Silencing the voices

[lovecraft68]

A beta reader is not there to tell you to rewrite your stories, and if they do, stop using them. That's the role of a development/structural editor, and that's far earlier in the process.

Whether you follow up on any opinions is always up to you.

This depends on the Beta reader/editor. The bad ones do try to push you to take their changes because they know better and can be rude about, which goes back to my post about good and bad ones.

I had an editor for my novels for several years and we became friends beyond the service they were providing. In my novel that originally appeared here back in 2014 that I deleted and added to, they did not like the ending and explained why. I stuck with my ending being what I wanted and they kept arguing with me, even going on about how their ending could lead to a sequel etc. I wasn't thinking sequel but told them if I wanted one, my ending can easily lead into it. Long story short they became seriously angry about it and at that point had only done a read trhough and no actual work and told me they refused to do it because I was being "Stupidly stubborn"

I found another editor and it sucked because a friendship ended over this, but it was also a teachable moment as the saying goes. You're the author, its your work and suggestions are fine, but bullying isn't, and there's more than a few of those out there.

Let alone the incident here where a longtime Lit VE was caught publishing over 300 works on amazon, most of which were stories people had sent them to edit and they then published for sale under their name.

I don't want to make people paranoid, but at the same time, people do need to be careful.

 

[Djmac1031]

One thing I want to discuss is a comment that @EmilyMiller made regarding how you had to be an "approved author" for your opinion to matter or whatever. As a newer member of AH (am I a member or just a squatter?), I can tell that it is sometimes feels overwhelming to try to participate to a discussion.

Emily wasn't talking about the difference between vets and newbs contributing to the forum so much as addressing the fact that some people here feel they're the Forum Police, gatekeeping who's allowed to post / comment and how many times, based strictly on who they don't like for their own petty reasons.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

Wow. Aren't we a little sensitive? Nothing, really, just generally commenting that a lot of threads here, like this one, jump the tracks and wouldn't it be nice to sequester them from the updated threads list? There are so many like that it's hard to remember which ones to ignore.

Yet you chose this one for such a comment.

Anyway, there was a decent discussion and a clash of opinions here, until people started going personal. Still, this thread produced far more insight from both sides than most other threads.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

This is what I find deeply annoying about this thread. The central point of OP's post was not about beta readers. It was about finding the confidence to continue to write and put your stuff out in public, even when you're feeling insecure about how it'll be received.

But it was also about beta readers and not-that-much-tangentially about the pros and cons of having them. I think that everything we discussed here was, in good part, in the spirit of the thread, far, far more so than most other threads.
Yet people suddenly seem to have developed such a sensitivity for following the original topic to the letter.

I look forward to their policing effort in all the other threads.

 

[AwkwardMD]

At least with Awk1 and Awk2, you pretty much know what you've got. Most posters here .. I never really know what they're going to say or which position they'll take.

One made a REALLLLY unfortunate post in the last day or two that completely changed my opinion of them.

 

[Dodola]

Emily wasn't talking about the difference between vets and newbs contributing to the forum so much as addressing the fact that some people here feel they're the Forum Police, gatekeeping who's allowed to post / comment and how many times, based strictly on who they don't like for their own petty reasons.

This is interesting.
I don't think there's a common agreement on who the "gatekeepers" are.

 

[DEFCOM5]

Emily wasn't talking about the difference between vets and newbs contributing to the forum so much as addressing the fact that some people here feel they're the Forum Police, gatekeeping who's allowed to post / comment and how many times, based strictly on who they don't like for their own petty reasons.

I misunderstood her post. My apologies.
But my statement about feeling intimidated as a noob is real for me.

 

[Djmac1031]

This is interesting.
I don't think there's a common agreement on who the "gatekeepers" are.

Oh, it's an easy enough position to attain. Just appoint yourself then make sure you let everyone know it by acting like an asshole.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

View attachment 2580420

It was, err... Colonel Mustard in the study with the candlestick!

 

[OralAllOver]

After being told by 2 beta readers (who have written stories I respect) that my story was unreadable had potential but needed quite a bit of work. I have not been able to write anything.
I tried yesterday to avoid grading but I could not write 2 sentences without deleting them. So I have not written a word in 10 days. I have had stories in my head but that is where they are. The reason is that anytime I put something together, I hear the voice inside my head (my own voices, not the beta readers) laughing at me and telling me "your shit is unreadable."

I am sure I am not the first one to face such a situation. Any suggestions on how I effectively tell the voices to fuck off?

To be clear, this is not author's block. I have plenty of ideas in my head. I just cannot get past the idea that what I write is shit will end up being mocked. I know intellectually that this makes no sense but emotionally, I cannot shut them down.

In his entire life, Van Gogh sold 2 paintings -- both to his brother

Shooting stars consider not the gripes of mice. Nor should they

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

It was, err... Colonel Mustard in the study with the candlestick!

It was Laurel in the AH with the Manu.

 

[ElectricBlue]

This is an outright lie. I don't mock people who support the site. I mock people who, in a knee-jerk reaction, immediately attack people (like me) who criticize certain aspects of the site.

I've never mocked people for feeling positive towards the site, and I've only ever teased @ElectricBlue for it, as a sort of friendly banter we've had for quite a while now.

This is true. We're fan boys of each other, and of the site, in each our own peculiar ways. I see black and white, AS sees white and black. Others see shades of grey, and there are plenty of rainbows.

 

[talemestories]

I misunderstood her post. My apologies.
But my statement about feeling intimidated as a noob is real for me.

Take this how you will but it's time to stop navel gazing and just get on with it.

If you like writing, write.

Like any other art form, do it till the form pleases you.

Stop asking questions and just write.

Put it in a text to speech program and listen to it.

Take notes, make changes, lather, rinse, repeat till done.

 

[Five_Inch_Heels]

This is true. We're fan boys of each other, and of the site, in each our own peculiar ways. I see black and white, AS sees white and black. Others see shades of grey, and there are plenty of rainbows.

And when they clash, we all see fireworks.

 

[AwkwardMD]

Okay

 

[AwkwardlySet]

It was Laurel in the AH with the Manu.

You've just called Manu a candlestick. Welcome to the club!

 

[Dodola]

Oh, it's an easy enough position to attain. Just appoint yourself then make sure you let everyone know it by acting like an asshole.

I don't think everyone agrees on who the biggest assholes are.

 

[DEFCOM5]

Put it in a text to speech program and listen to it.

Any suggestion what tool to use and if it is a Microsoft office tool, how to do it?

 

[Djmac1031]

I don't think everyone agrees on who the biggest assholes are.

Oh, on that we can certainly agree .

 

[talemestories]

Any suggestion what tool to use and if it is a Microsoft office tool, how to do it?

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...xt-aloud-459e7704-a76d-4fe2-ab48-189d6b83333c

 

[talemestories]

Any suggestion what tool to use and if it is a Microsoft office tool, how to do it?

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...ad-aloud-967a1533-4ba3-4e84-8ddc-132b1564434f

 

[alohadave]

if it is a Microsoft office tool

Word 2019 and after has Read Aloud built-in.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...ocuments-5a2de7f3-1ef4-4795-b24e-64fc2731b001

 

[YmaOHyd]

But it was also about beta readers and not-that-much-tangentially about the pros and cons of having them. I think that everything we discussed here was, in good part, in the spirit of the thread, far, far more so than most other threads.

I agree, at least eventually. It's a rare thread derailment that went in a productive-ish direction, other than the people going 'just nut up and get over it.' That's unhelpful macho bullshit. And it tends to be a rule that once the fanclub or the fanboys or the cliques get mentioned, the thread's over and dead as a place to discuss the process of writing.

 

[OralAllOver]

Optimal instruments of writing:

1) Pen
2) Paper
3) Transcription assistant with big tits and flexible ideas on mixing business & pleasure

 

[talemestories]

Word 2019 and after has Read Aloud built-in.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...ocuments-5a2de7f3-1ef4-4795-b24e-64fc2731b001

Optimal instruments of writing:

1) Pen
2) Paper
3) Transcription assistant with big tits and flexible ideas on mixing business & pleasure

Add in a mind map on the paper and it's a win!