![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Why Get A Beta?
Jan. 29th, 2008 10:36 pmAKA what betas can offer to writers
In the corner of fandom I grew up with, there’s been this implication that beta-readers are for people who are bad at grammar and spelling. That they have great ideas but need help with their English. Meanwhile, a ‘good’ writer can do their own edits. I believe this fallacy arose from the idea that a beta’s main duty is spellcheck work, which is why I’ve illustrated different functions of betas in this post.
So. What do beta readers have to offer?
A second perspective. The author is usually too close to their own story - we compare it to what it looks like ideally in our heads, we already know the outcome, what connections and hints should be picked up on. It’s hard to distance yourself from all that, especially in a short amount of time. Getting a fresh pair of eyes helps figuring out what works and what doesn’t.
A unique point of view. This gets really obvious when you have several betas. Everyone latches onto different bits and details, and has different opinions about plot and character, different life experiences. It helps to figure out scenes, especially when you’re not happy with how they turned out, and with a sensitivity reader it helps to avoid pitfalls. It can give your story more depth, make it multi-faceted.
Spellcheck is still a valuable set of work for betas. As a writer, I’m sure you’re familiar with the phenomenon: you’ve re-read your own story so many times, your eyes just skip over the typos. You’re just happy you’ve got the words out and having to edit on top of that is exhausting. Again, a fresh pair of eyes is always helpful.
Encouragement. Sometimes it’s hard to keep writing. Sometimes the story feels like it’s going nowhere. Sometimes having to edit the existing story gets in the way of finishing it. A beta can provide positive reinforcement, feedback and help you figure out how to possibly get out of the corner you wrote yourself into.
Reassurance. We’ve all had that creeping doubt when writing that it’ll come off all wrong, that this character is totally OOC, that the clues are too subtle and everyone will miss them, that they’re too obvious and it’ll be boring, that no one will read it, it’s all garbage anyway… having a beta is really helpful to get rid of these self-doubts.
This is why it’s so important for betas not only to point out what still could use some work, but also when the author did something really good!
World-building. As a beta, I like to ask questions about the world, how things work, how they apply to the characters. As a writer I’ve found these questions super useful because sometimes it’s hard to think of the right questions to ask, but even just considering one of these can spiral out and create a more fleshed-out world to set your story in!
Help with applying writing advice to your story. Maybe you want to write a fight scene, so you read up on advice, but it just won’t come out right and you don’t know why. You’ve followed the steps but it still doesn’t feel right. Get a beta who has an understanding of this area! Or just fumble through it together. That’s also a valid tactic and hey, two pairs of eyes see more than one.
Not all authors are looking for a beta. I’ve known writers who feel like they would never post anything if they had to wait for a beta to read it over, who don’t feel like editing, who are just happy they wrote anything at all. And that’s fine! Especially with fanfiction, a beta is not a must-have. I myself only tend to get betas for stories that are either very important and dear to me, or longer projects. Sometimes I just get one because I’m tired and on a deadline and don’t want to deal with the typos.
But whenever I do work with one, I feel a lot more satisfied with the end result.
(Beta Advice 101)
In the corner of fandom I grew up with, there’s been this implication that beta-readers are for people who are bad at grammar and spelling. That they have great ideas but need help with their English. Meanwhile, a ‘good’ writer can do their own edits. I believe this fallacy arose from the idea that a beta’s main duty is spellcheck work, which is why I’ve illustrated different functions of betas in this post.
So. What do beta readers have to offer?
A second perspective. The author is usually too close to their own story - we compare it to what it looks like ideally in our heads, we already know the outcome, what connections and hints should be picked up on. It’s hard to distance yourself from all that, especially in a short amount of time. Getting a fresh pair of eyes helps figuring out what works and what doesn’t.
A unique point of view. This gets really obvious when you have several betas. Everyone latches onto different bits and details, and has different opinions about plot and character, different life experiences. It helps to figure out scenes, especially when you’re not happy with how they turned out, and with a sensitivity reader it helps to avoid pitfalls. It can give your story more depth, make it multi-faceted.
Spellcheck is still a valuable set of work for betas. As a writer, I’m sure you’re familiar with the phenomenon: you’ve re-read your own story so many times, your eyes just skip over the typos. You’re just happy you’ve got the words out and having to edit on top of that is exhausting. Again, a fresh pair of eyes is always helpful.
Encouragement. Sometimes it’s hard to keep writing. Sometimes the story feels like it’s going nowhere. Sometimes having to edit the existing story gets in the way of finishing it. A beta can provide positive reinforcement, feedback and help you figure out how to possibly get out of the corner you wrote yourself into.
Reassurance. We’ve all had that creeping doubt when writing that it’ll come off all wrong, that this character is totally OOC, that the clues are too subtle and everyone will miss them, that they’re too obvious and it’ll be boring, that no one will read it, it’s all garbage anyway… having a beta is really helpful to get rid of these self-doubts.
This is why it’s so important for betas not only to point out what still could use some work, but also when the author did something really good!
World-building. As a beta, I like to ask questions about the world, how things work, how they apply to the characters. As a writer I’ve found these questions super useful because sometimes it’s hard to think of the right questions to ask, but even just considering one of these can spiral out and create a more fleshed-out world to set your story in!
Help with applying writing advice to your story. Maybe you want to write a fight scene, so you read up on advice, but it just won’t come out right and you don’t know why. You’ve followed the steps but it still doesn’t feel right. Get a beta who has an understanding of this area! Or just fumble through it together. That’s also a valid tactic and hey, two pairs of eyes see more than one.
Not all authors are looking for a beta. I’ve known writers who feel like they would never post anything if they had to wait for a beta to read it over, who don’t feel like editing, who are just happy they wrote anything at all. And that’s fine! Especially with fanfiction, a beta is not a must-have. I myself only tend to get betas for stories that are either very important and dear to me, or longer projects. Sometimes I just get one because I’m tired and on a deadline and don’t want to deal with the typos.
But whenever I do work with one, I feel a lot more satisfied with the end result.
(Beta Advice 101)