Beta Reader Profile for sabcatt

Preferred Name: East

Beta Strengths: Description/Imagery, Mood/Tone, Pacing, Plot, Point of View, Spelling, Grammar, and Mechanics, Style

Beta Weaknesses: Characterization, Setting, Worldbuilding

I Prefer to Beta

Time Periods: Years of the Trees, First Age

Characters: Historical Character(s), Legendary/Mythical Character(s), Noldor, Sons of Fëanor

Genres: Crossover, General, Nonfiction/Meta, Poetry

Ratings: Creator Chooses Not to Rate, General, Teens, Adult

I am willing to work with authors with disabilities that impact writing/language.

I am willing to work with English language learners.

I Prefer Not to Beta

Time Periods: Third Age, Fourth Age and Onward

Characters: No characters listed.

Genres: Erotica, Experimental

Warnings: No warnings listed.

Additional Information

As a beta, I'm most skilled at line-level editing and copy-editing, but I'm happy to work with an author as a structural/developmental editor as well.

As a line editor, I can provide feedback at the phrase & sentence level, helping clean up and clarify the prose of a work. This type of editing is most effective for a near-completed work where the author primarily wants a second pair of eyes to check that everything sounds good and is ready for publishing. I also copy-edit at this stage.

As a structural editor, I can provide scene- or section-based feedback that's concerned with narrative flow, thematic resonance, or the general structure of a story, sharing how the author's organization of the work influences the way that it "feels" to me as a reader. This type of editing is more useful for stories that the author feels need significant reworking or consideration before they will be satisfied and ready to publish them, or for stories for which the author just wants a sounding board to help them work out their ideas.

In general, unless I have a pre-existing relationship with an author, I do not provide a lot of feedback on more subjective/open-to-interpretation matters such as characterization and worldbuilding. I am willing to provide commentary on how these elements feel to me and how effective they are within the work, but will likely only give suggestions on improving internal consistency rather than suggestions for how to better match Tolkien's canon (such as it is).

I am happy to beta for works containing pretty much any content, but I may decline a work if it treats certain topics in a way that bothers me. (This is unlikely, but possible, and does not represent a moral judgment on the work or the author, simply that I will not be the best beta for that work.)

Reminders to Authors:

• Read the beta's full profile before contacting them. Respect any limits they state about what they're willing to beta. Likewise, if a beta notes that their "Prefer Not to Beta" list is not a rigid set of limitations, feel free to reach out.
• A beta's inclusion in the directory does not mean that they are necessarily available to beta for you at this time. When contacting a beta, remember that your message is a query about their availability.
• It is helpful to include some information about the piece you need beta'ed. What is it about? What kind of help are you looking for? How long is it? When will you need it finished?
• We recommend betas and their authors having clear conversations before beginning about the expectations of both parties. SWG moderators will not "referee" communications (including conflicts) between betas and authors.