This may sound like a bad point, but it really is good. I critique harshly. If you have poor characterization, boring plot, and melodrama, I will tell you at the outset. However, good writing comes from people who care enough to be honest with your story. I'm a writer, and there's nothing more valuable and painful from good old harsh critiquing.

However, the bitter pill is sugarcoated. I will try my best to present constructive criticism, not a flame. I'm not interested in tearing people down. Believe me, I'm a sensitive person, but that doesn't mean I won't tell it like it is.

I'm an English literature major, so I think I know my way round the block.

While it's not my intention to be the writer of your story, I do expect you to take important suggestions such as spelling or grammatical errors to heart. If your story is chock full of horrendous spelling errors or all-bold writing, I won't be too pleased. I probably won't even be your Beta, my dear.

Personally, my strengths are helping you create believable characters, creating suggestions for plot if you happen to be in a writer's block, and letting you write what you want. I'm also good with improving dry dialogue. And if it helps, I've taken an intense creative writing course. So I have suggestions from wiser, published authors about the tricks of the trade. I won't try to push my opinions on you, and I'll try my best to work with you as an editor only. After all, it's your brilliant story, right?

If you want deep characters (and I mean psychological Freudian deep), I'm your Beta. I can't stand cookie-cutter characters that don't hold a candle to the likes of Mr. Darcy, Hester Prynne, Wanda (from the Host), or any other living, breathing characters.

My main weakness is that my style of stories and editing are a bit more challenging. In other words, I like very psychological and deep stories, not Mary-Sue type novellas. I know most of the stories out there are aimed towards teenage girls; I'm sorry, but that's not my specialty. However, that's not to say that I won't help romance writers. In fact, I would find that kind of experience very interesting.

If you hate intelligent, groundbreaking books with depth and heart (like Jane Eyre, Crime and Punishment, 1984), I can't help you.

Oh, and I have a real impatience with writers who yell at me when I offer constructive criticism. I'm your Beta; I'm here to help you. I will admit that I'm human, and I make plenty of mistakes. Still, I really enjoy editing with professional, graceful writers who don't argue with their Betas. If you have a problem with my suggestions, all you have to do is gently say you don't want to do that and explain why. I'll understand. It's your story.

I genuinely enjoy fantasy and general. I find that there's a whole lot of creativity in these fields, but a lot of writers with good potential end up giving up. I'll try to help you there, if you're into these things. Also, I'm interested in controversial general stories about the world. Technically, "general" would go under the genre of fiction in the real world. So that includes fiction based on the real world, not a fantasy world.

Also, I have a real soft spot for horror and supernatural. If you're from the Gothic/Stephen King school of writing, it would be my pleasure to beta read your story.

Helping you construct action, mythology, biographies, and basically the other less popular genres isn't my strong point.

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