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I'm looking for someone who has completed novels in the past and has an eye for the bigger picture - the overall flow, structure and character development. Ideally, my crit partner should already have a strong grasp of writing basics and a developed voice, because I also tend toward big-picture crits (covering the flow over multiple chapters). I won't spend time correcting you on grammar and sentence construction unless it's an honest typo.
I'd really, really love to find someone who I click with and can throw ideas around with. Someone like-minded, where if you throw an idea at me or vice versa, the idea comes back with a sense of 'YASSSSS THIS IS AWESOME'. The Fool to my Fitz (after Assassin's Fate, too soon?). The Chell to my PotatOS. The Mark to my Miles. You know what, let's just be friends and not fight over who gets to be who.
I have a preference for YA, but given I'm almost in the next age bracket of this site (NOT YET DAMMIT) I've also written some Adult novels. My novels also fluctuate between fantasy and contemporary, depending on what's caught my attention. It really is more about the story that I feel compelled to write at a given point in time, rather than a particular genre. My novels so far have been YA fantasy, adult contemporary, adult fantasy, YA contemporary, YA fantasy, YA contemporary.
My novels are character-focused. That's not to say that they're about someone ruminating on their lives and nothing happens, but it's the character's emotional journey that drives the plot and events.
I don't critique erotica, and I'm hopeless with non-fiction or anything that has highly complex politics and strategy that I need to keep track of (yeah, I'm not the person for military fiction). Also, if your story is gritty with detailed descriptions of torture or unending misery, and main characters die all over the place, I probably won't be interested.
Otherwise, I'll give most genres a go! The kind of story I can help best with is one that's more character-focused, where it's the character's development and emotional arc that drive the events in the narrative, just like I write! Shock-horror!
I'll try and restrain myself.
Anything by Lois McMaster Bujold. You're always guaranteed deep emotion, meaningful character journeys, and high adventure.
Robin Hobb. The constant stream of terrible events gets to me, but she tempers them with such beautiful, perfect scenes of love, companionship and acceptance. And damn me if she doesn't write the most perfect endings.
Megan Whalen Turner. She's made an artform out of speaking in the gaps. It's just as much about what you're not told, and re-reading any book in the Queen's Thief series brings a new moment of realisation. I can't count how many times I've read The King of Attolia.
Station Eleven and The Night Circus. If I could write half as beautiful prose I'd be a rich woman by now.
If a visual novel counts as a book, Steins;Gate. Unf. And on that kinda-borderline note, Assassination Classroom. That manga is a master class in how humour can be used to pack a serious emotional punch and drive character development.
Rambles on for far too long. Or did you notice that already?
I've been in the querying trenches for years, with one or two R&Rs so far. Not quite something to boast about, but hopefully it gives you some idea of my writing level.
I'm always on the hunt for a good story, which is how I got in to video games (thanks FF7!). Give me a puzzle-y, story-rich game and I'm in heaven.
Oh, and crazy cat lady. If this doesn't sell you, nothing will.
