Beta Bio: general description as a beta reader
Well if you haven't acquired any semblance of who I am as a person on my profile, as a betareader I am thoroughly devoted and it takes me hours to look over a portion of text you may send, just because I actually sit down and digest all of it to the best of my ability. When I beta, I not only indulge myself on the text but I try to make sure everything is within accordance: spelling, sentence structure, syntax, capitalization, grammar, mechanics, plot, characterization, tenses—I even check to see if original character are agreeable. Depending on requests, I can give a hard, straight-edge beta job or I can still be honest but not be as strict on those who might have a bit of sensitivity concerning their writing. I suppose that just means I correct things to the best of my ability, will give my input but I will always keep my betaee's intentions and thought in mind. Don't take my kindness for weakness however; if something's bad I won't hesitate to say it. |
My Strengths: beta, writing, or reading strengths
I am an experienced betareader. I've read a myriad of stories and have corrected them within the three or four years that I've done this, so if you're looking for someone with experience I fit that category justly. I like to think I have multiple strengths as a writer—one of those being indirect characterization. If your problem lies within portraying canon characters or just your characters in general, I consider myself very capable of helping you along. Blatantly stating what a character is like within text is jejune and extremely boring; nobody wants to read that. I'd focus on having the writer use dialogue to allow a character's words to reveal something important about their nature, using actions to convey parts of their personality, show other individuals' reactions to said character—basically you want to reveal information about a character and her personality through their thoughts, words, actions and how other characters respond to them, including what they think or say to/about her. You want to show the reader who they are, rather than tell them. I also consider myself very good at plot. I abhor reading a boring story about boring characters and if you present to me a piece that's about as interesting as a plank of plywood I won't hesitate to tell you. Flesh out your plot with colorful characters that we care about that grabs our attention—be sure to spend copious amounts of time on little details and stay focused—don't have your plot ambulating everywhere. There's a difference between a complicated plot and an incoherent one. I'm known within my particular circle for creating all sorts of interesting, amazing plots and I work hard on them, lacing them with subplots and ploys and I don't even leave room /for/ plot holes. I treat the plot like it's another person entirely and if you have a good plot chances are you'll have a good story. I can help you turn something predictable into an original idea, surely. Apropos to that, my ability to create characters is second to none; I know what it takes to make a good original character and I encourage you all to send original character fics my way to beta. I know a character is construed out of quirks—quirks are what make the character more memorable in the reader's eyes. Basically, one needs to strive to have their character come off as a real human being; we as people have lots of talents, lots of weaknesses and we go through a plethora of emotions on a daily basis. Once one has figured out how to make written characters breathe and feel as a real person would, I think that's when you know you have made a good character. When you see yourself or someone familiar to you in a character concept, the connection is instantaneous. It's like meeting a stranger and knowing immediately that you're going to share a long-lasting friendship. The situations that your characters experience and the actions they take achieve that bond. When we see situations a character faces as ones we've been through ourselves, we feel closer to the character. A character's personality often seals a bond by making us relate as kindred spirits or by encouraging our smiles, laughter or grimaces. All of my characters are multi-faceted and complex, just like real people can be. Remember, you don't have to specifically /like/ a character to feel something for them. I hate one of my antagonists with a burning passion but I'll be damned if I say he's a terrible character—he's actually quite coy. Don't hold back. Put your characters /through hell/. Take chances and explore your character’s struggles through the situation. The pain is temporary, and the outcome is often amazing. Real people go through pain and your character will as well. I also help with abilities characters may have, magic and weapons. I have an exceptional grasp over mechanics and things of that nature as well—spelling, grammar, that whole thing. |
My Weaknesses: beta, writing, or reading weaknesses
Is my narcissism showing yet—? Ah, I think my only weaknesses lie within myself. I'm under the impression that I shit gold and piss success, so proofreading my own stuff is very arduous as I miss typos and my sentence structure isn't always pristine the first time around. This has nothing to do with other people's writing however; I can proofread someone's stuff far better than my own. |
Preferred: types of stories I prefer over others
I like dark stories, plotty stories—I'll read anything one throws at me. I'm more concerned with things having original characters within them and I'm not bothered with original character/canon fics. I encourage those as well. I really have a penchant for angst and tragedy, stories depicting falling heroes and things of that nature. Anyone looking for help writing any type of smut can come to me also, as I have written that quite a few times as well. There's some stuff I won't do, however, like cannibalism during such things and just really batshit stuff. I can get pretty crazy too but not that crazy. Overall my chair is very flexible. Just give me something to read. |
Would Rather Not: I do not beta for these stories
I'm still really on the fence about yaoi/shounen-ai and I'd rather not read anything pertaining to the two. I will, however, read yuri/shoujo-ai without any problems. |
