My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE STORY
A child is looking for a kind face after escaping horror.
WHAT I LIKED
I liked the ending. It offered hope in the face of a tough situtation.
POV NARRATION/TENSE
This is told in the third person omniscent. Good job with narration. Past tense is used appropriately. I might suggest a line break between the 4th and 5th paragraphs when the character POV shifts.
DIALOGUE
There's one line of dialogue which accents the narration. I might suggest using quotes=" and not ' for the dialogue.
DESCRIPTIONS
There's enough to set the scenes.
SETTING
TIME: modern day
PLACE: side of the road
This is something that is clarified for the reader.
CHARACTERS
Josie
There's enough here to understand her motivations; she's looking for a safe haven.
MECHANICS
I might suggest a minor edit for spelling and punctuation.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
Suggestions as mentioned above. The opening engages the reader. A creative take on the picture prompt. A suspenseful vignette. Good luck in the contest.
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE POEM
A thought provoking poem about loss.
WHAT I LIKED
I liked how the poem grew naturally shorter and shorter until the ending. It added to the meaning to the poem; as life got shorter and shorter.
STRUCTURE
This is free form poem. There is no rhythming pattern.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any punctuation mistakes. The poem is easy to read.
DESCRIPTIONS
subtle yet effective. Examples:
Green grass is gone to stay
Memories hang in icy air.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
I thought the title encouraged the reader to mull on the meaning. Expressive. I have no suggestions for improvement. Line count was listed in accordance with the contest rules.
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE POEM
The poem describes a winter scene in all it's cold beauty.
WHAT I LIKED
I liked the words used to describe the outside:
gnarled trunks
willowy branches
pale, dull, lazy, reluctant mid-day sun
STRUCTURE
This is free form poem. There is no rhythming pattern.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any punctuation mistakes. The poem is easy to read.
DESCRIPTIONS
There's a lot of nice, succinct word play. See above for descriptions. I think the poem paints a vibrant, chily, picture that puts reader nose-to-nose with the window.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
I thought the title matched the poem. Very expressive. I have no suggestions for improvement. Line count was listed in accordance with the contest rules.
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE LETTER
A poignant look at how COVID has turned the letter writer and a nation around in it's response.
WHAT I LIKED
I liked the conversational nature of the letter. It describes life and how one has readjusted to COVID and it's restrictions.
TONE
Nervously serious. There's a lot going on, a lot of uncertainity and the tone of the letter does a nice hinting at that.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling/punctuation mistakes. If anything I might suggest a bit more paragraph spacing to make it easy on the eyes.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
The opening engages the reader. The letter touches on good and bad. It rambles a bit, but contains a lot of heartfelt emotion. Word count was listed in accordance with the rules. Good luck in the Bard's Hall contest.
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE LETTER
A heartbreaking look at watch COVID did to 2020.
WHAT I LIKED
I liked how the author communicated in a way to really touch people. A lot of people had similiar struggles and can totally identify with the struggles and challenges.
TONE
Poignant. The author tells a personal story how COVID forced changes we all can identify with.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling/punctuation mistakes.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
The opening engages the reader. The letter is honest, full of emotion and to the point. Word count was listed in accordance with the rules. Good luck in the Bard's Hall contest.
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE LETTER
A nice overview of how 2020 started out and how the writer adjusted to the ups and downs of a bumpy year.
WHAT I LIKED
I liked how the letter chronicled the year and broke down what happened month by month.
TONE
Matter-of-fact. The letter is easy to read and understand.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling/punctuation mistakes.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
The opening engages the reader. The letter is conversational and draws the reader in. Word count was listed in accordance with the rules. Good luck in the Bard's Hall contest.
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE LETTER
A heartfelt letter to 2020 including the good, the bad, and ugly, ah, weird.
WHAT I LIKED
I liked the conversational nature of the letter. I liked how the letter poked fun, yet made a point. For example: "Chocolate, on he other hand, can be used to bribe the zombies."
TONE
Lighthearted. I liked how the body of the letter touched on all points, the good, the bad, and weird of 2020.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling/punctuation mistakes.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
The opening engages the reader. The letter is succinct and to the point. Word count was listed in accordance with the rules. Good luck in the Bard's Hall contest.
A poor turkey doesn't realize he's not a guest at Thanksgiving, he's the meal!
WHAT I LIKED
This poor turkey was clueless! Good job making a poem from limerick stanzas.
STRUCTURE
A limerick is a humorous, frequently bawdy, verse rhyming aabba. There is a 33223 beat pattern. Good job capturing the essence and beat pattern of a limerick.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling mistakes. Good job with punctuation.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
I have no suggestions for improvement. An entertaining turkey trot! Well done!
A turkey seems oblivious to his plight, which, honestly, is a not a good thing. He has no idea what's going to happen...
WHAT I LIKED
Very creative! You capture the poor bird's lack of knowing well.
STRUCTURE
A limerick is a humorous, frequently bawdy, verse rhyming aabba. There is a 33223 beat pattern. Good job capturing the essence and beat pattern of a limerick.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling mistakes. Good job with punctuation.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
I have no suggestions for improvement. A great way to weave in some Swedish. Well done!
3 Limericks, 2 turkeys, and a chef fill the house with the ambience of Thanksgiving.
WHAT I LIKED
I loved the trifecta! Three great stories about Thanksgiving, turkeys, and a chef.
STRUCTURE
A limerick is a humorous, frequently bawdy, verse rhyming aabba. There is a 33223 beat pattern. Good job capturing the essence and beat pattern of a limerick.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling mistakes. Good job with punctuation. Good use of WDC ML.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
I have no suggestions for improvement. Very creative. Well done!
A limerick is a humorous, frequently bawdy, verse rhyming aabba. There is a 33223 beat pattern. Good job capturing the essence and beat pattern of a limerick.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling mistakes. Good job with punctuation. Good use of WDC ML.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
I have no suggestions for improvement. Great storytelling in four lines with an added chuckle. Well done!
A couple of turkeys get their revenge on Thanksgiving.
WHAT I LIKED
I loved the revenge in the form a stink bomb and hard drumsticks. I thought this was a very imaginative limerick that fit the prompt well.
STRUCTURE
A limerick is a humorous, frequently bawdy, verse rhyming aabba. There is a 33223 beat pattern. Good job capturing the essence and beat pattern of a limerick.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling mistakes. Good job with punctuation.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
I have no suggestions for improvement. A sinfully delicious revenge that made me chuckle. Well done!
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE STORY
The family likes to hunt, but then the invaders come.
WHAT I LIKED
The story is short, concise and straight to the point.
POV NARRATION/TENSE
This is told in the third person omniscent. Good job with narration. Past tense is used appropriately.
DIALOGUE
There's no dialogue.
DESCRIPTIONS
There's enough to set the scenes, but this is something that could be expanded on. I might suggest tapping into the five senses. Pull the reader into the scene by engaging the senses.
SETTING
TIME: modern day?
PLACE: urban setting?
This is something that is not defined but could be clarified for the reader.
CHARACTERS
Unnamed narrator
There's enough here to understand their motivations. They need to hunt.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling/punctuation mistakes. I
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
I might try fleshing this vingette out a little more. I got a werewolf/vampire vibe. The opening needs to be reworked to define the family better. Are they wolves? People? Vampires? Witches? Word count was listed in accordance with the rules. Good luck in the contest.
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE STORY
An amnitronic and his friends are sent to battle an alien demon on Halloween.
WHAT I LIKED
I liked the madness! The chaos! The Halloween costumes of the good guys! This was a fun, entertaining read, though it was a bit out there.
POV NARRATION/TENSE
This is told in the first person by "Ty Cobb." 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: I barked, "Direct your attack on the witch."
MY SUGGESTION: I pointed toward the sky. "Direct your attack on the witch!"
DESCRIPTIONS
There's enough to set the scenes, but this is something that could be expanded on. What does the battle zone smell like?
SETTING
TIME: near future
PLACE: urban setting
This is something that is clarified for the reader.
CHARACTERS
"Ty Cobb"
There's enough here to understand his motivations. He's there to fight the alien demon.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling mistakes. I might suggest a minor edit for punctuation.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
Suggestions as mentioned above. The opening engages the reader. I loved the creativity and imagination behind the story. Word count was listed in accordance with the rules. Good luck in the contest.
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE STORY
Dougie's gret-great-whatever was at the Salem Witch Trials. Seems he kept a diary too that Dougie found. Dougie's in for it now.
WHAT I LIKED
I liked how the story built on itself to the ending.
POV NARRATION/TENSE
This is told in the through Dougie and Rina's perspective. Good job with narration. Past tense is used appropriately. I might a line break after "Great! CU in 20" as there is a POV shift.
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.
DESCRIPTIONS
There's enough to set the scenes, but this is something that could be expanded on. I might touch on the five senses including touch and smell. What does the diary feel like?
SETTING
TIME: modern day
PLACE: urban setting
This is something that is clarified for the reader.
CHARACTERS
Dougie
There's enough here to understand his motivations. He's fascinated by the old diary.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling/puncutation mistakes.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
Suggestions as mentioned above. The opening engages the reader. Word count was listed in accordance with the rules. Good luck in the contest.
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE STORY
During the day, the Old Banyan Tree is good, but during the night, the Old Banyon Tree is kinda evil. In a good way.
WHAT I LIKED
I liked how the tree became it's own character.
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: "I am missing the kind of fun we are used to," said Nagaraju, with a lecherous smile.
MY SUGGESTION: Nagaraju flashed his gang a lecherous smile. "I am missing the kind of fun we are used to."
DESCRIPTIONS
There's enough to set the scenes, but you could expand on this. There's a good visual description of the tree, but what does it feel like? What does it smell like?
SETTING
TIME: unknown
PLACE: Two villaes, Kottur and Puttur near the river Nagavali.
This is something that is clarified for the reader.
CHARACTERS
Nagaraju
There's enough here to understand his motivations. He's just not a nice guy.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling/punctuation mistakes.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
Suggestion as mentioned above. The opening engages the reader. A very interesting story. Glad to see the Banyan tree was looking out for the villages. Word count was listed in accordance with the rules. Good luck in the contest.
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE STORY
Famous flutist, Katherine Stratford, is killed, but gets to visit Earth once a year.
WHAT I LIKED
I thought the ending was solid horror. Well done.
POV NARRATION/TENSE
This is told in the third person omniscent. Good job with narration. Past tense is used appropriately. In the middle, there's a POV shift to Peter's perspective. I might suggest a line break so the shift isn't so jaring.
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: "Peter started to turn his head as he asked, "What the hell are you talking about?"
MY SUGGESTION: Peter started to turn his head. "What the hell are you talking about?"
DESCRIPTIONS
There's enough to set the scenes. To heighten the suspense I might suggest drawing on the 5 senses, especially smell. When Katherine comes to Peter, is there a smell?
SETTING
TIME: modern day.
PLACE: urban setting.
This is something that is clarified for the reader.
CHARACTERS
Katherine and Peter
There's enough here to understand their motivations. Peter's moved on, but Katherine hasn't.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling mistakes. I might suggest a minor edit for punctuation.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
Suggestions as mentioned above. The opening engages the reader. Word count was listed in accordance with the rules. Good luck in the contest.
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE STORY
One Eyed Billy sneaks into a graveyard to hide his loot, but things aren't what they seem.
WHAT I LIKED
I liked the ending. Dumb Billy never learns.
POV NARRATION/TENSE
This is told in the third person limited by One Eyed Billy. Good job with narration. Past tense is used appropriately.
DIALOGUE
There's no dialogue. The story is told through narration.
DESCRIPTIONS
There's enough to set the scenes. I especially liked: "a small lantern cast a buttery light upon the rows of white tombstone sticking out like teeth and bones from the carcass of the earth." Well done! Good, solid descriptions throughout.
SETTING
TIME: modern day
PLACE: graveyard
This is something that is clarified for the reader.
CHARACTERS
One Eyed Billy
There's enough here to understand his motivations. If I just stole a bunch of money, I'd want to hide it too.
MECHANICS
I spotted one spelling error: "hen" for then. I did not spot any puncutation errors. Good use of WDC ML in the story.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
I have no suggestions for improvement. The opening engages the reader. Word count was listed in accordance with the rules. Good luck in the contest.
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE STORY
Lenny travel to India for work and everyone wants to feed him.
WHAT I LIKED
Great character voice! Lenny had a nice conversational style way of telling a story that connected with me as a reader.
POV NARRATION/TENSE
This is told in the first person by Lenny. Good job with narration. Past tense is used appropriately.
DIALOGUE
There's a good blend of dialogue and narration. I might suggest a minor edit to tighten up the dialogue tags.
DESCRIPTIONS
There's enough to set the scenes. Good descriptions involving food and smell: "Never have toast and omelet looked so beautiful. Or tasty so spicy. Surely those little green things couldn't be so lethal..."
I found glossary of words at the beginning of the story very useful when reading.
SETTING
TIME: modern day
PLACE: India, urban setting
This is something that is clarified for the reader.
CHARACTERS
Lenny
There's enough here to understand his motivations. He needs to try and avoid all the food they are feeding him.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling/punctuation mistakes. Good job with WDC ML to make the story easy on the eyes for the reader.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
The opening engages the reader. A creative spin on a challenging quotation prompt. Well done. Word count was listed in accordance with the rules. Good luck in the contest.
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE STORY
When Blanche accidently dies, there's a big list of suspects, but only 1 did it.
WHAT I LIKED
I liked the ending. There was a nice twist at the end that hooked me as a reader.
POV NARRATION/TENSE
This is told in the first person by an unnamed narrator. 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 separate sentence. Put the action first, then the dialogue.
FOR EXAMPLE, AS WRITTEN: "What the hell?!" Caroline said, suddenly feeling fine.
MY SUGGESTION: "What the hell?" Caroline's cheeks filled with color.
DESCRIPTIONS
There's enough to set the scenes, but this is something that could be expanded on. I might suggest tapping into the five senses to pull the reader into the scene. What did the house smell like? Good use of descriptions help to show the story to the reader as opposed to telling the story.
SETTING
TIME: modern day
PLACE: old house
This is something that is clarified for the reader.
CHARACTERS
Unnamed narrator.
There's enough here to understand his motivations. His aunt is old and there might be old money involved.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling mistakes. I might suggest a minor edit for punctuation.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
Suggestions as mentioned above. The opening needs to be reworked. I counted 4 "It was" in the opening paragraph. The opening "tells" more than it shows. To engage the reader, I might suggest starting with action, possibly the narrator walking into the old house and his observations of the exterior of the house and then transition to his expectations of the night. Word count was listed in accordance with the rules. Good luck in the contest.
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE STORY
Sarah is the daughter of a mafia don and his only heir, but her father's party might change things.
WHAT I LIKED
I liked the structure of the story and how the short, terse sentences built suspense.
POV NARRATION/TENSE
This is told in the third person limited mainly from Sarah's perspective. Good job with narration. Past tense is used appropriately. Line breaks are used appropriately.
DIALOGUE
There's a good blend of dialogue and narration. The dialogue accents the narration.
DESCRIPTIONS
There's enough to set the scenes, but this is something that could be expanded on. I liked: "Her whiteness dazzling against the cobalt blue of the Pacific Ocean."
SETTING
TIME: modern day
PLACE: yacht of the coast of Sydney, Australia.
This is something that is clarified for the reader.
CHARACTERS
Sarah and her father
The focus of the story is on Sarah and her actions, but it's her father who will feel the effects of them.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling mistakes. I might suggest a minor edit for punctuation.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
Suggestions as mentioned above. The opening engages the reader. A nice imaginative take on the prompt. Word count was listed in accordance with the rules. Good luck in the contest.
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE STORY
The creatures of Blackleaf forest meet for their annual meeting and one will be honored at the Banquet of Choosing.
WHAT I LIKED
I liked creativity of the story and distinctive the personalities were.
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 a minor 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 separate sentence. Put the action first, then the dialogue.
FOR EXAMPLE, AS WRITTEN: "We do it every year," said Aardvark, and he placed a claw on the stump...
MY SUGGESTION: "We do it every year." Aardvark placed a claw on the stump...
DESCRIPTIONS
There's enough to set the scenes. I especially liked: "The forest's earthy smell filled Lynx's head, as if the ancient trees were waking up and announcing their presence.
SETTING
TIME: at night
PLACE: Blackleaf Forest
This is something that is clarified for the reader.
CHARACTERS
Ensemble Cast
There's enough to understand their motivations. They gather to celebrate the Banquet of Choosing, but there is sadness as well.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling mistakes. I might suggest a minor edit for punctuation.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
Suggestions as mentioned above. The opening engages the reader. A creative take on the prompt. Word count was listed in accordance with the rules. Good luck in the contest.
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE STORY
Max Czeskowski is a little frustrated with the guy who runs the homeowner's association, aka "His Snottiness," and decides to do something about it.
WHAT I LIKED
I liked the character voice. I think everyone can identify with an underdog at heart.
POV NARRATION/TENSE
This is told in the third person omniscient mainly from Max's perspective. Good job with narration. Past tense is used appropriately.
DIALOGUE
The dialogue accents the narration. Good use of dialogue tags.
DESCRIPTIONS
There's enough to set the scenes, but this is something that could be expanded on. I'm thinking of the time when Max is in the field and he's setting up. I might touch on the five senses, specifically, touch and smell. That would put me in the field with Max and amp the emotional buy in of what comes next.
SETTING
TIME: modern day?
PLACE: urban setting?
This is something that is not defined but could be clarified a little better for the reader.
CHARACTERS
Max
There's enough here to understand his motivations. He's done with "His Snottiness" and he's going to get his due.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling/punctuation mistakes.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
Suggestions as mentioned above. The opening engages the reader. I like the how the dinner party (and quotation inspiration) played into the story at the end. Word count was listed in accordance with the rules. Good luck in the contest.
My review is based on professional editing points. It is meant to be honest, encouraging, and respectful in accordance with WDC guidelines.
THE STORY
Everyone's inner monologue is enough to kill a perfectly good dinner party.
WHAT I LIKED
I liked the use of the inner monologue. It drove me crazy and embodied the prompt, accelerating the dying process.
POV NARRATION/TENSE
This is told in the third person, jumping perspectives to share inner monologues with the reader. Good job with narration. Past tense is used appropriately.
DIALOGUE
There's a good blend of dialogue and narration. The dialogue drives the story.
DESCRIPTIONS
There's enough to set the scenes, but this is something that could be expanded on. You could touch on the five senses, especially smell. What does this dinner party smell like? Does it smell like it's dying?
SETTING
TIME: modern day
PLACE: urban setting
This is something that is clarified for the reader.
CHARACTERS
Ensemble cast of characters
There's enough here to understand where each character is coming from.
MECHANICS
I did not spot any spelling mistakes. I might suggest a minor edit for punctuation.
PARTING THOUGHTS/SUGGESTIONS
Suggestions as mentioned above. The opening engages the reader. The vignette speeds forward that I, as a reader, wanted nothing more than the death of this dinner party. Word count was listed in accordance with the rules. Good luck in the contest.
Printed from https://shop.writing.com/main/profile/reviews/sgcardin/sort_by/r.review_creation_time DESC/page/13
All Writing.Com images are copyrighted and may not be copied / modified in any way. All other brand names & trademarks are owned by their respective companies.
Generated in 0.78 seconds at 12:22pm on Jul 01, 2024 via server web1.