Fandom Grammar Needs YOU!

[chomiji]

Do your fannish friends frequently ask you for SPAG (spelling and grammar) betas of their stories? Do your RL friends and relatives beg you to look over their papers and resumes? Do you frequently consider taking a red pen to advertisements and magazine articles? Would you like a chance to give back to fandom?

You're probably just what we need over at Fandom Grammar! As you may know, Aerith, Fandom Grammar is the community that allows fannish writers to ask their grammar and other language usage questions and receive answers in fan-friendly (and entertaining) format.

If you think you've got what it takes, check out our fearless leader's recruitment post!

Comments

[kis]

I think I'm too Draconian. I found a grammatical error in the recruitment post! :D

[chomiji]

We-e-ell, that's pretty casually written. And we do make mistakes: that's why we submit our articles to the closed Grammarians comm a week before the pieces are due on the public comm: so the other Grammarians can Beta read them.

The question is, do you think you would enjoy doing it?

[enchanter]

I probably could, being the grammar-obsessed person I am, but as a non-native speaker of English, I'm not sure I should. :P

[chomiji]

It's up to you! You have to write a sample article as part pf the application process, so we can see what you can do. I could actually see cases in which an aware, well-educated non-native English speaker might be better at this than many people who speak English as their first language, because you would second-guess your writing to a degree that a native speaker would not.

[enchanter]

Ah, true, true. :) I'm the queen of second-guessing and agonizing over every word. ;) Whenever I write something, fic or an original piece, I tend to literally go over it twenty times or more until I'm sick of it. :P It's a compulsion; it has to be not only correct, but also the words need to convey exactly what I mean, and finding those is not always easy.

That said, I do make mistakes. (I guess most people do, even native speakers. ;)) I used to do beta work in various fandoms and really enjoyed it, and before I started my career in web design, I taught English (EFL) and quite enjoyed that, too. Which is partly why the recruitment ad caught my eye - it could be fun. :) I'm going to have to look through my schedule, though, and figure out if I'm not trying to take on too many responsibilities because I already have quite a lot on my plate.

Thanks! :)