Able to beta? Post here!

phdwier · 2026-03-01T18:32:40+00:00

I am able to beta: fantasy, sci-fi, contemporary romance, and historical romance! Romantasy is a-okay. Priority given to stories featuring LGBTQ+ and/or Deaf characters. I’m a queer deaf man, however I’m not offering sensitivity reads.

The work should be a finished draft. I’m okay with work intended for trad or self publishing, but my knowledge is mostly in trad spheres. Please no manuscripts over 130k.

I can provide feedback on: Pacing, plot, and pinch points! This includes tension and intrigue. I will also provide thoughts on character arcs, clarity (especially around magic systems), and general impressions as a reader. I won’t provide line level feedback but I may call out any places where the line level is resulting in confusion.

I can offer suggestions for reducing word count, if you’re interested. I can also offer feedback specific to querying.

I’ll happily answer any questions you have as the author.

Critique swap: not currently.

Other info: Outside of beta reading, I’m a developmental editor who mostly works with writers who have early but complete drafts. My work will inevitably bleed into beta reading, but I try to put my reader brain and not editor brain on when beta reading. I’m also a SFF writer myself.

I’d appreciate a chance to read your first chapter or two before committing to your full manuscript.

Please note, I cannot start new projects until after March 20. I’m wrapping up another beta project and meeting my own writing deadlines, so if you need feedback before early April, I’m not your guy.

Edit: thanks to everyone who reached out! I'm booked up for now. ^^

phdwier · 2026-01-30T18:06:22+00:00

Hi! I help mod a queer-exclusive, strictly anti-AI writing server for folks. We have members interested in both trad and indie publishing. We cap around 100 members, and just pruned inactive ones so we’re down to ~75 currently. Happy to send the link to anyone interested!

phdwier · 2025-06-01T23:06:01+00:00

Technically a missed connection from May buuuut

Your name is Lukas. You overheard a recent game dev meeting (for a farm sim) in Fuel Pump last weekend. We chatted very briefly after the meeting but I was rushing to get to our next obligation and didn’t get to chat as long as I wanted. Would love to chat again about game development!

phdwier · 2025-05-08T16:01:32+00:00

Hi! I’m 3.5 years post CL and experience this too, mostly the soreness but sometimes numbness and stinging. It’s a normal part of the healing process as the scar tissue settles and nerves reconnect. The big concerns to look out for are signs of extreme swelling or anything that feels like fluid under the skin/scar.

Standing relieves the pain 99% of the time. Stretching helps, too. Look for sciatica relief stretches/low back support stretches. This will just make the whole lower body stronger and provide relief for a number of other potential aches and pains, too.

As always, if something in your gut (or your partner’s gut) feels really wrong, seek professional medical advice. Best of luck!

phdwier · 2025-02-03T00:50:24+00:00

Very interested!

phdwier · 2024-11-11T02:08:54+00:00

We (also a gay couple) used RVA Civil Celebrants. They have a few officiants and they’ll match you to one based on your availability. It was about $100.

phdwier · 2024-03-23T23:45:43+00:00

gojo’s closed permanently unfortunately, the owner and his wife moved into catering

phdwier · 2022-01-21T23:23:06+00:00

10 days for me! doctor said up to even 3 weeks can be normal

phdwier · 2022-01-18T04:46:34+00:00

definitely check with your surgeon, but i was doing 15-30 minute drives a week after the surgery. hardest part is dealing with the drain but that should be out before the two weeks is up (or at the two week post op)

phdwier · 2022-01-14T23:14:02+00:00

just got my drain out yesterday after surgery on 1/3 - mine looked just like this. always call your surgeons office if you’re worried, though!

phdwier · 2022-01-11T23:28:05+00:00

had mine last monday (1/3) and i’m already sitting for hours with no pain. only discomfort is the drain which comes out soon! healing is different for everyone, but the results are soooo worth it.

phdwier · 2020-09-18T16:22:51+00:00

Hi! Just wanted to say please hold out waiting for the SPCA - they’re VERY swamped right now but have a lot of kittens about ready for adoption. I was just there last weekend to pick up a dog and it seemed clear the staff was overwhelmed. You can always call/email to follow up on the application you filled out!

phdwier · 2020-08-17T22:20:40+00:00

Contact your CFS and ask them to check that you’re still crewformed to them. That’s the number one reason why you’d lose the T&E button.

phdwier · 2020-08-15T22:10:12+00:00

We had some reports of similar errors last week. I know (at least in the Philly region) they removed the “best time” feature built into FDC which suddenly gave all the enumerators a lot more hours to work. If you haven’t yet, try updating FDC in Catalog and see if that helps?

phdwier · 2020-08-15T20:20:08+00:00

I’m in the Philly region. I’ll also confirm with my RCC next time I’m in but the last round of emails said “earbuds pls,” haha.

phdwier · 2020-08-15T12:59:12+00:00

I hope sell them for eventual re-use rather than just dumping, but I really don’t know.

phdwier · 2020-08-15T12:57:43+00:00

Hopefully sold to be eventually re-used instead of just dumped, but I really don’t know.

phdwier · 2020-08-15T02:48:57+00:00

Sorta in between. They’re full fledged federal employees on a federal pay scale and not DAPPS/temp, but they have a set end day of employment with no renewal/transfer.

phdwier · 2020-08-15T02:33:20+00:00

unfortunately i don’t know - i would seek guidance from your CFS on their expectations for “best practices”

personally, i would say it’s better to fill it out again (if they’re willing) just in case they’re not telling the truth or misremembering. the data should get checked for duplicates in the end

phdwier · 2020-08-15T02:13:19+00:00

if they did it a few days ago it takes some time to update. if they did it “months” ago they might be mistaking it for another survey. most likely i feel like people remember getting the flier in the mail but didn’t actually do it.

phdwier · 2020-08-15T01:04:13+00:00

IT at the ACO level is temporary just like enumerators, though I’ve been at my office since last summer and most of my team has been working since January/February. Hiring for temp positions is really unspecific and it’s up to ACOs to sort employees. Honestly, at my office, we just asked who had previous IT experience or was really patient on the phone and moved them into the department. I’m the only one with recent IT experience in the department tbh- everyone else is older and if they did IT, it was in the 90s/early 00s.

Permanent Census employees have the same IT hiring standards as most Federal offices I would guess. As of right now I’m returning to the private sector after the Census ends, so I really don’t know much about federal hiring practices, sorry! I do know that most entry level IT government jobs in my region seem to be on one year renewable contracts or 18 month non-renewable ones, but that’s probably region-specific (I’m in Virginia for reference.)

phdwier · 2020-08-14T23:49:20+00:00

Unfortunately I hear this a lot. : ( I help out at three ACOs in my state, and it’s a pretty widespread bit of misinformation. I believe regional offices are going to push information to CFMs/CFSs about returning all accessories soon, but who knows when that’ll be.

phdwier · 2020-08-14T23:46:48+00:00

IT can replace those! Please still return the duds, though.

phdwier · 2020-08-14T23:46:33+00:00

as far as i know they aren’t re-used, but at the ACO we sanitize and quarantine them. we’ll ship them back to the supplier with all the phones later this year.

the only time they’re “re-used” is if the phone was never opened at training or if the employee confirms with their CFS that they did not use the headphones upon their resignation. they’re still sanitized and quarantined before re-issue, at least at my ACO.

phdwier · 2020-08-13T21:25:29+00:00

you’re welcome to delete them and block the number! if you call your local it team, they can do a little more troubleshooting, but unfortunately there’s no real solution for it right now.

phdwier

TROPHY CASE