Beta Bio: general description as a beta reader
*PREFACE: CATEGORY NOTES*
Of the following categories, I only have the authority to read stories based on these particular selections:
- of Final Fantasy I-VI: FFI, FFIV, FFV, FFVI
- of Donkey Kong Country: DKC 1, 2 and 3
- of Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits only
- of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask only
- of Secret/Legend of Mana: Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu 3(Secret of Mana 2)
My areas of interest are fairly varied. I've been known to enjoy fantasy works, real-universe works, sci-fi works, most things. I'm fairly easy that way; if a story is good, I will enjoy reading it.
I have spent a lot of my life working on my own writing abilities. I have a lot of respect for anyone who has managed to put out good, interesting and well-thought-out work. I believe that we as writers are a circle of artists that need to look out for one another and help each other where we can. So, bearing that in mind, I've decided that I want to be able to offer what knowledge I've gained from my years of writing and lend that knowledge to helping others improve their own abilities. Everyone has to start somewhere.
However, one thing to note: If you're submitting a story for me to beta, I expect that you will have proofread your work for grammar and spelling. My reasoning for this is that part of being a writer is being able to make use of the language properly, and that lends credibility to one's writing style, writing ability and overall appeal. A writer who is careless about sentence structure, proper punctuation, obvious spelling mistakes and so on will have difficulty attracting my attention.
This isn't to say I flame stories simply because of one or two typos. Everyone makes mistakes - including me.
Considering that the medium with which we all work is fan fiction, I also expect there to be a certain level of effort put into characterization. As a fan fiction writer myself, I make every effort to know back-to-front the histories and personalities of the characters I'm portraying in my stories. Accordingly, I expect the same effort from the stories I read. What a character says and does should reflect the actions of those characters in whatever movie, game, book or what have you. Anything less shows a lack of respect for the medium we're working from, and I find that intolerable.
Along the same vein, continuity is also important. As well as character histories, I expect that histories from the universe in question will be taken into account and that I won't encounter plot holes when I'm reading a work of fan fiction. Again, this is something I strive to incorporate into my work, so I expect that level of commitment from what I read.
Don't let all this intimidate you, though. I'm honest when I review work, but I'm not harsh. :-) |
My Strengths: beta, writing, or reading strengths
First of all, I am very familiar with the English language. If you feel that you've made an effort to include interesting literary devices or if you're worried that your grammar is off, I'm your man.
Second and more importantly, I will only betaread for fan fiction in areas with which I am intimately familiar. If you submit something for me to betaread and have fully understood my criteria and areas of betareading interest, you can rest assured that I will be able to spot plot references and other inside devices that require a reader to have played the game/read the book/watched the movie/what have you. If submit something to me, you're getting an informed reader. If the case is otherwise, you'll be informed before I read your work and asked if you still want my services.
Third, I am honest. If I think a story needs more work, I won't sugarcoat it. I'll also give positive feedback, but I'm not afraid to give constructive criticism. If you submit something to me, no matter how good or bad it is, you can expect to hear something positive and something that needs work. And I will NEVER flame. I will NEVER be heard to say "you suck" or "don't bother" or anything like that. |
My Weaknesses: beta, writing, or reading weaknesses
Primarily, I'm very detail-oriented. Little things drive me crazy. I won't necessarily bring them up in a beta review (unless I can't think of anything else to recommend in terms of improvements) but I often catch small details that may or may not be all that important. I do my best not to let those affect my overall opinion of the story, but it happens sometimes. To avoid this, make sure (as I said) that you've proofread anything you send for me to beta.
Second, I tend to like a lot of description in what I read, so if I don't see much of it I might not like it as much. However, that doesn't mean description has to be there for it to be good. But if you're very short and to the point in your writing, I may not be your top choice for a betareader.
Otherwise I'm pretty easy and I like to read people's stories. |
Preferred: types of entries I prefer over others
I have a broad range of things I enjoy to read. Integrative stories (meaning incorporating multiple universes into one) are awesome if they're done properly. I love seeing moments from the real story (game, movie, book, etc.) from a different and new point of view. I like interludes as well, inner monologues and other works like that which explore the inner workings of characters and give some insight into who they are and why they act the way they do.
As far as length goes, I prefer average-length as opposed to either extremely long or extremely short. Keep it reasonable.
But otherwise, just avoid the "Not My Cup Of Tea" stuff and you'll be fine. |
Would Rather Not: types of entries I do not want to beta for
First of all, I refuse to betaread slashfics. I don't want to read anything X-rated. Relationships between characters is fine if there is another focal point to the story, but I don't want to read sappy love stories, sex stories or anything of the like. Keep those the heck away from me.
Also, I'd prefer not to read novelizations. You can send them to me, but I would rather read new, unique takes on the older stories than re-writes of already-done scenes from games or movies.
Third, don't send me comedies. Normally I like funny writing, but not in a fanfic. I find that in most of these, not only is it sloppy, predictable humour but it also involves a lot of out-of-character moments. If you can write a comedy fanfic and keep characters in-character and make the overall story believable, bravo. Otherwise, no thank you.
Just as a side note, there are some fandoms (like Day of the Tentacle, for example) that require a comic edge, and those are excluded from my previous rant. Also, well-done parodies are welcome.
And fourth, the premise has to make sense. If you've come up with a story that's nothing short of bizarre, don't send it to me. I don't want to read about Terra going on a murdering rampage or anything like that unless it's perfectly justified and believable.
That should be all. This list may be updated later, but I think I've covered my bases. :P |
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