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therealljidol2017-01-04 09:36 am
clauderainsrm.livejournal.com) wrote in therealljidol2017-01-04 09:36 am
Entry tags:
Green Room - Week 4 - Day 2
Last night, I sat down and wrote a thing.
Just under 1,300 words in a little over 3 hours and it reads like it. :)
Which means that it's going to spend a couple days with beta readers to make it into a better thing - and then a lot of back and forth to figure out how to make their suggestions fit.
There was a time when I would have rejected the idea of beta readers outright. Which is also the time that I wrote something - and years later found out that the reason why it never saw the light of day was that it wasn't very good. That happens. Not everything is going to be a home run. Heck, most things aren't going to be a base hit. Especially when you are in the middle of a swing, it's sometimes hard to tell if you're going to connect at all.
Which is why beta readers are so useful. If you have one, or a few - people that you trust with your words, then you are going to be better for it. If not, then the full weight of editing is falling back on you, and I hope you are able to take a harsh eye to your own work. I know that I, personally, can't.
Kudos to you if you are someone who can!
It's interesting, because there is this idea of writing as a solitary task. Which is strange, because so much of it relies on other people on almost every stage (other than first draft).
Who is it that YOU rely on?
***
There is a NEW TOPIC: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/965056.html
and a new Work Room: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/965184.html
Just under 1,300 words in a little over 3 hours and it reads like it. :)
Which means that it's going to spend a couple days with beta readers to make it into a better thing - and then a lot of back and forth to figure out how to make their suggestions fit.
There was a time when I would have rejected the idea of beta readers outright. Which is also the time that I wrote something - and years later found out that the reason why it never saw the light of day was that it wasn't very good. That happens. Not everything is going to be a home run. Heck, most things aren't going to be a base hit. Especially when you are in the middle of a swing, it's sometimes hard to tell if you're going to connect at all.
Which is why beta readers are so useful. If you have one, or a few - people that you trust with your words, then you are going to be better for it. If not, then the full weight of editing is falling back on you, and I hope you are able to take a harsh eye to your own work. I know that I, personally, can't.
Kudos to you if you are someone who can!
It's interesting, because there is this idea of writing as a solitary task. Which is strange, because so much of it relies on other people on almost every stage (other than first draft).
Who is it that YOU rely on?
***
There is a NEW TOPIC: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/965056.html
and a new Work Room: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/965184.html
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ETA: first
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In which case I'll say - Yes, it is. (even though I *think* that by bracketing the end and beginning of the year with those topics that I've used them up. But I won't tell YOU that, so it will drive you crazy waiting for the next one)
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I appreciate them, and I'm grateful Gary allows us to use them. Thank you Gary!
Oh and that being said I still need one- please PM if interested. Peace and hugs...
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Comfortable when something is beta read.
If you are up for it I'm happy to do swapsies. I beta yours and you mine ?
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You
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It was meant to say I'll PM you.
Shouldn't chat on phone
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It's weird because he also writes and I usually beta whatever he's written before he posts it.
One thing I've run into with him is that he associates "beta" with "editing". I've explained to him editing can certainly play a part in beta-ing but it's not the central thing. I wonder if others have run into a similar issue?
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Beta readers are great if there's enough time.
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I have used a beta once in a while, mainly when I wasn't sure where to go with something I wanted to write, or to see if the idea "worked."
But I'm usually pretty hard on myself, and use the delay-and-proofread thing (and reading the story out loud in my head) to see what's wrong or missing.
When I've had group concrit in the past, it often has gone into the area of wanting the story to be something I never intended it to be (like, deeply exposition-y when the story is a vignette), suggestions that are different but do not appear to be better, or... (the worst of all)... conflicting feedback from multiple directions, where the thought of trying to resolve all those inputs down to a convergence just makes me tired.
The type of beta writer I try to be? Catch mistakes, preserve the style the writer is going for, note when the writer is "burying" an important character or plot point, improve the pace and flow. In general, try to make the story more of what the writer wanted it to be-- unless it just doesn't work at all, in which case discussion as to "What did you want to do with this?" starts up.
Hardly anybody betas like that, and that's what I would find useful. I think maybe I'm a contextual beta/editor? And I suspect most people really aren't. That may also be my learning style, which... ook. Is definitely more challenging.
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That is a wonderful thing to say!
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That said, beta readers are proving to be a fantastic boon out in the real world, so I highly encourage their use. Your fellow Idolators are good candidates -- don't ignore their advice just because you're competing.
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babypiece is given to someone, it's a complete thought/plot if you will. I need someone who can tell me if that thought is explained properly, so that others can understand what I was attempting to convey. That everything is clear and nothing is muddled.Oh, and punctuation is a plus!!!! I'm such a comma queen!