[HPFGU-OTChatter] editors (was: Re: Tea,)

[Jen Faulkner]

On Wed, 4 Apr 2001, Horst or Rebecca J. Bohner wrote:

> I know it would be lovely -- I've thought about appealing to
> Amanda's expertise myself on occasion -- but think about it.  Would
> somebody who edits all day for a living (and editing is hard,
> tiring, often overwhelming work) want to spend their spare time
> doing even *more* editing for free? Especially considering that the
> majority of fanfic is written "for fun" rather than to a
> professional standard, thus making it harder slogging than anything
> the editor would see at work...

Actually, beta-reading can be a lot more fun...  especially if you're
working very closely with the author in the development of the fic,
paying a lot of attention to plot and characterization, rather than just
to spelling and grammar and so on.  And some fanfic authors are actually
better at mechanics than some professional writers (I say that having
been proofreading for pay articles and books for scholarly publication
for a couple of years now; what some professors produce in the way of
mechanics is really just appalling...  and there you don't get to have
any input on what they've said, nor even too much, beyond marking
'mistakes', into how they've said it...  and checking an index is dull,
dull work, let me tell you.).  But there are some absolutely hopeless at
basic grammar writers out there -- and I generally won't beta for
them.  Too much work, not enough appreciated.

--jen :)

* * * * * * 
Jen's HP fics:
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