Have you ever tried to write a story and found yourself stuck at a certain point and not sure what to do?  Are you considering writing a story for the first time but don't know where to start?

For first thoughts on a new story idea, for judging the credibility of a background, a character, a move, for encouragment during the long weeks of writing, for spotting holes, for keeping the authors on track when they are in danger of losing the focus of their story, for convincing them something just does not work, for nitty gritty grammar fixes...

My Beta-Reader Ring is a list of people who are more than willing to help you with whatever you need.  Still not sure what beta-reading is all about?  Read on...

Beta-reading is helpful critique and editing comments given to a writer by a person who reads his or her work before it's posted for everyone else to read. (Whoa!  Before anyone starts to feel a little intimidated or overwhelmed by that, it doesn't have to be anything fancy.  It could just be something like, "Uh...this doesn't make sense right here.")  The comments of a good beta-reader are therefore extremely important to a writer; they help a writer communicate clearly and well, tell her story in a way that makes sense, and catch the errors or slips that sneak into everyone's work. A beta-reader takes her job seriously, knowing that the writer is counting on her to catch problems and suggest improvements or rewrites. A writer should take the time to proofread her work for spelling and grammar at least, before sending it to the beta-reader, to honor the time she's spending on the process, too.