30 Days of Fanfic - Day 24

[sharelle]

24 – Betaing – How many betas do you like to use to make sure there aren't any major flaws in your fic? Do you have a beta horror story or dream story?

I guess my dream story is that my betas have always, without exception, been awesome. Every beta reader I've been lucky enough to find has been smart, thoughtful, eagle-eyed, and honest. They didn't just gush and stroke my ego; they gave praise, but they also offered constructive suggestions, which I always appreciated very much.

I usually only have one beta for a story, though I've had as many as two on occasion. (I've also had different people reading within each fandom - like working with specialists!) Having a lot of beta readers on one story can certainly help to find more errors or trouble spots, but then you also run the potential risk of many conflicting opinions. I've always been comfortable with one or two at the most.

Very rarely, I will post a story un-betaed. (Mostly with one-shots, drabbles, or other very short fics.) That doesn't happen often, however. I do prefer to have the second pair of eyes.




Master List of Questions can be found here.