Looking for a beta reader.

[nae-k.livejournal.com]

Someone suggested to me that this community might be a good place to find a beta reader.

Though I am somewhat of a learned gal (a PhD scholar and a sessional university lecturer--but these things can mean very little, and in this case, sadly do), the mechanics of writing can sometimes feel... further out of reach for me than they should!

Help with grammar, punctuation, narrative voice, and character arcs would be especially useful to me.

I also have runaway typing hands that take me to the most indulgent of places (hello wordiness and overdoing things). Much of my writing could be cleaned up, this is true. :D

I mostly write humour / romance, though I'm starting to bring more drama/angst into my pieces. I like exploring personalities and relationships (whether they be same-sex, opposite sex, friendships, or relationships within families).

Let me know if you've anyone in mind or any advice on where to go from here. (Incidentally, I glanced through the offerings at fictionpress.com and found it was like wading through the proverbial haystack looking for that stinking needle! And finding major errors in many of the beta-profiles does not inspire much confidence. So if that's your advice, I'm not so certain it will work for me. Unless you've some ideas on how to sort through the profiles and make better use of the search functions.)

Many thanks in advance!

Comments

[pearls-and-blow.livejournal.com]

Well, I'd be willing to work with you as a beta. I'm an editor for a literary magazine in campus and I've taken various creative writing workshops, so I know my way around constructive criticism.

I've always loved writing that was character driven and I gather that you like writing character driven stories so we might be a good match.

If you're interested, you can respond to me here, or email me at voices.echo[at]live[dot]com.

[nae-k.livejournal.com]

That would be wonderful!

I'll write to you at the email address you've supplied.

[orchard-mnt.livejournal.com]

I'll gladly read yours if you read mine. I'm doing this for a few others. I get about a 1/3 of their chapters because I don't get on line ever day, but I think the critiques and corrections (typo catching) is fairly helpful. Give me an ADD and re-introduce yourself...

[nae-k.livejournal.com]

Oh, aren't you lovely!

I've already had an offer of a beta reader, though, so I'm going to with that (at least at first). I will keep your offer in mind, though. It's a wonderful idea.

Many thanks,

Nae