Editor/Beta/Writer's Block
This section will describe the importance of having an editor/beta and how to get past writer's block
EDITOR/BETA
Let's face it, even the best writers make mistakes. We're all human and none of us are perfect. We're all prone to mistakes and our skills can always be improved upon. Take me for example. I've been seriously writing for five years now, been editing for almost a year now, and I still have a lot to learn. I can admit that I am not a perfect writer and there's things I could improve on and that I make mistakes. I'm humble about my writing, as all writers should be. Humility can take you far and, if you accept that your writing isn't perfect, you'll be open to learn many things.
Now that you've faced the reality that you lack the perfection of a Mary-Sue (for which you should be grateful) we can move on to a very important aspect of writing, one that will teach you a great many things: editors. Essentially, editors and betas are the same thing: they both edit writing. Many of you probably edit your own writing. That's highly encouraged but don't stop there! Take the next step and let someone else edit it for you. Why? Well, I'll list some reasons.
Why do I need an editor?
1) Every writer is biased to their own work. When we proofread our own writing we tend to overlook mistakes, several times even, because our brains put in what we want or expect to see and, therefore, we don't see some of our own mistakes. And sometimes, what makes sense to us won't make sense to others. When you have an outside perspective (an editor) look over your work they can see so much more. They can tell you where mistakes are, what fits, what doesn't, the transitions in the paragraphs, holes in the plot, just about everything! Editors are wondrous creatures that should be taken advantage of!
2) Editors, along with editing the writing itself, can help with the plot as well. One of the best ways to develop plot is to discuss it with someone else. Talking with someone else about your story can get your creative juices flowing. And your editor can give you a great many ideas that you never thought of before, as well as telling you what points won't work. They're already familiar with the story, so they are the best person to go to for help. Exploit them.
3) Editors can make you a better writer. Not only can they fix your mistakes, they can give you writing advice, such as, "You're putting your commas in the wrong places." or "Your sentences tend to be run-ons." They'll point out what you're doing wrong and tell you how to improve upon it. Saying this, your editor should be a more experienced writer than yourself or at least close to your level. Why? Well, let's think of writing as a ninth grade student looking for a tutor. This ninth grader wouldn't go to a sixth grader for help on his math, would he? No, he'd ask another ninth grader or someone in a higher grade or even a teacher. That way, the student will learn from the more experienced person, just as writers should learn from their more experienced editors.
All of this being said, you shouldn't become an editor until you've gained a substantial amount of experience under your belt. But once you've gotten into the swing of writing and have a well enough grasp on it, then I implore you to begin editing for others. It's a whole different rowboat than just writing, but it can help you improve as well. Get used to fixing others' mistakes and you'll be more able to fix your own, giving you a sharper eye when you go to proofread your works.
The Editing Process:
After you write a chapter, never go right ahead and post it. Go back and read the whole thing over again and see the chapter as a whole, along with fixing the mistakes of course. If you decide to change something, go back over that section again and make sure that it works. If you really have the patience, proofread the chapter a second time. It never hurts to look back over things another time. Once you've got everything like you want, send it to your editor/beta. If you don't have one on here, then have someone you know look it over for you. And when they're done with it, I suggest reading the chapter one last time so you can see the changes that have been made. It'll help you see where you went wrong and how to avoid it in the future. With all of that done, then post it.
It sounds like a long process, and it most certainly can be, but it's extremely helpful. If you have no one to edit for you though, it's not the end of the world. Simply edit for yourself as much as you can. It's much harder to do, because of that whole biased opinion thing, but it's far better than nothing.
WRITER'S BLOCK
Ever get that horrible feeling like your muse has died? Well trust me, it hasn't died… It's just hiding very, very, very well. All you have to do is find it. There are many ways to go about doing that, a lot of them being the same as getting in the mood for writing. Essentially, you just need to become inspired! So I'll give you some tips to getting over writer's block.
Read your story: If you've been working on a story for a long time you can potentially forget things, or if you haven't written on a particular story in forever this can help you. Read back over the whole thing if you want, or just your favorite parts. Who knows, it might reignite that creative spark within you that led you to write the story in the first place, thus leading you to get pumped to write the new chapter.
Read the reviews: Or the good ones at least. They'll be sure to give you plenty of encouragement.
Watch FMA: Sometimes the writer's block concerns the FMA characters and difficulty in deciding what they would do, or perhaps your having trouble deciding on which direction in the storyline you want to go. Watching the show will get you reacquainted with the characters and seeing the storyline play out with your eyes will help you visualize the various paths your story could take.
Talk it out: Don't keep it inside. Talk it out with someone, preferably your editor. Attempting to describe the situation aloud will help you push past the block in your mind. And the other person you talk to will surely have some good ideas to give you. Also, talking to someone will help excite you about writing it. It's all about getting inspired!
Write an outline: If you know what you want to write but just can't seem to get it out, try mapping out an outline of the chapter or chapters you're working on. Plot the major points that you want to happen, then go back in and insert more details in between. This especially helps when you're trying to get from point A to point C and need to figure out what point B will be.
Follow your muse: Sometimes your muse isn't hiding; it's just being stubborn or is distracted. In these times, you should follow your muse. Sit down and write anything that comes to you, even if it's not for the story you're currently working on. Maybe your muse wants to start a different story altogether. Maybe it just wants to write something different for a change. Just follow the flow and it could lead you to great places.
Take a step back: Is it just not coming to you? If you're trying to force it out, is the writing lacking? Then you need to take a step back, my friend. Sometimes, you just can't force it out. You've got to let it come to you until that stroke of inspiration hits. Give it some time and come back to it later; go do something else for awhile and let it come in it's own time. Whatever you do, don't write if you're heart isn't in it.
Push through it: This is when all other methods fail. I don't recommend forcing it out…but sometimes, it's necessary. Try to sit down and write it, even if it's not sounding like you want. You can always go back and rewrite. But this will at least help you get the gist of it out of your system. Perhaps then you'll be able to look and see what you really do want and what is absolute crap destined to be deleted.
Having said all of these methods, I've used each one occasionally and found all of them useful. I myself am partial to reading my story and writing outlines (I even have an outline for this guide), but that's just me. Some of the other methods may be the one for you.
