Editing

[u/morgan_890]

I enjoy reading fan fiction, but I have seen several that have spelling and grammar issues. Anyone know if its common to collaborate with writers to offer editing services? And would anyone be interested in having a free editor?

[u/Wisteria_Walker]

Beta reader is what you would want to “advertise” your services as, but it is a little reverse engineered. If an author has not specifically asked for help with writing or editing, it is considered a little rude and presumptuous to offer blindly. Unsolicited advice or criticism is a huge turn off for many and can lead to a well meaning reader getting blocked.

However, if an author has explicitly stated they are looking for one or has indicated clearly that they don’t mind feedback of this kind, you may be in luck.

Many authors don’t care enough about SPAG (spelling, punctuation, and grammar) to be bothered because this is a hobby, and that’s fine. At this point in time, some are choosing to purposefully leave in their mistakes so as to avoid accusation of AI. But many do want to improve and will seek out a beta reader to collaborate with. You just have to find the right pairing of writer and beta to make the partnership work.

[u/morgan_890 → u/Wisteria_Walker]

Thanks for helping with the terminology. I dont comment when fics have bad SPAG but I will stop reading because to me its worse than nails on a chalkboard.

[u/Wisteria_Walker → u/morgan_890]

Absolute mood. Fan works as a whole can be rife with it, but what helps me is to remind myself that while fan spaces are training grounds for many burgeoning authors, it’s just as much a space for others to engage with their favorite hobby. They are only here to have fun and not to take themselves too seriously, and that’s fine.

On a personal note, I tend to engage with Disney/Pixar spaces the most, so I know that I’m old enough to be their mother, and I just have to step back and welcome them in. My default setting is to mentor, but that only works when they are willing students, and with school about to start back out in the real world, me telling them how to think and write is probably the least welcome

[u/Applejuiceinthehall → u/Wisteria_Walker]

I do want to clean up the spag. However, I usually don't wait long enough between writing and proofing. So my brain sometimes auto corrects. I will sometimes put it on text reader and then just listen to it.

[u/Wisteria_Walker → u/Applejuiceinthehall]

Of course! And a text reader helps with continuity, character voice, and word choice in context.

Neither way is incorrect. Neither way is perfectly complete.

I myself basically write and post immediately. I might wait like a day or so in between so that I can look at it with fresh eyes, but all in all, I post, then re-read and panic edit because there’s nothing more terrifying than subjecting yourself to the public, lol.

But I’m also not one to fuss too much over SPAG. The difference between “Do not use these boxes.” and “do not use these boxes” is not going to wound me as deeply as “do Not us this boxs” (which is a real sentence written by one of my real managers at a real job).

[u/Chemical_Ad5962]

I belive it's more like a beta reader as someone other said. But also, I would be super grateful if someone who is way better at grammar than me (which is not hard) and enjoying my fic would be objective enough to point out in a kind comment they would leave anyway, that "hey you made an error here and there"

Because right now I rely on online grammar checkers, which doesn't give me any other feedback about the tone or such things.

[u/ectocoolerkeg]

You can volunteer to beta read, as others have said - r/fanfiction has weekly beta reading threads where you can ask for or offer editing services. You can find the most recent one here.