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JRTRoughton's Fantasy Beta Thread

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JRTroughton

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Hi. I was hoping to find some betas for a few short stories I've written. Style is fairly mixed as I've been experimenting with different prose.

Genre: Mostly fantasy. The odd piece of science-fiction. Fantasy is non-Tolkien. No elves or dwarves or rings of power.

Feedback: Fierce feedback is welcome, as long as it is constructive and alongside what you did like. I may not agree with you, but sugar-coating isn't helpful.

Thanks.
 
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Maryn

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JRTroughton, I'm pleased to meet you, and I'm not trying to be unwelcoming when I explain why this request is not reasonable.

You're new, yet you've arrived with a big old GIMME sign. You want our time and expertise and specifically say you are not willing to give back your own, because of your workload.

We all get being really busy, but we've seen new members just like you too often. They arrive with their hands out, get what they want, and disappear, never giving any of their own efforts back to the individual beta readers or to the community as a whole.

This rankles. We'd prefer people didn't seek to use us. Now I'm sure you didn't come here with the overt intent of taking without giving, but since we've seen so very many people do that, you'll understand our reluctance to give yet again.

Instead of asking for us to help you first thing, how about you use what little free time you have to interact here, especially by posting at the boards for the genres in which you write and by giving critique when you are able to carve out the time. This will go a long way toward showing us you're just super busy, not a fly-by-night user.

Maryn, repeating she's glad to meet you
 

JRTroughton

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Maryn,

Not a problem at all, and I appreciate where you're coming from. I've been a member of a number of forums over the years and completely understand concerns over fly-by-night gimme-gimme posters.

The reason I say I'm not able to give my expertise, such as it is, at this time is precisely because I can't. Over the next 5 weeks I'm going to be extraordinarily busy and won't have the time required to give something back. I'm simply being honest about this and trying to save other writers some time - No point asking me to beta something over the next month or so, as I won't be able to. Teacher training is a most brutal time. From then on? Absolutely.

Of course, if nobody bites then nobody bites. If nobody wants to read my work until I've contributed more to the community at large, then I accept that completely, and with no offence taken.

Lovely to meet you. I look forward to contributing more to the forum at large.

:)
 

JRTroughton

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And... finished!

I have a lot more time at the moment, so I can change the above request. I'm now after a writing buddy to bounce work off of. Have the time to read and comment on work now, so this can be a two way process. :)

Genre: Fantasy/Sci-Fi. I don't write high fantasy, leaning more toward beast ships and the weird, I suppose.
 
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Maryn

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Excellent! You've earned good will points for remembering to up the ante now that you have more time. I hope you'll get several people who can help you out in exchange for the same.

Maryn, who loves a happy ending when it's real life
 

JRTroughton

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Just giving this a cheeky bump.

Looking for beta readers for a 4,500 word or so fantasy short story. Would ideally like to get a handful. Happy to beta read the work of others, with my particular genre of interest being anything speculative. Particularly interested in the weird.
 
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