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Title: Beta Readers


Bloomiecurse - July 1, 2007 11:12 AM (GMT)
Beta Readers are a useful resource that should be always present on a Board dealing with Creative writing. After the spontaneous candidacy of Ithil'Quessir, I am taking the opportunity to reiterate the importance of having Beta Readers available on this site.



If you're interested in being a BR, please PM me or any of the Moderators of the Board with the following information and you'll be added to the list.



Following you'll find the BR FAQ that was provided years ago by one of our Moderators of the time: I hope you'll find it useful to better understand if you actually need one, or on the contrary, if you would like to propose as a Beta Reader.


QUOTE


Beta Reader FAQ




- What's a Beta Reader?




A BR is the person you can send your work to and he/she will look for your spelling, gramatical, semantical and pucntuation errors as well as correct the connections between paragraphs or see if the ideas don't match perfectly. Basically is what you'd call an editor or a critic. Then the BR will re-write the mistakes and send them back to the writer for the approval.




- Which is the utility of a BR? Why should I use one and what do I earn with it?




The blessing a BR could mean is priceless. Your story will look good, will be easy to read, you won't find those annoying and awful gramatical and spelling errors. Adding to that, and as an extra feature and for free, the fact that the plotline won't have any incoherent parts or mistakes, the plot will flow like it should, the characters will be perfectly defined and you won't be ashamed by posting things that are not accurate. Details that us as writers do not see sometimes but to the eye of the reader are EVIDENT.




As responsibilities... none, you just send your chapters and wait for them to come back. But a little advice: do not get a beat reader if you don't like criticism. A BR is not there to handle your moods or your complaints about the job, a BR knows what he/she does, otherwise you wouldn't be giving him/her work right?




- How can I be a BR? What should I have to be a BR?





Being a BR is easy, and at the same time a matter of compromise, discipline and seriousness. The ideal beta reader should have knowledge in grammar, no fear of criticising the work of your writer (no matter if he/she is your best friend or your partner in crime) be able to get job to be made late at night, and basically, have your mind available to give back a good product to your writer.




- How much time should take a Beta Reader to 'beta' the chapter?




The less time as possible. We know how exigent are the writers, and how exigent we should be. of course you as the writer shouls also take in account that the BR has a life, children, a job or maybe studies, so don't ask him/her to Beta the chapter in record time. of course once you become a beta reader you should take in account that you should be available and able to sped time correcting the chapters.




- Okay I'm a Beta... And what then? What do I earn?




First of all, you earn knowledge, you earn friends, you earn recognition by your amazing job and the best of all: You're the first one reading the chapter! What else do you want?  ^_^



A little Advice:



Please, stick with just one beta reader per story. with this we mean, you'll give your readers a better product with just one person correcting the mistakes of your fiction since the start, than, one who started in chapter 34 and still doesn't know about the plot.




You can switch your BR in the case you feel necessary, or change him/her because of a serious problem like: too much time to return a chapter, lack of professionalism, destructive criticism, differences in writing styles).






If you want to be a Beta Reader, please fill in this simple information and you'll be added to the list:

Name:
What are you able or not able to Beta Read:
You should pick me because:
(reasons why the writers should pick you as their beta reader).




Hopefully you'll find this service useful and would like to step up and propose yourselves as a BR.
Cheers

:bloom:

:love:

Bloomiecurse - July 1, 2007 11:14 AM (GMT)
NEW BETA READERS LIST



ITHIL'QUESSIR

Well I don't know whom I should send the PM to, since Pirate Puppet appears to be unregistered, so I suppose I should reply.

I'd love to beta, so here's my information:

Name: Moon




What are you able or not able to Beta Read: I'll do anything but won't do explicit sexual stuff. My preference is RP Fiction, but I'll beta anything - I have found some fantasy, for example, that I love.



You should pick me because: I'm a perfectionist. I am currently a student of English at a Dutch University and am very able to correct spelling and grammar. I know how to make sentences work, and I have been checking other students' essays a lot as well. I'm usually behind my computer a lot, so I'll usually be able to get back to you soon.








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