#betaing

[needabeta]

hello, I don’t know if I missed this, but what does “original work” stands for in the topic “willing to work on a original work”

thank you!

Hello!

we're primarily aiming at providing a resource for fanfic writers; however, we're not closing the door on original works, just like AO3 isn't!

To quote their FAQ: "We presume that, by posting the work to the Archive, the creator is making a statement that they believe it's a fanwork. As such, unless the work doesn't meet some other criterion, it will be allowed to remain." Fannish-adjacent works would feature common fannish tropes but not be set in a specific universe, it would not be monetized, etc. You can also refer to Fanlore.

So, betaing for a work which is not set in any specific fandom, sure! However, we do not believe this is the right place to look for professional, paid-for editing; needabeta works on trust only and we have no guarantee of any sort. It would also not be very nice for a writer to get free editing for a work they'd make money on, while the editor wouldn't ;-)

To become a volunteer and feature on the Beta File, fill in this form - and here's the FAQ if you have questions!

#beta #find a beta #original work #faq #betaing #writing

[pawpawholler]

One of my favorite things is to beta my friends' writing. It's such a pleasure to get this sneak peek into their worlds, to see the possibilities they're playing with, to be trusted with their ideas. I feel so lucky and special and honored.

#fanfic #fanfiction #writing #betaing

[tuliharja]

Does anyone know where to look for a beta-reader for a fanfic? I usually would be looking for one from Fanfiction.net, but alas, at the moment it's facing quite a few problems.

I'm merely looking for a technical beta for my little fic because I've zero confidence posting my fanfics without someone looking those through. (I try to fix my grammar, sentence structures, etc., by myself, but when English isn't your mother tongue, it isn't.)

As for the fandom...well, I've written my fic in such a way one could read it fully fandom blind. (But it's cool if you know the canon characters.) The only thing that might be a bit turn-off is the fact it's canon character x OC fic.

So, if anyone knows where I could look for a possible beta reader or if one would be interested enough to even suggest themselves for the task, I would really appreciate that lot!

#tuliharja talks #beta reader #betaing #fanfiction #fanfic #writing #can someone help me? #ao3 #fanfiction.net #writer #beta-reader #technical beta reader #text #text post #I wonder if there is a discord server for writers and beta readers... #searching a beta reader from fanfiction.net is like searching a needle from a haystack #it's alright if I write from the fandoms that I've written before because I knew couple people I could always ask help #but this is a new fandom to me #canon character x oc

[at-thezenith]

available to beta read!

since my degree has started i have put my own writing on the back burner, so kind of an open post to say that i am open to beta reading rn!! i am happy to read anything and everything, poetry/articles/shortform prose as well as traditional novels. please feel free to message me outlining the project and what you want from a reader and i will be happy to talk to you :)

also unless this post is deleted or edited to say otherwise i am open to receiving projects/my schedule isn't full !

#beta reading #betaing #beta readers #beta request

[bobsfic]

When you first started writing on A03 how did you find people to proof read your work?

Hi anon! This is a great question. While I'm relatively new to tumblr, I've actually been reading/writing fic for many many years over many different fandoms (like I started back when fanfiction.net was the place to post and not a tragic wasteland and then migrated to ao3 quite awhile ago) and I have only just recently connected with people to beta my writing through the Jiara fandom!

It kind of happened by chance - I was talking to a friend about a fic I was writing at the time and they offered to take a look through it if I wanted and I decided to take them up on it.

Before that, for all those years I just wrote and edited my work on my own though. I think my un-betaed work is okay, but I for sure have grown immensely as a writer within the betaing process (and that is hugely thanks to @jojameswinter who betas pretty much everything I write... which is a lot. She's such an amazing person and I'm so lucky!).

I now can't imagine posting something that hasn't been betaed, but I know lots of people don't have someone to read their work (that was me for so long!) or aren't interested in that process. I'm more than willing to help out anyone looking for editing/betaing but I think if you wanted you could also reach out to other writers in the fandom and see if they're interested?! We're a pretty friendly bunch!

I don't really have a solid answer for you anon, but hopefully this rambling response was semi helpful at least!!

#ask #thank you lovely anon #robyn answers #my writing #betaing #always willing to help!!

[earlgreyfuelledidiomatic]

Working with the beta today, she is slowly discovering the characters of this story.

@hoodwinkfalls

#there was a lot of discourse over google docs comments #Falcon do be spitting facts #writing #betaing #chapter 2 is close

[not-poignant]

What is beta etiquette? I’ve made some friends in a new fandom lately and a few of them have told me they’re open to betaing my new fic. Thing is, I’ve never had a beta before. Other than spell checking and grammar what does a beta do? Would it be rude if I asked them to look over my fic and help me choose out of a few dialogues which one is better or to brainstorm what will happen next?

Hiya anon!

So, beta etiquette is communication, pretty much.

As in, you tell them what you're looking for, and you ask them/they tell you what they'd be comfortable doing in that list. Some betas only want to look at typos and grammar, others really enjoy doing things like structural edits (i.e. pointing out when something isn't working in the chapter), and so on.

Betaing is a lot of labour/effort, so it's really important to be respectful to what they want to do and not push, which is why it's good to be upfront with what you're looking for. It's also okay to have more than one beta, such as one who looks at grammar/typos and maybe one to brainstorm with. Another thing you'll need to be upfront about is how quickly you expect a turnaround, some betas can take a month to look over a chapter, others will do it in a day, finding that synergy can take time.

So yeah, it's definitely not rude to say what you're looking for overall! But to be accepting of the boundaries/limits of what a beta can do. If you say 'I'm looking for this (i.e. including the brainstorming and stuff) but ultimately would be so happy if you/someone could look at grammar/typos with a turnaround of about two or three days' for example, that's not rude at all. You're putting forward a request, and they can choose to fulfil it. Communicating outright lets you both negotiate what you're doing together.

As an example, for my AO3 stuff, I have one beta (Silvia) who is my amazing grammar/typos beta, and cheerleader, but doesn't look at structural stuff etc. When it comes to publishing books, I have my second beta (Steph) who doesn't look at grammar/typos as much, but will tell me when she thinks things are/aren't working, or when I need more/less back-story or description or characterisation. I also do this for Steph when I beta for her (we have a mutual exchange), I do grammar/typos/structural and characterisation edits.

But I don't do brainstorming a lot of the time, because someone who is creating the story with you in concept is actually not going to be so great to then beta it for anything other than typos/grammar -> as soon as someone is involved in the creation process, they're not the best person to see the structural and characterisation issues because they now know how it was created vs. reading it fresh.

For example, I don't tell Silvia spoilers or what's coming up in my stories, because I want her fresh reaction to see the emotional impact of what I'm writing and how it lands, because emotional impact is really important in serial works and this is vital to me. If you have a beta helping you 'behind the scenes' in story construction, you may need another person to see the chapter fresh who isn't involved in that side of things.

But that's if you're lucky enough to find this many betas! Over the years I've had two betas for my AO3 stuff. Finding ones that are a good fit is frankly really hard, and more folks will offer than are reliable (it's easy to offer to beta, it's hard to do regularly). I've worked without a beta for long stretches of time as well. There was a period where I just didn't have one, and the pandemic and life stuff slammed Silvia for a time and quite a few chapters of Falling Falling Stars that year were retroactively betaed (i.e. they went up and I edited them later when Silvia could look at them).

I'd also be wary of having too many betas. One of the hardest things that many betas don't know how to do is to respect another person's writing style without projecting their own onto it (this is the difference imho between a good editor and a great one), and too many betas tends to mean 3-4 people each trying to change or alter your story to fit their style of writing more, or fit their idea of an 'ideal story' more - and if you have 3-4 betas working on story with you, you have 4-5 different ideas on how to do that story (i.e. yours and everyone else's).

It can work out great, but there's a reason most fanfic authors aren't thanking 3+ betas in their author's notes.

But anyway, lol, tl;dr - working with betas has a baseline of communication and compassion around it, and being upfront with what you're ideally looking for, and also being happy/okay with sometimes settling for what the other person is offering. :D

#asks and answers #betaing #pia on writing #pia on editing #i personally prioritise a really fast turnaround #which means i can't work with most betas #Silvia is the best in the world #betaing is *work* #and i would say a lot of people who offer to beta will back out when they realise #how much work it is #so don't be surprised if some betas start out strong #and eventually just stop one day #it's a normal part of the process

[v-thinks-on]

My offers for this year’s FTH auction!

Type of fanwork: Written - Fanfic Fandom(s): Sherlock Holmes: Arthur Conan Doyle stories, A Study in Emerald; Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century, X-Men (comics or movies), Ace Attorney Highest rating: T (Teen) Length/scope: Less than 5k words

Especially interested in: I love established relationships, hurt/comfort, and working through trauma. Also crossovers. Holmes/Watson: I’ve been thinking about putting them in horror or fantastical situations. I also love the role reversal of Holmes trying to care for Watson, whether early in their relationship or in retirement around WWI. Or maybe Holmes reconnecting with Victor Trevor. Magneto/Professor X: I especially like their later relationship, being there for each other despite years of animosity. I’m also fond of First Class, and the idea of Magneto getting used to the mundanities of normal life. In addition, I’m Jewish and bring that perspective to writing Magneto. Phoenix/Edgeworth: A newer fandom for me and a bit more wide open, happy to write something based on canon or an AU (as long as DL-6 stays roughly intact). I’d also be interested in writing Kirk/Spock (TOS only), Superman/Batman (but not DCEU), Jeeves/Wooster, Satterthwaite/Quin (Agatha Christie), Yugi/Yami Yugi (Yu-Gi-Oh), Takao/Midorima (Kuroko’s Basketball).

Unwilling to address: I’m pretty set on my ships and would like to focus on them, though I’m fine with open relationships and including friendships with other characters. I also don't write NSFW or noncon of any kind (including drunken confessions and the like), pining isn’t my cup of tea, and I’d rather not do something with an unhappy ending. X-Men - I'm not really interested in the new continuity movies after First Class or complete AUs that don’t include Magneto and Professor X’s canon roles in mutant politics (or something similar). Ace Attorney - I’ve only played the first three games, so I’m not really equipped to write anything that involves elements from later games.

Notes: One of the reasons I’m excited to contribute to FTH is because I’ve been a little short on ideas of my own lately, so I would especially encourage you to bid if you already have an idea (the more detailed, the better) for a story you’d love to see, but just don’t want to write yourself, or would enjoy brainstorming with me to come up with a story that’s tailored to your tastes. I can also be a little picky in regard to tropes, so expect a bit of a brainstorming process in any case to come up with something that we both love. The more involved you are, the more motivated I’ll be, so the faster the project will come together and the more I’m likely to write.

Type of fanwork: Fan Labor - Betaing Fandom(s): Any Highest rating: M (Mature) Length/scope: 1 round of edits on 1k words per $1 bid (more flexible for brainstorming)

Notes about labor offered: I do a very thorough edit for wording and flow, and can also help with brainstorming and hammering out plot and characters. For shorter stories (or a larger donation), I’m happy to do multiple rounds to get it perfect. The main exceptions are I can't cheerlead, and I'm better at sentence flow than grammar.

Especially interested in: I have a particular love of historical fandoms and antiquated prose, but I’m broadly happy with most genres, romance or gen, and am happy to edit for ships and fandoms I’m not familiar with.

Unwilling to address: I can't edit sex scenes, but am happy to read around them, and I would prefer nothing too violent, no noncon, nor teacher/student pairings. I'm also more picky in fandoms that I'm closer to, so unless you think it aligns closely with my work and would benefit from my particular perspective on the characters, or is a very distant AU, I'd be hesitant to edit Holmes/Watson, Kirk/Spock, or Jeeves/Wooster. Pining is also not really for me, so I might not be the best person for editing it.

#v writes #charity auction #fandom trumps hate #betaing #Sherlock Holmes #ACD Holmes #ACD Johnlock #X-Men #Cherik #Ace Attorney #WrightWorth #NaruMitsu #Star Trek: The Original Series #Spirk #SuperBat #Jeeves and Wooster #Jooster #The Mysterious Mr Quin #Yugioh #puzzleshipping #Kuroko's Basketball #MidoTaka

[fandomtrumpshate]

FTH 2023 beta offerings

Are you interested in finding a beta through the 2023 Fandom Trumps Hate Auction? Looking for someone who can help you improve or polish up your writing in certain areas, or someone who can cheer you on? This year, we have 52 beta fan labor offerings, which include:

characterization

cheer

continuity

flow

pacing

plot development

sentence structure

SPAG

world-building

and more!

Our 2023 auction site will go live at the beginning of the browsing period, on February 26th. Don't forget to check out more details of any offerings which might suit you before the bidding period starts. We hope to see you there!

#fth 2023 #fandom trumps hate #fan labour #betaing #beta'ing #editing #fanworks charity auction

[needabeta]

how can I contact a beta if discord won’t let you message someone you don’t share a server with, and the person doesn’t accept friend requests from strangers?

—

Hello!

We don’t control what Beta Volunteers put in the Beta File; we can only try and make our questions in the Beta Form as clear as possible as well as provide a way to ask for edits. 

It can happens that a submitter forgets to update their info (new blog, new email etc), others may only give a way to get in touch that won’t work (a Tumblr blog with asks/DM closed, or in your case a Discord handle that is closed off to friend requests). Typos can happen as well.

If you can’t get in touch, we sadly can’t, either… but you can look up other Beta Volunteers, and don’t forget that many are willing to Beta in fandoms they didn’t list. Look up people who put “Any” or “Any fandom” in column E (check out the Needabeta FAQ for tips on how to search! )

Good luck, and happy writing :-)

#beta #beta reading #beta reader #writing #betaing #Need a Beta #find beta #find a beta reader #FIND a beta

[merthurglompfest]

Hi! First timer here, when/where can I get a beta?

Hi @greatstoneddragonsstuff,

Thanks for the question!

To find a beta for the fest, check out our 2023 Beta Database here and get in touch with whoever best suits your needs (or get in touch with us and we'll contact them for you, if they haven't made their details publicly available). You're also welcome to hit up a fandom friend, ask around on @tavernfest or other Discord servers, or check out the Merlin Betas community on LJ, among other things.

As for when you'll need one, that depends on how much input you want them to have and how much time it will take for them to beta your work. Some people like to get a beta ASAP and brainstorm ideas with them as they go, while other people prefer to wait until they've finished their first draft before getting someone else to read it over. It basically comes down to whatever you're comfortable with, but we do recommend that you keep the fest deadlines in mind and make sure you leave enough time to find a beta and hear back from them, as well as do any additional editing before you send the fill in to us on 15 March.

Hope that helps! Feel free to ask if you have any further questions.

Cheers, — Glompfest Mods

#mod post #ask and answer #betaing #when to find a beta #where to find a beta

[asterekmess]

Hi I adore your writing and was wondering if maybe you could help me: I'm getting back into writing and I really need a beta. I'm currently plotting a multi chapter sterek fic and basically have the vague plot down, but I really need someone to beta my writing. I was wondering if you know some blog / place where I could ask around? Thanks so much!

Hey friend! I'm so glad to hear you like my work! ^_^ It's awesome that you're getting back into writing, and I wish I had more useful information for you on getting a beta, but I'm afraid my beta stuff has all been homebrew. I basically made a tumblr post describing what I was looking for, posted it, and hoped someone would find me. Previous to that, i met my first Beta through the comment section on Ao3, actually, after they commented on some of my work. There is also this? The Official Sterek Library blog has a page on Betas that I'd like to think might help? The only issue is that i have NO idea how active it is or how recently it's been used/updated. /o\ I wish I had better options for you, and I wish you all the best luck finding someone to work with!

#personal #go for it #writing talk #fic talk #betaing

[tfw-ur-illegallyblind]

Beta Instagram!

I’m on instagram at @/tfw_ur_illegally_blind !! I’ll be open to beta reading and probably post fanfic stuff there :)

#beta work #beta reader #betaing #beta request #beta #fanfiction #editing

[roseszain]

I'm doing emergency podfic or editing/betaing commissions. Anything under 10k, $1 per thousand words, or whatever you can. Stranger Things, Teen Wolf, Our Flag Means Death, Heartstopper, The Mandalorian, and others (more info on my carrd links)

My dog has had to go the vet twice in 2 days cause she won't keep food down. Anything will help 💜

Info for podficcing here:

Info for betaing here:

#Podfic #Beta #Commission #Betaing #Our Flag Means Death #Heartstopper #Anything will help

[naturally---who]

I beta btw dm me and you will receive.

#betaing #beta #fanfiction in general #fanfiction #writing #books #translation #ao3 #editing #im chill btw #and cool with basically anything #dont be shy

[huntertherapyeras]

mmm... ok. so! super grateful for the help i received on my prev post! because of it i was able to buy food and pay my storage bill for the month!

this being said, i still do need help. it is very likely that i will be moving into a trailer at my mom's awhile into april and will therefore not have to pay rent here anymore! that being said... i still have to pay april rent :( and i still havent found accessible work that i can safely do with my chronic illness either.

so! i need to raise $700 before march 31st (today is 3/11/22)! and then another $60 for my phone bill and $200 for groceries. so! rounding up, goal is $960! would appreciate any help that i can get on this!

csh4pp vnmo and p4yp4l are all @/asteronauts.

and if you don't want to don8, i also do beta-ing/editing, sensitivity reading, and fanfic commissions. more info on that under the cut!

also: PLEASE DONT TAG AS S.GNAL BO0ST, DON8TIONS, ETC! trying to avoid getting shadowbanned

now onto stuff i can do for u!

fandoms i can write for:

yu-gi-oh duel monsters

yu yu hakusho

amphibia

the owl house

adventure time

steven universe

batfam

raya and the last dragon

digimon adventure + adventure 02

hunter x hunter

avatar: the last airbender

encanto

and you can also ask about other specific fandoms to see if i can write for because my memory is Failing me

other info:

please don’t ask me to write nsfw or any gross ships

i specialize in hurt/comfort, disability content, lgbt content, and content that celebrates diverse ethnic backgrounds.

im really good at writing sensory details and emotions and character interactions

i also beta fics. i’m a very good editor!

i can do sensitivity reading for accurate portrayal of black / otherwise of color / disabled / lgbt characters as well. i am afro-native and otherwise indigenous, tme trans, disabled, and a wlw for transparency 💜 yeah

also: PLEASE DON’T TAG THIS POST AS DON4TIONS, i am trying to avoid being sh4dowb4nned again!

#fanfic commissions #sensitivity reading #betaing #copyediting #aster.exe #struggle journal #lux means light