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4,619 Public Reviews Given
4,748 Total Reviews Given
Review Style
I believe in constructive criticism and honesty. I can adapt my review style to fit the kind of feedback an author is looking for (e.g., developmental suggestions, fine-tuning, proofreading, etc.), but will always try to be as encouraging and helpful as possible.
I'm good at...
Plotting, characterization, dialogue, structure/pacing, and professional considerations. I can also do serviceable technical editing/proofreading, but I'm much better with developmental/creative feedback.
Favorite Genres
I read almost everything. I particularly love genre fiction (mystery/thriller and science fiction/fantasy especially) and nonfiction of all kinds.
Public Reviews
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51
51
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
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Hi BlakeFran3

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

I really liked the message of this piece. I think you've packed a lot of observations and practical advice into comparatively few words and that creates an important reminder for many of us on where we should put our focus and our attention. Nice job!


Suggestions

No specific suggestions for improvement.


Overall

Overall, I think you did a good job with this piece. Well done!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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52
52
Review of Brothers of Bond  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (3.0)
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Hi bananaandjelly

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

I liked the imagery in this piece, and I thought you did a great job with the structure. The rhyme scheme was easy to follow along with, and several of the rhyming couplets you selected were really catchy and memorable. All in all, this was an engaging read.


Suggestions

There were quite a few typographical errors in the piece.

For example, A place man fear to dread should either be, "A place man fears to dread," or "A place men fear to dread."

Additionally:

To prove their ambition

Some are lost, some are dead

As the dead let their wings soar

A thorough proofread would really help take this poem to the next level.


Overall

Overall, I thought this was an interesting poem that kept my interest throughout. You're off to a great start!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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53
53
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
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Hi Ghostievai

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

I think you did a great job with the visuals and the description in this piece. In just a few short paragraphs you managed to engage the reader and create vivid imagery and a narrative that moved along at a brisk pace.


Suggestions

No specific suggestions for improvement.


Overall

Overall, I thought you did a good job with this piece. Well done!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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*Gold* My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!Open in new Window..
54
54
Review of Angel Feathers  Open in new Window.
for entry "Stained PortraitOpen in new Window.
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with I Write  Open in new Window.
Rated: 18+ | (4.0)
Hi Amethyst Angel 🌼

I'm sending this review in connection with "I Write in 2025Open in new Window..


*Train* Positives

I thought you did a great job with the imagery in this poem. Several of the lines really stood out based on your descriptive word choices. In particular, I thought "Dreams I wake up apologizing to God for" and "Nightmares illuminate what I deny" were both really visceral and engaging. The Rebel Poetry Contest has always been one of my favorite poetry contests (when it runs) and I think this is a worthy entry that has a lot of potential. Well done!


*Train* Suggestions

Structurally, there were a couple of places where the construction of the poem occasionally disrupted the read for me. While the visual appeal is there, breaking "No one guesses monstrous insanity / lurks beneath:" across two lines felt a little jarring too me, and earlier in the poem the "I wear a mask each day: / Good girl, proper, angelic" felt a little jarring to go from a narrative construction line to one that just lists three nouns/adjectives.


*Train* Overall

Overall, I think you did a great job with this poem. It was very visual, and was a great fit for the prompt. Well done!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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55
55
Review of Eating Stones  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (3.5)
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Hi ProfRichDett

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

I enjoyed reading this item. It read like an allegory that you might read in a religious text, where there is a moral behind the tale to be learned and studied. Nice work!


Suggestions

No specific suggestions for improvement, other than that I would have loved to have seen this piece expanded a little bit to tell more of the story.


Overall

Overall, I think you did a good job with this piece. Well done!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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56
56
Review of Crackling Thicket  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (3.0)
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Hi Aster

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

I like the description in this piece. You did a great job of creating a vivid atmosphere early in this piece.


Suggestions

As a story, it's lacking a little narrative. The protagonist wanders into an old house and finds a pearl necklace... and that's about it. Even though it's only a 300-word story, I was hoping for a bit more in the way of backstory, or conclusion to make it feel like a story as opposed to a vignette.


Overall

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. Nice work!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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57
57
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
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Hi Jannatnewaz

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

I thought this was a well-presented and thoughtful take on the role of government in our lives. I particularly like that you broke up some of the bullet points into smaller parts in the subsequent paragraphs to really make your point completely.


Suggestions

No specific suggestions for improvement.


Overall

Overall, I think you did a really good job with this piece. Well done!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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58
58
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with I Write  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
Hi Purple Catching Up

I'm sending this review in connection with "I Write in 2025Open in new Window..


*Train* Positives

I enjoyed this poem. I thought that the two different purple colors presented on alternating lines, when combined with the informal language ("U" for "you", "2" for "to" or "too", etc.) gave this poem a unique and engaging appearance that stood out from a lot of other poetry.

The overall feel of the piece was reminiscent of a pop/hip-hop song from the late 1990s or early 2000s, with catchy lyrics and a rhythmic beat. I really enjoyed the experience of reading this piece and if your intent was to make it feel like a "Prince" song, I think you accomplished that. Well done!


*Train* Suggestions

There were a couple of points where it felt like it was more track listing than poem, because the juxtaposition between the lines didn't really flow. I'm assuming that the prompt you used was to use some Prince song titles in your poem and if that's the case, I think those transitions between song title and line of poetry is where I'm sensing a bit of a rough transition. Although I'm admittedly not a huge Prince fan... or at least not enough of one to definitively pick out the song titles versus the poetry! *Wink*


*Train* Overall

Overall, this was a really fun read and I think you did a good job with it. Nice work!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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59
59
Review of Transport  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
Hi SomeKindaWords

I discovered your item on Writing.com via random Read & Review and am sending the following feedback for your consideration.


Positives

I liked the mixed structure of the stanzas. Each one had a clear structure and style to it, but each was just slightly different from the others, which made it an intriguing read. Well done!


Suggestions

No specific suggestions for improvement.


Overall

Overall, I think you did a good job with this item. Nice work!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author! *Bigsmile*

Sincerely,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
"Rating & Reviewing PhilosophyOpen in new Window.


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60
60
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (3.5)
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Hi Terry Wylis

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

This item was definitely interesting to me; I hope that the proofreadnig job for the think tank study went well!


Suggestions

For these kinds of updates that seem more oriented toward the community, I'd recommend alternatively (or perhaps additionally) posting on your newsfeed, in a blog item, etc. Updates are more likely to be seen and interacted with in higher-traffic areas of the site. *Smile*


Overall

Overall, I enjoyed hearing about your proofreading job. Maybe when you get back you can share more about the experience!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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61
61
Review of Lambs  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: 13+ | (3.0)
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Hi MoonChilde

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

I thought the visuals for this poem were great. With just a few short lines, you created a really evocative image in the reader's mind. Nice job!


Suggestions

From a narrative perspective, I was a little confused at the line "without barriers to hold them" and it being juxtaposed against the idea of a shepherd following behind the flock and leading them to slaughter. Was the intention to imply that barriers/guardrails would protect them from a malicious actor in the person of the shepherd? Overall, it was a little unclear what the intent of the piece is from a messaging perspective.


Overall

Overall, I thought you did a good job with this piece. Nice work!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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62
62
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
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Hi writer

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

I thought you did a great job with this piece. It was clear and concise and you got your point across effectively with descriptive language. Nice job!


Suggestions

No specific suggestions for improvement.


Overall

Overall, it was a pleasure to read this. Great work!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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63
63
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (3.0)
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Hi M.L. Clifton

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

I think it's great that you're motivated to better develop your characters! One of the best pieces of advice that I have for character development (other than reading books on the topic, of which there are many), is to pay attention to people in real life and make note of the qualities that stick out to you. Whether it's a particular mannerism, or a fashion style, or a speech pattern, jot down those things and make lists of qualities that you can then go back to and pull from when you're writing, mixing and matching in ways that intrigue you.


Suggestions

In addition to posting this question in a static item in your port, you might want to consider positing it on the newsfeed and/or a message forum and/or a blog in order to draw more attention to the question and hopefully get more of a response. *Smile*


Overall

I wish you the best of luck with your character development process!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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64
64
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
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Hi BoyBaggins

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

I thought you did a great job outlining the setting in this piece. It's detailed, has a lot of information, and yet is still presented in a way that's clear and easily digestible. Nice job!


Suggestions

No specific suggestions for improvememt.


Overall

Overall, I thought you did a good job with this piece. Well done!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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65
65
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
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Hi Reese D.

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

I enjoyed reading this poem. I thought you did a great job with the structure (although I'm not an expert on poetry so I can't say for sure whether all the nuances of a complicated form like a sonnet were followed to a "t"). It was easy to read and engaging.


Suggestions

No specific suggestions for improvement.


Overall

Overall, I thought you did a good job with this piece. Well done!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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66
66
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
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Hi Present Tense

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

I really enjoyed reading this piece. I thought you did a great job with the dialogue in particular; the dialect and speech patterns were unique and made the story engaging to read. Nice work!


Suggestions

No specific suggestions for improvement.


Overall

Overall, I thought you did a good job with this piece. Well done!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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67
67
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
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Hi Cyndee Paulson-Heer

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

I think you did a good job defining "authentic leadership" and providing a lot of ancillary information to give the reader a clear idea of what the concept is and what it entails. The piece was well organized and well presented.


Suggestions

No specific suggestions for improvement.


Overall

Overall, I thought you did a great job with this piece. Well done!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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68
68
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: 13+ | (3.5)
I enjoyed reading this piece. I thought you did a good job moving the story along primarily through dialogue and each of the characters felt distinctive. Overall, it was an entertaining read. Thanks for sharing your work… Keep up the good work and keep writing!


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69
69
Review of The elder trees  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
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Hi AnaStar

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

I thought the detail and description in this piece was great. The imagery is excellent and you manage to paint a very vivid picture for the reader in comparatively few words. Nice work!


Suggestions

No specific suggestions for improvement.


Overall

Overall, I thought you did a good job with this piece. Well done!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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70
70
Review of The Midnight Hour  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
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Hi MERORDLE

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

I really liked the progression of this piece, as you worked through the months of the year. Each one relayed clear, vivid imagery which kept the writing engaging and moving along at a brisk pace. Well done!


Suggestions

No specific suggestions for improvement.


Overall

I really enjoyed reading this piece. Nice work!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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71
71
Review of Listen  Open in new Window.
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.5)
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Hi Kodah

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

I really love this poetic form and I think you did a great job with it. You picked good visuals that were easy to reverse in the second half, and the whole thing worked really well.


Suggestions

No specific suggestions for improvement.


Overall

Overall, I thought you did a great job with this piece. Well done!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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72
72
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: ASR | (4.0)
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Hi Dave Ryan

Congratulations on your account anniversary! I'm sending this review in honor of the occasion. *Party*


Positives

I really appreciated the additional context that was provided. It's really fun to see something inspired by a contest prompt even if it wasn't exactly what the contest organizer had in mind in their call for entries. *Smile*

I thought the structure of this piece was particularly strong, with the repetition and the imagery really standing out as the reader moved through the piece.


Suggestions

No specific suggestions for improvement.


Overall

I thought you did a great job with this poem. Well done!


I hope you've found this review helpful. If so, please consider paying it forward by reviewing the work of another Writing.com author!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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73
73
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: 13+ | (3.0)
*Shield1*    OFFICIAL JUDGE'S REVIEW    *Shield1*

Quotation Inspiration Logo #1


Hello Amethyst Angel 🌼

Thank you for taking the time to enter the February 2025 round of the "Quotation Inspiration: Official ContestOpen in new Window..

Enclosed please find the following official judges' review, for your consideration.


Positives

I thought this story was well-written, and the decision to tell the story from the point of view of a horse led to an interesting perspective on the narrative.


Suggestions

The quote prompt felt a little shoe-horned in. The challenge was to use it as inspiration for your entry, and the story didn't feel so much "inspired by" as "dropped in to technically meet the minimum requirements of the contest." If that line of dialogue were removed from your entry, it wouldn't make any tangible difference to the story you were telling, and I was looking for the prompt to be a little better incorporated.


Overall

Overall, the characterization and the story were solid, and it was a polished read. As a standalone story, I think it works fine; but as a contest entry responding to a specific prompt, I found it a little lacking on that front. But good job overall!


I hope you've found this review helpful, and thank you again for entering the contest!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
"Rating & Reviewing PhilosophyOpen in new Window.


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74
74
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (3.5)
*Shield1*    OFFICIAL JUDGE'S REVIEW    *Shield1*

Quotation Inspiration Logo #1


Hello Sumojo

Thank you for taking the time to enter the February 2025 round of the "Quotation Inspiration: Official ContestOpen in new Window..

Enclosed please find the following official judges' review, for your consideration.


Positives

I liked the progression of this story. You included a lot of details that ended up being relevant later in the story, which is a great use of the prompt.


Suggestions

TYPO: ‘Just give me a hint, Sav. Remember, I don’t want a boozy night. I [don't?] want a hangover for the wedding.’

The scene at the bar was really confusing. Even knowing that Savannah was apparently trying to wreck Tara's relationship with Greg, the story read as a little confusing that Tara specifically said she doesn't want a boozy night, but then shows up to a mixology class and just goes along with it. I think the choice of a "new white dress" also brings up some confusion about whether she's wearing her wedding dress in this scene. I'm assuming she's not, but you might be able to clarify by using a light color that's not white (pale yellow, baby blue, etc.) just to create more of a distinction.

I also think Savannah texting the photo to Greg at the end is a bit of a telegraph; up until now everything Savannah has done can be explained an innocent mistakes, or simple misunderstandings... but this is the point where she makes a conscious choice to antagonize her best friend's relationship, which spoils th ending a bit. It might be more effective if you played that moment as more lighthearted, where the reader will think she's just trying to be funny, rather than actually tearing her best friend down.


Overall

Overall, I enjoyed this story and thought you did a great job with the prompt. Well done!


I hope you've found this review helpful, and thank you again for entering the contest!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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75
75
Review by Jeff Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with The Free Folk  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (3.0)
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Quotation Inspiration Logo #1


Hello Joseph

Thank you for taking the time to enter the February 2025 round of the "Quotation Inspiration: Official ContestOpen in new Window..

Enclosed please find the following official judges' review, for your consideration.


Positives

I enjoyed the premise of this story. Having a character debating over story generation with a chatbot is a clever idea, and I liked the way you clearly delineated the characters using both color and italics which made for a very easy read.


Suggestions

The story started to feel a bit repetitive toward the end, with the narrative and the conflict not really changing throughout. It's just the protagonist stubbornly arguing with a chatbot and having no real change or resolution until the very end. I would have loved to have seen a little more character and narrative development, where the stakes of the story or the tension increases in their interaction over time.


Overall

Overall, I thought this was a creative take on the prompt, and a good start to what has the potential to be a very compelling and timely piece of fiction!


I hope you've found this review helpful, and thank you again for entering the contest!

Respectfully,

Jeff Author IconMail Icon
"Rating & Reviewing PhilosophyOpen in new Window.


*Gold* My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!Open in new Window..
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