I've been writing fanfiction for more than ten years and was fortunate to work with print zine editors in the Blakes 7 fandom before the majority of fanfic moved online. I learned quite a bit and improved my writing dramatically while working with them. Anyone who knows that fandom will recognize the names of Judith Proctor & Neil Faulkner. Tavia Chalcraft may be less well known but is an outstanding editor. I did some of my best writing under the guidance of those editors and the B7 community, and learned even more from reading much that was written in the fandom.br /



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I'd like to offer that same experience to a writer who is looking not only for proof-reading (spelling and obvious grammatical errors) but for a beta reader who can offer constructive advice about sentence structure, paragraph structure, pace, characterization (for fandoms that I know well), dialog, and basic story flow. More experienced writers may solicit input about imagery, POV, subtext, themes, etc.br /



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I usually write and edit in MS Word and prefer to work in Track Changes mode. This allows both parties to see the suggested changes and Accept/Reject those changes. I could work with other software: Open Office, ftr docs, etc. I use Strunk & White for basic grammatical issues and Webster's Unabridged for spelling (MS Word does not contain a full dictionary). As a resident of the USA, I am most comfortable writing & editing American English, but have written & edited UK English. I admire and prefer writers who tailor their choice of language to the fandom. Blakes 7 was a BBC show and it makes sense to use UK English, spelling and idioms when writing in it. Firefly is an American television (and Serenity a US movie) and I'd expect to read American English, spelling, etc., in its fanfic.br /



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I don't expect a writer to accept all of the changes I propose, but I would expect that the writer to take them as tools to improve his/her writing, not as personal attacks. I would prefer to work with writers who are willing to accept input and not construe them as attacks.br /



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I remember very well how I reacted to editorial input at first and I understand the emotional defensiveness that occurs when someone criticizes one's work, however gently or accurately. That is going to happen. Let it happen and then after some time has passed (hours, days, whatever it takes) look at the advice again.br /br /br /



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I recommend reading the article in the Guardian where a number of well-known, successful and good writers offer their list of Rules for Writing Fiction.br /



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See http:/www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-onebr /br /br /



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Elmore's Leonard's points 2, 3,4,5 & 6 are worth copying in here:br /



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2 Avoid prologues: they can be ­annoying, especially a prologue ­following an introduction that comes after a foreword. But these are ordinarily found in non-fiction. A prologue in a novel is backstory, and you can drop it in anywhere you want. There is a prologue in John Steinbeck's Sweet Thursday, but it's OK because a character in the book makes the point of what my rules are all about. He says: "I like a lot of talk in a book and I don't like to have nobody tell me what the guy that's talking looks like. I want to figure out what he looks like from the way he talks.br /



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3 Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue. The line of dialogue belongs to the character; the verb is the writer sticking his nose in. But "said" is far less intrusive than "grumbled", "gasped", "cautioned", "lied". I once noticed Mary McCarthy ending a line of dialogue with "she asseverated" and had to stop reading and go to the dictionary.br /



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4 Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said" . . . he admonished gravely. To use an adverb this way (or almost any way) is a mortal sin. The writer is now exposing himself in earnest, using a word that distracts and can interrupt the rhythm of the exchange. I have a character in one of my books tell how she used to write historical romances "full of rape and adverbs"br /



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5 Keep your exclamation points ­under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. If you have the knack of playing with exclaimers the way Tom Wolfe does, you can throw them in by the handful.br /



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6 Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose". This rule doesn't require an explanation. I have noticed that writers who use "suddenly" tend to exercise less control in the application of exclamation points.

Someone who is considering whether or not to engage me as a beta reader should first read some of my work and decide if s/he likes what I have written. br /



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I consider one of my strengths to be language. The selection of the *right* word can make or break not only a sentence but the entire meaning of a paragraph or chapter.br /



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Another strength (according to my High School English teachers anyway) is syntax: the arranging of words into a sentence, the structure and form of the sentence. Of course, sentence structure varies. What works in exposition will seem stilted in dialog.br /



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I am constantly working to improve my skills at trimming what is unnecessary, redundant or distracting and will try to help an author remember that the words, the paragraphs, and the dialog are there to serve the story. Too often, a writer (myself included) will leave in passages that serve no purpose in the story, don't advance the plot, provide any insight into characters or motivations simply because the author likes that passage. br /



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I believe I have an ear for dialog and can help an author adapt his/her writing to construct dialog that is true to the character and the story, and is believable to boot.

I am continually working on improving my descriptive skills. Sometimes I need to write a paragraph or section of the story over and over, tweaking words, to try to set the stage properly. I tend to be a visual writer and have to force myself to include all sensory details - what does it smell like, what does the character hear, what's the lighting, is it warm or cold - to create a sense of immediacy for the reader. My best effort is my story "Brothers in Arms" but it's something with which I struggle. Therefore, I bring that natural tendency for the visual over other senses into my editing. My language skills often fail me when searching for the right descriptive choice. A writer who is seeking to improve his/her description probably would be better served by another beta-reader.

I am open to all genres with the exception songfic or poetry, and usually have no problem with slash (as long as it does not involve children). Any rating is fine, though I prefer those aimed at Teens or Above. The more complex the story the better. br /



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I prefer to work with an author to ensure that the characters in the story remain 'in character' meaning that they resemble the ones on the screen or the page. I do not subscribe to the theory that because it's fanfiction, it's all just for fun and what is 'in character' is relative. Yes, there will always be a bit of authorial interpretation but that should stay in the range of what is believable. Remember, they are SOMEONE ELSE's creation that you are taking out to play and you should work within that creation. If you borrow someone's station wagon, it doesn't turn into a Ferrari or a dune buggy just because there is a different driver in it.br /



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I prefer to beta stories in fandoms with which I am familiar. I have written in Blakes 7, Real Ghostbusters, Airwolf, Emergency and Firefly.br /



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I am familiar with quite a bit more including BtVS, Angel, The Man from Uncle, West Wing, Law & Order (original or SVU), In Plain Sight and White Collar. Ask me and I'll tell you what I know or don't know about the fandom.

Not my cup of tea: songfics (sorry, I loathe the genre) or poetry (just not very good at it).br /



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I will generally decline a request to beta-read stories where an Original Character is the primary protagonist to the exclusion of the fandom characters, where the fandom's characters spend more time 'off-screen' than on. I would prefer not to beta-read stories that are wildly Out-of-character, that include Mary-Sues, where the original characters are infantilized, focus on the (author created) children of the fandom's characters, or where the story is just sex (PWP). I quite like sex in the stories as long as there is a plot and actual story accompanying the sex, or better, sex that just happens to accompany the plot and is there to demonstrate the relationship between the characters.br /



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I am not a fan of woobies, the apparently insatiable need by some authors to transform a canon character into someone who suffers injury after injury in every story; devolves into a weepy, pathetic, clinging shadow of his/her canonical self; who without any canonical basis, comes from a tragic and an emotionally, physically, sexually (or all three) abusive childhood and who has a (again non-canonically) leech-like relationship with the other characters who become his/her substitute family and hover around the woobie character providing emotional sustenance, to the point where they apparently put their own lives and families on hold. I'm not sure what drives a significant number of fanfic authors to write these types of stories - they are legion - but I don't read them and if you ask me to beta-read them, I am quite sure you won't like my suggestions (revisit the original source - TV show, movie, book - and stay true to the character as written)

Tv » Airwolf Tv » Angel Tv » Blakes 7

Tv » Buffy: The Vampire Slayer Tv » Emergency Tv » Firefly

Cartoon » Ghost Busters (Real/Extreme) Tv » In Plain Sight Tv » White Collar

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