Moniquill

Your work sounds interesting, and I seem to meet your qualifications of 'patient' and 'female' Are you generally available for author discussion via the instant message program of your choice (AIM and MSN preferred) on at least some nights between 10pm and 7am Eastern Standard Time? I'm really trying to find folks who can talk in real time, and I keep hours which are nocturnal by the standards of most of the US. If this isn't you, thank you for your time and I'm sorry to have bothered you. All of that said, what I'm looking for is an author-buddy. I find myself in a quandary whereby I want someone to discuss the mechanics of pacing and plot with as I write, but most of my current friends who are writers can't keep up with my new hours – essentially I'm looking to widen my circle of friends who write and read and critique. I've tried more formal writing groups, but I've been left cold with the cliquishness I've found thus far. I'm more than willing to trade service for service in terms of reading and critiquing. I'm a 26-year-old college graduate, I've been writing on and off since I was 14, and I've had two short stories (both erotica) published. My current project is a steampunk supernatural romance/erotica story; novel length. You can read about the universe it's set in here: http://moniquill.livejournal.com/302534.html if you're interested. - Moniquill AIM : Moniquill E-mail / MSN : Dreadfulmoqui@hotmail.com LJ : http://moniquill.livejournal.com

So lately I've been looking for people who are online in real time to talk with during what are, for me, the wee hours of the night. I live in Eastern Standard Time and am online from 11:00pm - 7:00am most nights due to work. This has been somewhat problematic for me and my existing writer friends, as they're into this lame thing called 'sleep' at night. (infantile pouting here) I'm looking for beta readers and sounding boards in general, not for any specific project. People with whom to share discussions about writing as a craft. Basically, I need more writer friends I'm 25, female, and wholly nocturnal due to the nature of my job. I'm located in New England, USA. I only speak and write in English, though I have a passing knowledge of French. I write (and prefer to read) speculative fiction, with a definite preference for fantasy. I have a hugely annoying issue finishing what I start. I'm a brutal beta, but I have a quite comprehensive understanding of meter and flow in language, as well as excellent grammar. I'm a BA level psychologist, formerly an English major, and I've done roughly one cubic ass-ton of coursework in sociology and philosophy. I can be very helpful in fleshing out character motivations and sociological themes. I can point out plot flaws in the works of others (though I've been known to miss them in my own works...) If any of this interests you at all, I can be contacted via AIM; my screen name is Moniquill, or on MSN Messenger as Dreadfulmoqui .

Fic's roughly 6500 words, taking place in an AU steampunk US in 1896. Mostly, it's smut, hoping for publication to a small e-press. Needs to be sent out by the 15th. E-mail me at dreadfulmoqui@hotmail.com for more details.

Willing to beta; are you interested in exchanging beta/critiques? (Note, I'm willing to beta even if you're unable at this time) I'm well versed in the LOTRverse, and I enjoy alternate character interpretations. You can't scare me off with sex/dark and gruesome, either. I'm most easily reached by email at dreadfulmoqui@hotmail.com or on AIM as Moniquill

Greetings, My name is Monique and I'm a writer of original fiction, primarily novel length. I'm seeking a specific breed of beta reader for a position that I call pre-production beta. Someone who reads a story-in-progress as each new chapter is teased out. It is an admittedly horribly frustrating position, but also a rewarding one. You would get to be a sounding board for any and all idea that come flying out of my head, have input on how characters develop and how they relate to each other. You'd get a level of backstory detail that won't make it to the finished product. The integral nature of this position does mean that I prefer someone who can contact me in real-time, via AIM or ICQ or another chat program. My active online hours tend to be between 4:00am and 12:00pm GMT, though I can and do adjust around other schedules. I'm also open to contact via e-mail or in Livejournal comments. My biggest weakness as a writer is a tendency to not finish what I start. I've got one complete novel sitting on my hard drive and one first-of-a-trilogy that I've set aside because I feel the structure needs major work. I've got dozens of stories that I've started and put aside as shiny new ideas grab me. I'm working on a project right now that's separate from either of them and is intended to be a stand-alone novel. My resolution for this year is not to start any other project (other than flash/short fiction that just spurts fully-grown from my forehead like Athena…) until this one is finished. The setting is pre-industrial fantasy in an primarily jungle environment. Most of the action takes place somewhere analogous to the Amazon river basin – it's not, geographically speaking, an AU South America. My fantasyland geography is as shifty as I need it to be in the first draft. I am a huge stickler for ecologically sound environments up to and including tracking which species are native to a milieu I'm recreating and which are invasive (I.E. South America didn't have bananas until Portuguese colonists brought them from West Africa in the 15th century. Yes, I'm THAT nerdy and detail oriented.) The story concerns the cultural ramifications of a post-epic-fantasy-war generation coming of age. There are four viewpoint characters, whose sections are well delineated – usually by chapter, always with clarity that there's been a shift. I fully intend for two of these characters to have romantic subplots, though both will do so with characters who are not of the four viewpoint positions. I haven't yet decided what 'rating' my story will achieve, though probably not beyond Restricted 'onscreen' as sex isn't the focus of the work. At this point, though, many things are still subject to change based on how well they work. I've got five chapters written and I'm working on the sixth, which introduces the final viewpoint character. They're posted at http://moniquillwrites.livejournal.com/ if you're interested – only the first chapter is public, for further chapters comment to be friended. Yes, I am willing to provide formatted .RTF and .DOC files in the event that this project is accepted. The above link is provided as a writing sample. Thank you in advance for consideration, even if this isn't something you'd like to pick up at this time. - Moniquill