An Introduction, An Explanation
Welcome to the Torchwood Beta Archives, a community for beta readers in the Torchwood fandom, and the authors who need them. Here, authors can find beta readers who suit their stories' needs, and betas can edit, idea bounce, Brit-pick, or whatever skill(s) they excel at, for stories that they would pick out to read on any community.
The Basics
Torchwood Beta Archives (TWBA) runs on a system of tags, lists, and links. This system is specific to this community, so it is advised that you read carefully. Some of the terminology might be unfamiliar. I suggest the TWBA Glossary. If you have questions, check the FAQs. You can ask questions that aren’t answered there in the comments of the FAQ post.
For Beta Readers:
To sign up, you first need to join the community. Then, create a beta profile; this is your one post in the community, which contains your beta information. We request that you include the following:
Basics
Preferred Name: For obvious reasons
Region: Time zones can be challenging, and when an author is on a short schedule, they might not have the time to wait until suitable hours in the U.S. when they're in Australia
Story Preferences
Pairings: Love Tosh/Mary? Prefer Gwen/Rhys? Every pairing you're willing to beta
Ratings: G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17
Length: One-shots, Multi-chapter, Maximum Length if any, Complete Only, WiPs
Setting: Pre-Series, Season 1 & 2, CoE Fix-Its, CoE Compliant, Season 4, Alternate Universe (No aliens), Alternate Reality (Possible aliens), Alternate Canon
Genre: Select from: Action/Adventure, Angst, Cross-over, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Fluff, Friendship, Horror, Humour, Hurt/Comfort, M-Preg, Multiple Genres, Mystery, PWP, Romance, Suspense, Teamfic, Tragedy
Pairing Type: Willing to beta only het? Specify here from Slash, Femmeslash, Het, Poly, or Threesome
Betaing Dislikes
Pairings: Won't read Jack/John Hart? Put it here
Ratings: Don't like to beta NC-17 fiction?
Length: Don't have time for multiple chapters? Can't stand WiPs?
Setting: Can't stand CoE? Don't want anything to do with Season 4? Hate AU? Stick it here. Please choose from the same settings as in Story Preferences
Genre: Can't read scary stories? Hate babyfic? Put it here.
Pairing Type: Can't beta het? Specify here from Slash, Femmeslash, Het, Poly, or Threesome
Squicks: Kinks (specify), Non-con, Dub-con, Character Death, Character Bashing, Violence, Rape, Torture, other (specify)
Miscellanea
Strengths: Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation, Characterization, Continuity, Brit-picking, Idea-Bouncing
Weaknesses: As above
Beta Style: Some betas offer harsh criticism, and some authors prefer that. On the other hand, some are gentler about giving advice and edits. Please briefly describe how you beta.
Are you fluent in any language(s) other than English?: Not all writers have English as their first language, so this could prove helpful.
Crossovers: What other fandoms are you familiar with?
Anything Else? Anything else you want to add
------
We realize this is a lot to fill out; the hope is that it provides a more pleasant experience betaing and receiving proof-reading. Feel free to add as much detail as you want, or the bare minimum. Please use the following code when filling out your post (simply select all inside the box, copy, and paste under the "HTML" tag in the corner of your entry box):
Basics Preferred Name: Region: Story Preferences Pairings: Ratings: Length: Setting: Genre: Pairing Type: Betaing Dislikes Pairings: Ratings: Length: Setting: Genre: Pairing Type: Squicks/Kinks: Miscellanea Strengths: Weaknesses: : Beta Style: Are you fluent in any language(s) other than English?: Crossovers: Anything Else? :
Please put in the title of your post "Beta Profile: Your Username". Tag with the appropriate tags. After you've posted your Beta Profile, please go to this post.
To see an example of a Beta Profile, please have a look at this post.
Comment with your username, a link to your Beta Profile, and a list of the pairings and categories you wish to be listed under. And that's all there is to it; authors will contact you through your beta profile, so keep an eye on it! ^_^
If you have never beta'd before, we offer a note of warning: It really isn't for the faint of heart. It's time consuming, and involves working together fairly closely with the author. Before you sign up, just make sure that you have the time, and patience. It's catching mistakes, helping iron out rough spots, and helping hone an author's story. Just double check with yourself that this is something that you want to do - we don't want to scare you off, but we want to give you fair warning regarding the commitment level.
Availability/Non-Availability
Got your limit of stories? Real Life catching up? (Believe us, we understand). Please post to the Availability Post so that we can put Unavailable in bold letters next to your name, so that you won't get any more requests.
For Authors
First, friend the comm.
You can find betas three ways.
The first is to go to the Master List, find someone with 'Available' beside their name. Please don't post to someone's profile if they are Unavailable - it's pointless. Comment with a request/description/however you want to do it in their beta profile post. Their name on the Master List is a link to it.
The second way is to go look at the tags, pick a tag that suits you, and start reading through. Comment and request as if you found them through the Master List.
The third method is to post a Beta Request. Post the following regarding your story:
Preferred Name:
Pairings/Characters: Fairly self-explanatory I think
Rating: G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17 or other
Setting: Pre-Series, Season 1 or 2, CoE Fixit, CoE Compliant, Season 4, Alternate Universe (No aliens), Alternate Universe (Possible aliens), Alternate Canon
Length: One-shot, Multi-chapter, A rough word count, Complete or WiP
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Cross-over, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Fluff, Friendship, Horror, Humour, Hurt/Comfort, M-Preg, Multiple Genres, Mystery, PWP, Romance, Suspense, Teamfic, Tragedy
Pairing Type: Slash, Femmeslash, Het, Threesome, Poly
Warnings: Kinks (specify), Non-con, Dub-con, Character Death, Character Bashing, Violence, Rape, Torture, Other (specify)
A brief summary: Optional if it's one of those Secret Santa deals
Beta Requirements: Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation, Characterization, Continuity, Brit-Picking, Idea Bouncing
Location: Country/State (if you and your beta are on opposite sides of the world, there will probably be communication delays)
Due Date: If applicable.
Preferred Name: Pairings/Characters: Rating: Setting: Length: Genre: Pairing Type: Warnings: A brief summary: Location: Due Date:
To view an example of a Beta Request, please check out this post.
You can add as much or as little information to your Beta Request as you like, however, please keep in mind that you want to make sure that the beta reader who answers your request is the right beta. Once you've found your beta, please edit your post to let other members know that you've found a beta, and change all the tags to Beta: Found.
----
And then wait for someone to reply. We hope these are fairly clear; the guidelines are set to help make everything run as smooth and productively as possible. We hope you find who you're looking for!
Your mods,
badly_knitted , miss_bekahrose , and doves_wing