meridian_rose

kitarella_imagines posted this tag game:
Go to AO3 and find the following

1. What rating do you write most fics under?

2. What are your top 3 fandoms?

3. What is your top character you write about?

4. What are the 3 top pairings?

5. What are the top 3 additional tags?

6. Did any of this surprise you? e.g. what turned out to be your top tag.

My answers are under the cut.
( Read more... )

I have a happy post to make. This is not it. Remember that rant I had about the so-called beta who 'corrected "britspellings" to "englishspellings"' ? Well, there's an original fic big bang sign-up novel_bigbang; essentially it requires 20k of original fic by September 2011.

I was thinking about it; the muse was okay with the idea, so long as we dropped out if it got too stressful. I hadn't decided on what idea I'd go with. I was taken with the idea of trying to write an entirely original piece of work over 12k. I figured I could even post polls and discussions if I got stuck on plot points and my flist could help me make decisions.

Then I read the rules; there's an insistence on having a beta reader. This is not a piece of work that will automatically be sent to a publisher. This is not a piece of work that's likely to get a wide audience. This is not a piece of work that someone will receive as a gift. Why the insistence? So I wrote a ranty comment which I posted there and reproduce here:

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The beta reader part may be a deal breaker for me. I have issues with the "must be beta read". I've seen appalling fanfic with in-text author notes, and a serious lack of punctuation, that's supposedly been beta read. I've seen beta readers cheerfully announce they "correct 'britspelling' to 'englishspelling'" which sends me into a murderous rage. There is absolutely no guarantee a beta read fic will be free from errors. Given the amount of errors I see in published fic that's been through a number of editors and proof readers, hoping for complete a lack of errors is a pipe dream.

Also there's the question of 'who is suitable'? I can impress upon family members in a pinch, but while they might be great at picking up on spelling errors, they're not so great at the editing side of things. A good beta, as I understand the term, also advises on pace and other elements.

I fully acknowledge how a good beta can improve a story. I know without a shadow of a doubt that when I have been able to find a beta reader the finished fic has been of a higher calibre due to their input. What I object to is this arbitrary insistence on it, especially when there is no-one who will be really be helped or harmed by the inclusion.

To clarify: I'll make an exception in insisting on a beta reader for gift fics; I want my recipient to get the very best fic possible. These fics are usually under 3k though, and I'm usually able to source one within the gift fest participants. It's harder to find someone who wants to read your off the wall original fic 'for the hell of it'.

I'm still on the fence about signing up; stamina is something I struggle with when it comes to original fic in particular and big bang fics in general. I lose passion or direction at around the 12k mark. I'm tempted to sign up just to push my boundaries and see if I really can complete an original fic big bang for the first time. On the other hand, I need to consider if I can even find a beta fitting the requirements, whom I trust with something that will probably be a lot more personal than a fanfic.

This is a bit of a rant, but it is something I feel strongly about. There's an obvious lack of quality control and anyone can claim to be a beta, even if they don't know the difference between British English and American English (and presume to incorrectly Americanize words) - or even the difference between 'their' and 'they're" or 'breaks' and 'brakes'.

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IDK what their response will be.

ETA: I never did hear back from them. If they're not willing to budge, nor discuss it, screw them. It shows a complete lack of support for the authors involved.