And boy was it hot. We've been having lovely temps in the 80s (around 27-29C) for the past week and Saturday we hit 92 (33C). It's amazing how little time it takes you to acclimate to the cooler temps. To illustrate how wacky Oklahoma weather is...yesterday we had the air conditioning on due to the sunny, humid 92 degree day. Currently at 4:33 central time it's 67 (19C) and overcast. No AC today needless to say.
Now to totally change the topic I'll put my two cents worth in regarding E's question. When it comes to reading online fiction I always keep in mind that's it's free. I know the level of editing isn't going to be professional. But you'd be amazed at how much good a decent beta reader will do for your story. Being overwhelmed by spelling, punctuation and grammar errors will make me stop reading a story. However, my biggest pet peeve is reading a story with changing tenses. Nothing sets my teeth on edge more than having the character bounce around in time.
Okay, that's it for me tonight. Enjoy the update!
Tamara
- BtVS
- Heaven Lost, Paradise Found by Moondancer (Mystic Muse
- Chapter 29 of You Do NOT Get To Say Her Name by Spellbound (Extra Flamey).
- Chapter 11 of A World Without Buffy by strange1 (Extra Flamey).
- Anywhere But Here by RayTheTulip (Extra Flamey).
- Chapter 12 of Unused by RayTheTulip (Extra Flamey).
CSI - The Matchmaker by Ann (Fluff!).
Fingersmith - Part 1 of After The Ice-House by archaeobard (Fingersmith Fever).
Law & Order/JAG - Slice of Lemon with your Cruiser, Officer? by ncruuk (Fluff!)
Law & Order: Trial by Jury - Hoping for the Best by Ann (A State of Undress Fic-a-thon Challenge).
- Logistics of a Relationship by Ann (A State of Undress Fic-a-thon Challenge).
Original - Episode 106 of Gossamer: Over The Falls (PDF link) by Gossamer (Gossamer web site).
- Take My Breath Away by BlueMoonWriter (Sandbox 101).
- Double Dip by Evecho (Sandbox 101).
- Part 2 of The Phoenix by DJ Belt (Sandbox 101).
- Life Of A Spy by Annina (Sandbox1 01).
Stargate SG-1 - Prometheus Glued... by ncruuk (Fluff!).
Voyager - Chapter 14 of Gunmetal Dark by Angelina Vansen (her web site).
- Chapter 2 of Galaxies by Susan Thompson (Astrometrics).
5 comments:
ok - to play a form of devil's advocate or hmm, not really that but to bounce off the replies to the question (and yes grammar matters to me as a writer and a reader. Not as much as a reader but as a writer it frustrates me terribly because I know I have poor skills - hence my question.
I like people mentioning beta readers and grammar and such - but as nice as that sounds, how does one go about finding a beta reader or working to improve those grammar flaws? I'm looking for very specific advice here - is there a web site where betas, who have a good grasp of English, exist and have time to read and edit for free my story???????? What grammar sources really help a writer???? (especially one whose mistakes are not because they did not read or take time to do a simple edit but because they lack the skills....) And what about help for the non-English speaking writers working to put things into English???
thanks in advance for any resources - docwho2100
I know The Athenaeum has a beta volunteers page: http://www.xenafiction.net/betas.html. However, I have read of a few writers running into the problem of these folks being quite busy with beta reading. It doesn't hurt to ask though.
I've always thought one of the best ways to get your work beta read was to ask a friend you trust to do it. This should be someone who you trust to catch your spelling errors and who reads enough to recognize when something in a story isn't making sense. They should also be honest. Too many writers aren't well served by folks who read their stuff and give nothing but praise.
I know some writers post their work to their own Yahoo groups first and rely on feedback from the members for beta reading. From what I've seen, if the writer mostly wants to hear positives, this will work. But don't expect any real criticism.
Writers groups who will workshop stories can be especially helpful when it comes to getting your story critiqued by folks who are there to be merciless.
I hope someone else speaks up about this particular question, but I would recommend The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. as a great resource for any writer to have: http://www.bartleby.com/141/.
My turn...
First get more than one if possible. Secondly ask ask and ask some more. Go to groups, friends and even other writers.
More comments are better. And work with them openly and accept advice, because in the end they are doing you a favor making you look better.
I do need to mention, Okie is one ruthless editor when she wants to be. But so many writers don't like to take grammatical advice and that is just plain wrong. Editing a story is one thing, but grammer is another. Spelling, tenses, word usage all are not actually gray areas.
Here's a Yahoo group that has a beta readers volunteer list in their database section: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lesfic_unbound/.
I found another good Beta site. This one lists what the beta can do and for whom. Many choices.
http://www.ralst.com/Betas.html
Good Luck.
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