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intothewood and analect.
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Have questions or want to discuss something? Fire away! Want some feedback on a piece of writing you're working on? Post it! Stuck with research, or found a fabulously useful resource others might benefit from? Step up and share!
We expect a level of maturity in our members, but we're open to all genres and levels of experience. Read full details on the comm profile or, if you need help, contact your friendly mods,
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Date: 2011-10-24 11:17 pm (UTC)It takes a long while to form a relationship with a beta, I agree. Also, it tends to happen (in my experience) with someone you've already been working with. I have best friends who I would not beta (and who I don't want to beta my work), and I've met people I barely like in real life who do a great job. So it's tricky. I've met pretty much all of my from critique groups, though, so I'm not sure where else you'd find one.
I agree that there is a certain level of trust involved. But in many ways, I see it more as sending a kid to elementary school. They may not like the teacher. The teacher may be a jerk and I may request that they be moved to another class. But me and all the loving aunts and uncles are unlikely to be able to teach them everything they need to know to get along in life.
There's also the challenge (and this happens with my regular betas too) that we all think our stories are little geniuses. Every last one of us thinks we have a prodigy. But when we send that little Einstein off into a group of his peers and suddenly he gets a C, we think, "Huh, maybe not." Or maybe it's the teacher's fault...but then after the next one also gives it a C or a D, we start thinking that perhaps Jr. needs some remedial tutoring in certain areas. (That's the other advantage of somewhere like Critters. I've found it's easy to write off one "your ending isn't working", but when 10 people tell you the same thing, you take notice!)
That's part of why I stay active in the critique groups. Most of my current betas and I get along. We want each other to succeed and think that each others' work is pretty good. But that also introduces a level of bias that someone at Critters (or whatever) won't have.
The nice thing is, while some people are brutal or unfair or just seem to be wrong, the most genuinely seem to want to help. Which is good. (Although some are better at helping than others.) Plus, ultimately, the worst that happens is that it stings a bit, you have a drink, and then get back at it.
(And the more you're critiqued, the less it stings. Me and a beta actually have a running contest as to who can get the most awful critique. We think I've won...so far.)