The woes of finding a beta

[wiseheart]

I wish I knew how other people do it. Sometimes they seem to have more than one. My betas, assuming I find some at all, tend to flee the horrors that is working on my stuff after two chapters, tops. Not that I'd blame them. I'm sure they have good, acceptable reasons. But understanding that doesn't solve my problem of not having betas.

I know my grammar is less than perfect; I'm writing in a third language, after all, and all I ever had were three years' worth of English lessons. I hate posting my stuff un-betaed, but what can I do? People are so eager to nitpick on grammar errors, but they don't seem half so eager to offer to beta. Surprising - NOT.

In any case, today I broke down and posted a request at the SoA Yahoo Group for my Halabor stories. I'm uncomfortable posting un-betaed Tolkienfic, more so than in the case of any other fandoms, perhaps because I respect the source more than anything else. I'm curious whether it will help. The SoA crowd is the most open and supportive of all fractions of the Tolkien fandom, prehaps I'll get lucky. If not, it won't be any worse than it has been for years by now.

Comments

[lhun-dweller.livejournal.com]

This beta did not run away in horror - she was buried under the swamp of The Ebol Wyrk and, more recently, Ye Lyttle Healthe Problyms.

English grammar is such a mess that I remain forever grateful I learned it as my native tongue. That you can actually write lovely prose in it never fails to impress me!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Az I said: perfectly sound and acceptable reasons. Alas, that the outcome is still the same. *g*

English is evil indeed. And what's even worse, I keep expecting from it to behave like German, which, at least, does have its twisted logic.