Beta Bio: general description as a beta reader
Hello! I've been a beta reader for a couple people here and there, mostly those that I've already made a connection with and are friends. I'd like to extend my services to anyone who would seek it! I'm always happy to help and will do what I can, depending on what kind of proofreading you're looking for. From basic typo cleanup to a more thorough editing process, I'm here for you. I like to work in google docs because of the commenting and suggesting mechanic, so, hopefully, you have a Gmail that works with it. If not, I can most certainly work around whatever works best for you, whether it's emailing docs back and forth or what have you. br /br /br / br /br / br / I tend to work in some peanut gallery style comments while I beta, so not all of my comments are relevant to edits and suggestions, it's just me being a silly goose. I do take the job seriously though, promise. It's just that I'm also a big nerd who talks in memes and has a lot of random stuff to say and references to make, so I'll break up some of my "you done goofed, fix it" comments with some humor. If you have a funny bone and are open to critique and rambling notes, then I'm definitely your kind of beta reader! All I ask is that you be a little patient: it may take me a day or two to get to your chapter or your one-shot or whatever it may be, but I will always go over everything in one sitting (unless you're sending me like, four chapters at a time. Then I gotta break it up to one chapter per session).br /br / br / br /br / br / And remember, we're different people! Chances are we have slightly different (or drastically different) styles in writing so some of my notes may be preference based or what's worked for me in the past. My notes are SUGGESTIONS. I'm not telling you how to live your life, I'm just trying to give you some friendly advice. :) You can take it, leave it, or mold it into your own. I'm just here to help spring board you into the next phase of your editing. |
My Strengths: beta, writing, or reading strengths
I focus on realism and cold hard facts; just because you're writing a fantasy or sci-fi adventure doesn't mean that the world doesn't have rules. If you've got a character leaping out of moving vehicles without a scratch or deep-sea diving without gear, I'm gonna be that nagging voice in the back of your head going "That's not how that works. That's not how any of this works!" I like to root myself in the real world, so be prepared to let me know ahead of time that you're throwing all known laws of physics and the human body out the window for your fic. I will suspend my disbelief the best I can, but I can only take so much when it's obvious you've done little to no research yourself. br /br /br / br /br / br / I have a pretty decent understanding of grammar and usage, but I'm obviously not perfect. I have Grammarly installed on my Chrome browser, so I can use that to the best of my ability to help weed out any lesser known grammatical errors. I'm pretty versatile when it comes to genre, though I do prefer horror and the like. Um, I like to think of myself as an emotional writer, so if you're having trouble getting the tone or a certain kind of feeling down, I can certainly help with /br / br / br /br / br / I'm pretty decent at spotting repetitive vocabulary and won't hesitate to point out when you're using a word or phrase too much. I myself am a pretty big offender of this so I keep a tight eye out in my own writing and it bleeds over into proofreading. Editing and revising is basically my favorite part of writing in general. When the idea is already there and kind of solid, I'm better at refining and molding it than I am coming up with it in the first place /br / br / br /br / br / Moderation and variety are key! |
My Weaknesses: beta, writing, or reading weaknesses
I myself am not very good at setting a scene. I forget sometimes to explain what something looks like, and I can be a bit vague at times. I'm getting better at noticing it myself, so I should at least be able to point out where you could beef up a section even if I can't give you any real suggestions on HOW to beef it up. I'm also pretty lousy at the whole "passive" or "active" voice nonsense. I won't notice it, I don't know how to notice it, and I don't think it's that important anyway. Does it sound okay? Yes? Then whatever I don't care lmao. br /br /br / br /br / br / I'm a pretty big stickler for canon, so I'll probably get hung up on some headcanons that clash with what's established. I also spend a lot of time researching, so sometimes I'm not THAT quick at finishing up some suggestions or notes because I'm looking it up to make sure I'm not making a fool of myself. I also tend to suggest while I read, so I'm prone to jumping to conclusions only to realize that near the end of the passage you address the issue! I will always apologize though lolol. |
Preferred: types of stories I prefer over others
I usually prefer to read fics that in a fandom I am at least semi aware of. I only write for a small handful of fandoms, but I read a whole lot more. Of course, I would like to beta for fandoms that I write in the most, but please feel free to shoot me a message and ask if it's a show/cartoon/movie/game I'm familiar with. I like all kinds of genres, but I am pretty keen on OC stories over strictly canon stories. I like reading about a new perspective from an outsider to the main franchise. |
Would Rather Not: I do not beta for these stories
Anything that absolutely shatters canon. If you completely ignore canon to make up your own rules, I don't want anything to do with it. This is just an example and I'm not calling anyone out in particular but: How to Train Your Dragon AU where the characters are modern day teens in high school, Hiccup and Toothless are both humans who are dating each other. Nope please don't message me. Even if it's hiccstrid, I just won't go for it. That's not what drew me into the HTTYD fandom. I came for Vikings and dragons, not high school teen angst. br /br /br / br /br / br / If you label your story a slash fic, I won't read it. If it features two characters that have absolutely no business being in a relationship, I don't want it (eg Sasuke and Itachi in an incestual tryst). It might seem harsh, but I just can't, sorry. I absolutely do not think poorly of you if you're into writing this, though. After all, I like writing and reading about big scary alien warriors getting with human chicks so obviously there's SOMETHING wrong with me, I'm just not a fan of the aforementioned things! Some people love chocolate, some people hate chocolate. That doesn't make either of them bad people. |
