask anyone, and then... I find that by the time they get back to me, my original rush of inspiration to edit had gone and I procrastinate to the point that I don't feel like doing -anything- with the fic anymore. I think with enough discipline and capacity for obsessive attention to detail, one can be one's own editor, especially if one has the capacity to look critically at one's work, which I think I do. Plus, the grammar end of things is pretty easy-- if I don't know it all, then I can find out.
Most people's "beta problems" are because they're so protective of their work or are afraid of harsh criticism, and I'm neither. Most people aren't harsh enough for me, but that's not the point; thing is, few people will pay as much attention to my work as I do. The writing and editing both are usually processes built on the same burst of inspiration; I work continuously, writing the first draft and then prodding and fixing and editing as the inspiration strikes. After that rush of movement, I generally lose all interest, so in the end I generally settle for a critique more than an edit. If this makes me sound lazy, that's probably because I am.
And then I thought... maybe what I need more than a beta is more -structure-... some sort of plan to follow, some sort of rules that I can use to self-edit 'cause clearly that's what comes naturally to me. All writers self-edited traditionally, didn't they? At least on the level most people beta: the basic self-consistency and grammar level, rather than a deeper mechanics of the story itself, in which case one rethinks basic plot-points and characterizations (which I admit one could always use outside help with).
So then... what is your check-list? Do you -have- a check-list? Am I on crack? (You don't have to answer that last one; it's pretty obvious anyway.)
I've never heard of this being a "rule" before. Are there more rules where that came from? Something like, "make sure you always make the character's motivations clear" or "go over the text and look for cliches" or "construct a time-table and see where everything fits" or "make sure you know what the other character's motivations are even if you never mention them" or something (see, those are things a beta wouldn't bother with, but I have to do anyway). Or are those too vague and general? I mean, those are things I just do -naturally-, without thinking about it, but maybe it'd be helpful to have it in list form?
So this is your chance to tell me what to do, or something like it. I'm currently in the self-editing stages of a fic, and even though I feel it's -done-, I'm vaguely dissatisfied with it, but the inspiration to write new things for it and really rethink it is gone. I was just wondering if there are some things you -do- ... like a writer's postfactum check-list toolkit sort of thing. Yes, a check-list; that sounds all organized and writerly (well, to my easily impressionable ears).
I realize this sounds like the job for a beta, but the fact is... I have some sort of mental road-block with being beta'd. First of all, it's such a Big Deal to even ask anyone, and then... I find that by the time they get back to me, my original rush of inspiration to edit had gone and I procrastinate to the point that I don't feel like doing -anything- with the fic anymore. I think with enough discipline and capacity for obsessive attention to detail, one can be one's own editor, especially if one has the capacity to look critically at one's work, which I think I do. Plus, the grammar end of things is pretty easy-- if I don't know it all, then I can find out.
Most people's "beta problems" are because they're so protective of their work or are afraid of harsh criticism, and I'm neither. Most people aren't harsh enough for me, but that's not the point; thing is, few people will pay as much attention to my work as I do. The writing and editing both are usually processes built on the same burst of inspiration; I work continuously, writing the first draft and then prodding and fixing and editing as the inspiration strikes. After that rush of movement, I generally lose all interest, so in the end I generally settle for a critique more than an edit. If this makes me sound lazy, that's probably because I am.
And then I thought... maybe what I need more than a beta is more -structure-... some sort of plan to follow, some sort of rules that I can use to self-edit 'cause clearly that's what comes naturally to me. All writers self-edited traditionally, didn't they? At least on the level most people beta: the basic self-consistency and grammar level, rather than a deeper mechanics of the story itself, in which case one rethinks basic plot-points and characterizations (which I admit one could always use outside help with).
So then... what is your check-list? Do you -have- a check-list? Am I on crack? (You don't have to answer that last one; it's pretty obvious anyway.)
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no subject
Date: 2004-03-05 10:59 pm (UTC)My point is: do you still want me to do that beta, or has the editing desire fled and you'd ignore it? Cos I haven't done it yet (busy, man! lifesohardetc.) and I won't if you don't think you'll use it. Although I can't promise I won't "!!!1" at you in the comments and make all the other commenters think I'm Satan muahahahaha.
~~ when self-beta's go bad
I find it perversely amusing that you have a grammar mistake in the subject line of a post about self-editing. *cackles* This self-beta- does it possess something? Is it something? Heart, Reena.
no subject
Date: 2004-03-06 04:02 pm (UTC)Anyway, yeah, I still wannit. I've edited a bit since then, but sluggishly. I'm very sluggish with it. I dunno why. A part of me thinks it sucks, but a part of me doesn't. It's doing funny things to my motivation, y'know? On the one hand, I don't wanna just -stop-, but on the other, I don't love it. Eh :/
I know how you feel, about the doing-what-you-can. That's how I feel all the time. But... see... Ishuca's been away for so long and everyone else I can ask... it's a Big Deal, y'know. Like... I have to go and sound convincing and... I dunno. You intimidate me, eheheh. *coughs* But yeah. My point is that I wanna know what you think, still~:)
And also... I almost never make that mistake. The word "beta" is the one that I do it with, generally, 'cause I don't think of it as a word... like, it's a fake word. I'm not sure how to end it. Like, "betaed" looks wrong, you know, even if it isn't. I feel like I'm making things up either way; I'm just uncomfortable not knowing the correct ending for it. Um. But yeah. -.-