Beta Bio: general description as a beta reader
I am unbendingly strict when it comes to grammar, spelling and punctuation. I do NOT tolerate it when even something as trivial as a comma or semi-colon is out of place. I prefer to read through a submitted document once, just to get the hang of it and understand how to tweak things here and there so that the readers get a more vivid visual description. Afterwards, I comb through the entire document again and then change any errors that are present.
If you wish to acquire my services, I would like to receive specific instructions. I expect you to submit stories which have potential, i.e. stories in which there are grounds to improve on. Moreover, when you submit a document to me, I do not expect a huge paragraph that has been hastily typed up. I do not accept documents which are absolutely HORRIBLE i.e. no plot, no characterization, horrendous spelling mistakes, chiche scenes, zero punctuation. Reading an entity which is such a disgrace to English grammar will probably make me go ballistic. I do not accept HORRIBLE documents because if I do correct them, it will seem as if the whole story has been re-written. Bottom line: I will not write the story for you.
However, I offer constructive criticism, which will definitely help you look at the story from a reader's perspective. I warn you, though: I am something of a perfectionist and any criticism I offer may seem quite harsh to you. But note that I expect you to take my critiques in a professional manner instead of shedding tears just because it makes you feel bad about what you write. I know from experience that criticsm will help you become a better writer in the long run. |
My Strengths: beta, writing, or reading strengths
My greatest strength, I have to say, is my spelling and tendency to use colourful words. My expanse of English vocabulary is vast, and if you write descriptive stories, then I can suggest a lot of synonyms. I excel in both British and American English. I describe materialistic entities and emotions very well. Characterization is something I am good at. I have a sharp eye for technical details. For example, if a sentence structure seems awkward to me or if I find that subject and verb is misplaced, I'll be sure to correct it. I can easily see if something does not make sense or if some parts of the story need more detailed explanation. |
My Weaknesses: beta, writing, or reading weaknesses
I am not very good at picking up in which direction a certain story is heading because in my mind, I imagine endless scenarios which are plausible. I am not very good with poetry. I am not good with OOC, cracktastic humour oneshots. I might be a tad bit too harsh with criticism and I am REALLY picky about the documents I receive. Also, I really can't help you any with dialogue - you'll have to take care of that yourself, since I believe that it's the dialogue that directs the story, and I want you to direct the story by yourslef. I'm just the scanner that shows you the faults and tell you to correct them. Oh, most importantly, I slip up from time to time with present tense. I can write in third person POV pretty well, but present tense isn't exactly my cup of tea! |
Preferred: types of entries I prefer over others
I enjoy fiction with both happy and tragic endings. If you have a fetish for dark fics, then I'll gladly beta it. I like lemons that are tasteful and portray emotion instead of mindless obsession and hardcore, raunchy positions. In romance stories, I prefer portraying how the chracters get together and showing every tiny transition instead of them already together without backstory. I like to beta drabble collections and oneshots of any kind. In tragedy/drama, I like it if there is a gradual build-up of emotions. I adore stories which contain innocent fluff and I like AU stories which have many allusions to the series. If you have planned a long, novel-format story and need a reliable beta, then I'm the person for the job. I also adore yaoi and yuri pairings (yaoi more tha yuri actually) like Naruto and Sasuke, Sakura nd Ino, Yuri and Wolfram. But I also like straight pairings like Sakura and Sasuke,Hinata and Naruto, Kakashi and Anko. Bottom line: I prefer to read stories where the transition of the various phases of the relationship is portrayed well, and I will not judge a story based on the pairing alone. If your stories are listed in my Favorites, I would be thrilled to beta for you. |
Would Rather Not: types of entries I do not want to beta for
I DETEST stories with Mary Sues/Larry Lous in them. But I will make suggestions regarding how toning down their too-perfect qualities will make them more realistic. I hate self-inserts and cliche plots. Unless it is in my Favorites, I usually do not prefer yaoi/yuri mainly because I haven't read any stories in which the writer manages to make it seem convincing. No offense to anyone. It's not that I don't like yaoi/yuri. In fact, I find it adorable and have nothing against it. But majority of the yaoi/yuri writers tend to jumble everything up in these kind of stories; for eg, they don't show any transition, nor how society will accept such couples, how the other characters will react to the protagonists getting together, etc. I am PICKY with crossovers. If I feel that your crossover is not viable, then I'll instantly reject it. It takes a lot of planning to do a crossover - especially when you try to establish a romantic relationship between two characters from different animes. If I think that you have not put in the required effort, then I'll not read your story. I do not accept cliche Valentine fics and cheesy one-shots. I'll only accept Valentine fics and romance one-shots if I feel that the theme is fresh i.e. not cliche. |
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