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#beta advice
burntoutdaydreamer · 4 months
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Questions I Ask My Beta Readers
"Did you like it?" just doesn't cut it when you're trying to get useful feedback, so here's some questions that get your reader really thinking about your work:
What are your general impressions after reading? How did you feel when the book ended? 
(For fantasy/sci-fi) What did you find most confusing about the world? What did you find the most interesting? What do you want to know more about? 
Were there any scenes that broke your suspension of disbelief? Which ones? Why?
Which chapters were the hardest to get through? Did you find yourself skimming the text at any point in the story? 
Which character was your favorite? Which was your least favorite? Why? (Note that this question is best when asking multiple readers. If one person really dislikes a character, it could be personal preference. If multiple people can't stand a character for the same reason.... well, that's a problem you need to fix. Unless, of course, you want your readers to hate that character. Just make sure that their hatred enhances the reading experience instead of ruining it).
Did you get any characters confused or mixed up? If so, did this make the story hard to follow?
What was the most suspenseful moment in the book? What was your favorite moment of the story? What was your least favorite moment in the story? Why?
Which setting in the book was clearest to you as you were reading it? Which setting was the most difficult to envision?
Did you feel there was a lot of info dumping at any point? If so, where?
How do you feel about the plot? Were there any parts that confused you or seemed nonsensical/ illogical?
Did you feel any part of the story was predictable? Do you have any predictions for the next book(s)? If so, what are they? (Again, another question that's best when asking multiple readers. Be aware of your audience here. Some people, especially those who read a lot, are really good at predicting where stories are going to go. If those people are able to guess what happens next, that might actually be a good thing, because it could indicate that your story is progressing logically. Too much predictability is a problem, but a little isn't bad. This question is just to make sure the plot twists/progression aren't painfully obvious to most readers).
What plot holes did you find in the story so far? 
Were you invested in the story? If so, at what point did you become invested? Did you lose this interest at any point? (The second point here is really good for determining whether you have a slow beginning. Sometimes readers might really like your story overall, but would not have gotten past the first few chapters if they were reading it for fun instead of as a favor for you. This happened to me last time I asked someone to read my work, and it made it clear how much of the beginning I needed to rewrite entirely).
Any other questions or comments? 
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What is... Alpha vs. Beta Reader?
Most writers do not publish a work without it going through the process of being critiqued by multiple people beforehand. People that do the critiquing are alpha and beta readers.
But where is the difference?
Alpha readers come in first. They can read your draft at any point, you can even just run your first ideas by them. The alpha reader should focus on the general story, the bigger picture. They tell you where plot holes are and if an idea or scene in underdeveloped. They will tell you if one of your ideas just don't translate on the page just yet. You should take their feedback and apply it.
After working on the draft with the feedback you got, it's time for the beta reader. This one comes in towards the end, when the overall draft is finished. A beta reader should represent your target audience and should tell you what they liked and didn't like as a reader, not a fellow writer. They can tell you about what they felt while reading your story and if they cared about the characters. Beta readers will examine the whole story like the alpha readers, but they will do it more in-depth, which is why it's important to have them come in at the end, when you've gone through multiple rounds of revisions of the overall story.
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slayingfiction · 1 year
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Questions to ask your alpha/beta readers
I thought I would put together a master list of all the questions to ask your alpha and beta reader to help you improve your story.
You can choose to ask questions every chapter, every few chapters or after the whole book. This list of questions will be more generic and all encompassing for you to tailor to your needs.
Reminder: Beta readers typically receive a completed and polished version of your story. They give feedback on any last improvements based on the reader’s perspective. Alpha readers read your story or manuscript before it’s completed, usually a rough draft. Alpha readers are best if they also have some writing experience to give reader and writer feedback.
Choose some of the following questions to ask your readers:
Start:
When did you first feel the story was truly starting?
Do you like how the story started? If not, why?
Do you find characters were introduced slow enough to learn them all?
Did you find settings, different languages, and cultural differences were introduced slowly enough to not be confusing or overwhelming?
Were there any moments you found yourself going back over old exposition just to understand what was happening?
When, if at all, did you find yourself being pulled into the book?
Did the first sentence grab your attention?
Did the first few pages draw you into the story?
Did you find the opening paragraph/page interesting enough to continue reading?
Characters:
What do you like about the MC? What don’t you like? Can you name at least one relatable trait between yourself and the MC?
How did you feel about the character(s)’s growth from the start to finish of the story? Did you find there was enough? Was it believable?
Are the MC’s motivations and goals clear and strong enough?
Did you feel the MC’s fears, hopes, excitement, passions, etc.?
Did you get confused between the characters?
Were the characters believable?
Are there any characters you wish were more interesting? Why and how?
Do you feel each supporting character had their own motivations and contributed to the plot?
Are there any characters that seem cliché, underdeveloped, or stereotypical? If so, why?
Were the character relationships believable?
Did the romantic relationships build naturally, or did it feel forced?
Are there any character names that were too difficult to read or sounded too similar to others?
Were there any parts where the characters seemed to be acting out of character?
Who was your favorite character?
Which character, if any, did you wish was more present?
Which character do you care for the least?
What are your thoughts/feelings on the MC’s character arc?
Do you feel like the antagonists and/or villain is just as fleshed out and relatable as the MC?
If you had to remove one character, who would it be, and why?
Which character would you like to meet, and why?
Did you hope or dread any character relationships?
Are there any characters you found annoying and frustrating?
What are your general thoughts and feelings about the MC or supporting characters?
Which character did you find least developed?
Plot:
Which moments in the book did you find the most suspenseful?
Were there any moments in the book you found boring, lagging, or uneventful and unnecessary?
Did you find the pacing to suit the story well? Are there any areas you found moved too fast or too slow?
Was there ever a time you felt like you weren’t excited or intrigued enough to want to continue?
Did you find any plot holes? Any discrepancies in timeline, characters, descriptions, or other details?
Were there any scenes you found did not further the plot at all?
Are there any scenes or events you found to be too long or too short?
Did you find all explanations and revelations came out naturally and at appropriate times?
What was your favourite scene in the book? Why?
What was your least favourite scene in the book? Why?
Are there any chapters you found lacked conflict?
Did the action scenes make sense as you read them? Did you understand how they came to that action scene (or did they feel random)?
Where there any moments or scenes that made you feel emotional? Happy, sad, cringy and disgusted, etc.
Do you find the plot moved logically and naturally between scenes and chapters?
Are there any moments you felt detached or pulled out of the story? When and why?
Are there any events or scenes you found confusing? Either what was happening or how the characters came to that point?
Where you surprised by the plot twist?
Settings:
Which setting in the book was the clearest for you to visualize? Which do you remember the best?
Did you find the setting interesting, with vivid and real description?
Were there any scenes you thought lacked description?
Were there any moments you thought there was too much exposition, or not enough?
Did you find there were moments you didn’t know where the characters were unless stated?
Do you find the culture and historical events are realistic and add depth to the story?
Is there any exposition you found unnecessary? Are there any moments you wish you had more exposition?
Did all technology and science, or magic, make sense or seem believable?
Was there ever too much or too little description?
Dialogue:
Did you find that each character had their own personal voice when speaking?
Are there times where you couldn’t figure out who was talking solely based on how they spoke?
Is there any dialogue that sounded unnatural?
Could you see what the characters were doing and where they were while talking?
Was there any dialogue that seemed to not fit well with the story?
Was there any dialogue that you thought had too much exposition or explanation?
Did you find the dialogue kept your interest?
Ending:
Did you find the ending to be satisfying and emotionally fulfilling?
Are there any questions you had left after the story ended? (Mostly for stand-alone)
What did you hate most about the ending?
Did you find the ending believable?
Did you feel the tension building to the climax?
Was the climax worth the read, or did it feel weak?
Do you feel the ending came on naturally, or did it feel forced or rushed?
Did the book feel too short or too long?
General:
Were there parts where you found yourself skimming?
Which parts of the story did you find it easy to put the book down?
At what moment did you decide you wanted to finish the book? (If not DNF)
What are some of your favourite lines/quotes from the book?
Do you have any predictions for what you think will come next? (Good for chapters or end of book)
Is there something you hope will happen?
Is there anything you hoped would happen and was sad when it didn’t?
Did you find the map and glossary helpful? Is there anything you think would be beneficial to add, such as terms or names?
Are there any moments or scenes you found ethically and socially problematic and unacceptable.
Were there any moments in the story that made you stop and think?
Were you able to identify the story themes? Did you find the themes well developed throughout the story?
Did you think about the story when you weren’t reading it? If so, what were your thoughts?
Were there times during the story where you felt description was told instead of shown?
Does this book make you feel the same as other books in the genre when reading?
Is there anything you really enjoy from this genre that you found lacking in this story?
Did you find the story kept your attention with enough action, conflict, intrigue, and tension?
Do you find the story or writing style like other books you have read?
Are there any moments you found confusing, irritating, annoying or frustrating?
Are there any moments in the story you thought, “this could/would never happen”?
Did you have any questions after reading the book?
What are your general thoughts and feelings about the story?
Is there anything you wish there was more or less of?
What do you think were the best/ strongest aspects of this book?
What do you think were the worst/ weakest aspects of this books?
How would you describe this book to a friend?
Would you recommend this story to someone?
How likely/ eager are you to read the next book in the series?
Chapter specific
On a scale from 1-5, how much did you enjoy this chapter?
On a scale from 1-5, how eager are you to read the next chapter?
What predictions do you have for the next chapter?
What do you hope will happen next?
Please keeping in mind: Don't let another writer tell you what to change or how they would write it. You are the writer, and any changes are your decision. This feedback is only to give you an idea on which areas to improve.
*Alpha and Beta readers should be readers in the same genre that you write. People who mostly read mystery will not be good a/b readers for a romance novelist, or any mismatch. If you write romance, find a/b readers who love to read romance. Otherwise, any advice they give may not be as valuable or useful as you hope.*
If you have other questions you think would be useful to ask your readers, message me or add them in the comments so our list is comprehensive.
Happy Writing!
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mikathewriter · 2 months
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Is it a bad idea to get beta readers *while* I'm writing my book? Idk why I feel like it's more efficient this way? Or are these the alpha readers?
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7-percent · 4 months
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Mentoring
Ever since I was a school kid, I've been willing to help other pupils with their writing. I did a whole term of "independent study" in high school to help students develop their writing skills, working up materials and a study programme so others could use the mentoring approach after I graduated.
Then I disappeared into higher education and was the person being mentored by others.
Later on, as an employee, I found the same willingness of others to help me tremendously helpful.
The last decade of my working career, I became a university lecturer where the very best part of the job was mentoring my students, especially in their writing. I ended up supervising over a hundred theses and dissertations over the decade.
Now, as a retired person, I still get a thrill out of mentoring writers of both original fiction and fan fiction. Helping someone find their voice, stretch their imagination, and learn along the way? It means my own voice as an author is strengthened, my imagination is enlarged and my sense of giving something valuable is fulfilled.
Help to change the world, one person at a time. It's a lasting legacy.
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nekropsii · 1 year
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do u have any links to resources about the beta and alpha kids' characterizations and personalities if you have any? i am interested in writing for them and i just wanna know what makes them them iykwim
The Beta + Alpha Kids are... By no means my specialty, as everyone knows, and I personally have zero interest in writing them. That said, I'm pretty sure that most "guides" like that are written by and for writers of lighthearted, canon non-compliant roleplaying, and all the ones that I've seen... Aren't good, and are typically incredibly biased. They definitely tend to want the reader to portray the character in whatever light they see the character in, rather than... How they are in canon. For example, some lean heavily into making Dave a soft, perfect victim, Rose into a tea-drinking lesbian, Jake into a lowkey villain, et cetera.
This is about to get pretty long. It's been a while since I've had to put something under a Read-More... But here we are. Let's get going.
Content Warning: Long, Whole Lot of Rambling about the Technical Aspects of Writing.
There tends to be interjection of headcanons, unnecessary opinions, and ham-fisted attempts to make characters look better or worse than they actually are. Context is missing, sources are missing, so on. Oftentimes when looking at guides to writing characters, I wind up just questioning what comic the writer read, because it doesn't feel as if we read the same one. Their writing and critical thinking skills are often called into question as well, given the way these guides tend to approach characters as a concept.
There's often a distinct failure in being actually analytical or observant, and they tend to view characters more as People than they do... Well, Characters. Which may sound like an odd distinction to make, until you realize that when you're writing a character, you need to understand what role they're fulfilling in a narrative before you focus on who they are as a person and judging their morals. Characters aren't anything more than narrative devices. They're strictly there to drive the plot forward. Yes, since characters tend to be people, of which are often in situations, you tend to judge their morality, ethics, the way they handle their circumstances and other people with average human judgment... But at the end of the day, moral arguments and personhood matter less than what they are meant to do, what they're supposed to represent, and how they're supposed to drive the plot forward. To focus on who and how they are as People- how righteous they are, how much their morals align with yours or those of the real world- is to focus on Form over Function.
Characters are Tools. A tool can be painful to use, or painful to watch in action, but it's still a tool. Sometimes pliers are for pulling teeth, and sometimes they're for twisting wire. You can't effectively pull teeth with a wrench, and you can't effectively hammer a nail with a screwdriver. You could, theoretically, and I'd love to watch someone try, but it's not recommended. It's ineffective. You need to know what a tool is for, how you could use it, and maybe even how you could make your usage of them surprising. A hammer is typically used for driving nails into place. Usually with the head. This doesn't mean you can't drive the nail in with its side, and it doesn't mean you can't use it to break fingers.
What this "Form over Function of a Tool" means in practice is... A lot of "guides" to writing Dave will go over the fact that he is the Ironic Cool Kid who has suffered a lot of Abuse at the hands of Bro Strider, and interject that headcanon of his character arc "being about overcoming Internalized Homophobia and/or Toxic Masculinity" (neither of these are true), but fail to mention that he is essentially a Tutorial Agent, and how his whole character hinges on how he absolutely does not want to be a Main Character. Everything he does is grounded in the fact that he's a Tutorial Agent, and therefore an NPC. He's a regular kid with a rough home life, and wants nothing more than to keep playing his role as just a random NPC. He doesn't want to be a Main Character. He doesn't want to fight, he doesn't want to be in an epic, he just wants to be Some Guy. He wants to be normal, and he wants to be able to be forgotten to the sands of time.
They focus so much on Who he is as a Person that they tend to fail to recognize What he is as a Character. It's not effective. You don't really need to worry about who they are as people. You don't need to focus on the paint job on a tool. You need to know what that tool is, and what it's being used for.
It's best to not consult guides written by other fans. It'd be best if you read through their dialogue yourself, and really dissected them and how they function... Find out what makes them tick.
Luckily, there's a blog out there that does have just about every line of dialogue in Homestuck sorted by character, so that's pretty good for ease of access. Good for you and good for me. I use it all of the time. Here you go.
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novlr · 9 months
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A beta reader is someone who will read your novel in its entirety and provide feedback on what they liked about the story or characters, and what they didn’t like or found confusing. Think of a beta reader as a test reader — someone who will give you honest feedback from the viewpoint of your ideal audience.
Here's a sneak peek from today's post, which you can read in its entirety in the Reading Room at Novlr.org:
How to work with beta readers
Make it clear what type of feedback you are hoping they will give. You don’t want an editor at this stage, just overall feedback on the story, the characters, and the pacing. Ask them to keep track of anything they found unbelievable or confusing.
There are different reasons to do beta reading, so if you’re looking for feedback on something specific, make that clear when you ask someone to read it. Want to improve your narrative? Want to improve how your book plays to a certain audience? Want to improve the pace of your book? Communicating a clear vision is essential.
Let them know how many pages or words you are asking them to read and if you have a deadline that needs to be met to set expectations early.
Send them a sample of three chapters before they commit to reading the whole novel to see if it’s going to be of interest to them. If it’s not their cup of tea, they won’t offer feedback that is valuable to you as they are not your target audience.
If they are regular beta readers and offer great feedback, it’s nice to mention them in your acknowledgements and offer them a free copy of the book when it is published.
Be open to their feedback, but don’t rush in and make changes until you have sat with their suggestions for a while. I find that I often need a week or two to process people’s suggestions in a meaningful way.
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Hey!
So I actually found your college!miguel fic on AO3 and I just wanted to sincerely thank you for making it! I'm indigenous latino and I've seen too many fics and drabbles reducing miguel to disgusting racial stereotypes for latino men and your fic was one of the few that made him an actual person instead of a fetish and actually treated our language with respect (you worked the spanish in really well!) ! So thank you :)) I'm excited if you do a pt 2 to it! 
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n7punk · 2 months
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How do you write so good!! Can you give any advice
So I'm trying to think of writing advice, I really am, but I'm kind of drawing up a blank aside from... write. Like there's all these writing advice posts across Tumblr and half of them are bullshit (either completely or just because they're only relevant to certain people/writing styles) and the other half has all already been said but it all comes back to just... writing. The more you write the better you get at it, and especially the more you SHARE it the better you'll get. I write... a lot, and that's the only way you get better at a skill like that, but I can't pretend my commenters aren't part of it because like, when they're commenting on how I changed the sentence structure to match the moment or something and it's already something I did... it's not a conscious change I made, you know? It just felt right, but they were able to articulate why it felt right and that helps me be more aware of using that as a technique in the future. So write and post fanfic, I guess is the advice XD
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deathliestc · 4 months
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kenniko being the parents of beta squad !! 🤗
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eggbagelsjr · 2 years
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How To Plot Romance (in fanfic)
Today I realized I've been plotting my romance writing all wrong. Oops! Lucky for you, I think I figured out how to solve this problem. *Gestures to the camera* come along with me and let's figure out how to write romance plots together!
When I'm sketching out a story idea, I generally use some simplified version of Dan Harmon's story circle (ok so this link is not an endorsement of Dan Harmon as a person, but I have found this plotting device helpful), which is itself a simplified version of Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey. The double-simplified version looks something like this:
You (character in a zone of comfort)
Need (want something)
Go (venture outside the comfort zone)
Search/Adapt (adapt to the new situation)
Find (finally get what they wanted)
Take/Sacrifice (but sacrifice/pay a price)
Return (go back to the comfort zone)
Change (different than they were before)
The problem I keep running into is that I never know what goes where, especially as the number of characters and side plots increases. It's also a little hard for my brain to translate this tool that came out of adventure epics to what I need for a romance/rom-com plot. Usually I look at this list, get overwhelmed, and zoom way too far out, filling in these answers based on what I, the all-knowing author, think they should be. The end result looks a lot like (we're using Dramione as our example, but any characters will do):
You: Hermione Granger
Need: To find love.
Go: To a place where you can find love.
Search/Adapt: For/To love!
Find: LURVE
Take/Sacrifice: The love????? But sad now????
Return: With love!
Change: Loved 😍
And. Uh. That's not a plot?
Where I went wrong is that people in the story don't know they're in a story (unless they do, in which case you should probably sleep with one eye open because your characters know what you've done to them). Your characters are unreliable. They only see what's in front of them. By zooming all the way out to LURVE, I erased everything that's fun to read that gets us to our HEA (or, if you're devious, non-HEA).
So, it stands to reason you should fill out this story circle (story bulleted list?) from the perspective of your character, not you. (This is probably very basic science and congratulations if you got there way before me. You don't need this post. You should be writing this post.)
But even more important in a romance? That need, the thing your main character wants, is kind of a red herring. The character thinks this is their primary need/goal to get them out of whatever slump they start out in, but you, the author, know that what they actually need is to fall in love with the Love Interest.
Then, during the Search/Adapt phase, when your main character is looking for that thing they need or trying to achieve their primary goal or whatever, they start to learn more about the Love Interest. Their perspective shifts, and they realize they were wrong before. The Love Interest is what they actually need. This is probably where most of your story will happen. During this step, there's only one bed, the characters are fake dating, they get trapped in an elevator, etc.
Sadly, just when we think the main character has come to their senses, they are offered the exact thing they *thought* they needed the whole time. Bonus point if the thing they thought they wanted is in direct conflict with accepting the affections of the Love Interest.
During Take/Sacrifice, the main character has to choose. Are they going to pick love or the thing they thought they wanted at the beginning of the tale? In a multi-chap, you might let your character choose the original need/goal (or struggle for a while with the choice). In a one-shot, you might not have enough space for this and the character chooses love.
Next, in the Return, if it isn't the consequences of the character's own actions. A character who chose their need/goal over love during Take/Sacrifice needs to make amends to the Love Interest. The character who chose love has to deal with not getting the thing they needed at the beginning of the story. Depending on your fic's vibes, you might invent a magical solution for the character to get everything they want here. Alternately, maybe the character suffers and loses everything. This seems like a lot to cram into the end of your tale, and it is, so try not to drag it out too long. Your reader has gone on a long journey with your characters and they don't want to read fifteen chapters of sadness before the end (or maybe they do?). If they aren't already, the characters want to be together at this point, they might just need a little shove to get there.
In the final step, take a moment to show us how the character and their life have changed as a result of going on this journey. They are now in a new comfort zone / status quo and are ready for further adventures, should you so choose.
To clarify how these steps work for a romance plot, I changed the labels and made you a little graphic. Please ignore that I don't make graphics and a 12 year old on Canva could have done better.
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The formula looks like this now:
You: Hermione Granger is in her comfort zone. Note: in fanfiction, you don't have to do as much character development with an established character who is behaving as expected. Use this time instead to highlight the limitations of their comfort zone. You can also use this space to set up their romantic foil, especially if that character is behaving in an unexpected way. For example, if Hermione is being very driven and high-achieving, the reader doesn't need a lot of context for her behavior; they already know this version of her from canon. But if her would-be paramour Draco Malfoy is acting kind and considerate, the reader is going to want more information since in canon his behavior is usually presented as rude/entitled/etc. Don't spoil the surprise of why he's different, just show us the ways he's not what we expect. (Reveal his secret in Step 4 - Learn).
Need: Hermione has The Wrong Goal (pass legislation, solve a mystery, avoid sleeping in the room with only one bed). This might be a very noble goal, but it's at odds with Hermione's true, secret, hidden goal of being in love with Draco Malfoy. Why? Because she doesn't know that being in love with Draco is where she's headed yet.
Go: To the place that Hermione's Wrong Goal requires. Pass legislation? Lobby all the Sacred 28s sitting on the Wizengamot! Solve a mystery? Go undercover to find out who did What in Which Room with What Object. Avoid sleeping in the hotel room with only one bed? Go to the concierge and ask for a new room. What's important is that wherever Hermione goes, she's forced to be near Draco Malfoy, the object of her true, secret, hidden, goal (to fall in LURVE).
Learn: This is where Hermione and Draco are forced to work together to solve the problem of the finding/achieving the Wrong Goal. Through this process, Hermione realizes Draco's exactly what she didn't know she was always looking for, etc. Unfortunately, her original goal is still at odds with being in LURVE with him. Cue tension. Example: They're at the concierge desk begging for a new room; he's offering all the money in his vaults, she's trying to appeal to the hotel staff's sense of human decency. She admires his tenacity. He realizes she's witty and a little bit underhanded. He likes this. She has a fleeting curiosity about how the tenacity would manifest in bed. Oh no.
Find: In this step, Hermione is confronted with an opportunity to obtain her original Wrong Goal. Example: Well what do you know? The bribe and the appeals worked. The concierge has found one other room in the hotel. Dramione are no longer forced to sleep in the room with only one bed.
Choose: Unfortunately, lurving Draco is still at odds with Hermione's original goal, so she must choose between him and what she originally thought she wanted. She might have a lot of introspection here, where she considers the merits of different choices. Maybe she even talks it out with him or someone else. If this is a one-shot with a happy ending, she has grown and developed sufficiently by now to make the right choice and choose Draco. She sacrifices the original goal for him. If this is a multi-chapter fic, she chooses the wrong original goal over him and loses him as a result. Example: They both go back to the room with only one bed. He's going to collect his things and go to the new room. They hesitate. Is it really necessary for him to move rooms? Draco has so many items, and some of her stuff is mixed in with his stuff. He looks at her with eyes full of newfound respect. "What do you think, Granger?" Hermione sacrifices her original goal, calls the concierge back, and lets them know that they won't be needing the new room after all, but "Please enjoy whatever ungodly massive tip Mr. Malfoy left you. I know I sure will."
Reap: Now it's time to reap the consequences of the choice Hermione made in Step 6. In a one-shot, maybe Hermione's all done. She heads back to her old comfort zone with her new relationship. Depending on the tone of this story, maybe there's some way that she gets to have her original goal and her relationship. However, in a multi-chapter fic, this is where Hermione has to do some work to make amends for choosing wrong (that is, for not choosing Draco). If it's a multi-chap with a happy ending, she succeeds, Draco forgives her, and they smooch. Example: They're back in the room. There it is - just the one bed. All those slightly naughty things they thought during Step 4? Oh yeah. They're going to try them all out. Fade to black, etc.
Change: Some final scene showing how things are different now that Hermione has what she really needed (the D). Example: They wake up the next morning way past check out and have to extend their stay. Bummer!
A fully worked example:
You: Hermione Granger is bored at her job at the Ministry of Magic. She unexpectedly bumps into her former archenemy, a now polite and reserved Potions Professor Draco Malfoy. She learns that Minerva McGonagall, the current Hogwarts Headmistress, is retiring.
Need: Hermione needs to prove to Minerva, Hermione's longtime mentor, that she's the right person to hire over the other candidate, who just happens to be polite and reserved Professor Malfoy, even though Hermione has never taught students a day in her life.
Go: To avoid her obvious bias, Minerva sets up a series of practical trials to determine which candidate will win the job. Hermione and Professor Malfoy enter the obstacle course.
Learn: When the practical trials start turning dangerous, Hermione and Professor Malfoy must work together to stay alive. Unfortunately, working side by side shows them they have more in common than they thought.
Find: Hermione is presented with an opportunity to sink Professor Malfoy's ship: she learns that he never finished his Potions Mastery. If she reveals this information to Minerva and betrays Draco in the process, the job of Head of Hogwarts will be hers, and the dangerous practical trials/threat to her life will be over. But what about the romantic "something" budding between Hermione and Draco? Well, that's just an acceptable loss. Hermione's career trajectory is on the line!
Choose: Is this a one-shot? Then Hermione chooses "right" at the last minute and decides to sacrifice the job for love and keeps the information to herself. Is this a multi-chapter fic? Then Hermione chooses "wrong" and decides to sacrifice love for the job. She tells Minerva. Draco is devastated.
Reap: If this is a one-shot, Hermione returns from the trials holding hands with her new boyfriend. While they were in the trials, Minerva figured out a way for them to both get the job somehow! If this is a multi-chapter fic, Hermione returns from the trials alone, with her brand new job and a hefty side of guilt. Realizing her error too late, she works to make amends to Draco.
Change: A year later, the Co-Heads of Hogwarts Hermione Granger-Malfoy and Draco Malfoy-Granger celebrate the one-year anniversary of the trials and their relationship by burning Minerva's horrible obstacle course to the ground.
I've written all this out in list format because, well, you saw the circle I made you, but the circle has the benefit of helping you visualize that where your character is in Step 8 (Change) becomes the new Step 1 (You, character in zone of comfort). If you are writing multiple scenes, you can apply this plot exercise to each scene, even if these little micro plots are very small (e.g., Hermione forgets her quill and has to ask Draco to borrow his). Hermione obviously won't have big revelations about how she doesn't really need a quill and is actually in love with Draco each and every scene, but you can still play around with your characters pursuing one goal only to realize their true aspirations mid-way through a scene using the story circle framework. Plotting this way will help you make sure everything you write leads to some sort of change in your character. And that's character development baybee!
When you're ready to level up your story circle skills, remember that in a romance you probably have at least one other main character whose needs you'll have to service. Your new job is make a story circle for the love interest! Note the ways that the two characters' needs/goals align and the ways that they are in opposition. When the characters' story circles are in opposition, you get tension, when they're in alignment, you get softness! Just make sure that whatever is keeping your blorbos apart is actually forcing them together. Meaning, if they have opposing Wrong Goals (Step 2 - Need), make sure that they still have to work together or be near each other somehow (Steps 3 & 4 - Go & Learn) to be able Find (Step 5) what they thought they were looking for. Also make sure that their true, secret, hidden goal is the same (at least for a happy ending fic): they want to end up in love with each other. The characters may come to this realization at different times, and that may guide whether they choose the Wrong Goal or Love during Choose (Step 6) and who has to make amends during Reap (Step 7).
Finally, if you're an alpha or beta reader, try making these circles/lists for the fics you're reading. It should clarify what's going on in each scene and help you identify what's missing from a story.
Happy writing!
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lettersbyelise · 24 days
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hi elise!! first, i just wanted to say that i absolutely ADORE your writing — you've inspired me to rejoin the world of fanfic after years away — and i'm so incredibly glad that you continue to create such thoughtful and inspired works. i was curious, when you first got into fanfic, how did you find longer-term betas and build community? i'm working on a piece for H/D wireless but haven't ever had an official beta for any fanfic writings, and i know there are channels and sites for writers to find betas, but i like the idea of finding and building a more long-term community, rather than someone to do a one-off reading of a fic. sorry this was so long LOL and no worries at all about responding if you haven't been in a similar situation, but if you have any advice or insight, it would be so greatly appreciated! i hope you have a lovely day :)
Thank you so much for your lovely ask! Welcome back to the wonderful world of fanfic! :D I’m really honored to hear my fics inspired you to write your own.
Funnily enough, HD Wireless was the first fest I participated in when I first started writing fic. I'm very fond of that fest, and I come back to it almost every other year.
My Wireless fic was also the first one I had to find a beta for. Before then, I posted my fics unbetaed (which is perfectly fine of course, unless a beta reader is required for fest participation!). I was pretty much writing in a bubble back then, and had no idea where to find a beta, so I asked the mods about it. They invited me to join one of the Drarry servers on Discord. I went to their beta-help channel and asked if anyone was interested in betaing my fic. So if you don’t already have a beta, a Drarry or HP Discord server might be a great place to start looking. Or you could ask your tumblr followers, which can also work nicely!
I know your ask is about finding a long-term beta, rather than a one-off reader. My answer is based solely on my own experience. I'd love to hear about other writers' experiences as well!
How to find a long-term beta reader/partner?
I use the word partner deliberately, because this is how my relationship with my long-term betas feels like. Finding the beta reader who will want to stick with you through the good fics and the bad is a lot like finding a cross between a new best friend and a tough business partner. If you’re lucky, you might find them on your first try, but it's probably the exception more than the rule.
I met my betas through friends of friends. We got to know each other in group chats. We read each other’s fics before we even began betaing for one another. Then one day, B., my long-standing beta (and one of my closest friends in fandom) offered to read the first chapters of a draft fic that would later become Burn The Witch. She loved the potential of the story, yet gave me some super sharp concrit (which I’d asked for). Her input helped me get clarity on the story I wanted to tell. She had an empathetic, yet firm way of delivering advice (i.e. she never made me feel like my story/writing was crap, she didn’t question my plot decisions, but rather pointed out places that needed more tension or tighter writing). 
But most of all, she made me feel like my story was worth telling, worth the time and energy I put into it. She cheered me on unfailingly through the writing of that fic, and so many more. We've been friends for years now and she knows my writing and how I work. We equally enjoy working on projects together, and she isn’t afraid to tell me when something could be better or needs to be rewritten. She knows what I want to achieve with a story and my writing in general, and helps me get there.
That said: not every writer needs those things from a beta reader! The most important decision, to me, is to know what you need and the type (and delivery) of feedback you’re looking for. Some writers write very clean drafts, but need someone who’ll act as a sounding board and alpha for them. Some writers need a cheerleader. Some writers need tough love. Some writers need a talented SPaG reader. It’s best to be clear about what you want - you’ll have a better chance of finding a beta whose style meshes well with yours.
Sorry for the long answer! There are practical aspects to finding a beta, but in my experience, a long-term beta will also become a friend. If your friends aren’t fic readers yet, making friends in fandom who are eager to read your work is a good start (that’s how it worked for me). Interestingly, I didn’t even ask B. to be my beta - she offered her help spontaneously. Guess I just got super lucky that day <3
So maybe my advice is this: Talk about the stories you’re writing, what you’re enthusiastic about, what your writing goals are. Talk about it on your blog, a Discord server, or wherever you feel comfortable sharing your fic details. I'm sure many fans will show up and tell you they're eager to beta for you.... Your future long-term beta might be among them.
Good luck <3
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scorpionoesit · 8 months
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Hello author, don't mind me if I borrow your beta for a bit to ask a question if they see this-
Hello author's beta! (Alibi :D) I saw in one of the ask answers that world building is your jam, bread and butter (I've been stuck here for too long help me/j) anyway, I wanted to see if we could borrow some of your jam wisdom. (Can we have worldbuilding tips?)
Ps: love you author I love advice from you as well please don't hurt me-
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"Okay...alright, so basically I have like two types of worldbuilding. One that's like history world building, which we'll get to in a minute, but the other I like to call Band-Aid world-building. *chuckles* So basically, for history worldbuilding, like let's say if someone were to look at earth, our worldbuilding would be history. And I like history! So this is fun! Making fake history? Awesome! So [for Vagabonds] it was like, finding things we refer to historically in real life and giving them like, Vagabonds...painting(?). Like how we can say...just say 'the pyramids' and you know what I mean. The same way they say 'the Archives' and you know what they mean. How we will casually refer to World War II is how they refer to their Civil War sort of thing. Just casual pieces of history that appear in our everyday life, how would that translate to a fictional world? And that's basically it. And just having like how [Scorpio] did before, just having those little references can eventually build into something else. So we don't even fully build a history, we just make little references, and if we need a history, we can go back to those and be like 'oh, let's expand on this'. Which is basically what we did. So basically this type of worldbuilding is just to add a little spice. You think there's dimension, but no, it's just a greenscreen. It's meant to make your world feel fuller. More lived in without having to make up years of complex historical shenanigans. Anyway, but Band-Aid worldbuilding is my favorite, okay? Because it's basically just like...built a story! Story has plot holes? Band-Aid worldbuilding over them! That's how you fix all plot holes: worldbuilding! Uhh, so like, Tommy has to help people that are hurt. Why can't he just call an ambulance? Well, obviously...there are none here! Band-aid, BAM! You see what I mean? That's...yeah, that's basically the two types. So basically, my advice would be not to focus on worldbuilding? Just build your story, use worldbuilding to fix any little issues, then throw in some historical references." (Another thing that I like to do (that I know isn't for everyone) is making fake religions? *nervous laugh* It's a weird thing to say out loud. 'I like to make fake religions like a good cult leader!' Yeah, but...just like we see that religions are, like, vitally integral to all things history, ever? And nothing makes a world feel more lived in than seeing how their religion has kinda grown with them? In a purely metaphorical sense. Am I making sense? [Nope! :3] Anyway, I also enjoy the thought experiments of picking little pieces of real life religions and mashing them together and shoving them into a story for my own enjoyment. And this hasn't shown up in Vagabonds yet, and it's important not to be too heavy-handed with it, but it's a good way to give a set group of people the same motivations and morals, I guess? [You'll see more of this in Vagabonds later on.])
xD And that's all they wrote.
I would also like to clarify, this is not the only way to do it? Obviously, I know, but like...I doubt this sort of thing worked with Tolkien. Everyone has their own method, their own process. This is ours.
It also helps that someone takes eons to write, which let's the worldbuilding marinate for eons. Hehe...
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slayingfiction · 7 months
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Beta Readers
What is a beta reader and beta reading?
Beta readers are a test audience for authors’ new books. This could include friends, family, or someone in the book community. It does not require any type of training or professional education. Beta readers receive book copies before they get released in order to give feedback to the author about their novel. Beta reading is typically the stage after proofreading and right before publishing. 
How do authors benefit from beta readers
Beta reading helps an author by getting feedback from their future audience before publishing so they can make desired changes to improve the reception of their novel. This can save them time and money by fixing problems prior to publishing that have been missed. It also helps build readership for when the book releases, because beta reader will be able to post reviews, enticing others to read the novel. 
How can you benefit from beta reading?
There are many ways to benefit from being a beta reader. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest reasons:
Free books: First and foremost, you get free books! To be a beta reader, you must love reading, so this is typically the biggest reason people want to become beta readers. You can get a small reprieve from buying books and just get them for free! All you need to give in return is your opinion.
Sense of accomplishment: Beta reading is a very important job and can determine the failure or success of a novel. You get to be a part of the team that can make a difference in peoples’ lives. One book can make all the difference to both authors and readers alike. You get a sense of joy, pride and accomplishment by helping. 
Compensation: Most beta readers will never make money from this, most taking on this responsibility for the two aforementioned reasons. However, that doesn’t mean sometimes you can’t receive financial compensation for your feedback. Those with a reputation for strong book reviews or have lots of experience in reading and giving feedback can certainly make a profit for this service. Making money from beta reading could be done with some of the following options:
Freelancing: Using freelance websites such as Upwork or Fiverr, you can market yourself as a beta reader and get jobs from people and companies offering compensation to beta readers. 
Websites: Work with companies such as OnlineBookClub to get paid for your reviews of new upcoming books. 
Market yourself in communities: You can market yourself as a beta reader for compensation when joining writing communities and establishing yourself as a prominent and professional beta reader within communities such as BookTok, Bookstagram, Goodreads, LinkedIn, and more. If you’re willing to put the effort in, this can come with some great rewards.
Your Brand: Being a beta reader for authors and companies can greatly enhance your brand or recognition in the book and writing communities if you decide you want to do this for a long time, want to add it to other services you offer, or become a novelist yourself in the future. Working in the community can do great things if you want to become established in the future. 
How do I become an amazing beta reader?
Beta reading isn’t the most complicated of jobs, but it does take talent, skills, and knowledge to be a superstar beta reader. Here’s some ways to stand out against the crowd. 
Read. Simple enough, right? It almost seems like common sense, but the truth is, the more you read, the better you get at understanding novel structures and elements. It also gives you great practice to work on your critical thinking and analyzing skills. 
Choose books only from your favourite genres. Authors are looking for people who are in their targeted audience, because they are the ones who will have the best knowledge of that genre and relate it to other readings they have done. So don’t beta read a mystery novel if you mostly read romance novels. 
Be knowledgeable of how books work. Plots, characters, world building, and more can all differ based on genre, so you want to know how these elements may be missing or lacking for this specific novel in order to give your best feedback. 
Understand the author’s desired target audience so you can tailor your feedback to help them write for their readers. You will then be capable of analyzing the reading level and explicit scenes to determine if they should be fixed or left as-is. 
Understand what kind of answers will best help the author perfect their novel. Try reviewing questions such as this: Questions to ask your alpha/beta readers. Understanding what authors are looking for will give you a better idea of how to be most useful and become critical to your community. 
Don’t give your personal opinions. What you may like, or prefer, can greatly differ from what is useful to the author. Instead of saying you don’t like it, or how you would like to see it written or played out, tell them what elements are causing you to not enjoy the novel. Learn to understand your dislike of something due to problems in the work versus personal preference. 
Be completely honest, but honesty never needs to be brutal. The novel you read in a day could have taken that author months or years to write, and it would be their whole life. Be gentle in your feedback, and always assure you tell them what they are doing well, not only the mistakes.
I am sorry for not posting anything lately. Recently I have been been working very hard at creating my own blog website that will include blog posts, mini writing courses, manuscript services, author of the month, and current read with a book review. I’m so excited for you all to see it when it gets up and running!
I hope everyone has a great week,
Happy Writing!
@cheerfulmelancholies Sorry it took so long to answer your question, I hope this helps at least a little! :)
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endpaperedits · 1 year
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Tip #3
Take notes!
Whether you are a meticulous outliner or a writer who keeps everything in their head, taking notes can be a life-saver.
Take notes while you write. Take notes while you edit. Because no matter how good you are, you will forget whether you've been formatting the time as 3PM or three PM. You will forget how many roommates your protagonist's best friend has. You will forget what day of the week an event took place, and what streets side characters live on, and what food a character off-handedly mentioned they hated. You will forget the little things and, if your story is long enough, you will forget the big things, too.
So instead of wasting time scrolling through your 300 page Word document or pouring through word search results, take notes! They will make the writing and editing experiences much easier, and ultimately much more fun.
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jellypawss · 2 months
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also advice needed and I forgot to ask my cardiologist today, I’ve been drinking every night for about 2 weeks but got off my heart med (flecanide) today, should I have my 4 beers as usual to avoid withdrawal and potentially more stress OR would having my normal amount cause more bodily stress?
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