I've always enjoyed the editing process, and have often toyed with the idea of pursuing a career as an editor. I love seeing new ideas, and helping give those ideas clarity (which is what I think a beta is really for). I know that sometimes it's difficult to see something obvious when you've read the same section over and over, and am glad that I have the ability to provide that proofreading service for other writers, especially because I've had so much help from great betas with my stories.

My beta style tends to focus most on grammar/spelling, realistic-sounding dialogue, and helping the writer publish the best story they can without supplanting their voice with my own.

I'd prefer that submitted stories have already gone through at least one self-proofread - I know it's hard to catch everything (if it was easy, we wouldn't need betas! :) ), but submitting something that's basically a rough draft tends to come across as expecting the beta to do all the heavy lifting, as it were.

I'm most familiar with Star Wars, have a more than passing familiarity with Lord of the Rings, and am definitely willing to do research to beta stories outside of my standard fandoms (not to mention that's a great way to find NEW fandoms, which is always a plus).

I do work full time and have three children, but I will make every effort to beta your story and get it back to you in a timely manner.

Spelling, grammar, standard mechanics - these are all areas in which I excel. (I think they may have evicted the parts of my brain that comprehend math and science :) ). I also pride myself on my ability to recognize and craft realistic dialogue, as weak/overdone dialogue can jar a reader out of a story (see HP Lovecraft - great stories, horrible dialogue).

Scientific concepts usually take me a little longer to comprehend, which does slow the beta time. I also have to make sure I don't get overly descriptive; I've noticed I have a penchant for that on occasion.

I tend to gravitate more toward lighthearted stories, but I can't say that there is one type I prefer over another for beta purposes.

I'm not OVERLY keen on slash, but I won't NOT beta it, at least for standard mechanics.

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