BRAW

[kelly_chambliss]

I'm hereby declaring October 9-15 to be Beta Reader Appreciation WEEK, so that I don't have to be late in posting.  (Of course, this change gives us a rather odd acronym, but it can't be helped.)

Anyway, my partner is my usual beta reader, and I appreciate her in many ways, not all of which need to be described in LJ.

But I would also like to express my appreciation for several fanficcers who are not my beta readers, but whose support and friendship sustain me as a writer and as a person.  They are. . .

Seema

Rocky

Alex Voy

Julie Russo

Abbey

august (from whom I haven't heard in a while, but who was one of the first people in Trek fandom to encourage me and who did me the inestimable service of offering to host my stories on her webpage, the incomparable "Archipelago of Angst."  By great good luck, that site was among the Trekfic sites I came across.  I've been aspiring to its high writing standards ever since.)

monkee (Mary Wiecek)

 

Thank you all!! 

Comments

[rocky-t.livejournal.com]

Right back at you!

[seemag.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[alex-voy.livejournal.com]

I can envy you the beta-reading partner. For most of us, writing is a solitary business which family and friends just don't understand. While they may not actively discourage it, I'm not sure whether lack of interest and discussion or uncritical praise is the most disheartening (I'm talking about all writing here, not just fanfic). That's why I value my on-line friendships with other writers so much.

[unwinding.livejournal.com]

ah, but you can hear from me now!! hello dear. please pass on my love to yourself & your loved one.

[aabbey.livejournal.com]

First, I agree with Alex. It must be great to have someone close to you who appreciates writing and who gets fandom. I know it always killed me back home when family members looked down at or even actively discouraged my fannish writing. (You've heard about my embarrassing moment when Mom discovered my first J/Picard, right?) It aint much better currently, but an upperclassman in my creative writing forum is a boyslashing LOTR fangirl. When she found out I slash, albeit femmishly, it was a happy day indeed. We freak out the "normal" group writers with discussions about "Mary Sue" and "PWP."

Secondly, I appreciate very much that you consider my writings/Janeway ramblings worthy of mention. I feel like I've improved a lot recently, and I ascribe that to my beta and folks like you helping with the constructive crit.

I've got a Janeway piece in the works now that is sort of a "mythology" piece--lots of backstory, even addressing the whole oft-neglected Justin, early officership mess. It's been fun to get out some of my current frustrations on it, but it lacks focus. I'll be posting it up when it's done, though, which shouldn't be too long.

[projectjulie.livejournal.com]

aw, you're sweet. I'm such a Kelly fangirl -- I still can't believe you'll deign to talk to me. I'll always be here for you (and Janeway) -- cue schmaltzy music, etc.