Where oh where are the beta readers gone?

Over the past decade, I have had a lot of beta readers. Almost all of them have dumped me after doing about three to four chapters of my stories. I had really good ones that I liked, just up and vanish on me without a word to those who I also liked would lie to my face stating that real life is being hard for them at the moment and that they need to pull back and focus on that for a while (which I found for the most part to be nothing but lies).

I accept that and then later, on the same writing message group on Yahoo, I get a message from my now departed beta reader asking for new work, when he or she had real life issues pop up and suddenly, they're asking for new work. I go in and state that so and so beta reader will drop you three chapters into the work, with the claim of real life problems popped up and they can't finish editing my work. They end up getting questions posted on the group why did they drop an editing job when it was not finished. The person never answered the questions and quickly removed themselves from the group itself.

I never took on another beta reader after that, which was back in 2006. I never took a beta reader to work on my stories because they tend to dump me soon after getting to the third chapter and have to create lies to get out of working on my stories. I really love getting my stories edited to where I can get them ready for publication.

I do have one beta reader that I really like a lot and I cannot wait till she gets to the next chapters of my story as I am doing at least three edits and rewrites of each chapter before I move onto the next chapter. I hope this one doesn't leave me as I really like her a lot.

Working on MDTAS series.

I will state this that my co-writer and I have decided that there will be some big time changes happening to Hall of Mirrors stories. There are stories that is currently online that is totally, totally out of character for a few original characters that we have in the episodes.

So, as soon as my co-writer and I can get together and have time to where we can write the stories, the stories will be updated and they will be changed bigtime. And yes, everyone will be informed which stories have been updated as they may end up with more chapters and more insight on the characters within.

I just hope that we can start writing the stories soon.

Ugg, beta readers.

My worst experiences with beta readers is those who up and abandon you in mid-rewrites and you are waiting and waiting for the e-mail in your inbox with your next chapter ready for your eyes to go over them and do the corrections needed.

Only to find that the beta reader has not sent you anything. You figure just wait a little longer than the week you have been waiting. Finally, three weeks have passed and you e-mail them to see what is going on with the edits to your story and when will you see the chapter come back into your inbox. After a month of not hearing from them at all, they finally respond to you stating that they got involved in with something else and you should get the next chapter in a couple of days. You are okay with that and patiently wait or continue writing more chapters to your story till the second day comes and you check your inbox to find nothing from your beta reader at all.

The two day promise didn't happen and they didn't send you the chapter when stated. You e-mail them asking for the chapter even if it was not finished being edited yet as you're firing them as your beta reader because you need a beta reader who is more responsible as in doing the editing and sending it back to you within a few days.

I had to drop several of my beta readers that I have had over the years, all because they don’t send me, my work back when they promised to return them. I would have understood if they were delayed in working on my story, only if they told me so. I would love to have a beta reader stick with me longer than nine chapters but that means finding one who you have to pay to edit the story and you don't have much money to afford paying a beta reader. Finding a beta reader for either fan fiction or original stories is like pulling teeth.

It might be for the best interest in any writer to start to learn how to beta read your own stories and bypass the beta readers themselves since most of them will not finish the job you have asked them to do or spend money on possible scammer beta readers who will do a shitty job and you end up finding more errors than anything.

I may consider doing my own beta reading myself on my stories and not contend with having beta readers at all.

Currently taking a break.

From writing original stories for a bit.
My mind tends to get writers' block when I'm writing strictly on original stories. So I am at this moment focusing on some fanfiction stories.
They will be located on my fanfiction site Fanfiction Axis when they are done with being beta read and stuff like that.
And there will be hopefully a picture to go with one of the scenes in the fanfiction story. I just have to get an artist to draw it for me. :)
I am doing a Sesshomaru/OFC story. Trying to write Lord Sesshomaru-sama in character and yet out of character is extremely hard but it is a good challenge. I think I will enjoy this challenge.
Well, back to my writing and reading over my stories that I am doing.

Beth F Brownell