Pfft

It's not your age. YA authors should love to have your input.

When you offered your time as a beta, did you list genres or types of stories you're interested in?

Don't be frustrated. It has nothing to do with your age, I'm sure. The fact that you're new may have something to do with it. No one knows your critiquing style yet. The relationship between a writer and a beta reader has to be the right match like any other relationship.

So, here's a suggestion: go over to SYW and find some works posted for crit that interest you. Read crits. Offer your own insights and suggestions. You will gain experience and writers will become familiar with your critiquing style. Once you participate and the community becomes comfortable with your style, it'll be easier to find that perfect beta match.

Best of luck.


ETA: oops. cross-posted with Derek.

What they said - and just to add get used to frustration. It follows writers around like a little black storm cloud. Trick is to learn to deal gracefully with it

Yeah, get used to frustration. I have tried many times to find a good, stable beta reader and it just never works out for me. Crits of my work never get finished (without even an explanation--they just stop talking to me) and I never get their promised MSs sent to me. Even with someone who is a very active member of this board (that's not to complain; nobody is wishing they had more work to do).

I know this beta readers forum works well for some people, it just hasn't panned out for me at all.

ksel, just adding my vote behind "get out there".....10 posts, one being this rant, and while I can understand your frustration, I have a VERY small snapshot of you. Would you try to make contact with a girl on a dating site where all you saw was a photo of hands, and under "likes" it said "hands."

Like that, we have a really tiny snapshot of you.

You're new. You'll get more interest if you interact more - perhaps sharing your thoughts on work in the SYW forum so we can see your crit style. This is a community, and like all communities the more you put in the more you get out.

KSelwonk said:

Hmm.. I'm fairly new here and a few folks told me to come to this beta reader section to get experience with beta reading. However, I've made contact with a few people, but they end up just kind of forgetting about me or never sending me their manuscript.

Is it because I'm young (18) or because I'm new? I'm just frustrated, i have so much free time and i'd love to read someone's manuscript so i could learn and develop from it, and help the other person as well. Is it my age? Do i have to be twenty years older and have a wife, kids, and my own house to be accepted?

Just frustrated...

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Offer some critiques in the SYW area. That way people will get a feel for you. And you'll get a feel for them.

Personally, I've found critiquing in the SYW area has done a lot to increase my skill at writing. At least, it has in my opinion.

Your two year plan to get a wife and kids and your own house is admirable, by the way.

It isn't your age, I can assure you of that. We have members of all ages here, and everyone on the forums is valued according to their contributions, their attitude towards others and their involvement in the community, although EVERYONE is treated as deserving of respect.

Keep in mind, beta reading isn't quick or simple. It's a major commitment of your time and energy, and beta reading/crit relationships can be a minefield if not handled correctly. Being so new to the forums, no one knows how you'll handle your first beta job - will you provide useful critique? How great is your knowledge of writing? Will you be someone that forms a great relationship with your beta, or will you be one of those people that never even finishes reading? Right now, no one knows.

We tend to take things a little more slowly in this forum - you'll notice the SYW area has a rule that no one can post their own work to share until they've made 50 posts on the forum, and we strongly encourage people to treat those 50 first posts as important, not a rush to the right number.

Everyone's given you great advice, but I'll echo it. Offer crits in the SYW forums, where everyone can get to know your crit style and writing knowledge. Get involved in the writing questions and advice and research sections, or even in debates on the political and comparative religion areas. Once you've built up a bit of a presence, once people can get to know you a little, I'm sure there'll be plenty of writers eager to work with you.

Also, welcome to AW!

It's here. http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=26 The password is vista. It's divided into genre so you can crit where your main interest lies. I tend to stick to SF and Fantasy, YA, and sometimes Horror. You can comment any time, but can't post a new thread till you have 50 posts. A lot of this information is in the huge pile of stickies you were linked to when you joined .

KSelwonk said:

Thank you anninyn, you are like my second mother <3

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oh GOD, I'm only 26. I'm not ready.

Can't I be your wildly irresponsible Aunt, instead?

^I say nay! the die has been cast...The fates shall know join these two destines!! MUHAHAHHAHA

KSelwonk said:

@JoBird.. i put twenty, not two. Hmm, i guess my main problem is that i don't know where to find this SYW forum. I'd be more than happy to read some things people post here if i just knew where it was.

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You sure did. My bad. See, you're already off to a good start critiquing.