I've noticed several people, in the Care and Feeding of BRs thread, stating that they're willing to beta for writers who are looking for BRs. But it occurred to me that these offers might get lost in the midst of that thread. So I've started this new one in the hope that those kind FoLCs, and perhaps others who've been wondering about BRing, might post here advertising their services. wink

For someone who hasn't done it before, the first question on your mind might be: What do I need to be a BR?

The most important thing to have is a love of fanfic. That's it, really. goofy Spelling, grammar, punctuation - well, that helps, but only really if the writer you BR for specifies that s/he needs help with that. When I work with a BR, what I want from her/him is these things:

  • Reactions: how does the story make you feel? Are you getting what you want from the story? From the characters' actions? From the plot? Does anything not make sense?
  • Criticisms: does it make sense? Have I explained everything? Are my characters in character - and if they're acting out of character, have I explained why? Is it just plain stupid? Does the dialogue sound right? Is there a better way to say something than I've said it?
  • Suggestions: do you have ideas about what could happen next? Or how something that's already happened could happen better? Or how I could link aspects of the story together?
  • Sometimes I want to brainstorm: I might feel that I've written myself into a corner and I want to discuss ideas as to how to escape. wink But finding those ideas isn't the BR's job - if s/he comes up with solutions that's a real bonus. Simply being able to discuss the creative process helps.
  • Spelling, grammar etc: way down the list! Sure, if my BR finds a typo or a misplaced semi-colon, I want to know. wink But it's much more about the ideas.



How does the process work? Any way you and your author want it to. goofy Some writers prefer to send a complete story; others send chunks - completed chapters or even just however many pages they have written at that point, whether or not they end at a proper finishing-point. As Yvonne said, perhaps they don't even end at the end of a sentence! wink Some writers want to discuss complete plot outlines before sending any story drafts; others prefer to keep their BRs in the dark as their story develops.

As to the mechanics of communication, there's email, there's IRC, there's chat programmes. wink Almost as many arrangements as there are BR relationships!

Someone in the other thread mentioned that it's helpful if authors looking for BRs say something about their story and what they want from their BR. Excellent idea! It's also very helpful if volunteering BRs specify what sort of stories they like and what they consider their skills and interests to be - kmar did that. thumbsup

So how about it, would-be BRs? Post here, and then wait for eager, grateful writers to contact you - and enjoy all the lovely fic which will come pouring in!


Wendy smile

Last edited by LabRat; 01/11/18 02:50 PM.

Just a fly-by! *waves*