[ SECRET POST #2675 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2675 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 033 secrets from Secret Submission Post #382.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

Things to avoid in a beta?

[(Anonymous)]

What are some things that you would avoid if you were looking for a beta/editor, F!S?

Like, what are some things that someone would do that would be red flags?

Re: Things to avoid in a beta?

[(Anonymous)]

Anything that indicated they were prone to outbursts or extremism.

I wouldn't want a stan of any kind to beta for me. I wouldn't want someone who had a history of raging at other fans to beta for me.

I'd want someone calm and collected.

Re: Things to avoid in a beta?

[teaphile]

Correcting without research. I've had beta readers "correct" things that were actually right, to make them match their own misconceptions, or worse, common myths. Those are not betas I'd go to again.

Re: Things to avoid in a beta?

[feotakahari]

I ask them what issues they can point out in a piece I've already posted. I've never refused one yet--they always had something interesting to say.

Re: Things to avoid in a beta?

[(Anonymous)]

I'd definitely avoid people whose own writing was full of typos, misspellings and other grammatical errors, but I'd also avoid them if their plotting or characterization was poor, or if there were more general flaws in their work. I'd also avoid people who are unable to distinguish between a purely subjective "I don't like this" and a "this writing is flawed in some way".

Honestly, there's no easy checklist. Betas, like anyone else, often have weird personality tics that make them a bad fit for any given writer, and they're not something you can easily pick out even in casual conversation. It's trial and error until you find someone who knows their stuff AND isn't an asshole or a weirdo.