Beta Bio: general description as a beta reader
I was raised on literature and reading by my mother. Through her encouragement and my general lack of social skills, I partially grew up in libraries. As a result, I have developed a fairly trustworthy sense of grammar and story line/characterization. I am quite unashamed to admit that my spelling isn't amazing, but I am a firm believer in the world of Spell Check and I do have a fairly accurate innate sense of when a word is spelled/used incorrectly, even if I might not automatically be able to give the correct spelling. I am a Geosciences/Chemistry major and have had to write several lab reports/research papers which, though not fiction, I've always scored quite well on. Though I'm not an English major, I did take both AP Writing and Composition as well as AP Literature while in high school and passed the official exams with flying colors. Even now, I'm just waiting to get the rest of my required credits before I'm allowed to take the writing exam that will allow me to pass into the upper division courses. |
My Strengths: beta, writing, or reading strengths
As stated previously, I am quite skilled when it comes to Grammar and Plot Development, as well as helping aspiring authors find a good flow to their writing. Whether it be too little or too much description, I am talented at helping writers get their stories moving in the directions they want them to go. I think this skill might be apparent within me simply because I've made both mistakes so often that I've begun to know what to look out for right off the bat. I am an avid Para-roleplayer within a few select forums and my experience within this field has given me a good sense of where plot holes exist and different ways to write similar sentences so that structure avoids becoming too repetitive. |
My Weaknesses: beta, writing, or reading weaknesses
I'm not as skilled in the realm of character development, though I am consistently trying to become better. I definitely feel as though I have improved in this realm, though it remains one of my weaker points. Also, though I listed it as one of my strengths, Grammar can also become my weakness. I am not an English or a Writing major, and my strength in Grammar comes from a general feel for what sounds right, rather than an encompassing knowledge of why it might sound right or the finer laws of the subject matter. |
Preferred: types of stories I prefer over others
I am more than willing to beta read just about any story so long as it doesn't involve illegal activities as the main point of the story line. I'm speaking of topics such as drug use, incest, rape, etc. However, this is not to say that I won't read a story involving them. They can be useful plot devices, after all. When it comes to these stories, I would say just run the story idea by me and I'll be able to say yay or nay. I would prefer to beta stories within my fandoms (which include, but are not limited to Labyrinth, Sailor Moon, Aquarion, Fairy Tail, and Hakuouki). However, as I said, I will beta for just about any story. The big difference for stories inside my fandoms and outside will be within the realm of character and plot development, as I will not be as familiar with either. If receiving a request to beta one of these kinds of stories, I will make an effort to learn about the basic plot and characters so as to be as effective as possible. |
Would Rather Not: I do not beta for these stories
As stated, I would rather not do stories that completely focus around illegal activities. Also, if you haven't gotten the memo yet, spelling and grammar are big deals to me. When I beta a story, I want to be able to enjoy it as well as help to refine it without having to stop every five seconds to point out an elementary mistake. I understand as well as anyone that typos happen, but I would rather not see the same typo occurring throughout the entire story. Also, as implied, I like to be able to enjoy and get into the story. If I agree to beta your story, but find myself unable to get into the plot, I will apologize and tell you in a straightforward manner before attempting to help you find someone else to take over as beta. |
