betts

writer. teacher. eventual cyborg.

about me

i'm betts!

i write fanfiction, original fiction, and some creative nonfiction. i received my MFA in creative writing in 2018, and i'm currently a PhD student in english with an emphasis in creative writing. aside from that, i enjoy studying pedagogy, narratology, rhetoric, and fan studies. i've been teaching english composition and creative writing at the university level for going on 5 years.

to learn more about me, you can check out my interview with the OTW or my guest spot on Fansplaining.

i'm still working on this About Me, so if you have any questions for me or anything you think i should include, feel free to fill out this form.

services

creative coaching

writing is so hard!! it’s deliriously, unimaginably hard. and yet, many of us are stupid enough choose to do it, because we’re compelled by the need to externalize our inner experiences. also i guess it's really fun and fulfilling or whatever.

the point is, my favorite thing in the world is to help writers craft work that is meaningful to them, and that most clearly conveys their aesthetic and thematic interests.

i meet with clients via zoom and invoice via paypal afterward. initial consultations are $70, before which i can read up to 5k words of your work. if you have a longer piece you'd like me to read, please let me know and i'll be happy to offer you an hourly quote.

if you're interested in an initial consultation, please fill out this form. to see my monthly availability, you can sign up for my newsletter.

editing

currently i'm only offering marginal/line-level feedback on cover letters and personal statements. to receive feedback on creative work, please reach out for an initial consultation, or see below for information on a close reading.

close reading

in lieu of line-level feedback, i'm offering a close reading service. for $30, i'll read up to 500 words of your work and record myself going over it line by line, offering positive comments, neutral observations, and/or improvement-based feedback.

this service is great if you just want to be Seen, or if you'd like an in-depth assessment of where your work stands on a sentence level. critical feedback is totally optional; if you'd like a neutral/positive reading only, you can indicate that on the form.

my turnaround time is 1-2 weeks. once complete, i'll invoice you via paypal and attach the recording to the invoice. you can request a close reading by filling out this form.

testimonials

I have extremely positive things to say about my sessions with Beth. I started out with a lot of big ideas and no idea what to do with them, and Beth has helped me organize and streamline my process, teaching me tools and techniques that have given me a lot more confidence in my ability to execute my vision. Since I started working with Beth, I find it easier and easier to produce, and also feel that the quality of my work has noticeably improved. — Shan

Beth’s approach was so relaxed and friendly; I was nervous going into the conversation, but felt a thousand times more calm and confident coming out of it, and now I also feel that have the tools I need to approach the rest of my project. Her approach is intuitive, almost alchemical; I’m not entirely sure how, but she managed to convince me without seemingly trying that I already know what I’m doing, and that my skills are up to the task I’ve set myself. — Jen

I submitted the first chapter of an original work for editing, and I am beyond satisfied with the results. Betts did an incredible job. As the writer, it’s easy to lose sight of the rhythm and pacing of your own work, so her comments on how the chapter felt in those terms were invaluable. I appreciated the line-by-line suggestions of where I could add color and texture without messing with the flow of the story. Also, I really liked the rhetorical questions she asked in the comments. They provided insight regarding what a fresh reader is thinking or feeling in the moment. — Anna

I found the consultation helpful both technically and emotionally! It was great to talk through what I was thinking with someone who gets the fanwriting experience and who could also help guide me as I thought about pacing, pov and arcs. I appreciated that you came with specific questions. The questions themselves were pointed but always from a place of seeking to understand, and with the assumption that I knew the answer even if I hadn’t thought about it yet. I came in with questions about setting up conflict and left feeling like I had a much better grasp of that. The cheerful encouragement was also great, and reminded me that I am (theoretically) tackling this story because it is fun, not only as a chore. :) — Elizabeth

You are clearly extremely knowledgable about writing, and the advice you gave was professional, succinct and very helpful! I feel much better about my story now–you have my sincere thanks! — Kiri

It (the consultation) was very helpful and thorough. The questions I was asked were very useful in order for me to realise what I truly wanted to work on and what mattered to me most. Breaking my goals down into tiny little steps was very beneficial as I develop my writing and editing style. — Soph

The consultation was fantastic and super helpful! The most beneficial thing for me was definitely your emphasis on finding what it was that I wanted a work to be doing, then talking about how to get there. I really appreciate how openly you read stories, that you don’t try to bend something to genre or format or outside standards. I also picked up a ton of larger ideas–about the work of simile and metaphor, how to structure a short story, using “you” as a narrative pronoun–that I’ll be reflecting on when I’m writing other things. — Marie

extremely positive!! i was hoping for both sentence-level stylistic suggestions as well as feedback on its overall structure and i got extremely helpful comments on both. you were just as harsh (? not sure if this is the right word because it didn't feel negative haha) as i was hoping, and overall all comments were actionable and useful — Alisha

I came to Betts because I needed some reorientation to who and where I am as a writer, and she provided the mile markers and landmarks I needed. I benefited most from her close-read skills. She lifted out techniques I had used that I didn't even realize I used and pointed out choices I made that might be disorienting for my reader. She had a masterful way of seeing the heart of my characters and the sweep of the conflicts in my work that helped me to better understand myself as a writer. She was extremely specific in her feedback, which will help me be more specific in how I write going forward. — Sara CW

My consultation experience was great! I've been completely blocked on my process and Beth made me feel like I could actually accomplish things and start writing again! It was especially helpful that she gave me a series of goals to match a variety of energy levels, so that I have something to work on when I'm feeling really creatively productive AND something else to work on when I'm tired and drained. This makes me feel like I can further my writing regardless of where I'm at emotionally/creatively. — Kate W

More than anything, I was impressed and deeply validated not only by how well Beth understood the intention of the text I submitted, but also how she was able to give voice to some of the elements I hadn't fully realized or conceptualized myself. She gave vision to these elements without feeling prescriptive, and engaged the ideas in the text in the spirit that they were portrayed, rather than editorializing--a challenge for anyone when dealing with difficult or challenging subjects. To anyone who is unsure or insecure about submitting a text that deals with content that might be deemed 'problematic:' Beth is uniquely canny in engaging these things in a cool, deeply thoughtful and empathetic way. — Alex

I had no idea what to expect so having a well-structured meeting was helpful. It was useful for me to get honest feedback on my writing and to have questions answered knowledgeably. — Anon

My consultation with Betts was extremely helpful and encouraging. She asked me great questions that helped me articulate things about my writing that I had previously had a lot of difficulty putting into words. Her enthusiasm and passion for writing is infectious and made our consultation fly by! The feedback she gave me on my work was super informative while also leaving room for me to figure out the next steps on my own. More than anything, our conversation made me feel more confident and sure of my own direction as a writer, which is invaluable. — Hannah

publications

"the ashtray"
or: the bdsm story

nominated for the 2020 Pushcart Prize

available online only

"an informed purchase"
or: the dildo story

winner of the 2018 Jordan-Goodman Prize in Fiction

available online & in print
(you can read the whole story in the kindle LookInside)

"lien"
or: the codependency story

nominated for the 2019 PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers

available in print only

i don't receive royalties from these, but if you choose to buy them, know you're supporting some great journals!