5 Steps to Surviving an Edit
Jan. 8th, 2010 12:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
next_to_normal5 Steps to Surviving an Edit is great blog post I saw linked at ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
start_writing. It's directed toward professional authors who submit their manuscript to a freelance editor, but I think it works just as well if you go through the whole thing, change the word "editor" to "beta," and apply it to fanfic (except for the part where betas don't get paid, of course!).
Just to pull out some quotes I think are valuable:
But deep down inside... you are also kind of hoping that editor will deem your work “brilliant as is” and return it with only a few typos changed.
I think this is what a lot of authors expect when they send their work off to a beta - especially new authors - and it's a huge blow to them to see it come back covered in corrections and comments. But that's not what the editing process is all about. It's not about confirming your brilliance; it's about making your story the best that it can be.
Marks on the page ≠ “I am a bad writer.”
Marks on the page = your editor is doing what you paid her to do.
Dude. Words to live by. For both the author and the beta. Authors, obviously, don't be upset by lots of marks on the page. It's not a personal indictment of you as a writer. It just means there's room for improvement - and improvement is GOOD! Don't we all want our fics to be the best they possibly can be?
But betas, too, don't hesitate to mark things up! I've had betas who were actually afraid to make edits to my chapters, because they didn't want to overstep their boundaries or presume they knew better than me or some nonsense like that. Look, if you're not going to make the damn thing better, why are you betaing for me at all? I know not every author thinks that way, but if you're holding back on your corrections because you're worried the author won't take it well, then you need to find a less sensitive author (or direct her to this post, because she doesn't understand the purpose of a beta).
Rather than brace yourself against your editor's comments, open yourself to their possibilities. Allow a week or two to digest them so whatever truth is there can sink in.
I know that a lot of times, when you get criticism, your first instinct is to say, "But! But! You're missing the point! You're reading it wrong!" Especially when it's something that you think is really necessary or important, and your beta completely disagrees. I know that my tendency is often to explain why I did what I did. Which can be helpful - if your beta knows what you were trying to do, then perhaps she can help you rewrite it in a way that more accurately conveys what you meant to say (but clearly didn't, or she would've gotten it the first time, without the explanation). But resist the urge to get defensive - always keep it open-minded ("This is what I was trying to say. Does it work if I clarify it by changing X?") rather than simply trying to argue your side.
“If I were an agent I would have stopped reading here” is not an easy thing for you to read or your editor to write—but its very honesty is a gift.
Honestly, does anyone want to post something that no one will want to read? Probably not. You want to post the best story you can, you want people to read it, and (let's face it) you want people to like it. Who doesn't like getting good reviews on their fic? Your beta is like the canary in the mine, an early warning for when something goes wrong, so you can fix it before it's too late. If she reads your story and goes, "Meh," then chances are, a lot of your readers are gonna have the same reaction. If she thinks your dialogue is OOC, chances are, your readers will, too. If she can't follow your incomprehensible plot, chances are, your readers can't, either. See where I'm going with this?
When I was starting out in Buffy fandom, this was the most important thing to me. Even before I discovered the wonders of editing and collaboration and improvement, I knew I needed a beta, because I needed that test opinion. I wanted at least one stamp of approval other than my own before sending my fic out into the great big world. (That's not a rubber stamp, mind you - a beta who does nothing but tell you you're wonderful is utterly, utterly useless.)
Anyway, I recommend checking out the original post. And while you're over there, take a look at Things That Drive an Editor Crazy. All things that have been covered numerous times, but definitely bear repeating.
start_writing. It's directed toward professional authors who submit their manuscript to a freelance editor, but I think it works just as well if you go through the whole thing, change the word "editor" to "beta," and apply it to fanfic (except for the part where betas don't get paid, of course!).Just to pull out some quotes I think are valuable:
But deep down inside... you are also kind of hoping that editor will deem your work “brilliant as is” and return it with only a few typos changed.
I think this is what a lot of authors expect when they send their work off to a beta - especially new authors - and it's a huge blow to them to see it come back covered in corrections and comments. But that's not what the editing process is all about. It's not about confirming your brilliance; it's about making your story the best that it can be.
Marks on the page ≠ “I am a bad writer.”
Marks on the page = your editor is doing what you paid her to do.
Dude. Words to live by. For both the author and the beta. Authors, obviously, don't be upset by lots of marks on the page. It's not a personal indictment of you as a writer. It just means there's room for improvement - and improvement is GOOD! Don't we all want our fics to be the best they possibly can be?
But betas, too, don't hesitate to mark things up! I've had betas who were actually afraid to make edits to my chapters, because they didn't want to overstep their boundaries or presume they knew better than me or some nonsense like that. Look, if you're not going to make the damn thing better, why are you betaing for me at all? I know not every author thinks that way, but if you're holding back on your corrections because you're worried the author won't take it well, then you need to find a less sensitive author (or direct her to this post, because she doesn't understand the purpose of a beta).
Rather than brace yourself against your editor's comments, open yourself to their possibilities. Allow a week or two to digest them so whatever truth is there can sink in.
I know that a lot of times, when you get criticism, your first instinct is to say, "But! But! You're missing the point! You're reading it wrong!" Especially when it's something that you think is really necessary or important, and your beta completely disagrees. I know that my tendency is often to explain why I did what I did. Which can be helpful - if your beta knows what you were trying to do, then perhaps she can help you rewrite it in a way that more accurately conveys what you meant to say (but clearly didn't, or she would've gotten it the first time, without the explanation). But resist the urge to get defensive - always keep it open-minded ("This is what I was trying to say. Does it work if I clarify it by changing X?") rather than simply trying to argue your side.
“If I were an agent I would have stopped reading here” is not an easy thing for you to read or your editor to write—but its very honesty is a gift.
Honestly, does anyone want to post something that no one will want to read? Probably not. You want to post the best story you can, you want people to read it, and (let's face it) you want people to like it. Who doesn't like getting good reviews on their fic? Your beta is like the canary in the mine, an early warning for when something goes wrong, so you can fix it before it's too late. If she reads your story and goes, "Meh," then chances are, a lot of your readers are gonna have the same reaction. If she thinks your dialogue is OOC, chances are, your readers will, too. If she can't follow your incomprehensible plot, chances are, your readers can't, either. See where I'm going with this?
When I was starting out in Buffy fandom, this was the most important thing to me. Even before I discovered the wonders of editing and collaboration and improvement, I knew I needed a beta, because I needed that test opinion. I wanted at least one stamp of approval other than my own before sending my fic out into the great big world. (That's not a rubber stamp, mind you - a beta who does nothing but tell you you're wonderful is utterly, utterly useless.)
Anyway, I recommend checking out the original post. And while you're over there, take a look at Things That Drive an Editor Crazy. All things that have been covered numerous times, but definitely bear repeating.
no subject
Date: Jan. 8th, 2010 06:21 pm (UTC)But betas, too, don't hesitate to mark things up!
YES! I feel so down when a chapter is returned with a few corrections, it makes me feel like the beta didn't bother to read it. I love it much more when it's filled with red/blue/yellow colors -corrections, suggestions, comments.
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Date: Jan. 9th, 2010 06:40 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: Jan. 9th, 2010 06:52 pm (UTC)I need beta more than other ficwriters, because English isn't my native language. In a way, it's my excuse not to feel bad when my betas point at my (numerous!) blunders - "hey! I'm writing in foreign language!" Actually I try to work with two betas: one for grammar and style, one for plot and voices. I was very lucky to find excellent betas. *knocks wood*
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Date: Jan. 16th, 2010 02:18 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: Jan. 16th, 2010 02:18 am (UTC)