What makes a good beta

[malenkayacherepakha]

We had an interesting conversation in one of my group chats today prompted by the question: do you think a bad writer can be a good beta?

The general consensus was yes, they can still be a valuable help, because beta'ing isn't just about checking the technical side of the writing, but also about making sure the plot works, that the pacing and characterisation are right etc, and if someone is a good reader they can check for those things. To me it's another good reason to have more than one beta - everyone has different strengths and can check your fic for different things, all of which are important for making a fic work.

I thought I'd throw that question out here too, to see what you all thought, and also tack on a follow up - what do you think are the important qualities a good beta needs?

Comments

[malenkayacherepakha]

I read a really interesting post the other day on tumblr I think about the different things that being a beta means, and it said pretty much the same as you have here. It's a lot of work to do all of those things, and some are much easier than others!

Your list of things a beta should do is so helpful, thank you! Both in terms of clarifying what I want from my betas, but also in helping me be a better beta for other people.

Your tumblr post is brilliant too, and definitely something I would have found helpful in my early days of betaing (and it's still helpful now!) I love the idea of celebrating our betas somehow - I once wrote a fest fic for a prompt left by someone who'd beta'd a lot for me (not sure they ever read it but oh well, it's the thought that counts!)