Search the Community

Hello, everyone. I need help with editing/beta-reading a short story. I wrote it ages ago: one or two years ago, I think. So it's kinda clunky to read as a whole. I hope some of you can help me out, and thanks for taking the time to read this. I answered the questions as stated in the rules. When do you want it by? What are your turn around expectations? (if this isn’t above) I'm hoping as soon as possible, since I want to submit this in time for the Fall Anthalogy: Blurred Edges (2015). Have you worked with a Beta/Editor before? I've never worked with a Beta Reader nor an Editor before so I'm curious how the whole thing works. Also, I want to know how to protect my work from plagiarism while working with editors. I've been... victimized before What do you need? Such as… Do you need line edits? Plot help? Someone to read your story and tell you what is wrong? I need any help I can in improving my story. I need help with editing lines and if the plot is interpreted easily, as well as personal viewsa nd thoughts. I'm aiming for something kind of sad and touching. And I want to see if people can interpret it as stand-alone. What do you expect? Such as… Someone to fix your spelling, grammar? General advice? Someone to tell you how to write your story? Someone to write your story? I'm looking for general advice and your venerable wisdom, and what to tweak to improve it. How much do you have done? Where are you in the writing process? The story itself, is pretty much done. The whole story is around 1000 words. Absurdly short, actually. But wondering if that can leave an impact somewhere. What software do you / can you use? Notepad++, Microsoft Office, Libre Office. Regarding file formats, DOC and TXT files preferably. Do you prefer comments or inline edits or do you not have a preference? I think I'm more comfortable with comments and suggestions. Any edits will have to be on my part, just point out to me what needs further editing. And finally – a snippet of your story (except for poetry – put style) of at least 200 words but not more than 500 words. Open Spoiler:

I'm reworking a story I started years ago, and find myself in need of assistance. Specifically, I'm looking for someone English/British who can help me out with authenticity, but I can always do with yet another pair of eyes, so if you're interested and not British, I welcome your help regardless. Length: Will probably end up around 50k words Genre: YA, drama, romance Rating: Teen Warnings: Bullying, eating disorders, mentions of rape (statutory and otherwise), sexual assault, sexual coercion and child abuse Summary: Daniel's new school has not been kind to him. He has no friends and is constantly bullied, and this is made worse when his PE teacher, Mr. Griffiths, takes an unhealthy interest in him. Michael is the school heart throb (as well as the object of Daniel's desires), and is slowly coming to terms with his sexuality. He also has a bit of a hero complex, and feels a strong need to rescue Daniel, but he never expected to genuinely fall in love. Excerpt:

I am looking for a Beta-Reader and an Editor for a Sci-Fi/Alien Romance story. I've worked with Editors before and I'm very easy-going (I think). I also don't need all that much work done, mostly a bit of help with wording and phrasing (German mind does not compute English sentence structure all that well), and my arch-nemesis, the correct placement of those devil-spawn commas. I do expect you to tell me if a scene is boring, or too long-winded, or simply sucks. I can handle it, promise. I don't expect you to tell me how to change it in detail and write those changes for me, so it's more of a "*points* There. That stinks!" kind of deal. I'd like to keep a bit of personal writing style in this one, so I don't want to conform to each and every rule of correct formatting. Yes, I've put ellipses in there. I like ellipses, I'm sorry. No I'm not, I really like them! This story is mostly plot-driven and written as a first-person narrative. It's a mixture of violence, humor and narration of personal experiences, and a bit dark with chances of sunshine here and there. I'd have to say, my poor protagonist has a morbid sense of optimism to him, so it's a bit more upbeat than my usual stories. But HAH! Disclaimer: Casual use of strong language! Word count is 27k and change right now, but there's a bit more to come. Each "chapter" is about 2,000 to 3,000 words. I'm about 2/3 done with the whole thing, but I do want to finish it before I start editing around, so this isn't all that urgent. If you are interested, I'd send you the first chapter and we could find out if my style of writing doesn't bore you out of your mind. If you decide you'd like to edit for me (which would result in my eternal love for you), I'd like to stick with what I know-- MS Word with comments and changes marked for me to drool over. I'm open to using Google Drive, since it offers a suggestions-function that works just the same and would enable us to go over the chapters multiple times, but it isn't necessary. Open Office should work just as well, I've still got it lying around somewhere. Now, let's see what this is about! Snippet incoming! *** As I made my way through the ship, I had to change course on many occasions. Fires were burning everywhere, gas tubes had blown and somewhere below, plasma was leaking out of one of the containment fields, burning a hole through solid metal floors and spewing poisonous fumes that almost blinded me. Once I almost ran into a group of five security guards carrying a dead Dr. Huzden. They probably didn’t know she was dead, but I heard her heart stutter and stop, just as they passed by my hiding spot. I didn’t know how to feel about her death, but on the other hand, I didn’t know what I felt in a more general sense. Shock obviously wasn’t limited to a human physiology. It took me a while to find crew quarters, as most of them had been on the lower levels and those had been flattened on impact. I finally got lucky on the farthest back area of my level and I would have walked right by it, had it not been for the person screaming for help behind the crooked door. Crouching in front of the dented metal, I listened to the female voice getting weaker and weaker, trying to decide if I cared enough to help or if I should go forage for goods somewhere else. I must have moved too much, though, because the woman fell silent for a moment, gasping with shock. “You! Hey, you! Please, I’m stuck!” she called. I watched her arm through a small gap in the metal casing, grabbing around for something and finding a broken chair leg. “Can you hear me? Hey!” she screamed louder and banged the chair leg against the wall next to her. It made an annoying, hollow noise that went right through my bones. Damn that she-devil. A growl trickled out of my throat. I really didn’t want to help anyone responsible for tormenting me, and everyone on this ship was guilty to an extent, but as much as I would have liked to be a cold-hearted bastard, I just didn’t have it in me to leave her like that. Furthermore, they probably would have left me, had I not managed to free myself, and I really didn’t want to risk ‘being like them’. The door was heavy and stuck, bent out of shape as it was. I had to throw my whole meager weight against it, jam my body into the increasing gap and push with all my might to get it to open far enough. The exertion made my chest bleed in earnest and the increasing heat had me dizzy by the time I stumbled inside, but the lady was worse off. As soon as the female officer, because that was what her uniform told me, saw me, she screamed with fear and tried to crawl away. Unfortunately, a big piece of divider wall had fallen over and was crushing her leg almost up to the hip, pinning her where she was. Her behavior hurt me almost as much as the cutting and slicing had. “Yeah, scream all you want, bitch. Do you see anyone else volunteering to help you? Eh? Because I surely don’t,” I sneered, baring my fangs at her. I should have left her there to rot, taken what I needed and left, but she stopped screaming and gaped at me as soon as I started talking. I just want out, goddamnit, why can’t I just leave and be done with this? “It’s—” she gasped, staring teary-eyed at me, “it’s you, the— the mutant guy! How—, how are you able to talk? They said you weren’t sentient anymore, they said—” Her face contorted in pain and that was all she said. Her last word was more of a sigh and she lost consciousness, leaving me to literally pick up the pieces alone. I didn’t want to lose any more time, but I had already decided that I wouldn’t let her die like this. It took a bit of fumbling, sweating and bleeding, but I finally managed to shift the piece of wall off her with a metal pole I tugged from one of the door frames. Her leg was utterly crushed, so I also did my best to stop the bleeding and wrap her leg in what I assumed would suffice as a splint. And then I raided her wardrobe, availing myself of her clothes like a thieving magpie. I also helped myself to a knife I found in her desk, and I stole her flashlight. Finally, and at this point I was almost out of her quarters, I decided to turn around just once more and pulled her out into the corridor. Wouldn’t help to half-save her and then have her starve to death because she was overlooked, now, would it?

1. When do I want it by? Expectations? - This might turn into a long term project. 2. Have you worked with an Editor/Beta before? Yes I have. Would love both for this story if possible. 3. What do you need? Such as… Do you need line edits? Plot help? Someone to read your story and tell you what is wrong? - The story is three-quarters done, so I'm looking for someone to read the story, give suggestions, let me know their thoughts, check grammar, work with me in the writing process. 4. What do you expect? Such as… Someone to fix your spelling, grammar? General advice? Someone to tell you how to write your story? Someone to write your story? - Someone who'll point out weak points, constructive criticism, honest thoughts on the story. Also someone who can be a Grammar expert, coz i need grammar police. (p/s - English is a second language for me, so I don't mind someone who'll point out the differences in the different types of English this world has. I prefer to write using US English, but some references end up being from other places, like saying Mum vs. Mom...hmm don't know if this really matters, but you might have to contend with such problems with me.) 5. How much do you have done? Where are you in the writing process? The story is roughly 26k words right now. About 26k is still undone. The work done needs editing, and of course as new chapters come up. (I'd really love it if we started from chapter 1, I don't mind going back and changing stuff, it's a process.) 6. I use MS Word, Inline edits/ Comments are up to Editor's and Beta's choice. Snippet of story (except for poetry – put style) of at least 200 words but not more than 500 words. Dragon's Kiss Chapter One A car honked in the distance. The wind blew hard, breaking against the skyscrapers of Colston city Ohio. On the roof of an eight-story building, the wind ruffled the tablecloth covering a small round table set for two. The rose in the vase danced in the wind, resting after a few minutes. Lonely, abandoned, like his heart, Haje Young sighed. He’d spent the whole afternoon making chicken cordon bleu. A bottle of merlot sat on the table ready for dinner. His boyfriend however, he glanced at his watch, was three hours late. It was almost ten o’clock and his chicken was ruined. He’d spent all evening waiting, so his mood was ruined too. He was done with Levin Cooper Haje strolled to the railing and stared at the busy street below. Levin was a cop for the Colston Police Department. Criminals tended to be more important to Levin. Haje understood that, but seriously, the man could try to make it to one dinner. Gripping the railing tightly, Haje took in a deep breath and screamed out. “I hate you Levin Cooper.” Somehow, that declaration made the night seem easier. He’d thought he and Levin could make it work. He worked long nights at his job too. He was a computer programmer working for the Strassen Foundation. There were projects that took up his time for days too. When he’d first met Levin, their weekly trysts had worked quite well. Meeting at each other’s apartments whenever they managed the time off had been reasonable. One year along, he’d started to feel as if he and Levin might actually work if they tried harder, maybe go beyond sex and have an actual relationship. Apparently, he was wrong. Haje stepped off the ledge and headed for the table. He took the wine bottle and left the plates, the vase and the tablecloth. He didn’t care if it rained. This night couldn’t get any worse, he decided as he entered his apartment. He was grateful for his job with the foundation. It afforded him the spacious apartment. Going down the stairs from the roof, he descended into an airy living room. He crossed the wooden floor to a cozy dining room and into a sleek kitchen. The white marble counters were littered with dirty dishes. He ignored the mess and began a search for the corkscrew. Just because Levin wasn’t showing up didn’t mean he should ignore the wine. Where was the corkscrew anyway? Rummaging through the knife drawer, he scowled when his phone buzzed. Probably Levin finally canceling their dinner, hadn’t the man ever heard of calling ahead? He got his phone from his pocket and glanced at the caller ID. Shin. He answered the call and wedged the phone between his ear and shoulder. “How do you always know?” he asked continuing his search. “Come out with me,” Shin said cheerfully. “You don’t need him in your life, Haje. Lev is an asshole.”

Hello Everyone, I'm looking for a Beta/Editor for 2 current works that I'm working on Song In My Heart and Breathe Me. I have worked with an Editor before but its been some years since I have attempted to do anything like this so I feel like I'm still new to everything. I would like to work within a 2 week turn around window for both. I need pretty much the works as far as when it comes to editing with grammar, spelling and proper word usage as well as I would like advice to make sure I keep the story going in a general direction. How much is done Song In My Heart - 3 chapters are currently written (1st one is waiting submission here) Breathe Me - 2 chapters are currently completed (none of which are published) I currently use MS Word 2010 and I'm open to both comments and inline edits. I would also like a person that's willing to do both versus having 2 different editors. Snip of Song In My Heart: It was a Monday morning when I first saw him. He was standing across the street in the pouring rain in a simple black jean jacket, white t-shirt and black semi skinny jeans with the belts hanging off them. He was shivering, I mean he had to be, it was cold only about 49 degrees and without a jacket and with the rain he was bound to catch a chill. I wish I could have beckoned my legs to move forward, to offer him my umbrella and start up a conversation but I was stuck. Never once in my life had I been stuck before and this frankly scared me. The bus rolled in front of him and took him away from me and I ran home, with tears running down my face or maybe it was just rain I don’t know, but I ran home, ran through the door and threw my backpack, rain jacket and umbrella right in the middle of the foyer. I ran upstairs to my room took out a pen and paper and wrote down a song. There is a song in my heart, it sings for you it bleeds for you That was the first line, the only line before I broke down into tears. I couldn't be gay…could I. Snip of Breathe Me: Love. A word that has one universal meaning around the world, that feels the hearts of millions, gives them a reason to wake up every day with a smile, give them a reason for living. But love can also break a person’s soul, wither them down to nothing but a hollow shell, take the breath of life that was once their reason for living and turn it into the darkest dark of despair. Love… Can blind you and yet it can make you see. Can be the most beautiful song but make your ears bleed. And let me tell you my friend LOVE… can eat you alive until there is nothing left. So I bet your wondering… why am I reading this? I want to read about love and happiness. I want a story that gives me a happy ending. Well I can’t promise you that there will be a happy ending. I can’t promise that you won’t ever want to give your heart to someone. I can’t promise you won’t cry. What I can promise you is a story that doesn’t edit what LOVE can do to a person. I promise that I will take you through the steps of the happiness, the pain, joy…heartache. I promise that I will tell you the truth in all things that come around it. Lastly, my name is Chezney Boren, I’m 18 years old and I’m writing this as I stand on the top of a bridge, 100 feet in the air and there is nothing but cold icy water below.

https://www.gayauthors.org/story/videogamemaker/wishithadgone When do you want it by? No real rush, but would love the feedback. Have you worked with an Editor / Beta before? Not on a fiction story, but have had editors for past writing work. What do you need? Mainly I am interested in readability, flow, and clarity. Is it clear when events are happening? age of main characters? The first chapter in particular I worry is a bit unclear timeline wise. What do you expect? I have plenty of ideas and no problems writing, but as I write stream of conscious I think some heavy editing to maintain readability, and fixes to any grammatical mistakes are most needed, but welcome all types of feedback. How much do you have done? I have the first chapter done and the second chapter close to done. What software do you / can you use? Almost anything. photoshop, 3ds max, word, blogspot, and more Do you prefer comments or inline edits or do you not have a preference? Comments first, but inline edits for particularly important points are good too. And finally – a snippet of your story (except for poetry – put style) of at least 200 words but not more than 500 words.