[ SECRET POST #2406 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2406 ⌋

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

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 04 pages, 077 secrets from Secret Submission Post #344.
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

[fscom]

08. http://i.imgur.com/QDvLjVf.png

[(Anonymous)]

I've been in that position, but as someone doing art for big bangs. I've ended up doing art for OOC character bashing fests with fanon woobies. If I could, I'd take my name off the art because I'm ashamed of the writing that's going with it.

[(Anonymous)]

You need to be telling all these things to the author, Anon, not us. Clearly there've been several previous betas that nope'd out after getting this giant abomination, but nobody told her what was wrong and more importantly how to fix it. Tell her that everybody's OOC and that you'd like to help her fix that, and then if she tells you to fuck off, you can fuck off with impunity.

This!

[(Anonymous)]

Seriously, OP, if the only thing holding you back is pity... stop. I thought your reason was that she was a huge drama queen and would make your fandom life hell if you turned her down, or something along those lines.

Go tell her all the things wrong with her fic and give her some grammar and spelling tips and:

a) block her everywhere forever and wash your hands off her if she never replies or gets angry.

b) help her improve her writing if she responds positively and genuinely wants to get better.

[(Anonymous)]

nobody told her what was wrong and more importantly how to fix it.

Either that, or they did, and she got mad and dumped them.

[silverr]

I'd put my money on this scenario.

[deadtree]

well if she did, she'll do the same to OP and OP will be free

[(Anonymous)]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

THIS. Problem solved!

[transcriptanon]

[Picture is a very stylized red letter "B", with the red word "BETA" beneath it.]

Right now, I'm beta-ing an A/B fic that's really bad. Not only is the grammar and the spelling horrid, but the characters are so fanon it hurts. Character A is made to be a woobie wearing leather pants. (Literally.) Character D who sometimes opposes them in canon is made to be a total, Out of Character villain. And Character B is randomly obsessed with Character A and develops a whole new personality for absolutely no reason.

And it's around twenty thousand words. I wish I could send it back to her, but apparently the author never has any luck with a regular beta -- she always hangs around my fandom's beta forums. And that kind of makes me feel guilty.

[(Anonymous)]

just for the info, it's not just a stylized "B", but the greek letter "beta"

Anyway, keep up the good job! You're amazing

[(Anonymous)]

Well, if she's never had any luck there might be a reason for it - harsh as that is to say.

[reactions_r_us]

[tamabonotchi]

I would really question why they are always finding a new beta. You should try telling her straight up there are severe problems with the fic and ask her if she wants to improve it. If not, you'll have to say no.

[(Anonymous)]

Please please please say all this to the author, with tips and suggestions on how to fix it. Please. If a beta had been honest with me early on I would have hugged them and changed my ways. Now I have all this old OOC embarrassing fic that people kept telling me was good when oh dear god it was not, but I just didn't see it. Sometimes people just need a wake up and some help on how to write.

(And sometimes they'll write OOC woobie fic no matter what you do, but you'll never know what she wants until you try.)

[(Anonymous)]

I've been here! I did the best I could with what I had to work with and gently gave advice if it seemed like they would be open to it. If not, I made corrections and tried my best not to beta for them again. Good luck!

[(Anonymous)]

I have done proofreading for peers at university, and let me tell you something: anybody who wants to get better will take constructive criticism. Sure, sometimes it really hurts to be told something you worked your ass off at is not good enough, and I have had people tell me my proofing made them *cry*, but quite a lot of the ones who told me they cried are also the ones who came back, thanked me for the A their paper got, and have asked for my help again.

Some people don't want that, and that's okay! Sometimes writing is just a hobby, and it can be no fun to have someone tear apart your hobby product. But if you want to help her get better (and I can assume she at least wants to do better, if she's requesting betas), then you have to give her those critiques. She might hate it; she might hate *you*. But if she wants to work at it and respects the work you've done for her, she'll thank you and come out a much, much better writer for it. And if not, hey, you never have to do it again.