Safety Concerns [13+] Young engineers grapple with a haunted past (3rd place StAG Firebox Contest, January 2024) |
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines. THE STORY Melody and Julian are working on a bread machine powered by steam but someone is sabotaging them! WHAT I LIKED I loved the imagination and creativity in the story. I could picture a big ol' machine in my mind, steaming away! POV NARRATION/TENSE This is told in the third person omniscent. Good job with narration. Past tense is used appropriately. DIALOGUE There's a good blend of dialogue and narration. I would suggest an edit for dialogue tags. Use only "he said" or "she replied" in tags to identify the speaker only, if you have to. Put action in a seperate sentence. Put the action first, then the dialogue. FOR EXAMPLE, AS WRITTEN: "“He has a point…” Julian murmured, looking over at his sister with a question in his eyes." MY SUGGESTION: "He has a point." Julian glanced at his sister with a questioning look. DESCRIPTIONS There's enough to set the scenes, but this is something that could be expanded on. Just a strategic sentence hitting on the five senses will help to put the reader in the moment. What does the bread machine smell like? SETTING TIME: no specific time was mentioned PLACE: urban setting? This is something that could be clarified a little better for the reader. CHARACTERS Melody and Julian There's enough here to understand their motivations. I liked that they were very supportive of each other. The sibling relationship felt genuine. MECHANICS I did not spot any spelling/punctutation mistakes. PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS Suggestions as mentioned above. The opening engaged the reader and piqued their curiosity. A fun story that touches on the warmth of family ties. An Angel Army Review
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