A Little Help?

[latch22]

I beta-read for someone who is dyslexic, and they have worked very hard to improve themselves after a lifetime of being thought of as simply lazy or unmotivated. At the moment, however, they have become disheartened. In their words:

What I don’t understand is if my stories have improved, why are they doing worse than my early crap.

It took me over a year (after the earlier postings) to regain any momentum and to earn decent reputation. I worked harder than you can imagine, and I was very proud of the little that I’d accomplished.

Now, I don’t know what to do or think.

I'm really not sure what to tell them. They really have improved and I do believe that they're a good writer, so it's more than a matter of trivial fanfiction--it's about their confidence. They always allowed their dyslexia to beat them before, and they were told that they couldn't, and now that they've succeeded in turning that around, they want that to be recognized. I don't blame them.

They also told me that it's been suggested to them that they open a new account and give up on their old one in the hopes of shedding the reputation it has garnered. Personally, I don't set much stock in that option, but I would like to hear what others think.

I need to get back to them soon, but I appreciate any help.

Thank you.

[zevie]

If what that person means by "doing worse" is either that their most current stories are garnering more criticisms, or that they feel like they are seeing more errors in their current work, then they're almost definitely doing better now, lol. The general opinion here seems to be that if you leave a review, even if it's purely criticism, it's because the writer seems decent and (sorry about the egoism here...) worthy of the time invested in giving a review. It seems backwards, but if people are criticising you for being lazy, it means that they think you really have something great in you. They wouldn't do that if they believed that the person was doing the best they could - it'd be a waste of time (this is strictly about concrit, or attempted concrit...I can't speak for the flammers). Plus, I've noticed just in general, the better you get at something, the sharper your thinking gets, the more you can see your own flaws, the worse your writing comes off to yourself, lol. Lovely circle. Just keep encouraging this person!

As for changing names... To be blunt, I personally don't remember any of the names of the authors of stories I don't like. So, if I came across a fic that sounded good in the summary, I wouldn't be put off by the name of the author. If your beta-ee is really worried about their past fics, they could maybe put a note in their profile about certain fics being older, or take down fics if they really think that's necessary - although, it's a bummer when people take down their fics. An old author I really liked before took down ALL of her fics because she switched fandoms, and it sucks that I can't find any of her stories now. But, there is something to be said for a fresh start, if s/he is feeling really bogged down.

[Nittanylizard]

I think zevie has some good thoughts there.

Another comment - are they referring to a lack of reviews, as far as "why are they doing worse than my other crap"? Because I've noticed that regardless how good a story is, reviews tend to come in waves. For a while nothing's getting reviews, then all of a sudden everybody has time to read and leave comments.

Also, please, please let this person know that it isn't about the number of reviews or the popularity of the story, it's about knowing that you told this story better than you told the last one, and that you are growing as a writer.

Maybe they can let people know in their profile page, or at the beginning of the story, that they have been working on improving and would like some input. Something similar to that got my attention on one fic, so I left a review where I otherwise might not have. You could even suggest they post here with a link to their story and ask for comments.

Good luck, and you sound like a an above-and-beyond sort of beta. Good for you.

[latch22]

Again, thanks for the help.

They were referring to reviews and hits. (Not the quality, but the quantity.) They e-mailed me just about two days ago, and since then I've been gradually writing up a reply. All I could think of to tell them was that poor reception doesn't indicate bad writing; how plenty of my own stories have been largely overlooked and yet I'm still proud of them, and how bad stories tend to receive more reviews. (I also offered my theory on the latter.)

I also said that names are easily forgotten and I doubt that it would matter if they started anew, but that a note in their profile explaining their feelings on their writing, how they've improved, what they think that they've accomplished, would probably be better. You know, shine a light on their successes. I'm glad that I'm not alone in thinking of that; it'll feel less half-assed when I tell them if it has the WSOTTA seal of approval, lol.

No matter what I've told them for as long as I've been beta-reading for them, they've continued to surprise me with their self-deprecating notions. I mean, when I first reviewed something of theirs, they replied saying, "I must admit that I’m surprised that someone of your writing caliber would find anything that I’ve written worth their time." I had thought that they had been feeling better about themselves, but... that's all downhill now. (At least about the writing, anyway. They're pretty new to it--the first thing they had ever written outside of school was not even two years ago.)

They had wanted to leave their old fics up for posterity and as evidence of their improvement, but now they're considering taking them down so that they won't be associated with such writing. That's not such a bad idea if they feel so strongly about it.

I mentioned that perhaps now that people aren't out enjoying their summer or on vacation more people will be reading, and I offered a few other factors in review declines.

No matter what I say, though, none of it sounds reassuring. I can praise them 'til the sun goes down, and they'll think that I was just saying it, regardless of the fact that I'm not the type to offer false sympathies or praises.

I went around and did a bit of advertising for them in the hopes of sending some people their way...

I appreciate the suggestions. Thanks again.

Cheers!

[latch22]

She's usually positive, if shy, and the negative comments that she sometimes makes are limited to our correspondence. The only exception is her disclaimer, which I have noticed has disappeared as of late, that used to read: I am making no money from this story. I seriously doubt the sanity of anyone who would pay money to read anything I have written.

The interesting thing about that is... they are romance. There are no OCs, however. And since she's so many chapters in... She offered her own theory that her story may have run its course.

It's also rated M, and I've explained how M stories are more easily passed over because they don't show up on the main page. She thinks that the rating needs to stay where it is, though, and I respect that. What was confusing her was that she went from an average of seven reviews per chapter when the writing was riddled with errors, even at M, down to one or two now that she's proud of it, which she described as "mercy reviews."

I suppose I'll just have to see what she says when she e-mails me back. I'm sure she's not ready to give up--it's just a rough patch. I just couldn't think of anything to say to lift her spirits, really.

[lostbutfound]

The only thing with M rated stories, is that they don't show up. Personally, I don't think that the rating itself is a deterrent, because most people on the website are older and don't get so bothered by the situations in M stories. The only drawback is that it doesn't show up on the main page unless you select to see all the stories.

If they think that the story could possibly get by on being rated T, I say go for it. It would help with distribution, and possibly get more reviews, which would boost their confidence.

[zevie]

It could just be the specific people who are reviewing, too. There are mighty few out there who would consistently take the time to give a decent review, or any review, either because it's too much work, or because they really are busy with, er, life. It doesn't mean they aren't still reading! Mars, I think you just hit a patch of really good ones, lol, cuz typically with me, the less I update, the more reviews I get (usually along the vein of "WTF, have you *died* or something?"). Also, with longer stories, maybe some people wait to make sure they're being updated, but also, I think there can sometimes be a fall off of new readers - if people don't have a lot of time, they're probably not likely to start reading a 20-chapter fic. If praise doesn't seem to get her going, just suggest something concrete she could do - like maybe, changing the summary or something, to attract readers. Hopefully, having something specific to do will shake her out of the down feelings she has about her writing, cuz that for sure will not help her.

[latch22]

Yeah, the only advice that I could really give her, besides the note in her profile, was to jazz up the summary and edit the first several chapters, which I would be happy to help her with.