FF writers: Have beta reader(s) or not?

[JuPMod]

I thought about this question when I was reading at the 'WIP's: Like or Hate them?' thread.

For all the fanfic writers here, do you have a betareader to help you check out your stories for spelling & grammar mistakes, sentencing structuring, and/or to give advice?

I'm curious, given I have read some writers do not have a betareader (or more than one), yet there others who do.

I for one have a betareader (and one or two more) for my stories. I know I'm not a perfect writer, and I will not ever be one. I sometimes make the mistake of writing the wrong words and the spell checkers do not catch these type of mistakes. 'There home' instead of 'their home', for example.

So... Do you have a betareader to help you with your stories or not?

[Commander Argus]

I don't use one for a couple reasons.

For one, I want to stand on my own. What I put up is my work and mine alone and if I fail or succeed it's all me.

For another, I'm impatient. I average a chapter a day (I've posted one already today and am working on another) and I don't want to have to wait for a beta-reader to turn it around. If I find major mistakes (typos, grammar or just plain goofs) I fix them myself. JupMod caught a biggun a while back which was...embarassing but really just switched names.

[mrpotty]

I just got one for the english versions of my stories.
It's always better to check my translation

[zaratan]

I don't use a beta reader at all. In fact, after I finish writing a chapter, the only thing I do is give it a quick read-through for spelling and grammer.

I do, however, beta read for approximately 5 other writers (I say approximately because I haven't heard from one in a while), including a couple of fairly prolific ones.

[Ashley Benlove]

I don't use a beta reader because I have the faith in myself to pull through the story. But I do have a friend who does read through my fics for spelling and grammar.

[Aers (That Writer Chick)]

my husband - betas for me all the time.

he usually catches the small things that I miss and darn it... he's good!

[Ashley Benlove]

That's really cool. Your husband's your beta.

I like that word. I have an aunt who has beta fish.

[captainkodak1]

I have used a betareader on occasion. Some of my chapters are quite long and I do need help sometimes going over them. Sometimes it is just a wrong word. But as the writer somehow that word doesn't catch my eye. Also, I fully admit my grammar is bad at times. It depends on the story. There are a couple of real good folks out there who have offered to betaread for me. Sometimes when time gets short to post I will not use a betareader, but I do try and read over it as best I can.

[fazhou]

Oh man, I never, ever post anything without it first being read by several people. I've put so many crazy mistakes, obvious ones, on paper only to have one of my beta readers point them out later. I'm like, "Duhh!" to myself. Very embarassing, but not nearly as embarassing as having thousands of readers see the same mistake.

[Deleted]

I have yet to have a beta reader and don't plan on ever needing one. I would much rather have the pride to take my story as it goes, which is why I take so long to update to make sure everything is working out properly. If I mess up somewhere, I fix it.

If someone likes what I write, I know its my work that was made enjoyable. If someone doesn't like it, I'll know that it's my writing that is being criticized, and not someone else's.

cmdrargus said:

I want to stand on my own. What I put up is my work and mine alone and if I fail or succeed it's all me.

*Raises glass of carbonated soda*
Nicely put.

[surforst]

Hm...well I posted no because I only have a beta for one story. Besides I tend to edit his edits before I post anyway. Nothing against his job performance I'm just picky what I post.

Anyway other then that I got no one to edit my stories. Was looking for a beta for a while but gave up on it. Now I just re-read what I have and that tends to get the major errors. I got one reviewer though who constantly points out the comma errors *which will never be fixed mind you because I'm the only editor* and another who pointed out that I was using latter instead of later. I thought he was an idiot till I went to the dictionary. My whole life I've been mixing up the two now that's sad.

Anyway to sum up I edit my own stuff. I find it helps me catch most plot/writing errors.

[JuPMod]

ashleybenlove said:

I don't use a beta reader because I have the faith in myself to pull through the story. But I do have a friend who does read through my fics for spelling and grammar.

That's what a beta reader does. They check for errors, etc. So therefore you do have a beta reader in your friend.

[Quin Separable]

No I don't have any beta readers because of the fact that I'm too darn impatient. When I finish a chapter and read it over a few times, I want to post it.

However, "Ron's Secret" was\is beta read just because I am\was co-writing it with another fanfiction author . Since we had to read each other's chapters to find out what details were added, we beta read for each other.

However, there are times I wish I had had a beta - not really with my fanfictions but for my original story I've posted on FictionPress.com. The chapters there are really long and I find that after writing it for a while, I end up skimming over it and make huge blunders.

[cloudmonet]

So therefore you do have a beta reader in your friend.

I read each one of my stories aloud to my son before declaring it finished and doing anything with it. He does notice flaws, but more than that, reading aloud usually also makes any flaws noticeable to me. Sometimes it's just the whole story, sometimes a page at a time, depending on how much trouble it's being.

I think if at all possible, your beta reader should be someone (or more than one) from real life who you can actually talk to. I can't imagine doing this online.

[bigpenguin]

Betareader? What's a betareader?

[zaratan]

Your right, if you can find someone in 'reality' that you would trust to do that. But it's not always easy to find someone willing and/or able to do that half the time. I myself, if I needed a beat, would have no one I would trust to go over the story better than myself. That's why I would use the on-line route, to find someone I could trust to do it, based on their own work.

For example, though I don't use a beta, I was planning on having Campy go over my chapters of The Darkness Within, simply for the length involved of the chapters I'm planning, and because I have a lot of respect for him as a beta (considering he is the one who goes over MrDrP's stuff, most definitely). I'm sure the others I beta for feel the same way.

Trust is probably the biggest issue when it comes to selecting a beta, and that's not just something you can hand off to someone you meet online who volunteers. But, if you find someone online that you trust, that you've cultivated a relationship with, then it is fairly easy to go the online route.

[Ezbok58a]

I don't have a beta, nor would I really want one. That's what spell check is for!

I once did a entire chapter without using it, and when I did I had roughly 90 spelling and grammatical errors in the story.

Spell check isn't perfect though, as I usually catch something it missed or it changes something, making it sound entirely stupid. I still miss stuff but I'm only human after all.

[Commander Argus]

Spelling tutors kneaded. <---spell checker didn't catch that on the MHS sign!

In MSWord, I have the spell-checker turned on, but the grammar turned off. For one thing, the latter is just plain wrong on several counts. For another, I tend to use a little less formal style of writing for fics.

It tend to write the way I speak, and I was trained (albeit many years ago) to speak clearly. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

[JuPMod]

As I said before the spelling and grammar checkers don't always catch everything. Yet I found that sometimes the betareaders don't do a good job either.

The other day I found a mistake in my "An Honorable Valentine". "He parted his forehead from his..." ARGH! It's suppose to be "he parted his forehead from hers..."! After going through a betareader, this mistake wasn't found?

And yes, I agree that it's not easy to find a good betareader online, but for me, I have no choise. I don't know anyone in-person who would like to read KP fics. If an online betareader does a good job, trust can be build though. I have complete trust in one betareader I have to let go due he have to focus on school, and I think I'm beginning to have trust in another.

[Scoutcraft Piratess]

I don't really have a permanent beta reader. I used to, but we went to different colleges and she doesn't believe in computers. But I do have people that will do things were specific stories. Spell check is useless if you are using the right word in the wrong place, and half my stuff defies proper grammar anyway--and I don't want that cramping my style! Also, like Quin, I have very little patience. I tend to rely a lot on feedback I get from posting the story. But yes, I do have temporary betas.

I just don't like the ones that only do grammar/spelling. I'm prone to mistakes like that, but sometimes I just want good feedback on the story itself.