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Date Posted: 15:19:23 06/21/07 Thu
Author: Pixie
Subject: I can empathize with your quandary. I beta read in multiple fandoms, and I've been where you are more times than I can count. I don't know if my thoughts will help or not, but they're inside if you're interested.
In reply to: Theresa 's message, "Kind of stuck in a position here" on 18:11:45 06/18/07 Mon

When someone wants honesty, how do I tell them they totally stink as a writer?

lol - um, you don't. At least, I wouldn't. People who write fanfiction are doing it for love, and most of them don't really want brutal honesty. And even those who claim they do will resent it if you're too blunt. I might say something like, "This needs a lot of work, and I'm afraid it's more than I can manage right now. Rather than give you less help than you deserve, I'd suggest you find another beta reader." That tells them two things. One, their story needs work - which is absolutely true, and two, you're not up to the challenge - also true.

When I'm being sent pieces that are so poorly written that if they were posted on a website I would hit the back button before the third line, how can I tell them that they need serious help before they publish anything without sounding condescending or mean?

Have you ever asked an author if they've tried reading their story aloud before sending it to you? A lot of times, that will show them things that you couldn't without sounding mean. Also, I might take a couple of sentences (or paragraphs) and deconstruct them for the author, showing her (assuming the author's a her) exactly where the problems are. I'd do it as gently as I could, but I'd be totally honest. Dishonesty doesn't do anybody any favors. I wouldn't go beyond those sentences/paragraphs until the author indicated whether or not she was willing to work and learn, and maybe not even then if I didn't have the time/energy to put into the project. After all, fanfiction is supposed to be fun for you, too.

And if I don't tell them what I really think, how can I claim to be an honest person?

You couldn't. And more than that, you'd feel guilty about it afterwards. That's why I'd beta a small section, explain how much work there is to do, and send it back to the author. Put the ball in her court, so to speak. But I wouldn't outright tell her that she stunk - just that she has a lot of work to do. In the end, it's all about diplomacy.

Is it better to let them publish it and get bad or no reviews, than to tell them privately that they don't have a handle on the craft of writing, and they should wait a long time and have a lot of personal practice and training before they try to publish?

If this were professional fiction, I might tell her to wait until she's had some training, but it isn't, and that's a major difference. I'd say that the best you can do is be honest about how much work there is to do, try to find something positive to say about the story (to ease the blow), and then move on.

If you have the time/patience/inclination to work with the author, and if the author sincerely wants to improve, then that's one thing. That's usually the exception, though. In my experience, many times the writers who most need the help are also the least willing to put in the work. It's sad, but true.

Whatever happens, don't blame yourself. It's tempting, when you turn down beta work, to feel like you're somehow letting somebody down, but in the end, you have to be true to yourself and your own patience/abilities/beliefs.

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