God - I even did all the Henries and even I can't remember them. Not one of Shakies most memorable series.

I agree with Namaste. I think House fandom is (relatively) small enough for another sub-genre community not to make a difference, when it comes to wading through lists for stuff you like. Also, as someone who feels embarrassed about crossposting too much, I usually don't crosspost to more than 3-4 comms, including my LJ, even when I know of five or six other communities where the story might fit. I'd rather not have yet another community to take into consideration. (Of course, that's me :-))

I agree, the writing is its own reward and the feedback is simply a nice perk. On the other hand, I'd be lying if I said I get no satisfaction from knowing that I have given someone else a few moments of enjoyable escapism via my fiction. I am often reprimanded for not using what fan fiction writers call a 'beta reader' and every other kind of writer calls an 'editor.' (I wonder why fan fiction writers chose to adopt a term often applied to the users of a first release of software?). I use my friends list on my livejournal as de facto editors and post to the communities after they've taken a look. I feel extremely uncomfortable when just one person is reading my fiction, especially if it's someone I know. A good editor, in my opinion, is a total stranger, ideally one who is more capable with the English language than I am, with some training and experience in grammar and style. I will now make myself sound hopelessly arrogant by saying that I have an MA in English literature from a well-respected university, so I'd expect anyone editing my work to have either a similar, or higher, level of education in writing and literature, or else a clear demonstration of skill and expertise in those areas (plenty of excellent writers have no university education whatsoever) /arrogance No doubt most of my stories would have been better if someone were to have edited them first. But with diligence and the helpful advice of my readers, I generally manage to fix all the typos and errors and inconsistencies within a few days of first posting. I don't think writers ought to place long apologies about the 'un-beta'dness' of their stories in the summary. Writing is mostly editing, anyway, so if you've posted a story, regardless of whether it's been edited by someone else, you yourself have edited it at least a dozen times, I mean, if you're serious about your craft, so why apologize? It's great to have an editor, it always makes a story more polished, but if you don't have one or don't use one, no need to apologize so long as you have been diligent in self-editing and are willing to make any subsequent corrections that your readers may spot.

Like MissViolet, I tend not to use a Beta-reader. And maybe as a result, my stories may not appeal to all. I do tend to catch grammar and spelling errors once I reread the chapter or story--sometimes after I've posted. I do write for myself, as I've said, but I'd be lying to say that I don't enjoy reading people's feedback and reviews. Many writers (even people who do it for a living), performers, whatever love the attention their work draws. What was that song in the Broadway Show: "What is it that we're living for? Applause, applause. Nothing I know brings on the glow, like sweet applause..." Feedback, hits and reviews are the applause of fanfic. Does it change how and to whom I write? Not a chance. I have noticed something interesting, however, for those of you who post up on ff.net: In multichapter stories, the number of hits tends to ebb and flow. One chapter might get 800 hits, the next 950 and the next 675, then the next chapter 980. Anyone have an explanation for that?

If I'm showing my story to early readers on my f-list, then I tend to consider that beta reading. They'll usually tell me if my characterization is screwy, if I have any glaring typos, etc. For a story I'm really not sure about, I'll usually use a more traditional, email-the-story beta reader, but most of the time I tend to figure that's enough.

It isn't a question of grammer/spelling for me- Yes, we can see that! Just a bit of gentle ribbing on my part :)

I don't know of any good way to guage what to expect for feedback. I have a story favorited by about 75 people with 150 people on Alert and *might* get 13 reviews per chapter. But sometimes the comments made by the readers more than make up for the small number of comments. When you hear "Thank you for writing this. I see myself in this and reading it helps me," well, that one comment worth a lot. I understand people asking, "Should I continue?" because it's probably going to be a young, insecure writer--wait, is there such a thing as a secure writer?--Anyway, it's probably going to be a young person who has no idea if what they're doing is any good or not. That actually doesn't bother me because a lot of new writers do need some encouragement. However if I see a "I won't update until I have x reviews," I won't comment. LOL That annoys me.

Like Nomad1328 said, I like to use a beta in order to catch the things that I just can't see anymore because I'm too close to the work. It's an added perk if the person pushes me to address possible story or characterization issues. I don't generally ask for a beta when posting very short (under 1000 word) pieces, though. And while I'm here... Namaste said: And also schmoopy 'ship fics on House_Wilson which aren't even worth clicking. *waves schmoop-lover flag high and proudly* Hey now, where's the love? :wink: In the right hands, schmoop can be great! (Granted, it's not everyone's cup of tea...)

Since I'm not a writer I can't offer any concrete opinion on whether or not a writer should or should not have a beta I'll only say that Nomad's reason for using one is valid. I also don't have any college degree but have read extensively during my life and am currently in my 10th+ year of proofreading a 60-70 page journal which is published quarterly. The editor is a person who has two MAs and he, like Nomad stated, starts seeing what he wants to see on the page after awhile. I'm the second pair of eyes so that those sort of errors don't creep in. If that is the sort of beta you mean then it isn't so much the educational level that matters as the experience reading and correcting other people's work.

I am often reprimanded for not using what fan fiction writers call a 'beta reader' and every other kind of writer calls an 'editor.' (I wonder why fan fiction writers chose to adopt a term often applied to the users of a first release of software?). I use my friends list on my livejournal as de facto editors and post to the communities after they've taken a look. Speaking for myself, I view -- and use -- a beta differently than an editor. I've been writing professionally for more than 20 years now, and view my editor as someone who oversees grammar, editing, catching mistakes, etc. A good beta, on the other hand, is someone I bounce ideas off of, someone who can fine tune characterization, someone who can ask -- and has -- "You've described ways that Wilson has helped House with X, but what was it like the first time Wilson did that? Did House ask for help? Did Wilson have to insist?" Etc. A beta also should and could catch typos, grammar, etc., but it's a much bigger job than what I use my editors for at work. (Not that I don't sometimes bounce ideas off of editors, but for the most part, if I can't handle my beats on my own, then I wouldn't be worth my paycheck.) I had a single beta that I used in the past when I first started, but due to real life situations, that beta had to back out, and for the most part I've posted unbetaed since then. But when I get stuck -- need feedback or I'm just not sure what to -- I post a snippet to my LJ and ask bypassers for their input. That worked well for me in "Belief, Faith, Trust," and turned what might otherwise have been a 500-word vignette into the 17,000 word, five-chapter "The Past Is the Present." Granted, some professional writers may use editors more like I consider a beta to be, but for my particular corner of the sky, in which there isn't time to massage an item, but rather it's "You have two hours until deadline," that's the situation for me. And to those people with Master's Degrees, I have this story to share ... namely that I have worked alongside many people with Masters who start to get uppity about their degree. At which point I turn to them and say: "I've got a bachelor's degree from a mid-sized public university. We're working at the same job and I get on the front page more often. What, exactly did that extra degree get you?" Some of the best writers I knew had almost no formal training in English or journalism. (Yes, I'm tired of Northwestern and Missouri grads waving their degrees at me. Why do you ask?)