If I may say so, I love reading books specially those by the 'masters'. I just finished reading George Orwell's 1984, Haruki Murakami's Birthday Stories, and Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth. I am currently reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.I believe that betareading is an opportunity not only for me to improve my writing skills but also a chance for me to help other writers develop their stories. It is an interaction between a writer and a reader in order to correct some mishaps that were encountered along the way of creating something great. It would help the writers see their stories in the readers' eyes, and I think that betareaders fill in those shoes for seeing to it that the stories are as presentable as they could be.
My style of betareading doesn't include much of meddling with how the writer would like to 'attack' his/her stories. Instead, I try (as much as I can) to be a reader and not a writer when I do beta's. In this way, I could first try to appreciate the essence of what the writer wants to put across, then I switch to the technical part. Keep it simple, but beautiful so as they say. Betareading is not easy, that is why I think doing so requires a lot of passion. It requires that much of self-control so as not to override the writer's style without sacrificing technical details of the writing. My FF betareading (or BR in general) isn't as heavy or technical as I do with the research and thesis papers. This kind of writing is a liesure activity where creativity is put above all else, and I shall do nothing to hinder the growth of that creativity.
I believe that in betareading, it is the responsibility of the reader to suggest new ways on how to improve the material. However, as constructive as I may seem, I also believe that it is imperative to praise noteworthy characteristics not only of the material but the writer as well. Good points keep the writer writing, as I believe so myself. BR is also a chance for others to point out opportunities of the story (and possibly future ones) and also the threats the story could possibly encounter along the way.
Betareading is a partnership between the writer and the reader whose goal is to come up with the best material possible every time. It is a partnership bound by and built on trust and the desire to create some one heck of a material.
You think I'm up for the job? :)
