Beta Bio: general description as a beta reader
Alrighty, so here we go. I am a high school senior who loves to write in her free time (despite how little of it I have). As you can see in my profile, I have stories ranging from anime to books, so I write about a lot of subjects.
Before we start, I don't care if you are the next J.K. Rowling or someone who has never see a keyboard before. I will read anyone regardless of their past experience, yet I will not mince criticism if you really need it.
Now, some things you should know:
First, I am a grammar perfectionist. If I say that your grammar is wrong, it's a 99.99% chance that I'm right. There is nothing I hate more than people posting stories with awful grammar and spelling. If your grammar is off, I will correct it and probably give you a lesson. You may roll your eyes, but proper grammar and spelling are extremely important in making your story smooth and appealing. I have stopped reading stories because the grammar was that atrocious.
Second, I write on the fly. I usually do not have plots in mind when I am writing a story - I let my fingers run off. However, I am constantly on the lookout for plot loops and contradictions. Therefore, I either want you to have a plot in mind or be as vigilant as I am in looking for plot loops. If I see one, I'll let you know.
Third, be original. I am getting so sick of Mary Sues, OOC-ness, and predictable plot lines. I want you to be creative because that is what gets readers.
Fourth, use your vocabulary. I hate "interesting," "good," "bad," etc. Use a thesaurus. Use adjectives and adverbs to spice up your writing. Sometimes situations call for terse writing, but not all the time. Make a sentence from "The dog ran." to "The black-and-white speckled dog dashed into the rose bushes, disregarding the stings from the sharp thorns." Now, which was the better sentence to read?
Fifth, building on from grammar and vocabulary, vary your syntax. "I saw this. He did that." Boring. Use litotes, anastrophes, etc. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, look up your literary devices.)
Sixth, I love poetry. I would love to beta it. However, I don't want sappy, over-the-top poetry. Yes, it can be sad, angst-y, whatever, but nothing that is obnoxious.
Seventh, here are the things you shouldn't do with me as a beta reader. Don't write for reviews. Don't blackmail people for reviews (i.e. I won't write the next chapter unless I get 10 reviews). Don't ask me to review your stories on here; as your beta reader, I'm reviewing them enough already. Don't ask me to hurry up - I have a lot of stuff going on and I am doing the best I can. Don't be nasty with me if my criticism is harsh.
Since that is out of the way, here is what to expect from a typical beta-reading with me.
1) I will read your chapter/poem in its entirety.
2) I will point on mistakes that you must fix. (grammar, plot loop, etc.)
3) I will point out suggestions that I have. These will be purely my opinion and you do not have to follow them, but they will be what I think would make your writing better.
4) If I spot something that you have been doing over and over, I will personally give you a lesson. For example, if you constantly mix up when to use the nominative and objective cases of pronouns, I will explain the differences in detail and give you examples. You should take these seriously because I want to help you improve as a writer.
Well, there it is. I'm looking forward to working with you. :] |
My Strengths: beta, writing, or reading strengths
~Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation, and Capitalization
~Brainstorming - Plots, Original Characters, etc.
~Sarcasm :]
~Poetry
~Outside Information/Research (Allusions, Meanings of Names, etc.) - I am a huge advocate of symbols, therefore I thoroughly research anything that I think I might want to use in my stories. For example, I used flower imagery in "The Littlest Things," but I researched traditional flower meanings and picked the one that would convey the emotion I wanted.
~Honesty - I don't sugarcoat anything. If your story/chapter sucks, I will tell you straight up. |
My Weaknesses: beta, writing, or reading weaknesses
~Laziness in Updating
I don't know any more, but if you or I find some, I'll add them. |
Preferred: types of entries I prefer over others
Nope, I'm up for anything, K to M. I do have a soft spot for romance and action and I'm not big on horror, however. |
Would Rather Not: types of entries I do not want to beta for
I am not a horror fan - no pulling out nails, aliens raping people, etc. Also, I probably will not beta anything that I am unfamiliar with. For example, since I have not seen the anime "Lucky Star," I will not beta a story about "Lucky Star" because I do not know it well enough to do a good job. |
|
FanFiction.Net - unleash your imagination
