Beta Bio: general description as a beta reader
I assume everything is "final" (latest and last) draft unless you tell me otherwise - aka ready-to-publish. (If you tell me it's not, I'll keep that in mind when I read it.) When reading fiction (aka fictional stories) I read twice - first looking for grammar and spelling and getting a general feel for your style and voice, then I reread the piece to catch plot holes and anything that detracts from the cohesiveness of the piece. For poetry, my methods are roughly the same. I will tell you exactly what is wrong with your piece in plain language, using writing jargon when I have to. I will not, under any circumstances (including even if you ask me) sugar coat what is wrong with your story. My theory is if you want to get better at writing, you gotta hear it sometime, and better from someone trying to help then from someone trying to hurt. Just drop me an email if you want me to take a look at your writing. |
My Strengths: beta, writing, or reading strengths
I'm kind of a writing geek - I've been doing it since I could hold a pen, so I'm pretty good with almost everything. I don't need to hit my F7 key 18 times per sentence to make sure I spelled stuff right, and more often than not I can spell an incredibly long word right on the first try. (By the way, it's "dialogue," and I don't care what your internet spell check says.) Grammar's a strong point, too, and so much so that my friends tend to call me the Grammar Nazi - I will correct their grammar even in casual conversation. I'm honest about writing; if I think it's good, I'll tell you that, but if it outright stinks, I'll tell you that too. But, if it outright stinks, I'll give you tips on how to make it better instead of simply flaming you - a vague review is nobody's friend, after all. I'm really good with coming up with new directions to take plots in; half the time my stuff ends up in a completely new place from where I started it out from. |
My Weaknesses: beta, writing, or reading weaknesses
I'm really weak on dialogue; most of my characters have this tendency to sound alike (at least when I read it), and I have a small tendency to like to lapse into purple prose. I'm also working on about 15 projects at once - not as insane as it sounds - and trying to get into a new college, so I have a lot less free time than I'd like to think. |
Preferred: types of entries I prefer over others
Fantasy, Realistic fiction (this would hit the FP categories of Biography, Essay, General, Historical, and Young Adult). Considering I do write these myself, I could be of greater help to you.
Fantasy: any type, from true high fantasy to a story with barely a hint of magic, but enough to still make it fantasy.
Realistic: I'll take anything (see categories listed above) but I mostly prefer ones with teenaged protagonists. Oh, and by the way, PLEASE no angsty stories - those make me sick.
After these, I'll strongly consider Romance (any type), Humor, and Supernatural, but don't ask for anything beyond structural help. I'm not good with any of these genres myself, so the basics are about all I got for ya there. |
Would Rather Not: types of entries I do not want to beta for
Action, Horror, Kids, Manga, Thriller, Western, and for goodness' sake, please no Sci-Fi. Sci-Fi is not fantasy - it's just packaged with it because they're both such small markets in the writing world... And please, no poetry. I'm just sick and tired of it. If you're going to write something, I think you should take the time to write something longer than 100 words. |
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