Meet Our Betas

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Allison Alyjude Deborah Draconea EagleEye
Fox Gryph Helen Stagie Karidi KimAnne
Kimberly FDR MaryShukes MontageX Mre
Orange Poledra Poyznelf Winds-of-Dawn ZerenaRae

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  1. Name or Screen Name ?
    Allison

  2. A brief bio ? Male/Female ? Age ? Career ? Where is home ? Married ?
    Female, age 28, accountant, SE Michigan. I've been in TS fandom for a year and am loving it.

  3. Are you a writer as well as beta?
    According to some yes. According to me, not yet, but I'm working on it.

  4. Do you have a web page ? If so what is the URL ?
    None.

  5. Why do you like to beta ?
    I get the stories earlier! <bg> Also, because it annoys me to no end when I come across words that were skipped or sentences that require me to stop and reread a couple of times to try and understand what the author is saying.

  6. Do you have a preference? Jim or Blair angst, any ?
    It's too hard to pick between the boys. But I do like angst best.

  7. What kind of background do you feel is necessary to beta, or is it a natural type ability?
    Background? Having read lots of the fandom. Having a really good feel for the characters. Having read lots of books to get a feel for story telling. Is it a natural ability/skill? Yes in the fascination for details, but no as well. Most of what we do can be learned from exposure to other beta's work, from discussion with the authors.

  8. How do you feel your contributions improve the process?
    My personal focus is readability & skipped words. For example: Can the reader read without having to stop and reread. I also focus on missing words. Folks get to typing too fast and skip words and those are frequently uncorrected, even in published zines. I do what I can to identify these areas that need correction or clarification. I almost always make suggestions on those corrections and clarifications. I also make suggestions for other areas to touch in the story, or an idea for a good sequel.

  9. Any other fandoms you beta/write/play in?
    Stargate SG1, Roswell, Harry Potter (shush, I know), *NSYNC, and a few others. TS is by far the one I spend the most time on.

  10. Funniest part of being a beta and the hardest part of doing it?
    Funniest? Um... Hardest? Finding the time to sit down and do the actual betaing.

  11. A brief bibliography... please [if you write] ?
    Not yet.

  12. Do you have a favorite quote ? If so what and why ?

  13. Any thing else you would like to share with your readers ?

  14. Email address ?
    Write to Allison at
    kixfan@ureach.com

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  1. Name or Screen Name ?
    alyjude

  2. A brief bio ? Male/Female ? Age ? Career ? Where is home ? Married?
    see
    author bio

  3. Are you a writer as well as beta?
    yep :))

  4. Do you have a web page ? If so what is the URL ?
    see author bio

  5. Why do you like to beta ?
    Um...I like sneak peeks?

  6. Do you have a preference? Jim or Blair angst, any ?
    Any

  7. What kind of background do you feel is necessary to beta, or is it a natural type ability?
    Sixteen years in college couldn't hurt. :))

  8. How do you feel your contributions improve the process?
    I'm a cheerleader

  9. Any other fandoms you beta/write/play in?
    Nope

  10. Funniest part of being a beta and the hardest part of doing it?
    Hardest? ...it's too fun to be hard

  11. A brief bibliography... please [if you write] ?
    See author bio for answers to 11, 12, 13 and 14 :))

  12. Do you have a favorite quote ? If so what and why ?

  13. Any thing else you would like to share with your readers ?

  14. Email address ?
    Write to Alyjude at alyjude@webtv.net
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  1. Name or Screen Name ?
    Deborah (debbield)

  2. A brief bio ? Male/Female ? Age ? Career ? Where is home ? Married ?
    I'm 46 and have been divorced for so long that marriage seems like it happened in another life. I am a corporate paralegal but in the midst of changing jobs to become an immigration paralegal. I'm originally from Ohio, left there at 18 to join the Army, and eventually ended up in Augusta, Georgia at 21, married to a man I met in the Army. When I got divorced, I decided to start a completely new life and moved to Atlanta, which I have called home for almost 20 years.

  3. Are you a writer as well as beta?
    The only things I write are checks!

  4. Do you have a web page ? If so what is the URL ?
    No.

  5. Why do you like to beta ?
    Well, it comes naturally to me. I find myself catching mistakes as I read a story that has been posted to the net and I wish someone had betaed the story before it made it that far because mistakes often throw me right out of a story. If I can help others avoid that, it makes me happy. And as some of the other betas have mentioned what really bothers them (it's vs. its, there vs. their, etc.), I thought I would mention my favorite mistake in a posted story -- and I am paraphrasing here because it has been awhile since I read it -- "Jim put his hands around Blair's waste." Now that may hit a kink for some people, but not me!

  6. Do you have a preference? Jim or Blair angst, any ?
    I love well-written angst, and I'm in the camp with those who believe that Jim angst will eventually lead to Blair angst, and visa versa. If forced to chose, it would be Jim angst simply because there is less of that in TS fiction and it affects me a little more to see the big strong stoic guy taken down, for instance, by a repressed memory or a sensory problem and having to turn to Blair for help..

  7. What kind of background do you feel is necessary to beta, or is a natural type ability ?
    As I said above, I believe it is pretty natural to me, but that can probably be attributed to my many years spent as a secretary.

  8. How do you feel your contributions improve the process ?
    I hope they make the story more pleasant to read and the characterizations true to the Jim and Blair we all know and love.

  9. Any other fandoms you beta/write/play in ?
    I only beta in TS (and for a friend who is an aspiring scriptwriter). I love The X-Files and a dear friend is trying very hard to get me hooked on Stargate SG-1, but those fandoms are just for fun.

  10. Funniest part of being a beta and the hardest part of doing it ?
    I don't really have a funny incident -- I guess the hardest part is when you really think a scene or some dialogue is wrong, doesn't fit the characters, doesn't belong in the story, etc., and you suggest to the author that it be changed and explain why and they don't agree and leave it the way it is.

  11. A brief bibliography... please [if you write] ?
    N/A

  12. Do you have a favorite quote ? If so what and why ?
    I'm always seeing quotes that I either think are funny or find profound, etc., but I can never remember them! One that I can remember is one I read recently -- it was an opening quote in one of the chapters of *Beach* by Kitty and Martha: "Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a raindance." Humorous and profound, two of my favorite things!

  13. Any thing else you would like to share with your readers ?
    I've probably told you more than you ever wanted to know already! I am really worried that I am going to make some glaring error in this post and you all will notice it and wonder what I am doing pretending to be a beta!

  14. Email address ?
    Write to Deborah at
    debbield@aol.com

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  1. Name or Screen Name ?
    My name is DJ, my screen name is Draconea

  2. A brief bio ? Male/Female ? Age ? Career ? Where is home ? Married ?
    Happily unmarried female, just turned 30 (literally).

  3. Are you a writer as well as beta?
    Plot bunnies abound, but I hate to write, so no one every sees them but me.

  4. Do you have a web page ? If so what is the URL ?
    http://draconea.home.mindspring.com/Guidebook.txt; at the moment, all that is up is the draft of the FAQ.

  5. Why do you like to beta ?
    Good question. I'm not sure. I enjoy helping make a story more clear and readable for the reader. IMHO, a reader should notice the story first and the writing second, not the other way around. Does that make sense to anyone but me?

  6. Do you have a preference? Jim or Blair angst, any ?
    No preference really on who has the angst, but I do prefer angst to major owwies. Not that owwies can't be what I'm looking for sometimes...

  7. What kind of background do you feel is necessary to beta, or is it a natural type ability ?
    I think there is such a thing as natural ability. However, that won't help you with the grey areas of grammar, such as the apostrophe problem previously discussed. A good grounding in your language of choice and the tools available to help you (such as style manuals, dictionaries, etc.) is a big help.

  8. How do you feel your contributions improve the process ?
    Of writing? Well, at the least, most people have a very difficult time proofing their own work - they know what it's supposed to say, so they may unintentionally read over an error. A second pair of eyes helps to catch those silly little goofs everyone makes. At the most, a good beta/editor can help an author streamline the entire flow of a story, point out holes and inconsistencies, ask for explanations of confusing passages, and a myriad of other things, which helps make a story more readable.

  9. Any other fandoms you beta/write/play in ?
    I play in several other fandoms, including Highlander, ST:V, Due South, Stargate, and Voyager.

  10. Funniest part of being a beta and the hardest part of doing it ?
    The funniest part is the occasional typo that really changes the meaning of a sentence or phrase. The hardest part is usually being honest, while still being tactful.

  11. A brief bibliography... please [if you write] ?
    :) See # 3

  12. Do you have a favorite quote ? If so what and why ?
    I'm terrible with quotes and titles. I can never remember them. How about a slogan instead? It's my favorite for my line of work:
    Recycle Yourself - Be an Organ and Tissue Donor

  13. Any thing else you would like to share with your readers ?
    I love AUs and crossovers. Someone write more of them please? ;)

  14. Email address ?
    Write to Draconea at draconea@mindspring.com

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  1. Name or Screen Name?
    Screen Name: Eagle Eye

    Legal Name: Jennifer, most old timers know me as Jen

  2. A brief bio?
    Male/Female?
    Female
    Age?
    27
    Career?
    I'm an Elementary Education Major
    Where is home?
    Hudson Fl.{about 45 min north of Tampa}
    Married?
    Nope

  3. Are you a writer as well as beta?
    Yes, I have a short story coming in for the Valentine's Day Special.

  4. Do you have a web page? If so what is the URL?
    My slash is posted on The Forest, with Owlet. My Gen is on Wolfpup's Den.

  5. Why do you like to beta?
    Because. Um, I don't know. It's probably a bit of the teacher in me rearing its ugly head.

  6. Do you have a preference? Jim or Blair angst, any ?
    A preference as to what I beta, write, or read?

    I'll read just about anything once, except Death stories. I tend to enjoy stories More if the characterization is close to the show. I.E. no pretty tittys or Baby Blair stories.

  7. What kind of background do you feel is necessary to beta, or is it a natural type ability?
    Well, I think writers usually better betas because they can usually come at the story from a different angle. Is there a natural ability, yes I think so. There are just people who should NEVER beta stories. As for background, it really depends upon what you're betaing for. If you're a grammar Beta, then you really need to know your grammar. Personally, my strong point is content/continuity. While I may missing half a dozen grammar "things", if there's an action that doesn't work, i.e. one sentence they're upstairs in the loft bedroom, next sentence their making love on the couch without having physically gone there, then I'll catch it. My eyes just catch on stuff like that.

  8. How do you feel your contributions improve the process?
    That's a hard one. I'm one of those people who, when I beta, if I find something wrong, I'll give you 3 or 4 ways of making it right. I think it's the teacher thing again, if I'm gonna beta, I'm going to do my damnedest to see that the writer I'm working for takes something home afterwards. I also like a flow to what I read. SO, if something is awkward to read, I'll go through sentence by sentence and help the author smooth it out.

    I'm not sure I really answered the question you asked.

  9. Any other fandoms you beta/write/play in?
    Oh yeah . So far, TS is the only fandom I write in, but I've been known to beta in Stargate, Herc, Xena, Houston Knights, Due South. I've done time as a proofreader for a Highlander Zine, and currently I'm Asst Editor on a Gen TS zine.

  10. Funniest part of being a beta and the hardest part of doing it?
    Funniest? Some of the crap I come up with at 4 in the AM when I'm working on a story and should really be in bed.

    Hardest? saying No, I can't seem to<>G. Also, I never know how an author I'm betaing for the first time is going to take my suggestions. Being a writer myself, I've found that, usually, if an author doesn't like my style of writing, then he/she won't like my style of betaing. I can beta stories that I don't like, i.e., Death stories and Domestic Discipline, but if the author and I don't see eye-to-eye on how the characterization should be, then we're not going to work very well together.

    That hasn't happened, so far.

  11. A brief bibliography... please [if you write]?
    Geeze, ask for something hard, why don't you.

    argh, um, gen at http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/9941/loft.html

    Making It Right: 57.3K: A missing scene for Sweet Science. This is what I think would've happened after the scene where Blair offered to be Jamie's hostage. posted on 03/28/98

    Incidents Of Indiffence: 13.2K: The result of reading the paper, and getting a little upset by what I read. Blair is upset; Jim comforts him. posted on 04/12/98

    Letting It Go: 13.9K: A missing Scene for Love Kills. How would Jim cope with the death of the woman he thought might be THE one. Can Blair help him get through the weeks following her death and put it behind him? posted on 08/17/98

    Little Words: 1.8K: A very short excercise. Posted on 01/23/99

    More Little Words: 3.4K: Another Excercise. 02/01/99

    There's Always A First Time For Everything: 35.5K: Smarm, Jim owie, Smarm, Blair owies, Smarm, Hospital Scene, Smarm.............I think you guys get the idea, huh? posted on 04/15/99

    Random Happenstance: 7.6K: Just a bit of introspection with me using the guys to work my feelings out. posted on 06/05/99

    You'll Still Be In My Heart: 24.7K: A Companion piece to Suzie's 'You'll Be In My Heart'. A little Angst, A Little Smarm, and A little H/C. posted on 09/14/99

    I Knew I Shoulda Moved To Florida: 8.3K: My entry in the Senticon Story Contest. The rules were to write a short story 1-3pgs using as many of the TS episode titles as possible in the story. posted on 06/19/00

    Incoherent Ramblings Of a Depraved Mind During a Psychotic Episode in the midst of Spring Whilst the Azaleas Are in Bloom: 15.4K: Challenge entry for Cascade Times list, to say anymore is impossible. posted on 11/15/00

    Slash: https://www.squidge.org/~theforest/senfic.html and on 852 Prospect

    Sounds Of The Night (4 K)
    Category: Alternate Universes
    Rating(s): NC-17, angst
    Pairing(s): J/B
    A little bit of sex. A little bit of angst. A little bit of other stuff thrown in too.
    Archived on 02/05/00

    Gone Fishin' (8 K)
    Category: Plot What Plot, Romance
    Rating(s): NC-17, m/m
    Pairing(s): J/B
    Jim comes home. Blair is there. Sex ensues.
    Archived on 11/02/99

    Random Happenstance (8 K)
    Category: Romance, Plot What Plot
    Rating(s): R, m/m
    Pairing(s): J/B
    Some deep thinking, introspection, and a little groping on a rainy day.
    Archived on 06/13/99

    The Search (1 K)
    Category: Challenge: Float Your Boat Challenge
    Rating(s): G, m/m
    Pairing(s): J/B
    AN attempt to give a list sib a headache
    Archived on 02/28/99

    Little Words (0 K)
    Category: Romance
    Rating(s): G, none
    Pairing(s): J/B
    Blair thinks about the meaning of home
    Archived on 01/30/99

    Scooby Does, A Whatever Floats Your Boat (20 K)
    Category: Challenge: Float Your Boat Challenge, Crossovers: other, Plot What Plot
    Rating(s): NC-17, m/m, multiple partners, crossovers, bestiality
    Pairing(s): J/B, J/m, J/B/m
    Mid Term madness late one night on IRC. Jim, Blair, and Scooby in the Volvo.
    Archived on 03/22/99

    Zine Stories
    Gen: Journey Unto Tomorrow
    Slash: Slash version of JourneyG<>

  12. Do you have a favorite quote ? If so what and why?
    DO I Look like I need a drug test? Wait... don't answer that. Why, my little sister loves it.

  13. Any thing else you would like to share with your readers ?
    not that I can think of

  14. Email address ?
    Write to EagleEye at crypt@citicom.com

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