Beta Bio: general description as a beta reader
VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED. I have a habit of rambling, as you can tell by this babbling profile. Does the length scare you? If the answer is yes, I recommend running away because I do this often. If you are brave, ENTER WITH CAUTION.
Ahem. Hi, I'm Mimi. What's your name? :D
Should you ever decide to give me a little ring, know that your fic will not be my first ever job as a beta reader. I have beta read in the past for four different people, and since I've composed this profile I've received several more, so I suppose I know what I'm doing. In fact, I've beta read so often that it's difficult for me to read regular books without noticing an error or two here and there. It's driving me nuts, to be honest, knowing that I can't fix those mistakes. I'm no professional, but I have experience. Usually I don't highlight the changes I make, but if that's something you want me to do, don't forget to mention it.
If you think I can be of any help, don't hesitate to send me an email or PM. I would most likely respond within several hours, since I check my email literally thirty times a day. But I warn you, life is chaotic for me right now. There's no knowing how long it would take me to beta read a chapter. A 3000-word chapter would take me a day, typically, though it's probable that I wouldn't send it back until the next. A 6000-word chapter would take me at least two. If it's urgent that I finish the chapter as quick as possible, that can certainly be arranged. I'm flexible.
Never will I speak (okay, type) to you harshly or in a spiteful way. My extremely guilty conscience simply won't allow it. =) If I dislike your ideas or think you write really badly, I won't blatantly say, "It's bad." Never. I will tell you truth, of course, but I won't outright blurt it out to you harshly. I have a kind soul (and, again, a guilty conscience), and I will be nice to all who approach me. That is, unless you're a total jerk/female dog. Then I won't hesitate to bite back.
Now, what's expected of you? I would like clients -- if you can be described as clients -- to be patient. I'm a schoolgirl with hours of homework a day, a mountain of PowerPoint presentations, projects, and research papers, and I have my own fic to work on. The person whose story I've been beta reading since Christmas break is wonderfully patient and understanding. It would ease my stress if you're like him and would be willing to allow me 2-4 days to send back your beta read chapter. If for whatever reason you can't wait long, explain your case and I will attempt to be quick.
Besides patience, some cordiality would be much appreciated. I like to make friends with the people I beta read for. Being a beta reader isn't always about the story, you know. I can just be there to offer advice or just for you to talk to. I might even ask you for help. Just as long as you can stand my constant spazziness and immaturity, of course. I'm generally a serious person when it comes to beta reading, but I do have my moments. I would very much appreciate it if you refrain from using vulgar language in your email/PM. Only a minimal amount will be tolerated. I detest cursing with a fiery passion. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to type intelligibly, either. You don't need to be perfect, but using chatspeak and all that crap that I despise doesn't really make a good impression.
You should expect me to drop by and email/PM you every two to four weeks if you choose me as your beta reader. The purposes of these visits are: to check on the progress of your next chapter if I'm waiting for you to write it, make sure that you haven’t forgotten your dear old beta, and confirm that you haven’t abandoned me for a better beta. And most importantly, if you reply to me soon, that assures me that you have not been killed, kidnapped, assaulted, raped, or caught in a natural disaster. I tend to get worried if you’ve been quiet for a while, so be prepared for my occasional checkups.
If you ever feel the need to disregard a correction I've made and truly think that I'm wrong, by all means, keep it the way it was prior to my changing it. I'm not perfect. If you think it sounded correct before, change it back.
One final, important thing: I WORK ALONE. I do not like to co-beta stories. Like, at all. This is a new thing I discovered recently about my beta reading. I admit that I am rather obsessive and possessive when it comes to beta reading, and I dislike knowing that there’s another person being your beta for that same story. Especially if you reject my judgment for theirs. I don't mind if you yourself change something I corrected, but it hurts me if you ignore me for someone else. I work individually and independently, and if you can't accept that, I think it would be best if you look for a different beta. |
My Strengths: beta, writing, or reading strengths
I took part in a month-long writing workshop once, and the teacher there praised how natural my dialogue sounds. I'm guessing dialogue is one of my strengths, then?
Mechanics and format. The same writing workshop teacher was impressed by my technical skills, especially in punctuation. Many, many, many people (including distinguished writers on this site and even beta readers themselves) are not aware that their punctuation used in dialogue is incorrect. (For example: "I like cake." She said.) Even though it's a tiny detail, it bothers me so much because almost everyone gets it wrong. And that's where I come in as a beta reader.
Spelling. I always aced my spelling tests back in elementary school. But since most of you use spell check anyway (hint: DO IT), I don't really have to do much. But I can easily spot typos and incorrectly used homophones and the like.
I am VERY open-minded, partially due to my status as an artist. I will accept most beta requests unless I think I have a good reason to say no. I will beta almost anything - incest, slash, crack pairings, et cetera. I won't be biased because you like something and I don’t.
Catching things that sound repetitive. I have beta read for a client who had a habit of repeating words or phrases, which makes the sentences awkward-sounding, so I have a bit of experience with that. I would either substitute a synonym or make a note of it so I would tell you later.
Making the story believable. There's nothing I dislike more than a story where everything is so perfect, the events so ridiculous, or the OCs are such Mary-Sues/Gary-Lous. Even if it takes forever to get to the action, I need to give the story a realistic feel, although I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing.
Offering valuable criticism that you will actually apply to your story. I think this is rather self-explanatory. Oh, and telling you what I thought of your chapter. If something confused me, I would be sure to inform you of it. If I liked certain parts of the chapter, I would comment on that. Never would I just send you back your chapter without any comments. The only exception to this is if I finish beta reading right before I leave for school and I'm about to be late, and even then I would be sure to write a better evaluation later. I work at odd hours. |
My Weaknesses: beta, writing, or reading weaknesses
Those dreadful commas. xP I absolutely hate them. I have only a general knowledge of where to place them, so if you ever notice that I added/removed some of your commas, I can't guarantee that it would be accurate. But I'm researching them.
Writing descriptive paragraphs. Describing a room, someone's feelings, a person's looks—I can't do it very well. If you've ever read any of my work, you can tell that it's difficult for me to describe things in a way that you can picture it in your mind. I won't be of much help if you shove a paragraph at me and ask, "Is this descriptive enough?"
Flow. I fail at making the story flow smoothly and transitioning into the next scene. In nearly every single one of my World History essays, graded harshly by the head of the English Department in my school, there's that dreaded phrase in angry red ink in the margins - "Work on your flow and transitions."
Developing a stable romance. It's very difficult for me. The only relationship I can manage is a relationship where the two "lovers" despise each other's guts. And it's not a love-hate thing, just... hate. I always run into problems when I have to try and figure out how the heck the two are supposed to fall for each other, without making it overly sappy and unrealistic.
Vocabulary. For my age, my vocabulary can be described as average, at best. Nothing spectacular. (Can't you tell?) I have what people would call a casual vocabulary. If you want me to help spice up your story, I'd probably make it worse, but I can try my best.
Speed. I'm a /very/ slow person, probably because I'm lazy. Thinking, writing, beta reading, I like to take my time to do it all. Except talking. I sound like a chipmunk when I talk. xD My slowness is certainly a bother to some people, and is the major downside of my beta reading.
I have a weakness for rambling. I shall say no more. |
Preferred: types of entries I prefer over others
Nothing specific, really. I, like mostly every other female beta reader here, would prefer it if you include a bit of romance. Unless it's a humor fic. I can bear without romance in those. I will do my best job if I have to beta read a Cardcaptor Sakura fanfic, since I am extremely familiar with the plot and characters. That does not mean that I will do a sloppy job if you send me, say, a Naruto fanfiction. It only means I'll be able to give you more help if it's CCS.
I am also a huge fan of (well-written) crack fics, just to let you know. ^-^
Crack/odd pairings are acceptable, too. I do have my preferences, but I'm okay with anything. I will never reject a fanfiction merely because I dislike the pairing. I'm open to all fics with any pairings. And I've beta read several strange ones already.
I also like fics that are sad enough to make me cry (although it doesn't take much to make me cry). Haven't seen many around lately. |
Would Rather Not: types of entries I do not want to beta for
Horror. -shudders- I am rather squeamish and I scare easily, so I would rather not beta read fics with descriptions of extremely gory scenes or scenes that would plant disturbing images in my head, causing me to wake up screaming at three in the morning, an hour before I wake up, when I am all alone and everything is far too quiet.
**IMPORTANT NOTE TO WRITERS OF SLASH/YAOI** Slash was on here, but I've decided I'll give it a try. I think I've gathered enough nerve. Besides, I was kind of tired of people saying how they would refuse to beta a story with slash in it, so I changed my mind. Bring me whatever you've got!
**IMPORTANT NOTE TO WRITERS OF ANGST/TRAGEDY** It's the same deal with the whole slash/yaoi thing. I've noticed how people would rather not beta read stories with excessive amounts of angst. I actually don't mind angst or incredibly sad fics, unless it contains nothing but depression/suicide/cutting, yada yada. I like stories with a plot. Even if you kill off every person in the fic, I'll still beta read it, but only if it makes sense for everyone to die.
Anything in script form, especially if it's one of those author/characters Truth or Dare interaction things. It was torture for me while practicing for school plays, and I'd rather not relive that.
Poetry. Not my forte, never was. My brain can't comprehend the beautiful, intricate language of poetry.
Stories with many OCs that play main roles and/or described meticulously to the last, unnecessary detail. They just throw me off for some reason. A couple OCs are okay, but I'd prefer it if you not have the whole story be flooded with them.
Humor fics that are /too/ funny. I understand if it's a crack fic, but a regular old humor fic? No. Those are the fics where every tidbit of humor thrown in sounds, well, thrown in. There's a fine line between "Wow, that was funny!" and "Random much?" and you end up sounding like a try-hard. For example, Professor Snape wouldn't waltz into his classroom clad in a pink tutu and ballet slippers, carrying a bowl of onion dip and singing "Mary had a Little Lamb." That would be amusing to see, but it's just random, not funny. I praise those who can whip up decent humor fics, for I find them most challenging to write.
If you honestly have no writing ability whatsoever, no grasp of the English language, I WILL reject your request. I am here to correct your technical errors, offer suggestions and commentary, lend a helping hand with plot holes, and occasionally boost your morale. I can’t do these things if you have a terrible plot or if I can’t comprehend your writing. If you can’t write for your life, just practice. English was not my first language. I entered kindergarten knowing no English at all. I used to believe that I hated writing with a passion. And now I’m a beta reader. If I can learn how to write, so can you.
Seventeen pages of characters going at it like rabbits. Please, none of that.
Fanfics where spacings between the paragraphs are nonexistent. Do you know how difficult it is to try to read and edit a giant block of text? If I take off my glasses, it looks like a black square. Please, please, PLEASE make sure you have actual paragraphs in your fic before sending it to me.
Songfics with trashy songs (I will immediately reject it if it's rap), if the lyrics are in big chunks, or if the lyrics are longer than the fic itself.
...Wow, I'm picky. |
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