Beta Bio: general description as a beta reader
Wow, this was really out-of-date. And long. Basically, if you're going to ask me to beta, you should have a basic knowledge of grammar. I'm willing to meet you where you are, but if you send me something in the dramatic/chatplay format (ie Dave: Hey, Sue! Sue: Hey, Dave! *walks up and hugs him*) or in all caps or with every single word misspelled, I'm going to point you elsewhere. Just be aware that I'm going to point out your flaws, and I'm going to pick it apart. It's not because I'm judging you. It's because I'm trying to make you better.Additionally, I'm far better at betaing for fanfiction based on source material I've actually experienced. There's a list of my primary fandoms on my actual fanfiction bio, but that's not to say it's everything I'll beta for. Feel free to ask. I also refuse to beta explicit works. |
My Strengths: beta, writing, or reading strengths
I focus a lot on sentence flow (my friends call me an 'aesthetic editor'), and I'm also good at finding grammatical mistakes. I'm generally fairly good at spelling, and between me and spellcheck it's usually pretty thorough, though some will occasionally slip by me. I'll make an effort to fix grammatical/spelling mistakes, point out specific spots where the pacing or phrasing or what have you could be better, and give a wholistic review of the pacing and tone and effect, etc. So I work on every level. If you're just looking for a specific thing, I can do that as well. |
My Weaknesses: beta, writing, or reading weaknesses
I'm rubbish at historical fiction. I am not going to be able to fact-check your historical details. In fact, I wouldn't trust me to fact-check in general unless it's related to science. I'm also not perfect. Just fyi. And, when you get your story back with my first betaing remarks on it, I'm probably going to terrify you. Sorry. |
Preferred: types of stories I prefer over others
In my main description, I have lists of my favorite books and movies, etc. I'll be more than happy to beta for any fandom in the list of my favorites, or any fandom that I've read/watched/etc the source material for (and trust me, that list gets outdated quickly, so it's good to ask). I really enjoy character-driven pieces, anything with time travel and/or paradoxes involved, and minor character love, but I'll read in any genre. As long as it's not in the 'Not My Cup Of Tea' section, there's a good chance that I'll betaread it for you. |
Would Rather Not: I do not beta for these stories
I will not read explicit stories. So don't even ask. Violence doesn't bother me and neither does in-character cursing, but not gonna read your smut. I'm not gonna be crazy enthusiastic about certain pairings (and I'll warn you in advanced, I really dislike a good deal of popular Homestuck pairings and most of the pairings people seem to ship for the Avengers), but it would be petty of me to turn you away because of the pairing you ship. Also don't do rpf. I've already said I'm not really very good at historical fiction. Instead of going on to explain all of the things that annoy me, let me just say that, honestly, I'm probably not going to turn you away unless it's rpf, smut, or for a fandom I don't want things spoiled for me in. |
