Why to be a Beta
Jan. 28th, 2008 11:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miss_ingnoThere’s probably as many reasons as there are people who beta-read. I can certainly only speak for myself. So why go to all this effort? What’s the reward? What do you gain from beta-reading?
Beta skills translate into writing skills. Whenever you pinpoint something that’s off in another’s story, or tell them why a thing works; when you apply writing advice or suggest an alternative phrasing, every time you teach your brain to find and analyze these moments. So when it comes to writing your own stuff, you’re then able to pick up on similar patterns in your own works and improve your stories.
Working with a highly skilled author is a great opportunity to learn from them. You gain insights in how they deal with certain issues and it forces you to analyze stories that are already of good quality for weaknesses. The level of effort you have to put into it is higher because you still want to offer them something valuable, but it’s a challenge that you can only grow from.
On the other hand, working with an amateur author who has trouble in areas that you’ve already mastered is equally rewarding. Seeing their improvement over time and helping them turn their ideas into solid stories is amazing. And at the same time it helps you refocus on those areas you’ve taken for granted, might even increase your skills in those areas.
IMPORTANT. Make sure not to overwhelm them with suggestions and advice. They can only focus on so many things at once - it’s crucial to prioritize what they want to improve on first, and focus on the most obvious weak spots. Everything else will come with time.
On a less cerebral level, there’s a sense of accomplishment for being involved with a cool project. The story is the author’s, first and foremost, but you helped. You influenced that. It wouldn’t be the same story without you, and that can be really exciting.
And on an entirely selfish standpoint, getting to read a story first, before it’s publicly available. There’s nothing wrong with this sentiment. It’s certainly been one of the reasons why I’ve enjoyed beta-reading in the past (though has become less so as I’ve become busier with my own projects). As long as you still put in the effort, put in the work to actually help the author and leave feedback.
Some stories only exist, some stories were only ever posted thanks to alpha and beta readers. I have several of those, stories that would have forever remained a WiP without the encouragement and help I’ve gotten from my friends.
Why do you want to be a beta reader? Reblog with your own reasons and rewards, I’m curious to see what others think.
(Beta Advice 101)
Beta skills translate into writing skills. Whenever you pinpoint something that’s off in another’s story, or tell them why a thing works; when you apply writing advice or suggest an alternative phrasing, every time you teach your brain to find and analyze these moments. So when it comes to writing your own stuff, you’re then able to pick up on similar patterns in your own works and improve your stories.
Working with a highly skilled author is a great opportunity to learn from them. You gain insights in how they deal with certain issues and it forces you to analyze stories that are already of good quality for weaknesses. The level of effort you have to put into it is higher because you still want to offer them something valuable, but it’s a challenge that you can only grow from.
On the other hand, working with an amateur author who has trouble in areas that you’ve already mastered is equally rewarding. Seeing their improvement over time and helping them turn their ideas into solid stories is amazing. And at the same time it helps you refocus on those areas you’ve taken for granted, might even increase your skills in those areas.
IMPORTANT. Make sure not to overwhelm them with suggestions and advice. They can only focus on so many things at once - it’s crucial to prioritize what they want to improve on first, and focus on the most obvious weak spots. Everything else will come with time.
On a less cerebral level, there’s a sense of accomplishment for being involved with a cool project. The story is the author’s, first and foremost, but you helped. You influenced that. It wouldn’t be the same story without you, and that can be really exciting.
And on an entirely selfish standpoint, getting to read a story first, before it’s publicly available. There’s nothing wrong with this sentiment. It’s certainly been one of the reasons why I’ve enjoyed beta-reading in the past (though has become less so as I’ve become busier with my own projects). As long as you still put in the effort, put in the work to actually help the author and leave feedback.
Some stories only exist, some stories were only ever posted thanks to alpha and beta readers. I have several of those, stories that would have forever remained a WiP without the encouragement and help I’ve gotten from my friends.
Why do you want to be a beta reader? Reblog with your own reasons and rewards, I’m curious to see what others think.
(Beta Advice 101)