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3,291 Public Reviews Given
3,339 Total Reviews Given
Review Style
Casual for the most part. I will point out errors I see and offer suggested corrections. I like to focus on the content and formatting of the item. I love providing helpful comments and feedback that may improve the item if acted on.
I'm good at...
I like to provide suggestions to the author on things I see that may need a second look. I'm not afraid to do a little research to verify a poem's format, or the contents of a story (if requested).
Favorite Genres
Mystery, Horror, Sci-Fi, Comedy, and Suspense
Least Favorite Genres
Honestly, I will read anything if asked. I just prefer those listed above.
Favorite Item Types
Short stories, novellas, books (though a review of that may take days/weeks due to my schedule), Poetry of any format.
Least Favorite Item Types
I find non-structured poetry difficult to review, unless there is a short disclaimer about this non-structure that would help in understanding the reason it's in that particular format.
I will not review...
I'm not interested in Vore, In and Out's, Growing/Shrinking, or other items that are similar to one of these.
Public Reviews
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426
426
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: E | (4.0)
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Hey Thea Marie
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 13th WDC Anniversary!

         I think this says what everyone feels frequently in life. We all want to be remembered, appreciated, or missed once we're gone. Everyone, at one time or another, feels they are insignificant, and won't be missed if they were to disappear. But it's not true. Someone, somewhere, will think of you, want to see you. You won't be there, and they'll be crushed. You are so right in what you say here. Best of all, you say it very well.... *Smile*





Sum1

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Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: E | (4.5)
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Hey RJ,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 11th WDC Anniversary!

         It's difficult to review a poem this short, difficult to say enough about it when it's well written. I love this, love the form. Not quite a heart, but very close. Everything word is about love, about being the best you can be. At the end, it stresses the one thing the world needs more of, beside love. Peace! Well done! Keep on keepin' on...



Sum1

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428
428
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: ASR | (4.5)
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Hey Phydeux,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 10th WDC Anniversary!

         Wow, this... this... Most stupendous. It has one tiny little glitch that keeps it from getting a 5 star rating (Mentioned in a minute.)

         Seriously, I really love this poem, and can see why it's received 2 Awardicons. Now you need a Trinket made to embed in it! *Smile*

         That one small glitch I mentioned? It's here, and easily edited I'm sure.

And neither ventured from post that day
And neither bishop nor knight guarded the way . . .


Using the same three words to start consecutive lines really throws this off. If I may be so bold as to offer a suggestion.

And neither ventured from post that day
With nary bishop nor knight guarding the way . . .



         One very minor personal preference. Center the poem on the page, with the title in the body of the poem, below your 'ode to a glass chessboard'.


         Excellent job though! I look forward to coming back and finding something else to read.



Sum1

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429
429
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: 18+ | (3.0)
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Hey Chris,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 1st WDC Anniversary!

         Your story is interesting, but basically runs along the same lines as Independence Day. It has potential, but needs more from you. This is more of an essay than a story though. There is no dialog (necessary for a story), and a lot of telling, with very little showing. Your main character who's writing this was an epidemiologist, so he/she should be able to describe the flu type illness that overcame mankind in pretty good detail. A lot of this is a summary of what's gone on, but give us details! If you want this to be a good short story, you need more detail. An old saying, "The Devil's in the details". Describe the aliens, their habits. Show us (don't tell, show) why they want humans. And they're here merely for gold? Surely there's an element much more valuable to a race that advanced.

         This is pretty well written all in all. I won't point out details about it, because I think it more important to get the general ideas across to you. Edit this, make this a story that shows us what's going on. Then watch the reviews & grades improve!




Sum1

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430
430
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: ASR | (3.5)
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Hey Thaddeus,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 10th WDC Anniversary!

         This is an interesting essay you've written here. I know you classified it as a short story, but it really is an essay. It has a lot of 'telling' in it, with little to no showing. An essay does that. It tells people facts about something, just like this does. A good story will do a lot of showing, pulling the reader in as their mind pictures the scenes you paint with your words. My specific comments on it are below....



1. It contained all of my trinkets, baubles, sparkling stones, and shiny rocks. As well as a few trifle doodads and gizmos. The second sentence here is not a complete sentence. An easy correction would be to change the period to a comma, making it one complete sentence.

2. It also had a broken Hot Wheels watch that I had over wound and seized up. I also liked the odor of tobacco that was emitted every time I opened up the lid. This is pretty short story, and that's fine. But be careful using the same word, especially in the same context, in consecutive sentences.

3. It held a lot of promise and dreams I made to myself. In this sentence, promise should be plural, since you say it held a lot of them. However, you might want to re-word that a little. Perhaps something like this... It held many of the promises and dreams I made to myself.

4. Not until recently, I wondered what happened to that little cigar box? This sentence/question is worded awkwardly. It wasn't until recently that I wondered what happened to that little cigar box.

5. As I reached the middle of your essay/story, I saw quite a few exclamation marks. In your description of it, you have this labeled as a short story, but it really is more of an essay. That may help some reviewers, because they may be looking for a story, and get an essay. Reviewing it as a story will result in a lot of comments like the ones I've made so far. Changing it to an essay may alleviate some of those.

6. After pausing a few minutes and sitting up in bed. This is another incomplete sentence.

7. You tend to wander in your writing. One moment you're telling us why/how you lost your cigar box, the next you describe how people can be cruel, such as slapping your face. Please read through this yourself, and look for a coherent thought process, one that tells a story. This one bounces around a lot.

         Don't take my comments wrong about this. I like your essay. It bounces around a bit, and has a lot of telling in it, with no showing at all. Immerse us in your youth. Have us join you as you open that cigar box and examine your treasures. Showing us these things will do that. Right now, you only tell us what's there, and how you lost it.



Sum1

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431
431
Review of A Mom's Life  Open in new Window.
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: E | (4.0)
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Hey Justme,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 15th WDC Anniversary!

         Life can be tough in trying to raise children. Being a mother or a father requires a lot of energy and stamina. Your poem does quite the job describing the happenings of a 'normal' day in the life of a parent. I loved some of your descriptions, I've been there, done that long ago.

         My only comment on this, is that towards the end there are two verses much longer than the rest. It was right after the I Love You verse, at least that what I called it. I was reading this, enjoying it, the flow was excellent. Then those two verses appeared, and bang! The flow changed, almost stopped. You might want to look at those, and see if you can get them to flow the same. It will require a bit of re-wording to do so, but it needs to be done. I love what you're saying there, the flow is just way off.



Sum1

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432
432
Review of Caesar's Limerick  Open in new Window.
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
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Hey tHiNg
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 15th WDC Anniversary!

         Just a quick note this morning, for a short, quick, limerick. I love playing with words, limericks are good for that! This is very cute with references to the history of Caesar and Cleopatra. Each verse blends well with the next too, making me smile as I read this. Well done!



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433
433
Review of The Old Man  Open in new Window.
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Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
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Hey T.J.,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 5th WDC Anniversary!

         This is a good story you have here, but I have to be up front and say it does a lot of show & tell, but somehow never got me involved emotionally. I can't put my finger on it, but it may be the lack of dialog, or maybe just the style of writing. I mentioned show & tell, and that may be at the center of it. It feels more like you reciting it to me, than me reading it and being involved, being a part of it. There's a few things you could do to correct this, should you decide to edit it.

1. You tell us a lot about the 'old man'. This is the telling part, and it dominates the story. The way it's written does not reach out and pull a reader in; at least this reader. I know you can't get more dialog out of the old man, doing so would not keep it in the same vein. But describe more to us. I know you described his clothing and looks, but is that all there was? Here's an area I'm thinking of....

         When he first showed up, I tried numerous times to spark up some conversation with him, but as I already stated, the old man had very little to say. Even when he talked, he seemed so far away, like his mind was off, some place else far away. Sometimes, at first, I too, thought him a bit crazed; sometimes when I asked him questions, he would absent mindedly answer, his mind still off in another place and time, with something so unexpected that it was difficult to think him sane.

Here's an thought about this passage...

         The first time I saw him, I thought he was just another old man who might need someone to talk to. Grabbing a couple of cold sodas from the cooler, I walked outside and sat next to him.

         "Good morning sir! A fine day it is out here. May I offer you a cold soda?"

         "No thank you son, I am fine sitting here."

         "Well, the soda might help wet your whistle some."

         He turned to look at me; it was then that I realized he was completely blind. While his green eyes shone with a light in them that I had rarely seen before, I could tell he was only looking in the direction of my voice. His eyes never focused one me.

         I tried to elicit more conversation from him, but to no avail. Finally, I sat in silence with him for a few minutes, before going back in the drugstore.


What throws a reader off some, is the spacing/formatting of this. When using dialog, you need a new paragraph each time a different character speaks. This helps a reader determine who's speaking, and helps with the flow of the dialog.

2. In at least two places, you mention cloths. In each case, the correct word would be clothes.

He was poor, dressed in old ragged second hand cloths; he lived in a cramped, sparsely furnished, two-room apartment above the towns garage.

They sometimes brought him used cloths and it was rumored that he washed them in his sink and dried them by hanging them over chairs.

         Please don't take my comments wrong, I really like the story you tell here. I just feel you can involve the reader far more by immersing them in the story. Show us more about the man, don't tell the story. Show the story.




Sum1

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434
434
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: E | (4.5)
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Hey Catty,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 13th WDC Anniversary!

         Your sense of humor shines throughout this essay. You had me smiling the entire time I was reading this. I'm not a horse person, have hardly ridden one at all, but I can relate to the size difference, and their temperament. Your descriptions of their personalities was spot on, again causing smiles as I read. I love your photos though, it really helps one to relate to the story-line.

         What helped make this thing work for me though, was the tone you wrote this in. It was like we were sitting around a campfire having a bite to eat, with you relating the days events. Once done with this, you related other things to help build images in my mind. Excellent job! But the one thing you didn't bring out in me, is a desire to ride a horse any time soon! In fact, you convinced me that horse riding is not something I should try to do. Nope, I'm old(er) now, and know that's not something meant for Jim. My loss, but that's the way life is.

         Excellent essay, I felt like I was there watching the whole thing as this all happened to you. Thank you for sharing, and making me smile this morning. *Smile*




Sum1

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435
435
Review of Golden Years  Open in new Window.
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: ASR | (4.5)
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Hey Ann,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 12th WDC Anniversary!

         As I read this, I thought it was a nice poem/song, a tribute to her husband who she had loved for many years. Then I played the recording, and everything changed. Of course it could be better, I thought the melody and such were a bit on the 'simple' side, but I loved it just the same. This is not a rock star singing to someone, this is a woman singing to her husband who can't remember her anymore. This is absolutely beautiful; I'm sure it is precious to your sister in law too.




Sum1

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Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
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Hey Roscoe,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 11th WDC Anniversary!

         This is an interesting story you've written. I've read others like it, but I like your take on the man receiving a 'package' and keeping it chilled for use. The idea of a small contest is excellent and helped move the plot along. The final paragraph tied this all together nicely, but let me pondering one thing. Is he talking to a ghost on the phone? Brian said that zero three zero five zero eight was the day he committed suicide after losing the things he held precious. I know you essentially tell us he's a ghost, but you don't come out and say that. In a way it tied with the story, but then again, it didn't. And the parasitic wasp that 'usually' lays its eggs in the egg of a caterpillar... How did Brian know the wasps eggs were in the Caviar. For me, it's just a couple of loose ends that should have been tied up.

         Overall, well done though! A nice short story that flowed well to an ending that came all too soon.





Sum1

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Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
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Hey Hooves a.k.a. tHiNg,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 15th WDC Anniversary!

         I found this to be very interesting, and very sad. A quick check with Google revealed a few things, most of it shocking. We think we know a lot about the past (I myself have read a lot about WWII on both fronts), but in recent years, I've come to the conclusion that we only know what major corporations, including the news, want us to know. The truth is hidden behind so many lies and deceits that it's impossible to find. Your story is fictional I know, but man, it has such a ring of truth to it.

         I have no suggestions on this. It has a few minor errors that I noted while reading, but dang if I could find them when I started writing the review. Well done!



Sum1

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438
438
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.5)
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Hey
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 15th WDC Anniversary!

         I found this to be extremely interesting, almost fascinating. When I first read this, I didn't understand why you wrote the background first, giving us information on the breakup of India into India and Pakistan. Not to mention the later events that led to the formation of Burma, Punjab, Bangladesh. Yes, I had to do a little searching to learn just that little bit. While we didn't have people moving based on religion, we had the same thing in the US in our Civil War. But it was on a microscopic scale compared to this. All because men in power wanted to do things their way.

         I think you hit the nail on the head too, when you mentioned your leaders, and their failings/short-sightedness. I'm 62 now, and have come to feel this way about the world. Man in general, is not evil. I've traveled quite a bit, not near as much as you, and mostly in the USA, but everywhere I've been, I find the people to be well meaning. I've briefly been to Kuwait, Australia, Japan, and other Pacific islands, and everywhere I've gone, it's been the same. That's why I came to this belief. But, put a man (or woman) in a position of power, and suddenly, they act differently. As the old saying goes. Money corrupts, as does power.

         Like I said, at first I couldn't understand how your first part connected to the second, where you flew to Bahrain. But the discussion you and your seat mate had quickly made it clear. The closing third part tied it all together very nicely! Great job.

         What I found most fascinating, is if I hadn't read your bio, and read only this, I would never know you are from India. Your use of the English language is almost perfect, better than most English speaking people I know. Annette-Outta Town-See Ya 8/22 Author Icon is from Germany; I've met her, and she does not have a German accent whatsoever. Ah, if I could speak another language. Sadly, I torture English often when speaking. *Smile* (I have a hard time pronouncing some words and stutter a little). By the way, I knew I had read something of yours before, so re-read it, and again enjoyed, On The Trail of The Rhino. Great job sir! Thank for your sharing!



Sum1

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Review of War Drum  Open in new Window.
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Rated: E | (4.0)
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Hey Kerri,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 1st WDC Anniversary!

         I'm always in awe when someone writes a story in 100 words. I like this, but I would also love to see it become a longer piece. Of course, you can't tell us much about Injah in this short a story, but I found myself wondering what/who she was. Human? Is this an alien planet? You don't say she blew her horn, you say a loud cry rang from her horn, so I wondered if her horn was part of her body....

         There is one thing you might want to look at, should you decide to edit this.

1. Injah felt her breathing flow out of her lungs. The way this is worded, breathing is something she's doing, so she wouldn't feel her breathing flow out of her lungs, she'd feel her breath flow out.




Sum1

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Hey Marti,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 14th WDC Anniversary!

         This is a nice poem with a good rhyme scheme to it. You painted quite a few pictures in my mind as I read it, helping to immerse me in the story. The rhythm is a bit off in places, enough so that it made me pause a moment as I read it. I'm not one who believes every line needs the same syllable count (unless you are writing a poem in a certain format, like a Kyrielle), but your poem lines that are not even close to the same syllable count. Your syllable count by line is

9/8/9/6          9/7/10/7          8/8/9/7          9/6/10/5          8/7/8/6


You can see the place that stopped me. The third verse, last three lines. With the second line at 6 syllables, the next at 10, and the last at 5, it does throw you off. Read it aloud, see what you think. If I may, I have a few suggestions for you on this.

1. In poetry, especially in poetry, try not to start a line with a conjunction like 'And'. It's really an unnecessary word in most uses in poetry if you ask me.

2. From the country where his was born I think his should be he.

3. But they also were fighting for freedom Simply deleting the word also would shorten this to 8 syllables, allowing the verse to flow much smoother.

4. Try not to use a word twice in the same context, in the same verse. Second verse, you use never, and the way it's used, it really stands out. Perhaps instead of using it a second time, you could re-word the third line to read, He wouldn't talk of the slaughter. Not only does this eliminate the duplicate word, it also gets rid of starting the line with 'And'.

5. This comment is a personal preference. I agree with what you said in your bio about punctuation. It's not needed in poetry, at least in my opinion. However, I do think consistency is best. Some lines start with a capital letter, some do not. My personal preference is to start a new line with a capital letter, even if punctuation is used. I just think it lends to a more attractive look. And yes, I've been 'beaten up' by some reviewers for doing it too. Like I said, personal preference.

6. Place the title of the poem in the body here, centered at the top. After all, it is the title, right?




Sum1

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Review of P15  Open in new Window.
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Rated: E | (5.0)
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Hey Storymaster,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 16th WDC Anniversary!

         Okay, I know this is a silly thing to review, but I chose it this morning because I'm in a bit of a silly mood. Probably caused by a lack of coffee, since housekeeping in this hotel has decided my coffee pot doesn't need a filter holder. *Smile*

         I loved the P15 updates, I think the site has improved greatly with it. This small graphic was excellent for it. Was it ever made in to a Merit Badge? I think it would be an excellent 'special' badge for deserving people. Maybe those who have been instrumental in providing feedback on that update, or those who test the Beta out on future updates.

         While here in your port, I looked at your blog of letters to Phoebe and Jack. I have already reviewed that, and notice you haven't made many entries lately. But with your busy schedule, and all that's going on in your lives, it's no surprise. I hope this site continues to flourish for many years to come. If you ever need assistance of any kind, please ask. If it's within my abilities, I would be happy to help all I can. Thank you for WDC, for running it, maintaining it, and in essence, "Being IT".




Sum1

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Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
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Hey
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 14th WDC Anniversary!

         This story is very interesting, and leaves me with a few questions of course. Not the typical vampire story, but it did remind me of a famous vampire story, "Interview With A Vampire". I knew he was a vampire early on, and it didn't seem you made any attempt to hide that fact. If the reader picked up on it, fine. *Smile* But like I said, you left me with questions.

1. Why didn't he try to kill Rhonda?

2. If he came there each morning for breakfast, wasn't he worried about the sun? Or is the old myth about vampires and sun not true?

3. Why would he confide in her, and take a victim while she watched?


         I think this has the potential to be a much larger piece of work, it's all up to you. Thank you for the interesting read.




Sum1

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Rated: 18+ | (4.0)
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Hey
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 2nd WDC Anniversary!

         You know? This story has a bit of potential. The title fits well if you ask me. Definitely need to change the description. Perhaps something like, "Mindy meets the man of her dreams at a club, and they almost...." (Not so sure about that, it's just an example, lol)

         This moves very fast at times, and in some places, too fast. I like the overall plot and flow, it just moves too fast in some places. You also drop a couple of hints about Mindy, but leave it at that, a dropped hint. If I may, here's a few suggestions. These are all suggestions about changes. I saw no grammatical errors or things like that, just thoughts on the flow, and additions.

1. When Mindy is approached by that first (unnamed) man, she really seems to light into him the second time he spoke to her. He didn't seem to be too forward, didn't seem to be hitting on her, yet she goes off as if he was the rudest man she'd ever met. This seemed out of place to me. If you added in something like this....

         One by one, Mindy watched her friends hit the dance floor. She felt a tap on her shoulder and thought she was being invited to the dance floor.

“Sorry, I thought you were someone else.” It was the man from the upper level again.
(Notice that I changed jerk to man here. This guy hasn't said or done anything to be labeled like this, so build it some, then she can refer to him as a jerk all she wants. A suggestion is below).

"Well, I'm Mindy."

"Hi, I'm Jake, I thought you were Helen. I met her here a few weeks ago, and we really had a good time. From the side while ago, you looked just like her, and I thought we'd relight that flame and have another night of passion."

"I don't know you Jake, sorry."

"I don't know you either, but we could get better acquainted, if you know what I mean." After saying that, Jake raised his eyebrows and let his tongue slowly move across his upper lip in his best 'come on' look he could muster.


Mindy no longer cared what she looked like or how she sounded. “Listen, Pipsqueak, I have had enough of you! I’d sooner kick your ass than look at you!” Mindy advanced on him, backing him off with each punctuated word she spit out.

2. Her enemy shrugged and rose to his full 5’10 height and walked in a somewhat straight line out of the club. As written, they've said very little to each other, so how could he be her enemy? If nothing else, change this slightly. The man shrugged and rose to his full 5’10 height and walked in a somewhat straight line out of the club.

3. The band had stopped while Mindy was backing off the fool, but was starting to get loud again. Does Mindy have a problem with men? In the previous paragraph, she was almost salivating over this man who had just asked her to dance, but now she's thinking of him as a fool?

4. You describe their first dance a little, how they talked (yelled) into each others ear. From what I read, it seemed she got there fairly early, yet you segue quickly to the end of the night. Did they dance all night with the band taking no breaks? When the band took a break, did Tony join her at the table, or did he saunter off to get a drink, only to come back and ask her to dance again. Maybe after that set of songs the band takes a break, and Tony leads her to the table. She thinks that's it, he's gone off, and watches his ass encased in those tight jeans as he saunters off. As the band starts the next set, she's surprised when he reappears at her table and asks her to dance again. Once this is done, you could easily mention that this went on all night, with the two of them dancing practically every dance together.

5. He saw her in the harsh light and he did not leave or ditch her at the earliest opportunity. This is the hint I mentioned earlier. It seems that there's something wrong with Mindy's looks. Does she have a facial scar? Is she cross-eyed? Does she not consider herself pretty? You have the chance here to explain more (show more *Smile*). Tell us why he might ditch her after seeing her in the harsh light. Imagine it's a birthmark that looks a little like a sexual object or something, and that was why the first man hit on her like he did.....

6. A man who frequents a club like this would not ask to kiss her, he'd just go ahead and try to kiss her, and if rebuffed, then he'd leave and never look back. They have chemistry, so work it. I will show you this with your text in blue, Then below that, the same section entirely in green to show suggestions.

Mindy sauntered to her vehicle. “I drove here by myself. This is my car. I guess this is good night.”

“May I kiss you good night?”

“I don’t know. Maybe next time …”

“I live four hours away. I don’t get down this way very often. Please?”

Mindy was filled with nervousness as she stepped forward and tentatively reached out to embrace him. Mindy inhaled the co-mingled scent of smoke, alcohol and Hummer cologne. “You smell delicious.”

Tony chuckled and lifted her chin, then to the back of her neck and wrapped his other arm around her waist. Mindy’s hands fluttered against his chest as she allowed her head to fall back against the hand Tony was using to massage her neck. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks when he slipped his tongue into her mouth and then trail his lips to her ear and nuzzle against her neck.


         As they walked to their cars, Mindy said, "I come here most every week, but I don't recall seeing you before tonight. Are you new around these parts?"

         "I live about four hours away in San Angelo, and get here infrequently. Being a rancher, I stay pretty busy, and seem to forget that there's a real world out there. I may have to come here more often now." He smiled that magical smile she'd seen in the club as he said this.

         Arriving at her car, Mindy said, “I guess this is good night.”

         She realized the street lights were shining on her face, and moved to get out of the light. She wasn't sure if he had seen her birthmark clearly yet, and didn't want him to react like the other man had earlier. Tony grabbed her chin, gently moving her back to face him, the light once again shining in her eyes.

         "You have the most beautiful birthmark..." He began.

         Mindy stammered and tried to move away. "I know what you're thinking, every man seems to see that in it."

         "Every man sees a flower petal on your chin you mean?"

         "What? I mean.. Uhh, Oh never mind!" Mindy relaxed against him as they held each other close. Mindy inhaled the co-mingled scent of smoke, alcohol and Hummer cologne. “You smell delicious.”

         Tony chuckled and lifted her chin, then to the back of her neck and wrapped his other arm around her waist. Mindy’s hands fluttered against his chest as she allowed her head to fall back against the hand Tony was using to massage her neck. Once again Tony lifted her chin, but this time his lips brushed lightly over hers. Each of them felt their breath catch in their throat and for a moment, time stood still. Suddenly Mindy felt his lips crush against hers, his tongue gently probing her mouth open as they kissed.

         This is when Mindy realized that no other man would make her feel the way this one did.

         “Good night, Mindy.”

         “Good night Tony.”


7. I don't see what the following day's dialog with her grandfather has to do with the story. As written, it's almost a second story on its own. Now, if you somehow tie the previous night in to the meeting.... Perhaps something like...

         “Mind your manners, girlie. Just remember, men will be chasing you because they see this and think you are rich. But it won’t have value unless you work for it. Men will come and go but family is forever. Don’t ever forget that. Your family will always love you no matter what. You understand?”

         “Yes, Pops.”


         I've arranged a meeting this morning for us with a new client. Anthony's Double Petal Ranch in San Angelo needs some help with financial guidance; you will be their analyst. See to it that we get this account, it will be a big one."

         Just then his phone beeped and the receptionist said, "Mr. Spencer, you 9am appointment is here, Anthony's Double Petal Ranch."

         "Show him in please, Mindy and I are waiting for him."


Now of course, Tony walks in at this point. So, somehow you can describe their meeting, or maybe not. Just mention he enters the room, and Mindy can still (or imagines it) smell his cologne, alcohol, and smoke from last night....


         This is a good story, it has a nice flow. But as you said in your bio, you tell too much, and don't show. I've tried to show you how to you can do more of that here.




Sum1

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Hey Hallgred,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 11th WDC Anniversary!

         This is a pretty interesting story, but I have to say, something about it didn't flow well. That, and it started off quickly and abruptly. It's not until we are really into the story that you name your main character, yet too often you refer to him as Young man, or boy. You thrust the reader into it full bore, and never took your foot off the throttle, so-to-speak. I do have a few suggestions for you on it, if I may.

1. Not all your paragraphs are indented. Some seem to have the {indent} command used on the first like, but many don't. This detracts from the view, causing the reader to pause as they read.

2. You shift tenses during the story frequently. Here's one example. "'Steeth," he winced and then laughed. "I suppose Herring and Bunting put you up to it, Your Grace. I've been kidnapped, haven't I? I told them I wanted the real stag experience but they get carried away. He's talking about things that happened the night before, but get is present tense. So he's talking about past and present tense in one sentence.

3. The end is also very abrupt. One minute he's swimming for his life in the water, fighting off the 'angels'. He was injured, bitten twice at least ( A translucent tooth caught him, ripped a trail across his flank and snapped at his fist as he swing a water-impeded punch as its head. Agony burst through him as another hideous mouth jabbed at his leg and tore him there.) yet there is no mention of injuries being tended to after he is rescued. From the sounds of it, he would need medical help pretty quickly.

4. Lord Sisal makes Milsenti seem to be very shallow, in control of her family. I know it's an intentional mislead on your part, but with little background on anything in the story, it's difficult to stay in touch with what's going on.




         Despite my comments, I did enjoy the story. It was just a bit distracting to read, and seemed very rushed. I think a bit of a build up to how he came to be in the box would help, and a little more depth to Lord Sisal, Perbeck, and Lady Milsenti. Use their names more, instead of calling them young woman or young man.



Sum1

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Rated: ASR | (4.5)
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Hey WW,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 9th WDC Anniversary!

         I was born in the south (Charleston, SC), but never lived there much. I do love visiting it, and may move there in the not to distant future. I really liked this, the flow, your descriptions, and the life you describe. My personal preference would be for a more traditional Quatrain look and read to it, but this is your prose-oem, so my desires don't matter, do they? You created some nice images in my mind as I read this. I know you snow-bird in Florida each year, but some of this reminded me of a bit farther north, my birth city of Charleston, or Savannah Georgia. When I think of the south, it's cities like those that come to mind for me. But this was good, reading it was like seeing old friends for me. Thank you for writing this, and starting my day off with a down home comfy feel. We need more writing like this! *Smile*




Sum1

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Review of Last Words  Open in new Window.
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Rated: 18+ | (4.0)
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Hey Two of Four,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 14th WDC Anniversary!

         This has a rapid flow to it, one that picks the reader up and moves them along quickly. However, the dialog gave away the end, at least for me. That didn't stop me from enjoying it though. I think if you didn't give away that George is severely injured early on, it might help. For example, in the third line she asks, "Are you bleeding? You're hurt!" That gives a lot of it away immediately. Also, I'm willing to bet that most (say 95%) of wives wouldn't ask "Are you bleeding?" The would say some kind of exclamation, while also (almost screaming) "You're bleeding badly!" But saying something like that so early, gives away the fact that he's dead. Don't get me wrong, I like the idea that George comes to her after he's dead. I just wouldn't give it away like that. Maybe he comes home, and stands in front of her and they talk about the accident. He tells her he has to leave, and when he turns around, she can see his torn shirt, bleeding profusely. She couldn't see the blood initially because he's dead after all. But she can see the injuries when he turns. Something along those lines. A good story, you just gave it away too soon if you ask me. Thank you for sharing!



Sum1

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Review of Maturity  Open in new Window.
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Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
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Hey Ron,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 14th WDC Anniversary!

         Okay, so I read this based on Lisa Noe Author Icon's post in the Newsfeed. Still, excellent poem, as she said. I love the first part where the men say whittling away and complaining. Yep, that's about how it goes, except I don't know how to whittle a bit. Very good though, I loved that part.

         There are a few, very few, minor things you might want to look at though, should you decide to edit this. If I may, a couple of things I noticed. Most are comments in general, not 'deficiencies'.

1. Center the poem on the page. Use the {center} command, followed by the {/center} command to do that. I just feel that most poems look better when centered. See? A comment, not criticism. *Smile* This is more a personal thing than anything else.

2. In this line, And make them tow the line., tow should be toe. As written, you're asking them to tow (pull) the line.

3. There are several places where God speaks to him, but you don't use closing quotation marks. Example:

“Or damns a soul eternally
For trying hard to search,
Or threatens all who doubt the Word
Or dare to question the church.


The following verse has opening quotation marks also. Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that you did this. But you need to show where each character speaks using opening and closing quotation marks. It's okay to go beyond the verse without closing quotation marks. After all, if you close each verse with closing quotation marks, it would seem like a different character is speaking in the following verse.

4. As much as I enjoyed this, it seemed to almost falter at the end. God lectures him quite a bit, and that's fine. The last line says It was because we didn’t try. However, if God is speaking, then it should be you, not we. That comment applies for these lines as well.

How far we have strayed from wisdom
And how far we have to go.


5. My biggest concern about this, is that you (or God, since he's the one speaking), never really explains where this hell is that he encourages them to send the misguided youth to. Hard to accomplish that task if you don't know where to send people.


         Overall, an excellent poem. A little lengthy, but it needed to be to get your message across. Well done!



Sum1

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Rated: E | (4.0)
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Hey Str8shooter,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 12th WDC Anniversary!

         This is an interesting tale of a trip to see a parade. At the outset, you had me thinking all you would see was someone else's rear end as they stood in front of you. It's not clear if this is fiction or not, but it has a somewhat biographical feel to it. We've all been there, done that while young, that's for sure. Shame on your father for not taking you to the restroom when you needed to go. I do have one minor comment for you on it.

1. Not all of your paragraphs are indented the same. A couple do not have indents at all.



Sum1

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Review of Illicit  Open in new Window.
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Rated: 18+ | (4.5)
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Hey Adriana,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 14th WDC Anniversary!

         Nice poem here, though I'd call it more prose than poem. Love it actually. Been there, done that too, though not in public like that. You have this labeled as a "Work In Progress", but I don't think it is. It reads nicely, seems complete to me. I really liked the three 'stanzas' of this, the three separate times during the game that the two of them met, or spoke with each other. I could see it as you described it. Meet at the snack bar. Somehow arranging to meet later during the game. And a second go-round later on too. *Smile* And yes, the heat is endless.



Sum1

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Rated: E | (4.0)
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Hey there,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop in to honor this occasion, your 14th WDC Anniversary!

         Kidnapped by Michael Jackson huh! I can think of worse people to be kidnapped by, like anyone from the Kardashian family. *Smile*

         I found this to be pretty humorous, but you bounced around a lot with it. Then again, it's meant to be comedic, so that's not too surprising. Funny how you never mentioned your career in the Law profession. But, unless you are doing extremely well in that, do you want to talk about it? *Smile*

         I loved the various careers you chose, particularly the Sumo Wrestler one. It made the story very light, and easy to read. I did see a couple of things you might want to look at, should you decide to edit this.




1. They immediately asked me for my reason as to why I was there. This is quite wordy. Why not just come out and say it straight up? They immediately asked me why I was there.

2. Four years later, here I am, finally done with the therapy. I think I’m scared for life, though. Did you mean scared (afraid), or scarred?


Sum1

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