the_gneech: (Writing)
[personal profile] the_gneech

As I transition from hobbyist to pro in the writerly field, it occurs to me that I should have a few more beta readers. I currently have a small-but-dedicated pool of folks who I toss writing fragments, ideas, or even whole stories at for feedback, approval, or general tearing-apartness, and while they do a fine job, I would still like to have a few more different perspectives on things. My projects are going to get larger in scope and (hopefully) require more rigorous editing, so a few more eyes on it would be welcome.

The requirements are:

  • A LiveJournal account. I put my beta-reader posts on my LJ, locked to a custom list, so you’ll have to have an account to see them.
  • The ability to articulate specifically what you like or don’t like about an idea or piece of writing. Neither “It rules!” nor “It sucks!” are particularly useful bits of feedback, while “I couldn’t make out who was supposed to be speaking each line in the interchange between Alex and Susan…” is. Also, while I’m not looking for people to just savage everything I write, the ability to be (gently) ruthless in the search of quality is a big plus.
  • You actually check LJ from time to time. ;) Since the posts are closed, there won’t be Twitter announcements or the like for them.

The benefits are:

…uh…

You get to see the messy, unfinished part of my work? And listen to me ramble about the process, even more than I already do here?

Okay, yeah, it’s kind of a hard sell. But there are folks who like that sort of thing. ;)

Seriously tho, if you’re interested, please shoot me an e-mail at thegneech@gmail.com or leave a comment in my LiveJournal.

Suicide Prevention Walk

This Saturday (September 28th), Mrs. Gneech and I will both be participating in the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention fundraising walk at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. If you’d like to help out or join in, please check out my fundraising goal page for details. This is the first time I’ve done one of these, but having lost a friend to suicide, it’s a cause I’d really like to help with. Big thanks to everyone involved!

That’s all for now! Keep being awesome, everyone. :)

-The Gneech

Originally published at gneech.com. You can comment here or there.

Date: 2013-09-24 05:30 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] huskyteer.livejournal.com
I'm on the list, right? If not, I would very much like to be!

Date: 2013-09-24 05:42 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] the-gneech.livejournal.com
You are! :)

-TG

Date: 2013-09-24 05:45 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] aj-hyena.livejournal.com
As I'm currently going through an editing run of 200 pages of garbage to not-so-garbage, being able to edit/critique/proofread someone else's work would be a nice change of pace. I'm in, if you'll put me on the list.

Date: 2013-09-24 06:39 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] canisrufus-uk.livejournal.com
I would be happy to be on the list, if you want a silly British wuffie that is :P

Date: 2013-09-24 08:30 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kevinjdog.livejournal.com
Sure can. :)

Date: 2013-09-24 09:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] smrgol-t-kirin.livejournal.com
I am willing if you are!

Date: 2013-09-24 10:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kensterfox.livejournal.com
I'll also volunteer. (While I can't be said to check LiveJournal often, I have *your* LiveJournal on RSS, and I presume that's what's important here.)

And the obvious benefit is: You get to have someone listen to your opinion on stuff and actually care what you think! That's a pretty potent perk, right there.

EDIT: It occurs to me that if these posts are private except to a list of people, it wouldn't show up on an RSS. But I could just keep LiveJournal open in a pinned tab, and that would ensure I look at it at least once a day or so.
Edited Date: 2013-09-24 10:19 pm (UTC)

Date: 2013-09-24 11:30 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hantamouse.livejournal.com
As always, even odds I'll have the time to put into it.

Date: 2013-09-24 11:43 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] the-gneech.livejournal.com
As I recall, you're already on the list. :)

-TG

Date: 2013-09-25 02:36 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hantamouse.livejournal.com
And have a poor (but non-zero) track record of responding. It bugs me.

Date: 2013-09-25 04:26 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jamesbarrett.livejournal.com
Hey, I'm on the list and you've responded more than I have. bad me, bad, no more cookies. wait, I have cookies. Yay, cookies! *is all distracted now*

Date: 2013-09-25 12:44 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] the-gneech.livejournal.com
Quality is more important than quantity, FWIW. The only time lack of responses bug me is when nobody answers, then I start to wonder if anyone's still reading.

-TG

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