Tales and Musings

No, not me. Well, maybe. Probably. If I'm working with you already, however sporadically, or have said I probably will when February is over.

For the rest of the people that are looking for a beta, or that need one but don't know how to look for one, or that need one and refuse to acknowledge that fact, or that use their little sister or best friend as a beta, please go here, to Perfect Imagination and follow the instructions for writers. Everyone needs a beta, and some folks need more than one. Your beta should not be some kid down the street or someone who's afraid to offend you by pointing out errors and suggesting corrections.

Yes, this post is born of my frustration at reading fics that would be amazing if they were beta'd and I could read them without risking brain damage. I seriously thought my eyeballs were going to bleed when I was going through my links the other day. I discarded a lot of stories that had interesting summaries because, when I read the first page of the story, it was riddled with bad grammar, bad spelling, rampant misuse of vocabulary, and/or other technical errors.

The best idea in the world isn't worth the electronic space it takes up if you can't execute it with a degree of grace and technical skill.

If PI doesn't suit you, here's a short list of comms that can hook you up with beta service. These are not my reccomendations for beta groups; this is what I found when I did a search, using 'beta reader' in LJ's search box, and using interests as the search instruction. Anybody could locate comms the way I did, if they were serious about finding a beta.

I did try to choose comms that used good grammar and spelling in their profile information. I also tried to pick general beta comms, rather than ones for specific pairings or fandoms. I'd be here all day if I tried to list every single ship in the HP fandom, you know? Other than that, I cannot vouch for any of these comms. It's a place to start, though.

beta_readers
beta_search
beta_tank
betacommentary
hp_beta

It is useless to tell people to get a beta without giving them ideas for how to go about finding one. It's also useless to tell them their fic is rife with errors, then not point those errors out to 'em. Since I don't want to beta for the planet, I opted for the first idea and decided to post this list.

( In other news: )

I had to laugh when I saw this news story. I've read a couple of Harry/Squid stories. They left me laughing and just a teeny bit squicked, but you know - it could be worse. It seems Japanese scientists have found a potential mate for our Giant Squid, so perhaps the Harry/Squid ship has finally sailed. Anybody want to volunteer to play matchmaker between the Hogwarts Squid and this one?

Giant Squid: Found

*cracking up*

*calming down and considering plot points*

insaneboingo made me think about Arthur Weasley smut. A bunny was born. I'm sorry, y'all - I'm gonna have to write it, after I get done with Story X, which is progressing nicely today.

Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy loathe one another. They feel strongly enough about each other to brawl in a bookstore. Why is that? Aside from the whole 'we're on opposing sides in the Light/Dark war' thing.

*ponders bunny with one side of brain, while working on Story X with the other*

JKR: "everyone should keep their eye on Snape, I'll just say that, because there's more to him than meets the eye...."

Indeed. There'd have to be. Aside from the whole 'he was a Death Eater' thing.

Alan Rickman: "I think at heart Snape is basically quite an insecure person, he’s always longing to be something else that people will really respect like a black magician not just a school master. That's why he envies the more popular and successful boys like Harry. He does have a positive side though, even though Harry's a thorn in his side he doesn't let it worry him too much."

The insecure bit - absolutely. Snape is incredibly emotional, and nearly always reacts defensively. He's got walls that are miles thick. I disagree vehemently with the last bit. Harry affects Snape deeply - enough to make him lose his temper on a regular basis. He's not objective or detached at all where Harry is concerned. His emotions run deep and strong; he's far from a disinterested bystander and is completely incapable of distancing himself from anything that concerns Harry Potter, even peripherally. Anyone that sees Snape's character as disinterested or detached should probably read the books again. Just saying...

/idle musings.

My youngest child is snuggled up next to me, watching 'Scary Movie 2'. Apropos of nothing, she commented, "Voldemort has no nose, Mom. Can't Ginny just cast a Bat Bogey Hex at him?"

Me: "What?"

Her: "A Bat Bogey Hex would kill Voldemort, wouldn't it? He's got no nose."

Me: *thinks about that a moment* "Can a being with no nose produce boogers? Maybe the spell would use the squishy parts of his brain. Ginny should try it."

Her: "Send a note to JKR, Mom."

It's lovely to share hobbies with my children.

ETA: I am procrastinating on my Harry/Remus unapologetic smutstory. It's seven hundred words thus far and nobody's naked yet. I'm impatient. So is Harry. *snicker*

ETA the second: I'm up to eighteen hundred words and Remus just got naked.

Dear Everyone who isn't familiar with basic mathematics,

If James and Lily were born in 1959 or 1960, as the Lexicon states, and Harry himself was born on 7/31/80, as the Lexicon states, and the attack on the cottage at Godric's Hollow took place on 10/31/81, as the Lexicon states, then we can definitively state that James and Lily were, at most, twenty two years old when they died. They were twenty or twenty one when Harry was born. It depends on the specific birth date of each, you know?

Auror training, per the Lexicon (my favorite resource, because it's more anal than Hermione), takes three years. Unless Lily and James started training in school, they could NOT have been Aurors at the time of Harry's birth. That holds especially true for Lily. It's barely possible that James could have completed Auror training, but he still wouldn't have had time to gain a reputation that would make him particularly famous or respected. He could theoretically have been an Unspeakable, since we know diddly about how those are chosen.

Please, please, stop telling me that James and Lily were famous Aurors, or famous for anything other than having an adorable green eyed baby, okay? It's a load of crap. They didn't have time to be famous for anything. Do the math before you write, please? Stop effing up the timeline; it's annoying. Thanks.

ETA: Another peeve. People that use 'discrete' meaning : constituting a separate entity : individually distinct
2 a : consisting of distinct or unconnected elements when they mean 'discreet'. Sometimes, it's a typo. Most of the time, it's not. Either way, it's annoying.