Sometimes...

[giandujakiss]

...you just want to leap into someone else's story and beta it for them.

This, I suspect, would not be appreciated.

Comments

[cofax7]

Yes!

[giandujakiss]

Because the story has such potential, if only you could tell the author to fix this thing.

[lab]

Yes! I have that urge a lot, because sometimes the potential just shines.

[giandujakiss]

Sadly, there's no absolutely no polite way to address the problem. I invent elaborate alternate versions of the story in my head.

[lab]

I read an absolutely gorgeous story the other day where I did just that, big fandom, popular pairing and common trope but thrown together in a new and exciting way but the execution was more like this: / o\

Sadly, there's no absolutely no polite way to address the problem.

Yeah, I mean I was almost going to go for "you're brilliant! buthereletmefixthatforya", but yeah, no.

[ratcreature]

Yes, I feel that urge too, and I don't even write!

[giandujakiss]

I don't write either, unless you count the stories in my head I wish someone would write for me. I just kibbitz.

[sothcweden]

I have the same problem. And it's so disappointing when the premise is excellent and the mechanics just get in the way.

But I've always said that I make a better editor than a writer.

[giandujakiss]

premise is excellent and the mechanics just get in the way.

That's exactly when the urge strikes. The prose is great, the premise and world-building are great, but the structure needs work - common problem, totally fixable. *is frustrated*

[chalcopyrite]

This, I suspect, would not be appreciated.

In some cases, I'm sure it would be! Just... not by the author.




(Alas.)

[giandujakiss]

Heh. That is true, I should have clarified.

[cathexys]

ROTFL. True :)

[cathexys]

OMG YES!!!

[giandujakiss]

Because the problems are so fixable. Like, I wouldn't do it for something hopeless - just for stuff that's good but could be so much better.

[musesfool]

I used to offer. That was... a long time ago.

[giandujakiss]

Heh, yeah. I mean, I pretty much assume that once it's posted they aren't going to want to make major changes, anyway. Sigh.

[ratcreature]

Perhaps there's a chance with the ones that are being posted as WIPs? Sometimes those get revised for the archive.

[giandujakiss]

I still wouldn't barge in uninvited, although I admit this post was prompted in part by a WIP.

[cofax7]

I posted 119K of novel (which had been rewritten three times and gone through beta with two separate editors, including a Britpick & history specialist), and had a guy send me a PM offering to tell me all my typos and errors of British history and usage--and then he would tell me the things I did right.

::blinks::

I managed not to bite his head off, and then explained that as the story had been posted in 10 separate chapters to two different archives, posterity would have to live with the typos.

He never did come back and give me any feedback--apparently all he really wanted was to tell me what I'd done wrong. My Eyes Roll Forever.

[giandujakiss]

Ooh, that's awful. Yeah - if he's dangling praise in front of you like a carrot - that is ... creepy, actually.

[litotease]

Please, really, it's a good story--I wouldn't bother, otherwise--but if I could just show you where the grammar and POV are just a little bit off and we could fix that, it would be so much better.

That impulse?

[giandujakiss]

Yes, except usually for me it's more "If I could just show you where you need to build the tension a bit more before the final scene" rather than grammar and POV. But yeah, that's the idea :-).

[monanotlisa]

I know exactly what you mean, alas.

[libitina]

I made a very good friend in LotRPS fandom by making that offer.

It was phrased roughly, "Dear author - I loved this story so much. I loved this, and this, and this, and this. But you made a slight error here, and I'd contest this bit of canon. But, really, I loved your story. Would you possibly be interested in hearing more of my slightly critical thoughts? No, really, great story. Love, me"

And then I made this same offer years later in another fandom, and the author agreed again. Only there ended up being a lot less potential on the author's part and a lot more annoyance on my part.

So if you judge well, really think there's potential, and are very gentle - then I say go for it.

[giandujakiss]

I think it's great that you had a good experience with that - the thing is, there's no way to know who would be hurt, so I'd rather not take the risk. Also, a finished story is ... finished. Like, I don't think the author is going to change it for things that aren't, you know, really minor fixes - the best I'd be able to do is help going forward, and I don't know whether the next story will interest me as much or have the same flaws.

So mostly, I just fantasize about rewriting them :-).

[celli]

Sometimes, as a writer, it makes me go off and write something that fixes whatever that problem is, but usually I just smack my forehead a couple of times and wander off.

[giandujakiss]

I'm not a writer but I do exactly that in my head!

[amadi]

I saw a story the other day on AO3 where the author included a note that she had lost her long-time beta and was choosing to fly by the seat of her pants and I wrote a note offering, but then never sent it, because she doesn't know me from Adam. I read her beta'ed stuff though, and could see the difference; she's a hell of a writer, she just needs help with editing (and copyediting) choices. It made me sad.

[cee_m]

Yeah. I've been there. SOOO MANY TIMES.

[giandujakiss]

It's very depressing :-(

[dorothy1901]

Oh hell yes. I'd start by suggesting that she pick a different title, one that doesn't actively discourage potential readers from looking at the story.

[giandujakiss]

Ouch. That's just sad for the poor author.