Beta Bio: general description as a beta reader
I'm not particularly pleased about the lack of common decency and maturity I've had to deal with as a reward for offering my services to just anyone who asks. Now, I'm only accept Beta requests from mature writers who are willing and able to take honesty and criticism in stride, learn from their mistakes, and improve. If you think you don't need help or a second opinion, just don't ask for a Beta. br /br /br /br / br /br / br / br /br /br / br / br /br / br / I genuinely enjoy proofreading and have had more than my fair share of practice. I spend hours (of time I may or may not have free) reading, writing, and editing the work of others. Friends, acquaintances and strangers alike have sent me their college application essays, Extended Essays for IB, research reports in general for various kinds of college work, and more recently, fanfiction. I've yet to receive a complaint about the quality of my proofreading aside from "This wasn't that important, you didn't need to kill yourself!" Ultimately, if you use my services at all, expect me to be painfully thorough regardless of whether or not I'm your 'main' editor. |
My Strengths: beta, writing, or reading strengths
I'm best at analyzing the technicalities of language: sentence structure, syntax, grammar/punctuation, organization/flow, figurative language/literary devices, etc. If there are mistakes to be found in these areas, I will find them. That said: Spelling errors are primarily the writer's responsibility to catch and correct, not mine. Honestly, if your work is riddled with them (I don't mean sprinkled here and there, I mean INFESTED), why should your editor take the time to point each one out when you didn't take the time to write properly/look over your own work to begin with? Typos are a fact of life, and although I will catch most of them there are always times when the eye sees what is supposed to be there rather than what is actually there. |
My Weaknesses: beta, writing, or reading weaknesses
Editing the actual 'content' of someone else's work in a way that preserves their original intentions, whatever they may be, is always a challenge. Because I can't read minds, there have been strangers who've been irritated at me for saying "Well, I'm not sure where you want to go with this, so I can't exactly tell you if it's right or wrong that you're heading in this direction at this point." In the end, it's your story. If your plot is terrible to begin with, your story will probably be terrible whether or not I beta for you. *EDIT* My experiences while beta-reading for the Moiderah of Writing (Madoka Magica Veneficus Puella) over the past six months has definitely increased my efficiency in this area, as I've been able to offer advice and constructive criticism in addition to the technical aspects of my editing. |
Preferred: types of stories I prefer over others
I don't really have any particular preferences. I love anything that is written well, regardless of topic or genre. That said, I'm not the biggest fan of crack-fics, so when I do beta them I typically just give a dry, purely technical analysis. |
Would Rather Not: I do not beta for these stories
1. Crack. From what I've seen, these are written like the author is mentally disabled or on drugs... Usually they come off to me as annoying to read, and although I have read some VERY well-written cracks, more often than not I end up in a bad mood after reading one. 2. "PWP." I have NO problem beta-reading M-rated material. Lemons/lime/yuri/yaoi, I don't care as long as it's quality work. Unfortunately, I also don't have the patience to sit here and keep reading those awful, plot-less oneshots. If you're one of those who prefer trash over class: That's your prerogative, but keep me out of it. I don't want to read it, so why would I want to beta it? |
