Betas-Be One or Get One Here

From Redrider:

Hey everyone! I thought we should have a thread where betas could post their profiles and writers could come here and find someone to beta their stuff. Betas--give as much information about yourself and your preferences as you can. Writers--keep in mind, finding a beta that you gel with is like trying to find a good roommate. Sometimes it takes a couple tries. Okay? So, to start the ball rolling, I will post my beta profile.

Write your story in WORD if you can. WORD has spell check and grammar check built in and saves us both a lot of time.

Please send me your BEST work the first time. I am not interested in 'co-authoring' your story, so make sure you have fleshed it out and edited it for spelling/grammar/punctuation errors to the best of your ability.

Please write PAST TENSE. Present tense will cause me to immediately reject the story.

Be prepared to learn from the beta experience, because our goal as a team is to improve your writing to the point that you could probably post your stuff without me. That means you need to check your ego at the door. I'm honest, but I really strive to word any criticism as nicely as possible. I am also honest and generous with praise when I see improvement.

Expect a week turn around, but I can do it faster as long as you let me know you need it back quick. Just please don't make a habit of it. I write too, you know.

NOTE: I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but I cannot accept anyone whose English isn't fluent. I've betaed for people like that and it is very time consuming and frustrating.

Finally, here are some of my preferences as far as story type goes: No extreme OOC or AU, no slash or PWP, and please no main character death. My specialty is romance/fluff/smut, but I will beta other genres.

My email address is: [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

From BGWGscienceteacher:

This is a great idea Red. I have done proofreading in the past for different companies, and it can be frustrating at times but also rewarding. So here goes. Maybe this will help me think of a storyline since I want to try and write a oneshot this summer (once school is out for my students at least).

My goal as a beta is to help you to make your writing the best that it can be. This is very much like my job as a teacher. I can be very demanding when it comes to getting the best work out of you, but I'm more than generous with praise. Like the old saying goes 'you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar'

My favorite genres are without a doubt Romance, Fluff and Smut, and the really smutty stuff (MA/NC17) doesn't bother me. I might blush while I read it, but smut for smuts sake at times is a REALLY good thing. That said I will beta for other genres including character death; although, I really don't care much for most of those stories. The stories I would have the most trouble with are the crossovers. I don't know anything about shows like House, etc.; so please don't send these to me. I also don't care much for the extremely OOC and Slash works (just not my thing).

The turn around time will depend on when during the week you get the chapter to me and the length of the work. If its Tuesday through Thursday the turn around will take longer since these are the days I'm actually in the classroom teaching; so, the turn around would be 5 to 7 days. If its Friday through Monday the turn around would usually be 2 to 4 days.

If your English isn't fluent don't worry about it. The idea with using a beta is to improve that area as well. After some of the students I have had and been able to help your lack of fluency really isn't all that intimidating.

If you need to contact me my email is [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

Beagle:

Anyway. . . as a beta. . .

Please email me the document and be sure to put it in .doc form, I can't read .docx.

I love reading/betaing fluff, drama, suspense. . . pretty much anything other than slash and smut.

I'm on the computer pretty much every day, so I can get back to you pretty quickly. Within a day or so, and if I'm busy (or grounded) maybe a bit longer.

I like to help out beginning writers, or someone who wants help with story ideas and grammar, etc. Also, if you just want to bounce ideas around, send me an email at : [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

SocksnTies:

I would like to preface this by saying that I am not a fan fiction writer. I lack time, inclination, and creativity to develop an original story line. I prefer to apply my writing skills toward more practical applications by contributing a weekly interpretation of each Bones episode on another forum that I will not name here. I hope that what I lack in originality, I make up for in depth.

You may wonder then, what skills I possess to recommend myself as a fan fiction beta. I offer the following:


I have an eye for detail.

I can spot a misspelled or omitted word at 1,000 yards.

I notice when someone uses the same word too many times in one paragraph or when she types “of” when she meant “for”.

I have some working knowledge of grammar and punctuation rules.

I am mindful of continuity “drift”.

I have read literally thousands of fan fiction stories in various genres as a non-beta reader.

Writing styles are like fingerprints. I can often identify an author after reading only a few paragraphs of a story.


I don’t really offer suggestions in terms of ways to develop the plot or character dialogue. I find that good writers don’t need any help in that area, and poor writers who ask for criticism really just want encouragement. It is more useful to ask questions when I find that something in the story is unclear; thus, shifting the burden to the author to improve upon her writing as she sees fit.

If you are from the UK, expect to receive some ribbing about certain colloquialisms that Bones characters would never say. (If you have ever read Harry Potter fan fiction written by an American author, then you will understand what I mean.) Unless, your story is set in London, it is best to keep your wardrobes, tea cozies, and toast soldiers out of Bonesland.

As for story preferences, I like all kinds of Bones fiction and I do not offend easily. My only pet peeves are song fics, poetry, and fan vids. If you must write character death, keep it short and sweet. There is nothing more depressing than 20 chapters of mourning.

If English is your second language, please check all of your verb tenses and noun/verb agreement before committing your draft to email. Anyone who has studied a language for two years or more knows how to conjugate a verb.

I have a demanding job and travel a lot for work. That means that I do not always have time to check email. Please allow me 10 days to respond to you before giving up on me.

You may send your draft to me in Microsoft Word format to the following email address: [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

Redrider:

Thanks for submitting your profile for beta reading, socks. Let me say this: a beta doesn't need to be a writer to be a good beta. A reader with a discerning eye and a willingness to be honest can be a great beta. Also, I don't think it is a beta's job to offer plot suggestions. The exception to that would be if something in the story is implausible and/or OOC.

If you have good English mechanics and would like to try your hand at being a beta, feel free to offer your services. Some writers, no matter how good they are, would be thrilled to have someone edit their work.

ScienceGeek2587

As my name suggests, I am a scientist but my love for a well-penned word has never faded. I am unable to work at the moment and have turned to fan-fiction (and other odd vices) to give my brain something besides the tedium of stay-at-home motherhood. That said, I am a mother of three rambunctious boys so if you need a quick turn-around (like fan fiction has deadlines) you'll have to let me know.

I have no prejudices against specific genres (including OOC, mature violence and I'm certainly not above some good smut).
If you are going to write OOC, I will want to discuss how you see the character so that I'm not confusing myself or trying to edit you into submission.

I would be happy to help you if you are not a native English speaker. Please break your story into smaller chunks (scenes instead of chapters) and please let me know what language is your primary language and any other languages you have studied. I love language and if I know your experience, it will make it easier for me to help you. (of course, you probably didn't catch much of that, sorry)

I like crossovers but I can't help you too much with characterization if I don't know the show. I will, thus, question you voraciously about the characters. (what shows I know, I know very well)

I expect your best attempt, please edit as best you can. Please make use of spell check and an actual dictionary if need be. My biggest request: PLEASE READ YOUR WORK THOROUGHLY AT LEAST TWICE BEFORE SENDING IT TO ME. This helps fix spell-check errors (Booth's read tie) and the most glaring issues like parts of the story you only thought you typed etc.


I prefer OpenOffice as there are fewer formatting issues, if you use Word, please save it as an earlier version before sending it to me.
My email is: [Only admins are allowed to see this link]

Anyone know someone who's looking for a story to beta?

I thought I'd just post a new call for anybody who would like to be a beta. It's been awhile since folks put their names in here and I figure that we probably have some new people that might like to give it a try.

Bonesbabe:

I will beta pretty much any genre. My favourite is romance...but I will help with anything you throw at me.
I like everything done in Word...its easiest.
Allow up to a week for me to beta it. It will just depend on homework, assignments, scripts and performances. But mostly I should be very quick.
Please read through your story and try and fix as much as you can before sending it to me.

My email address is: [Only admins are allowed to see this link]