My main profile is for the autobiography, so I'm not going to babble here incessantly. I will, however, inform you of several things that I think are relatively important for our beta-reader/bata-readee relationship to work. Communication is key to everything, after all.

First of all, I'm very much dedicated to my writing. I also am working on roughly ten novels/short stories at the same time. Literally. Writing is simply what I do, and although I certainly wouldn't consider myself "great" at it, it is one of the things I do well. Bearing that in mind, understand that I'm going to treat any story I read with the same respect I would my own works. I'm going to be open and honest, because as a writer, I want to improve as best I can, and you should too.

And, quite frankly, the authors here on FP can use all the help they can get.

Second of all, I am a Christian with strong moral persuasions, based on my love and devotion to Jesus Christ. So if that turns you off to my input, I'm fine with that. There are plenty of people on FP who are willing to read. However, be informed that I will read stories regardless of content. Obviously, I prefer "clean" writing, but I'm open to reading anything. And I do use elements of sexuality and profanity in my own stories for the sake of realism, just so we're clear. I write about grungy characters not to glorify their lifestyles, but to point to the depravity of mankind as a whole. But my writing is not exclusively "religious" either.

Third, I cannot promise that I will be prompt when reading or replying. I do my best to keep in touch with my fellow authors on FP, especially ones I've read before or who have read my works. And I promise to do the same with you. But I'm human too: I'm juggling work, school, church, personal writing, music, and other activities just like the rest of you. I'll read when I can, if you're willing to be patient.

Fourth, I am a huge, huge, huge stickler for proper punctuation, grammar, and spelling. If you are aware of mistakes in your stories, fix them before hitting me up for a review. I'd rather focus on content than misspellings; by cleaning up your story prior to me reading it, it helps me be better efficient with my time, and it helps you to start working on improving your writing skills on your own.

And that's the real point of FP, isn't it?

Finally, I appreciate dialogue. If I'm going to review your story, I would like to hear what you have to say about it. And I'd like to know what you think about my comments so that I can help you to better understand where I'm coming from with my critiques. In other words, TALK TO ME. I want questions and feedback on the feedback.

Well, I guess that's all that really matters as of right now. Hit me up anytime, because I'm always "active". Bearing in mind, of course, the five things I've just mentioned. The e-mail's on my profile, but here it is again: thecarltonboy@yahoo.com. If I start getting chain e-mails, I will not be pleased.

God bless, all.
"Ken"

I'm a perfectionist. I edit each chapter of each story over and over and over again, especially when I've hit a roadblock and can't get any further with the plot. I think this has helped me to really flesh out my stories to make them more enjoyable, and the characters more easily identifiable. I'll be getting my bachelor's in English, and I've been writing since before I could actually write. I have evidence: a li'l story I narrated to my mom when I was five, which she subsequently transcribed for me on construction paper. And I illustrated it. It was about ducks. And yes, it was heartwrenching.

As far as reading goes, I'm pretty good with constructive criticism. In other words, I'm honest, but I'm not going to make you cry. But be aware that I could if I wanted to.

I tend to ramble - in writing, when it comes to descriptive sentences; in reading, when it comes to reviewing in general. When I get in that anal-retentive editing mood, I can go on and on. I also find that most of my sentences are better understood when chopped up into two or more separate thoughts. I also have a tendency to use way too many commas. And when I read other authors' stories, I can be the same way.

I'm very much into horror. And by "horror", I DON'T mean stories involving monsters or vampires. Because that's simply not horror, or even remotely frightening. After all, one only needs to read H. P. Lovecraft and Stephen King to discover that what is truly scary is not so easily defined. As for mystery, I primarily like stuff that wouldn't be featured on an episode of CSI. Old fashioned detective stories are more my forte, or stuff that is more or less not "cop drama". I'll read fantasy if it's original; however, if your fantasy story begins with a prologue and/or a prophecy (or a ten-thousand-year flashback), find someone else to read it. Also, I despise binary thinking, so if your evil badguy is simply an evil badguy bent on world domination, rethink it and then I'll consider reading it. I will do romance pieces if they do not involve teenagers. I'm a hypocrite, I know, because I wrote one of those. I'm also game for anything with supernatural, religious, or philosophical overtones of any kind. I like deep stuff.

Look, I'm just going to be blunt here so as to avoid unnecessary debate and/or hurt feelings. I will NOT read ANYTHING involving the following: vampires, homosexuality, animals as main characters, screenplay rip-offs, and pointless sexual escapades. Also I'm not interested in long comedic pieces with overly involved plots, "essays" on personal experience, any story with paragraphs devoted to overwrought descriptions of the main characters and what they're wearing, angst (see also: stories about teenagers in general), or stories about bands. Also, I never read poetry.

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