Beta Bio: general description as a beta reader
I'm a bit picky as a beta reader. I have this idea in my head that fanfiction can be put into a neat box and defined. I define it, more or less, as a branch on a tree. The tree being the already existing story, created by the original IP owners and their writing staff, and the branches being our fanfiction. We, as the fans, need to create our own fiction that exists within, and builds on, the universe already put in place. Our fiction should not displace, disrupt, nor override the existing canon. Because, honestly, what's the point of the fanfiction in the first place? To add to our favorite IPs our own personal flavor, of course. Otherwise, why not just write an original piece of fiction? This isn't to say I disagree with AUs: some of my absolute favorite fanfictions are AUs, and I believe they absolutely count: imagining what COULD HAVE BEEN is one of my favorite passtimes in fiction. For example, what if Loghain had charged at the battle of Ostagar? What if Madanach had maintained his hold on the Reach and Markarth? What if the quarians had maintained a colony after the Morning War? At any rate, I view all fanfiction, as much as I can, through the lense of the original. Does this make sense for the canon character, if they are included? Is this too absurd/out-of-place for the universe? This, more than anything else, is my beta style. If your work doesn't FEEL like the original, at the fundamental level, then it's poop, no matter the quality of the writing, or the interest I may have in the plot. And I'll tell you so. I don't care how well written and amazing your slashfic of Fenris and Anders is. The two of them absolutely despise each other. They will never be together romantically, end of discussion. On top of this, I'm highly critical of sentence structure, spelling, and grammar. When I'm reading a good story, the little mistakes can catapult me right out of any immersion it might be giving me. I want to save others this discomfort, and fix the mistakes you might have before anyone else sees them. It's a win for all involved. My expectations for people looking for my services are as follows: be willing to consult with me in real time via IM so I can provide feedback. No voice/VOIP is required, but I like having a back-and-forth, and not just a standard "here's my problems with your story, fix them" relationship. Sometimes, you might like some aspect of your story a certain way, and IM would be a way to make your case. I want to discuss things with you, hear your arguments, present my own feelings, and I feel the best way to do this is in real time. I also expect you to have a thick skin: I don't pull punches on the critical aspect, and I've had more than one person renege me as their beta after I sent them a single chapter back with my notations. It is very annoying. This isn't an expectation, but if you'd be willing to use Google Drive, this would be a good way to do both the IM and real-time easy editing; you get to watch my process, have input, and I can confer with you, ask clarification, as I'm reading the story. If this is something you're interested in, PM me and we'll set up a correspondence . I'm more than willing to give you some of my time. |
My Strengths: beta, writing, or reading strengths
I'm REALLY good at settings. If your story is heavy into worldbuilding, expanding on the setting that exists, or other kinds of background and exposition, I'm your man. I literally steep myself in the settings of the stories I read (passion for history and all that) so if you're not sure if something would work, I'd be happy to confer with you on it. I'm also good with basic sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and common-sense writing. I have a "simpler is better" approach, meaning I feel like the easier it is to write something, the better the writing will sound, and the better it will be received by your audience. |
My Weaknesses: beta, writing, or reading weaknesses
I'll be honest, I have no gumption for romance. I'm not a patient man, and I'd prefer the two characters (or more, if you're into that sort of thing) would just fucking GO FOR IT already, and not beat around the bush. So I won't be able to tell you what works and what doesn't with complete certainty. That's not to say I don't LIKE romance (quite the opposite, it makes me positively giddy when it's done well), I'm just no good at writing it myself, or critiquing it. At best I would be able to give a "this works, this doesn't" type of feedback. I'm also bad at tone: I have a habit of making characters say what I would say, and not what THEY would say, which makes the dialogue I write sound a bit... samey. But we can worth through that together. |
