Beta Bio: general description as a beta reader
I am a 22 year old creative writing major. I have been writing since I was a very small child and continue to find pleasure in all forms of literature. Due to this simple fact, some people tend to see me as a harsh betareader. I refuse to sugar coat things and I refuse to tell you your work is amazing if it is not. However, having said that, I also believe that every piece of work has potential and that people sometimes have off days or just need a push in the right direction. That is where betareaders come in.
Let's get the technical stuff out of the way first. I prefer all submissions to be sent to my email address as a Word document, or as something I can copy into Word. This is very important for the way that I will be working on your submissions to me. I make comments and tons of them, and Word is one of the easiest programs to make those comments in. I do prefer this format to all others, and most computers have Word. However, should you not have Word, you are more than welcome to submit it as a plain text document within the body of the email itself. It will not make me less likely to consider you as a viable candidate for my betareading services.
Though I refuse to tell you your work is stellar if it is not, what you can expect from me is a well-rounded and fair critique. I will give you a write up of your story, summarizing the events in the excerpt given so you know that I have actually taken the time to sit down and read it. Included with this summary will be a full literary critique of the work commenting on flow, characterization, dialogue, plot, and setting. The reason I prefer Word documents is because I use the comment function to highlight certain areas of text and leave specific comments about those areas. This is in addition to the write up that I will send back with the file after I have read it thoroughly. I ask for at least a week after your submission hits my inbox so that I am able to devote the time and consideration to the work that it deserves.
I expect that anyone that submit something to me for betareading be at least semi-literate. I have no problems with critiquing for those that do not have excessive experience in writing, but I prefer if the work wasn't thrown together at the last minute just because you feel like I am expecting you to have something in. I will not hold you to deadlines as long as you respect my request and give me the week I have asked for to look over your piece. If you begin riding me to get your submissions back to you before my time is up then I will simply cease betareading for you. Please be respectful of me and my work and I will be respectful of you and your work. |
My Strengths: beta, writing, or reading strengths
I excel in the areas of flow and characterization. One of the things that I am the best at is looking for consistencies in the character from beginning to end. I can point out things that seem out of character based on the way you present the character in the beginning. I could care less if you've changed the characterization between the canon and your work. What I am concerned with is consistent characterization within your story.
When it comes to flow, I will make sure the transitions sound right and that the reader isn't getting lost or jostled in the midst of your writing. If there is an uncomfortable shift or something that brings the reader out of the story I will draw your attention to it. |
My Weaknesses: beta, writing, or reading weaknesses
Dialogue is one of my weakest points. I will admit that I have a tendency to either under-use or overuse dialogue and I have a hard time finding the happy medium when looking at other people's stories as well. This is something that I am hoping the betareading program will help me with. I don't claim that my stories are perfect, far from it. |
Preferred: types of entries I prefer over others
I prefer slash and femmeslash. I will read almost any type of slash out there. My main (preferred) fandoms are: Kingdom Hearts, Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, South Park, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Moonlight, and Sweep. However, I am open to anything slash or femmeslash. |
Would Rather Not: types of entries I do not want to beta for
I absolutely will not read anything that has MPREG in it, even if it is suggested MPREG. It squicks me and I have no desire to read about it. If you feel that you must place MPREG in your story and send it to me anyway, I will ignore that story and all other submissions coming from you. Don't test this if you ever want me to read anything that you have written. Het is another thing I am not really into. I've tried looking at a few, but I'm not really big on it and would honestly rather not read the het pairings. |
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