Novel Beta Request...*sweats*
Mar. 13th, 2024 01:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ratbonesI've been psyching myself up to make this post for...I was going to say "days", but, like, months? It can no longer be delayed. The first draft of the manuscript I've been working on for over a year is done (has been for a while) and I'm working through a first round of edits. I have a beta already engaged (sylleblahsome, my bestie), but I'm looking for one or maybe two others.
The whole draft came in around 120k and I'm only like 20% of the way through editing. I'm sending sylleblahsome the first 3 chapters/~15k to start with. Frankly, I'm used to posting fic as I write and working forward with a sense of what readers are into, so getting the story beta-read in chunks appeals to me. However, if someone's willing to beta but would prefer to read the whole thing at once when I'm done, I'm totally up for that as well. That will be a couple months away.
Here's a quick generic summary because I haven't won the battle of writing a good one yet. ROT13 in case people don't want spoilers! (It only spoils some parts of the first few chapters, like a back-cover blurb.) Decode here.
Ivyyntr ncbgurpnel bjare Ryvk pbasebagf n tevz pbaqvgvba gung'f pnhfvat navznyf gb nggnpx ybpnyf. Wrff, n lbhat cevrfgrff sebz bhg bs gbja, unf orra nffvtarq gb gur inpnag cbfvgvba va gur gbja'f yvggyr puhepu, jurer fur ortvaf vairfgvtngvat gur puhepu'f uvfgbel naq gur yrtnpl bs ure yngr cerqrprffbe, jub unccraf gb unir orra Ryvk'f sbfgre zbgure. Gur gjb jbzra svaq gurzfryirf nygreangryl pbbcrengvat naq ohggvat urnqf juvyr gur gjb zlfgrevrf ortva gb pbairetr vagb fbzrguvat sne zber cebsbhaq.
If you've enjoyed my longfics before and are down for original fiction with a similar energy but it's lesbians, I think you'll like this story. There is action and intrigue and a motley band of weird friends/frienemies and slow burn romance and two adult main characters burdened with lots of responsibility, both trying to do the right thing. I still don't know if it's fantasy, sci-fi, or both. (Also a little bit horror? People always think my stuff is more horror than I thought it was when I wrote it.)
I'm looking for a casual, friendly-but-discerning beta read: tell me what's working for you and what's not, tell me what questions you have, when the pace drags, what you're excited or curious about. Note any continuity errors that you happen to see but don't sweat perfection. I'm not asking for professional editing; with any luck that comes later. You'll also be getting a slightly rougher copy than, say, what I would post on AO3 as finished. Because...you know...beta reading.
If this sounds like something you're up for, let me know! If more info is needed, like any specific content warnings, just ask.
The whole draft came in around 120k and I'm only like 20% of the way through editing. I'm sending sylleblahsome the first 3 chapters/~15k to start with. Frankly, I'm used to posting fic as I write and working forward with a sense of what readers are into, so getting the story beta-read in chunks appeals to me. However, if someone's willing to beta but would prefer to read the whole thing at once when I'm done, I'm totally up for that as well. That will be a couple months away.
Here's a quick generic summary because I haven't won the battle of writing a good one yet. ROT13 in case people don't want spoilers! (It only spoils some parts of the first few chapters, like a back-cover blurb.) Decode here.
Ivyyntr ncbgurpnel bjare Ryvk pbasebagf n tevz pbaqvgvba gung'f pnhfvat navznyf gb nggnpx ybpnyf. Wrff, n lbhat cevrfgrff sebz bhg bs gbja, unf orra nffvtarq gb gur inpnag cbfvgvba va gur gbja'f yvggyr puhepu, jurer fur ortvaf vairfgvtngvat gur puhepu'f uvfgbel naq gur yrtnpl bs ure yngr cerqrprffbe, jub unccraf gb unir orra Ryvk'f sbfgre zbgure. Gur gjb jbzra svaq gurzfryirf nygreangryl pbbcrengvat naq ohggvat urnqf juvyr gur gjb zlfgrevrf ortva gb pbairetr vagb fbzrguvat sne zber cebsbhaq.
If you've enjoyed my longfics before and are down for original fiction with a similar energy but it's lesbians, I think you'll like this story. There is action and intrigue and a motley band of weird friends/frienemies and slow burn romance and two adult main characters burdened with lots of responsibility, both trying to do the right thing. I still don't know if it's fantasy, sci-fi, or both. (Also a little bit horror? People always think my stuff is more horror than I thought it was when I wrote it.)
I'm looking for a casual, friendly-but-discerning beta read: tell me what's working for you and what's not, tell me what questions you have, when the pace drags, what you're excited or curious about. Note any continuity errors that you happen to see but don't sweat perfection. I'm not asking for professional editing; with any luck that comes later. You'll also be getting a slightly rougher copy than, say, what I would post on AO3 as finished. Because...you know...beta reading.
If this sounds like something you're up for, let me know! If more info is needed, like any specific content warnings, just ask.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-18 11:11 am (UTC)