Basically a fresh pair of eyes to proofread your work. Depending on what the author is looking for (and what the beta reader is capable of in terms of skills and knowledge), this might include:
- Checking for spelling or grammar errors - Checking for British/American phrasings which are inappropriate for the fandom - Checking for plot or descriptive inconsistencies within the fic - Checking for canon inconsistencies which the author didn't intend
That's not a comprehensive list and I think normally a beta reader would agree with the author what they are checking for exactly before they started, but basically having someone beta your work helps to deal with the likelihood that you will miss errors/inconsistencies in your own writing.
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Date: 2016-03-23 12:44 pm (UTC)- Checking for spelling or grammar errors
- Checking for British/American phrasings which are inappropriate for the fandom
- Checking for plot or descriptive inconsistencies within the fic
- Checking for canon inconsistencies which the author didn't intend
That's not a comprehensive list and I think normally a beta reader would agree with the author what they are checking for exactly before they started, but basically having someone beta your work helps to deal with the likelihood that you will miss errors/inconsistencies in your own writing.
Hope that helps :)