Beta Bio: general description as a beta reader
I'm a science fiction and fantasy addict who became hooked on Star Trek at the age of five and never kicked the habit. I'm very well read and always looking for great new books to read. As a speed-reader, my reading scope is, of necessity, large. I've picked up all sorts of trivia through my reading, leading to sudden surprising bursts of erudition that create interesting expressions on other people's faces. I enjoy clever stories that elaborate on canon--run of the mill plot devices and plots will not be tolerated.
I have a very strong mastery of spelling, grammer, and vocabulary. Be warned, I am a perfectionist. I also enjoy sarcasm, so printed pages that my writer friends hand to me often come back with ironic but usually relevant remarks scribbled all over them. (It's harder to do that on Microsoft Word, though.) Unfortunately, I have a tendency to grab a story and run off in odd directions with it, often not where the original author intended to go. Sometimes it's helpful, and sometimes it's not.
Basic beta-reading philosophy: FINGERPRINTS, NOT FOOTPRINTS. It's your story and any suggestions I make, and I will make them, are entirely in your hands. Use them or not as you wish. |
My Strengths: beta, writing, or reading strengths
My English spelling, grammer, and vocabulary are better than most adults'. I read VERY quickly, so chapter length doesn't bother me in the slightest. I'm very detail-oriented and will go over your story with a fine-toothed comb (even if you don't ask me to). My trivia memory is, shall we say, comprehensive. I'm very creative and happy to suggest ideas, solutions, or brand-new plot tracks for your story. My imagination goes down weird passages sometimes. Well, often. And I WILL work on whatever I'm handed. I feel guilty when I don't do my own stuff, so the guilt-wire will trip even easier when it's somebody else's! |
My Weaknesses: beta, writing, or reading weaknesses
As you can see from the 'positives', I'm an obsessive perfectionist. Anything out of canon will drive me absolutely up the wall. A story with too many impossiblities will just annoy me. And I'm not spell check--please at least try to make your story grammatial English before you send it to me. If you lapse into other languages (Japanese, Spanish, French) for short passages, please provide an editor's translation so I don't assume it's profanity. I can read practical bits of other languages such as you would find in warning signs, but beyond that I am pretty lost. |
Preferred: types of entries I prefer over others
Adventures, sci-fi, and fantasy rule the world! Escapism is my bread, butter, and air. In-character, canonical stories are my favorite. Unfortunately, the type of stories I prefer probably don't need me! (Irony...) If you are trying to stay with the original storyline, and elaborate on it because you love that universe, I'm your writer! |
Would Rather Not: types of entries I do not want to beta for
I don't do well with romances--especially OC romance. (I'm beta-reading one as a special favor.) I don't believe in crossover romance--if there's no pair for a character, he or she doesn't need a pair! Self-inserts will be jumped on with cleats, and new characters will be made realistic and forced to have flaws. For crying out loud, no gender-change or male-pregnancy stories. Biology is a goodness, people! I'd rather not mess with super-fluff. Or super-dark stories. AU stories are sometimes OK but they must be innovative or different. I will laugh at high-school AUs and then ignore them. Be thou warned. OOC characters defeat the whole point. |
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