Beta Bio: general description as a beta reader
The vast majority of my editing is done while I read. I like to voice out my thoughts as I go so that people know what my thought process is and what another person might interpret a sentence as, especially if it's different than what the author might have intended in the first place.
I mainly do quick flash edits and fix small mistakes here and there - a lot of small spelling or grammar-related stuff. I *can* offer advice for bigger issues, but that's not something I am especially good at. You'd probably do better to ask someone else if that is the case.
As for information about me: I am left-brained. This means that (for the most part) I am more logical than intuitive, am more objective than subjective, and like things to go in order. Basically speaking, I'm better at pointing out how going from Point A to Point B does not work because the transition is rough, rather than commenting on the effectiveness of the tone or a particular character's description.
I have pretty high expectations - mostly because I've only really beta'd for a few of my friends, said friends are accomplished writers (you can blame them for spoiling me), and blatant disregard for grammar/spelling rules makes me upset.
Uh, this one might be obvious, but I don't like to beta for fandoms I am not familiar/comfortable with. Some of the categories listed below are a bit if-y, especially when dealing with the majority of the minor characters involved. A few are listed only because I've completed them and have a very basic and general knowledge of how that particular world works - so don't expect me to be accurate on all the details or random trivial information. Also, there are some series where I am familiar with only the manga version instead of the anime, and vice versa.
Just to be on the safe side, please ask first, and then I will say whether or not I would be inclined to beta. This depends heavily on how big of a workload I have for that particular week. |
My Strengths: beta, writing, or reading strengths
I've found that inconsistent tenses are fairly noticeable and layout issues such as spacing, quotation marks going the wrong way (etc.), are easy to see. I can also find repeated words within close proximity, even if they are not in the same paragraph (within reason).
A friend of mine once described me as being "predictably unpredictable" because my brain comes up with crazy ideas every once in a while. XD |
My Weaknesses: beta, writing, or reading weaknesses
I definitely need a lot of work with context-related issues. There are many places in my own writings that are choppy because of awkward word choices or sentence structures. I pay less attention to actual characterizations or imagery than I do with events and plot/sequences; then again, I am very bad at picking out inconsistencies *within* plot, unless the mistakes are glaring. I also have a bad habit of making people sound shallow (especially between character interactions) unless I am actively trying not to do so. Sometimes I focus on or obsess over a small detail to the extent that I neglect major issues that should have been addressed instead.
I have a really hard time keeping canon facts, information, and timelines straight.
Categories/things I am not proficient at: fight scenes, romance/fluff, long stories with complicated plot, word choices, flow-y language, setting descriptions, intonation, and more.
Unless there is a deadline, I am also a chronic procrastinator. |
Preferred: types of entries I prefer over others
I like things with twists, especially if the reader doesn't expect them in the first place. (This is not strictly necessary.) Category-wise, I don't have a real preference - just as long as they're not part of the genres that I tend to avoid. Even if the stories are in a genre I normally don't like, I am usually willing to beta - within reason.
Of course, I appreciate just about anything that is thought out and well-written. I also prefer if the stories are one-shots or if the chapters are complete, because then I won't be left hanging on call to finish the job. It's very difficult for me to edit paragraph by paragraph since I like to go over the story's progression after I do my initial first-impression edit.
I like time-travel fics.
I love crossovers - it makes me very happy when I find plausible connections between two worlds that weren't actually meant to be put together in the same universe. "Plausible" was probably the most important word in that entire sentence. |
Would Rather Not: types of entries I do not want to beta for
I don't like to beta: Gushy romance. Parody. Corny/silly humor without a point. Crack!fics (unless they are extremely well-written). Yaoi. Anything explicit, lemon-y, lime-y, etc. Character bashing. Super-powered-beyond-belief characters. Self inserts. Original characters being the only and main focus (unless it is to shed light on a situation in a highly creative way). What-the-heck-is-going-on-this-story-has-no-point pieces.
There are times and places for these categories, but sadly they are not with me. I have a hard time appreciating the butchering or bashing of a character's personality for the sake of humor.
Most of all, things have to *make sense*. I don't like it when improbable things happen or authors decide to randomly combine characters and attempt at making a story that has no point. |
FanFiction.Net - unleash your imagination
