Beta Readers
Beta Readers, or editors, are a valuable part of the developement of any story. Besides finding grammatical and spelling errors, they can find plot holes and help you improve the prose of your story. Even I have one.
To be added to this list, contact dreamingfifi with the following form filled out.
Name:
E-mail:
Amount of Canon Consumed (Tolkien Books you have read):
Beta Reading Strengths:
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences:
Availability:
Betas, please notify me if there is a change in your availability!
Name: B2WM (WargishBoromirFan)
Amount of Canon Consumed: The trillogy, the Hobbit, The Silmarillion, parts of The Unfinished Tales, and various internet resources.
Beta Reading Strengths: Grammar, logic checking, and a bit of character creation help. I'm much stronger with Third Age Gondor than Second Age Elves.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: I prefer G-PG13 genfic, but will also take romance of het or slash variety, as long as given nothing too graphic.
Availability: Logic checking and character creation takes longer than sending a fic through the spelling and grammar check, but given an eager author and not too much RL chaos, I can probably turn a one-thousand-words-or-less chapter/fic around within three or four days.
Name: Calenlass Greenleaf
Amount of Canon Consumed: I've read the Silmarillion at least twenty to twenty one times, The Hobbit five, and The Lord of the Rings at least seven. Other books include reading Morgoth's Ring two times, The Children of Húrin twice, The Lays of Beleriand, The Book of Lost Tales Vol 1, and part of The Return of the Shadow. Other books about Tolkien and his works that I've read at least one or twice are Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter, Tolkien's Sanctifying Myth by Bradley J. Birzer, Understanding the Lord of the Rings: The Best of Tolkien Criticism, The Road to Middle-Earth and Tolkien: Author of the Century, both by T.A. Shippey, Meditations in Middle-Earth, The J.R.R. Tolkien Handbook : A Comprehensive Guide to His Life, Writings, and World of Middle-Earth by Colin Duriez, The Atlas of Middle-Earth by Karen Wynn Fonstad, The New Tolkien Companion by J.E.A. Tyler, and Tolkien and the Critics: Essays on J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings by Neil David Isaacs.
Beta Reading Strengths: I can correct spelling, grammar, stylistic problems, OOCness, etc. I have MS Word 2003, dictionary, thesaurus, and encyclopedia at my fingertips. I like to nitpick. :) I can tell the difference between a Mary-Sue and a well-rounded character. I can either be very critical, or only slightly critical. It's your choice.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Family, Friendship, Action/Adventure genres are my favorite, but I can do all other genres, too. I have a high tolerance level for many things. I will accept beta-ing a romance after an evaluation on my part. Oneshots, short stories, novel lengths, can do. I prefer book-based fics, but I will also do movie-based ones. I own the Lord of the Rings Movie Trilogy, Extended Edition. Slash (Whether it be implied, light, or heavy, I won't do it). Mary-Sues. PWP (smut, no plot) stories. Stories with too many careless mistakes (They are a headache. I've done it a few times, and each time leaves me feeling drained). Stories that are too grim. Ridiculous AUs, like LOTR High School Version. Humorous stories that are not humorous, or have too many "inside jokes" that no one but the author and his/her friends can understand. I also will not beta stories which portray evil Thranduil (Who beats his son and locks him up), Denethor (who hates Faramir and abuses him), or Elrond (who hates Aragorn because he likes Arwen). Neither will crazy pairings such as a hobbit/elf be accepted.
Availability: I sometimes leave for long periods of time, but I DO NOT leave unexpectedly. I usually send out a message to everyone I beta for before leaving. (If I leave unexpectedly for a long time and do not come back, it means I died. Meaning that day will not happen for a very, very long time. I hope.) I can e-mail, but I won't IM. It takes up too much of my time. I'm usually at home, or near home, and since I read/beta at a fairly quick pace, you either get your work back in either a few hours or in a day. Of course, if you need a story within an hour, I'll do my best. Longer works, however, will take more time.
Name: Cheryl Hopper
Amount of Canon Consumed: Listened to Silm on tape once, read Lord of the Rings several times
Beta Reading Strengths: Get a beta and editor, all in one! Third Age is what I know best
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Pretty much anything but slash, will read all ratings
Availability: Mostly on the weekends but a few weeknights aren't out of the question.
Name: Crowley
Amount of Canon Consumed: Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, bits and pieces of the rest of his works
Beta Reading Strengths: grammar/punctuation/usage, story-telling, characters
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: I'll read anything (slash, het, gen, Legomance, AU, mpreg, whatever!); I actually enjoy fiddling with your commas.
Availability: Basically all the time. I am an internet beast.
Name: Ederchil - or simply Olof
Amount of Canon Consumed: LotR, Silmarillion, Hobbit, HoMe, Letters, History of the Hobbit 1 (there's hardly anything in there), Fonstad's "Atlas", Strachey's "Journeys", Hammond & Scull's "Tolkien, Artist and Illustrator", Hammond & Scull's "Reader Companion 50th anniverary edition", Carpenter's Biography, Lobdell's little crap booklet, probably even more.
Beta Reading Strengths: Gondor, Númenóre, Men and Dwarves. And Grammar.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Anything. Only / if it's got a story.
Availability: Anytime
Name: Glorfindel the Younger
Amount of Canon Consumed: The LotR trilogy, the Hobbit, Silmarillion, Children of Hurin, Unfinished Tales, Tales from the Perilous Realm, Sauron Defeated and Return of the Shadow.
Beta Reading Strengths: Spelling, nitpicky canonical errors.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Rated T and below, I'm not too fussy about genres.
Availability: Most of the time. At the very least I'm free to beta to my heart's content every Saturday.
Name: Hillary
Amount of Canon Consumed: I've read mostly everything except for Children of Hurin, which is next on my list of books to read.
Beta Reading Strengths: People have told me more than once that I have a good eye for spotting grammatical and spelling errors. If something isn't right, I'll be sure to let the writer know.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Anything and everything. I like having a broad range of stories to beta.
Availability: Anytime! :)
Name: Keuka
Amount of Canon Consumed: Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales, The Children of Húrin, The New Tolkien Companion, assorted internet resources.
Beta Reading Strengths: Spelling, grammar, sentence structure, spotting canonical errors, continuity. I'm even happy to help with research.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Any genre, but no slash and no explicit sexual content. I prefer material rated PG-13 and below.
Availability: Any time!=
Name: Los Christabel/Desdinova
Amount of Canon Consumed: LoTR, Silm, Farmer Giles of Ham and Smith of Wooton Major (selected writings), other minor works whose names escape me.
Beta Reading Strengths: Good on major canon, spelling and grammar.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Generally no angst/slash.
Availability: Weekends (0kay to email during week so I will have it over weekend. I have no internet on the weekend) Please nothing that needs to be finished overnight.
Name: Mellissa Gray
Amount of Canon Consumed: The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit, Unfinished Tales, The History of Middle-earth series, The Silmarillion. Has seen all of the movies (not that those really count...). Owns all the books, and the Lord of the Rings: Return of the King extended edition.
Beta Reading Strengths: Small canon details, basic spelling and grammar, ability to find specific passages for reference. Please specify what issues you'd like me to look at.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Any genre, any rating, but the lower the rating the better.
Availability: Am a full-time high school student with 40 hours of community service still to complete, but can and will make time for helping out.
Name: Minden
Amount of Canon Consumed: Nearly everything, save for the newest one (which is currently sitting on my bookshelf, waiting for my attention to be drawn from my current book).
Beta Reading Strengths: I am as much of an editor as I am a writer. I can't really list off my strengths, but trust me when I say that I know what I am doing. From one writer to another, I know what needs to be looked at and tended to.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: I am up for beta'ing anything, though I am most fond of fantasy. I could list off a few more genres, but as long as it has words, I am more than happy to beta it! :)
Availability: Always; I have probably a little more than enough time on my hands.
Name: Nath
Amount of Canon Consumed: LotR, Hobbit, Silmarillion, HoME, BoLT, CoH, various secondary background books
Beta Reading Strengths: canon, grammar, logic, Quenya
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: I'm willing to at least look at nearly every rating and genre (no RPS or PWP; preferably no 'cute elfling' or young hobbit stories; my movieverse canon is weak, so I can't do much with movie-based stories; R rating not a problem), but if I think I can't do anything with your story for whatever reason, I'll tell you.
Availability: mail me, since it depends (also on whether I'm writing myself at the time); short stuff should usually turn around in a few days; if you're writing a novel we'll work something out.
Name: Roarian, or the Spork Incarnate
Amount of Canon Consumed: The entire HoME, the Letters, the Children of Húrin, Silm, LotR, Hobbit, some odds 'n ends like that poem about Bombadil...
Beta Reading Strengths: Plot, Logic, Characterization, most spelling/grammar.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: No Explicit Sexual content, no bizarre romance (Mpreg, bestiality, incest etc.) Slash is no prob. Prefer plot-driven rather than character-based.
Availability: Pretty much any time, but my schedule can be erratic.
Name: Sephy
Amount of Canon Consumed: Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the Hobbit
Beta Reading Strengths: good at finding plot holes/continuity errors, not put off by anything
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: none
Availability: weekends, weekdays, approx 1pm-12pm GMT
Name: Spanish Ninja
Amount of Canon Consumed: Hobbit. Lotr. First chapter of the Silm.
Beta Reading Strengths: Grammar, spelling, continuity
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Action, mystery, all ratings
Availability: Please e-mail.
Name: Tindomiel
Amount of Canon Consumed: LotR trilogy, the Silmarillion and Unfinished tales with an amount of knowledge in Elven languages and customs
Beta Reading Strengths: Fast reader, excellent grammar and spelling instinct. Can help with syntax and synonyms
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: Is willing to read anything. Prefers shorter stories or one-shot vignettes.
Availability: anytime
Name: Vanalosswen (Vana for short)
Amount of Canon Consumed: Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarilion, several of the History of Middle-earth books.
Beta Reading Strengths: Grammar, spelling, punctuation, suggestions on improving ideas and tightening sentences.
Beta Reading Genre and Rating Preferences: I'll read just about any genre and any rating, even slash and het. But no Legomances, please.
Availability: Very, very often.