As a beta-reader, I enjoy seeing anyone's work. I'll usually fit it in during the evening, and normally I'll do it in one long burst so it's not unusual to get the chapter back within 24 hours. I suppose I'm a proof-reader at heart, editing out the spelling mistakes and grammar errors as the main service. I'll take on anything, because I'm mostly objective and I won't comment on the content of the story unless you specifically ask me to.

If I notice little things, like you've used "said" 350 times in a 4000 word chapter, though, I'll offer my skills as a thesaurus. The same goes for sentences that I don't think make much sense as they are - though in both of those cases I'll produce two different versions of the beta-read piece, one with my editing and one with just the straightforward proof-reading. Then it's up to you, and you can easily dismiss the edited one as a misunderstanding of how you're trying to put the story across (I recall Hemingway's short stories and his apparent love of the word "said" as I say this).

I'm easy-going with grammar, in that I focus on what makes sense and is accepted by normal people as making sense - I'm not an absolute grammar-fiend like your average spellchecker. That means that sentences that appear to be an incomplete thought to the spellchecker will be seen with human eyes as a technique used in writing (pet peeve, sorry).

If I'm bogged down by work, well, first I'll stop taking in projects (surprise surprise) and then I'll give priority to regulars and new writers (new writers being anyone who is asking me to beta-read their first story). This doesn't mean I'll neglect others, but it does mean that they might have to wait three or four days for their work to be completed. Regulars are bumped up the queue because often more people are waiting on their work, and new writers are given a boost up because I think they need the encouragement more than a prolonged wait.

I like to stay in contact with people to ask questions if I need to (full on chatspeak can make me irritated, though), however this isn't a set in stone decree and I am perfectly fine with being left to press on alone. Regardless, the more input a writer has whilst I beta, the more I can preserve their own unique style of writing.

If you want to contact me, you can use either aejmoon@hotmail.co.uk or chronicler@hotmail.co.uk - I check both daily.

I'm versatile, and a walking dictionary with a large vocabulary. I'm relatively fast unless I'm truly bogged down, and then I'll inform people that they're likely to have to wait a little longer than expected.

I suppose the most obvious strengths I have are in the spelling and grammar area, although I can help out if a character is becoming too much - whether that's in terms of cliche or Mary Sue/Gary Stu - and if there's a drastic and unannounced change in character or if the character is over-flexible in manner and attitude.

Poems. Really. I can tell you if I think it's good, but I tend to have an eclectic mess in place of my "taste" centre so... unfortunately I'm no good. Plus, I'm English so anyone who's from America will have to tell me so I don't Britishify all the spelling! In that vein, I can't weed out Britishisms at all, and I prefer not to dabble in issues of plot although in extreme (-ly bizarre) cases I'll take it on.

I've had little experience with accents, and so will restrict my activities to just spelling and grammar in the main text in those cases after telling the author whether or not I feel up to the take of wading through - most of the time I'll try, but then I'll give two finished copies in case I mess it all up.

Preferred stories would be the fantasy genre, and humour, but that's just a small preference. I really don't mind. Goriness and bloodshed are actually gruesomely fascinating, so I'll pick them up and be happy.

I don't much like stories that are one huge porn-fest, but I'll still beta-read them. Just don't expect much in the way of feedback, that's all.

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