Run and hide! I'm looking for 1-2 people to swap with, and my manuscript has left a trail of slaughtered betas in its path. Perhaps you'll be next?_?
People often think the MS too YA and get bored, or else too complicated/weird and get a headache. If you're lucky, you'll fall into both categories ;-) Also it's probably pretentious, because I'm obsessed with phenomenology. Sorry. But at least you have fair warning.
Specifics: science fantasy-ish, 92k words, low magic, small scale (not epic), character driven, non-human cast, 5 POV (not equally weighted). Gradually becomes more surreal, and is occasionally quite violent, though probably less than your average fantasy in fairness.
If you would prefer to skim the first chapter, you can find it here, at around 2300 words.
I have two fulls out for an earlier version of the MS, which best case scenario will be a revise and resubmit, but more likely will be a double rejection. Either way that goes, I've rewritten the very faulty ending in the interm, would like to test it out on the assumption I'll need to start querying again in a couple of months, once I've stopped sulking over probable incoming Rs.
About me... I do a fair amount of critting on SYW. I'm in a local writer group IRL and founded a little crit circle on fb. I've successfully betaread for, or swapped with, around six AWers since April, and a heck of a lot more outside of AW (I like to beta 1-2 MS a month on average). In the interests of full disclosure, I have also bailed on two other AWers back in May/June (reads, not swaps). That was down to having too many MS on my plate, and I've learned to pace myself better since then.
Swap wise... Well, I'm better equipped to crit SFF/spec fic, but I'll give most things a try. I've beta read everything from chicklit to thrillers to inspirational romance to full literary, although as before the majority of stuff I read is SFF. The main thing is whether you can suffer through mine--that's the harder ask, really ;-)
PS--I don't mind if you bail. My run-for-the-hills rate is around 75% for betas so you'd be in good company
Love and war,
- S
People often think the MS too YA and get bored, or else too complicated/weird and get a headache. If you're lucky, you'll fall into both categories ;-) Also it's probably pretentious, because I'm obsessed with phenomenology. Sorry. But at least you have fair warning.
Specifics: science fantasy-ish, 92k words, low magic, small scale (not epic), character driven, non-human cast, 5 POV (not equally weighted). Gradually becomes more surreal, and is occasionally quite violent, though probably less than your average fantasy in fairness.
If you would prefer to skim the first chapter, you can find it here, at around 2300 words.
I have two fulls out for an earlier version of the MS, which best case scenario will be a revise and resubmit, but more likely will be a double rejection. Either way that goes, I've rewritten the very faulty ending in the interm, would like to test it out on the assumption I'll need to start querying again in a couple of months, once I've stopped sulking over probable incoming Rs.
About me... I do a fair amount of critting on SYW. I'm in a local writer group IRL and founded a little crit circle on fb. I've successfully betaread for, or swapped with, around six AWers since April, and a heck of a lot more outside of AW (I like to beta 1-2 MS a month on average). In the interests of full disclosure, I have also bailed on two other AWers back in May/June (reads, not swaps). That was down to having too many MS on my plate, and I've learned to pace myself better since then.
Swap wise... Well, I'm better equipped to crit SFF/spec fic, but I'll give most things a try. I've beta read everything from chicklit to thrillers to inspirational romance to full literary, although as before the majority of stuff I read is SFF. The main thing is whether you can suffer through mine--that's the harder ask, really ;-)
PS--I don't mind if you bail. My run-for-the-hills rate is around 75% for betas so you'd be in good company
Love and war,
- S
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