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Review Requests: ON
3,159 Public Reviews Given
3,207 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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Review of The Hit  
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: 18+ | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Kris,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 11th WDC Anniversary!

         You tell quite the impressive story here, full of hatred, suspense, and a bit of a twist. I've never been involved in things like this, nor can I imagine it, but the idea of recruiting a hired killer for a hit on you is beyond me! Maybe that's why you wrote it, and not me. *Smile*

         This flows very well, the dialog is excellent, you placed it in and near Hobart Tasmania, and described the area a little bit. I got an idea of the area I grew up in, near the Rocky Mountains of New Mexico, only less civilized. From what I've read of these type stories, this sounds very authentic. I do have a little feedback for you on this.



Title:  Very good for this story.



Description:  Excellent, it's what drew me in to read it.



Grammar:  Very good




My Favorite Part:  Realizing that he was hired to kill someone who was standing in front of him. That blew me away.





General Comments:  

1. " That job with the knife? You can see the extra space here between the quotation marks and the start of dialog.

2. "'Make it look like a put up a struggle,' he said. 'I don't want my kids to think their old man got caught unawares. You've been using double quotation marks all along, so I'm not sure why you used single here, plus the double. You are also missing the closing quotation marks.

3. "Thankyou. You can see the missing space here.






Overall impressions:  An excellent story of a hit man who may finally have to pay the piper. Excellent read.


Sum1

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Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (3.5)
Dear Ira,
         I want to take a moment to welcome you to Writing.com, or WDC as many of us affectionately call it. I hope you make this a second home like I have; a place to improve your craft, make friends and meet new people, or just read and write to your heart's content.

         Wow, I can really feel the pain in your heart with every word you wrote. The one thing about pain like this, is that it will slowly fade. What will remain constant is that tomorrow the sky will still be blue, the sun will rise in the East, and clouds will be around here and there. And somewhere in this world, closer than you think, someone loves you. You leave your heart here on the page, laying it all out with no care about anyone seeing it. That takes a lot of guts, and a lot of faith. Well done! I do have a couple of comments for you on it.



Title:  Very good, but you should capitalize at least the first word. My personal preference is to capitalize every word in a title.



Description:  We are given 90 characters to describe our work here on WDC. Use them to describe your work and entice readers in!





General Comments:  

1. Hope fades into oblivion, lost memories flood in, that sunset that god allowed just for you, that secret handshake that only you and one other person on this earth knows, that twinkle in your girls eye, when you realized...hey this girl really loves me, that time when you fell so hard for that girl you'd never get. I'm not overly religious, everyone knows that, but first and foremost, God should be capitalized. This sentence runs on a little bit, be careful with sentences like this, but in this case, I think it works okay, at least for me.



Overall impressions:  Ira, I hope that if this is about you, that you've gotten over this event in your life, and are in a happier state today. *Smile* I also hope you continue here on WDC, it's a second home to me, heck it's my first home sometimes, lol.



Sum1

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Review of Folded Flag  
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (4.0)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear HBIC,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 1st WDC Anniversary!

         This is a beautiful poem, I can understand this being your worst nightmare. I'm assuming your love is in the military.... While this doesn't rhyme, there's no need for it to, it's free verse. It is short, plain, and straight to the point. Along the way, it tugs at your heart strings. I do think her speech was a little short, I'm sure she would say more than that simple four line verse, but then again, maybe not. There is one comment I have for this.

1. they tore holes through her heart and soul. The entire poem is told in the present tense, yet this one line is in the past. I think tear would replace tore nicely.



Sum1

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Review of Moon Over Water  
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Katrina,
         What a special month this is, the month of another Anniversary here on WDC! Congratulations honey!

         You know how I feel about anything you write. Your poetry has changed so much in two years, I think you've found a new calling, a new love in writing. One comment on this if I may. In the line, "My magical spell", this is written from a third person point of view, so my doesn't fit. You could easily change that to 'a'. *Smile*





Sum1

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Review of The Search  
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (3.0)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Brom,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 2nd WDC Anniversary!

         This is a pretty good story here about Varius and his quest for an enchanted object. I like your story, but the flow of it is very fast. It seems you may have been under a word limit when you wrote this, and you may want to consider lengthening it now it you want. In this rapid pace, you toss in a few tidbits of detail. It is these tidbits of detail that would help in lengthening the story. What I mean about it moving fast, is that Varius' journey for this enchanted object seemed to take less than a day. Yet this object had been lost to knowledge, and very obscure for eons (at least that's the impression I got from reading it). Once he found the enchanted object, the story ended all too quickly. It seems he would have taken this object to the castle and shared the power of it with everyone in the land. I do have a few comments for you on it.



Title:  Excellent for this story



Description:  Very good



Grammar:  There are a few instances of missing words in the story, detailed below.





General Comments:  

1. In this land there was a legend of an enchanted object that would bring divine knowledge and wisdom to the one possesses it. It seems the word 'who' is missing after one. Or, you could change possesses to possessing, which would then read correctly.

2. Rummers spoke of it being in many corners of the kingdom, but in the royal castle of Pyrithia, a wise secretive scribe named Varius, was on the verge of identifying the province where the enchanted object laid. Rummers should be Rumors. Laid should be lay.

3. From books, scrolls, and ancient tablets that he had gathered from foreign lands from expeditions that he covertly went on, Varius was certain of its whereabouts. You used the word 'from' three times in this sentence. You might want to look at alternative wordings to improve the flow of this line.

4. After comparing the final scroll with the rest the sources he had, he translated the verse that would confirm its basic location. You should add 'of' between rest, and the. Would the location be basic? Or just location?

5. With haste Varius prepared his horse loading ample victuals and left the castle for the forest towards the entrance to the caves. This sentence reads a little rough, and could use a couple of commas. Maybe this would help. Varius prepared his horse with haste, loading ample victuals and left the castle for the forest, seeking the entrance to the caves.

6. "After all these years myriads of people have sought the talisman, now the blessings of its power will be endowed to me,"he said. You need a space between your closing quotation marks, and he. He's riding away on his horse alone, so who is he talking to? It seems you could delete the word 'after' at the start of this sentence.

7. He lit a torch and steered his horse into the cave but the horse struggled with his its rider against entering the ominous cave. The horse neighed and bucked its head refusing to go in. It was useless. This is a nice buildup here, you start a bit of suspense, then let it all just drop like a lead balloon. You should delete the use of his before "its rider".

8. "Its just a cave! Confounded horse! How splendid! This blasted beast is a cowered of the dark. Cowered should be coward.

9. Then Varius thought to himself. Maybe its not the dark you're afraid of. Why would you be afraid when countless times you've carried soldiers into war when it isdark in the plains ? You need a space between isdark. Again you start building a bit of suspense, then let it drop.

10. Nevertheless any danger is worth facing for what I'me after. You need to delete the 'e' in I'me.

11. He climbed up the side of the wall where the hole were parallel to it and climbed through and gasped."My word! Its beautiful! Hole should be holes. You use 'and' twice in close succession in this line. You can delete the first one, and place a comma after it.

12. "Varius was exhilarated. You don't need the opening quotation marks in this line.

13. One was of wicker, one was of gold a the third was of silver. You need a comma after gold, and should add the word 'and' after gold.

14. He instantly knew that it was the first one made of wicker. How did he instantly know it was the one made of wicker? Most men would assume it to be the gold chest. It seems to me that in all his research on this object that he would know what it was in, or at least had a good clue about it. You should mention that here to help.

15. There was quite a bit of dialog in your story that just didn't read quite right. An example would be, "Its just a cave! Confounded horse! How splendid!...." or "My word! Its beautiful!" I don't think he would say something like that. It just makes the read a little hard to believe is all.




Overall impressions:  A good story of a quest for a powerful treasure.




Sum1

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** Image ID #1840790 Unavailable **
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Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: ASR | (4.0)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Great White Wyrm,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 11th WDC Anniversary!

         Well, your idea here is interesting, but there's just not enough available to tell if someone would enjoy reading it. Your idea about past lives is nice, it's been written about many times before as you know. But suppose we knew about our past lives? It seems your character Ben might know about his. But if we could, would we want to? This is a hard article to really review, so what I'll say is, it's been 10 years since your wrote this, has it gone any further? If not, then it's either a dead idea, or one that is waiting for you to focus on it a little to bring it to fruition. If you still have the desire to write it, then get to it! Listen to me, I have two stories waiting to be written too, my life has been very busy recently, and I've hardly started either. The key for you here is, don't worry about someone reading your works. Write! If you write, they will read! *Smile*




Sum1

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** Image ID #1840790 Unavailable **
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Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: ASR | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Juniorwriter,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 1st WDC Anniversary!

         Okay, so you've tossed out the hook and latched me, set the hook nicely, now where's the rest of the story? *Smile* This is an excellent start to a longer story. I was captivated by the idea of a puppet like this, it reminded me of an old movie called 'Magic' that starred Anthony Hopkins. I liked the flow of your story, the idea of Caitlyn receiving a gift that wasn't really a gift, but ties in the first part about the boy and his puppet. Interesting story so far, I hope to read more on this later.




Sum1

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** Image ID #1840790 Unavailable **
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Review of Two Turtledoves  
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Last Cicada,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 11th WDC Anniversary! WOW! Eleven years! Does it seem that long to you?

         This is a very unique story you've written here! I loved the idea of seeing the world from a bird's point of view. The fact that two of you wrote it using different points in the world, and are from far different areas of the world makes it all the more impressive. The ending was special too, at least for me. When I read the first part, I didn't understand who it was talking about the birds. The use of different colored font helped identify who was talking, but it wasn't until the end that I realized there was a narrator to the story. Nicely done!




Sum1

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** Image ID #1840790 Unavailable **
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Review by Sum1 Is Home!
Rated: E | (5.0)
Yellow,
         My heart hurts for you. I know you miss him so, I see it in about everything you write. I wish I could find a love so great, so powerful. Thank you for this, and the other things I've read of yours.

Jim
785
785
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (5.0)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Sherri,
         When I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page, there was no way I could let this month go by without dropping by to wish you a Happy 6th WDC Anniversary!

         I am sorry you were forced to close this forum, I always loved the prompts you provided (I call them challenges), and as you might remember (you see a lot in a contest I know, so maybe you don't remember), I was lucky enough to win this contest a couple of times. I love the layout of this page, it draws a writer in, almost makes them want to enter your contest. The only thing you might want to add to this (should you ever open it again), is a listing of previous winners, and the prompt for that week. (No, not because I want to see my name there, but I love to peruse a contest, see prompts, and read the winning entry.) I hope you are able to open this again soon.




Sum1

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** Image ID #1840790 Unavailable **
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Review of War  
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: 13+ | (3.0)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Jennifer,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 10th WDC Anniversary!

         This article is interesting, but you stick to the idea of being hit, as if someone hits you. Unfortunately, many times, a war is not started for that reason. Often it's done because the leadership of a country feels their country needs a resource that isn't available in their own country, but is elsewhere. Even worse (is you ask me), is when a war is started because another cultures beliefs do not follows yours, so it is felt that we should go in that country and show them that our beliefs are right. The United States it not innocent in all this, look at how we treated Native Americans for an answer to that. I do have a little feedback for you on this.



Title:  Excellent for this.



Description:  Very good for this article



Grammar:  You consistently misused the word 'then', when 'than' should have been used. I've highlighted those sentences below





General Comments:  

1. Harder then when we were children sure but what's our reason for doing it? Then should be than.

2. That if we just smack them back, harder then they did to us of course, they'll stop? Then should be than.

3. Of course as adults, we do more then hit. We have wars. Then should be than.

4. If they don't think they're hitting back hard enough they send in more people. Then should be than.

5. It's difficult not to get angry when someone insults you, or your beliefs, or even worse hits you. I think a comma after worse would help this line read better.




Overall impressions:  An interesting opinion article on war, and what causes it.


Sum1

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Review of SEMANTICS  
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Hanna,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 9th WDC Anniversary!

         I think your poem is very cute. I, Me, Mine, at the bottom line, they all mean, that's it all belongs to me! Not you, but me, as in it's mine, mine, mine! *Smile* As I read this, old Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny cartoons came to mind. Especially where Daffy wanted the gems in 1001 Nights, or their take on it.

         I loved the flow of this, you asked a few questions that will make your readers ponder quite a bit. I loved the question you asked, "How many I's can in one person grow?" I had an answer right away, two EYES. *Smile* Overall though, nicely done, it was an entertaining read.




Sum1

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** Image ID #1840790 Unavailable **
788
788
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (4.0)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear StoryBob,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 1st WDC Anniversary!

         This is a nice good Samaritan story you've written. I say story, because it reads like one. I guess it could be called a free verse poem, but as I read it, it seemed to be more of a story or essay than a poem. I flowed nicely, but seemed to lack a bit of depth. You mention that you were his close new friend, but dropped it there. I think you could tell the reader a little more of your friendship, how it matured, the things you did together. At the end, finish it with how this person went on with their life, and the successes they had. *Smile* Overall though, a nice read.





Sum1

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** Image ID #1840790 Unavailable **
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Review of Dear Me  
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Sherri,
         When I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page, I knew I had to drop in to honor this occasion, your 6th WDC Anniversary!

         I really love reading 'Letters To Me', it always shows a side of a person that we don't think about very often. Your's is no exception, I loved learning a little more about you. The one thing I always wonder about when I read about resolutions, is were you able to keep these? You set some nice challenges for yourself in this letter, I really hope you met them all. I do have a couple of comments for you on it.



Title:  Perfect for this



Description:  I'm sure the contest is over now, you may want to tell us just a little of what this letter contains.



Grammar:  Very good.




My Favorite Part:  Your resolution to stop smoking. Being a lifelong non-smoker, I'm always very happy when someone decides it's time to quit.





General Comments:  

1. Having had pneumonia and bronchitis several times the past year, I commit myself to doing everything in my power to prevent myself from more respiratory damage. There seems to be a word missing toward the last of this line, between from, and more. Maybe suffering is the word?

2. Born an asthmatic, I realize I need to do all I can to stick to this resolution as difficult as it is going to be. I think you need a comma after resolution.



Overall impressions:  A nice letter about your resolutions for a coming year. I truly hope you kept them all.


Sum1

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Review of Getting Published  
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (4.0)
Hey Valet Dave,
         I found this on the static item page, and thought I'd read it. Like most, I'd love to be published. But I also know how hard it is, and that with my current schedule, I can't devote the time it would take to both publish something, and market it. I was hoping this would show a couple of new thought processes to be used in pursuing getting something published, but I think I've read something like this before. That doesn't mean it's not good, it just didn't have anything new to offer me. I did see a couple of things in it that I question.




Title:  Very good for this topic



Description:  Your description tells the reader to "Never mind persistence. Focus on your BEST work." However, most of your essay focuses on other topics. The last paragraph is the only one that mentions focusing on your best work, but the previous four discussed reasons for failure, standard blurbs received from publishers for being turned down. It looks like 80% of this essay is about why you might have been turned down, with only 20% focusing on submitting your best work. So for me, the description does not fit the content really well.





General Comments:  

1. 1. If you have been rejected by 5 different publishing houses, perhaps it is time to ask the question, “is my novel good enough?” Shouldn't 'is' be capitalized, since it's the start of a dialog? This happened a couple more times in this essay, yet in those, I wasn't sure the first word should be capitalized. In the first one, it should have been because you seem to be asking a question of others. In the rest, it was more like you were providing a quote of a 'standard phrase'.

2. There are recipes that make saleable work. Nice statement. Bold statement. But why don't you describe or provide at least one example of a recipe? This will add meat to this essay, and demonstrate to the reader that you not only 'talk the talk', but you've been around a bit, and know the ropes of becoming published. Anyone can spout advice on how to get published, but if you say there are recipes for getting it done, you should provide a bit of a clue at least, otherwise you're risk sounding like someone with plenty of advice, but no experience in getting it done.




Sum1

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Review of Illusion  
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Purple,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page, and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 5th WDC Anniversary!

         I love 55 word stories, but I could never write one I think. I find it hard to write something in so few words. This is very good though, a couple of images jumped in my mind immediately. An older woman living in the shadows of a massive house. She kept to the shadows to remain unseen, yet the hired help in the house saw her once in a while. Maybe she was a ghost, maybe a memory from days gone by. Your description asked what I saw, this is it. *Smile* Thanks for awakening my imagination some.





Sum1

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** Image ID #1840790 Unavailable **
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Review of Beethoven's Fifth  
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Mage,
         I saw you suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 2nd WDC Anniversary!

         Being a little bit of a Beethoven fan, I found this poem very interesting. I did find the bom, bom, bom....bom repetition to be a little over the top, but it did seem to work okay. If I may, an idea occurred to me about this for you, but it's just my thoughts on the fly.

         I think you could do this poem a little better justice (so-to-speak) if you didn't have that happening (bom, bom, bom....bom) after every line, but at the end of each verse, each verse being four lines in length. The idea I got as I read this, was almost of Poe's Raven. The repeated knocks being equated with the Raven's quotes is how I saw it. So, each verse ends with the repeated knocks, each verse describes how the knocks are driving you crazy, maybe you fear death is at your door, just like Beethoven did when he wrote that symphony. Or maybe it's the Erlkoenig, King of Elves too. Think of other legends that come in the dark, and focus each verse on that. Hmmmmm,, *Smile* Oh well, just thoughts. It's your poem, and it made me think, see what your writing does when one reads it? Well done!! *Bigsmile*





Sum1

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** Image ID #1840790 Unavailable **
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793
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (4.0)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Rose,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 1st WDC Anniversary!

         Wow, a really different story about Twins. From everything I've always heard, twins are very close. Laura and Emily in your story are far from that. Emily seems to be driven, while Laura isn't. You really made Emily come across as a pompous, uh,, you know, public review and all, can't say that word. But you made Emily seem very conceited and full of herself. Laura was her opposite. She struggled to do things that Emily did easily; resented Emily's help (and yes, she was stubborn), and seemed determined to be the opposite of her sister. Well done in describing them as polar opposites! I do have a few comments for you on it.



Title:  Very good for this story.



Description:  Very good also



Grammar:  I saw a couple of minor typo's.





General Comments:  

1. I would like to have seen this a little longer, maybe with a bit of the story told from Laura's point of view.

2. In the second paragraph, there are two lines with the word 'their' used a couple of times. This tends to stand out and detract from the read.

3. Or was it because Laura got into some small college in a small town instead of the Ivy League wonderland where her sister winded up in? Winded should be wound.




Overall impressions:  A nice story about twins, but quite frankly, I found myself detesting Emily. Good writing on your part to make me feel that.




Sum1


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Review of LONELY OLD MEN  
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dr. Gupta,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and knew I had to stop in to celebrate this occasion, your 9th WDC Anniversary!

         As I get older, I find it easy to relate to the elderly and the problems they face every day. While I'm no where near elderly, I know I am getting close to that age bracket, and hope that I don't wind up like many I see. This poem does an excellent job in describing the loneliness an older person experiences. One line struck home for me, because I have the same feelings too.

Treat you as a burden.

         I feel that no one wants to be a burden to others, especially their own children. The idea of being a burden to my children is one of my biggest worries as I pass through my middle age years, and I'm determined not to be one. I only hope that those who are younger can read this and in some small way, feel the pain that the elderly feel. Well done on this poem!



Sum1

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Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | N/A (Review only item.)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Pat,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this fine occasion, your 4th WDC Anniversary!

         I love to review, I think it's one of the best things about WDC. That being said, I don't think I'll be doing this much justice as far as a review goes. Why? How can one offer advice on an essay that provides advice on how to review? It seems to be a Catch-22 if you ask me. However, I did find your essay here quite helpful. I know I've fallen into a rut (so-to-speak) when it comes to reviewing. While I do have templates to use, they are a bit generic, and almost identical, so I see the need to modify each of them. You also provided some great advice and guidance on reading and reviewing here, a lot of people need to read this. One of my biggest concerns when I review, is to make sure everything is spelled correctly, and that 'proper English' is used as I write it. We've all seen the reviews from someone that will point out errors or small typo's in the poem/story. Yet the review itself is full of those same errors. I think that really takes away from the credibility of the reviewer when that occurs. I will have to really look at my review process, and see if I can improve it some, I think it does need a little work. I did notice one thing that caught my eye in this.


1. Though truthful reviews are the most helpful, your suggestions for improvement should always be tactfully stated. A good reviewer is an humble reviewer. Correct me if I'm wrong, but shouldn't the 'an' before humble be 'a'?

Overall though, a very enlightening read, thank you!



Sum1

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Review of Joey Versus Santa  
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Angus,
         When I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page, I knew I'd have to drop by to honor this occasion, your 1st WDC Anniversary!

         This is quite the story you've written here. I loved the idea of a little boy thinking he'd wait up for Santa, determined to get his presents one way of another. He seemed pretty diabolical for a six year old, and while I did wonder about that, your story kept me intrigued, and I found myself not worrying about that little detail. I do have a little feedback for you on it.



Title:  Perfect for this story.



Description:  Again, perfect for this story, it's what drew me in to read it.



Grammar:  No obvious errors noted.




My Favorite Part:  Joey waking up and realizing it was all a dream. You did have me wondering how this confrontation would end, your twist was nice.





General Comments:  

1. But calling him a
'Butt Head' in front of his friends was more than he could take.
You have a hard return in the middle of this sentence.

2. Well, there was only one real way to find out: tonight he would wait up for Santa and confront him on the spot, because he was going to get his presents one way or the other. The colon should be a semi-colon.

3. Even if it meant eliminating the jollly old man. There's one too many L's in jolly.

4. Santa was sneaky, sly and clever, the way he could just come an go. An should be and.

5. He felt like a mouse caught in corner by some ferocious feline, namely a lion. You need an 'a' before corner.




Overall impressions:  A very good story about a six year old boy determined to get his Christmas toys, one way or another.


Sum1

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Review of Shed No Tears  
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: E | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Jaya,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this wonderful occasion, your 4th WDC Anniversary!

         This is such a beautiful short poem about love, and not shedding any tears. You don't quite explain why they shouldn't shed any tears, but did you need to? Not if you ask me! We all suffer in life for one reason or another, time does heal those wounds. While the rhyming is a bit predictable given the simple story of the poem, I loved it nonetheless. I do think the poem would benefit from being centered on the page, but that's just a personal preference I have, nothing more. Well done!



Sum1

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Review of Savaged  
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: 13+ | (2.5)
Dear Misty,
         I want to thank you for requesting a review of your story, "Savaged". I consider it an honor when someone I don't know asks me to provide them with a review on one of their items. As a result, I am a lot more attentive to detail in doing a review like this.

         I found your story interesting, but you tend to be a bit on the 'wordy' side. I'm not an English major by any means, so I am at a loss when it comes to telling someone that they overuse verbs, or leave hanging participles, etc. Not that I'd recognize them if they were in your story. *Smile*

         Your story has nice potential, but man, you really start it out slow. You feed the reader a lot of information early on, when it may be best to spoon feed a little at a time. What I saw in your story is one that can entice readers, make them yearn for more, but before that can happen, it needs a lot (not a little, but a lot), of editing. First, generic comments:

1. You should either double space your paragraphs, or indent the first line of each to set them apart from one another. In writing a long story, I frequently will do both. I saw many places where a paragraph was started, yet the text fit well with the previous thought or action occurring. As a result, it's hard for the reader to stay focused on the flow of the story.

2. You overuse certain punctuation marks. Your story has 3,095 words in it, and in that space, you've used an exclamation mark 24 times. An exclamation mark should be used to show excitement when someone is speaking, or when someone has done something exceptional, etc. What I saw, was exclamation marks seemingly tossed in just for effect. This takes away from their importance, and diminishes their effect.

3. Some of your dialog is very stilted, or not very realistic. What I mean is, your characters don't talk like you or I would on in discussing something. Their speech is very structured and not realistic.

4. There are numerous places where you have incomplete sentences, or typo's that are words (example, will, instead of well, her instead of here). Again, this really detracts from a nice smooth, enjoyable read.

         Those are general comments. I saw quite a few specific things you will want to look at, and sadly, I didn't complete reading the story. However, I will be happy to return and read this again if you choose to edit it, and change my grade accordingly.



Specific Comments:  

1. The secretary in the lobby shot him a sweet smile, even made eye contact, after scrolling him up and down with her eyes, undressing him with them obviously, not to mention giving of a the light fragrance of sex hormones. This is one of those wordy sentences. It could easily be two sentences. Here's an example of how you might edit it. The secretary smiled at him sweetly, momentarily making eye contact as she let her eyes travel up and down his physique. Ryan felt slightly violated, as if she was undressing him with her eyes. The unmistakable fragrance of sexual hormones drifted on the air to his nose, demanding his attention.

2. Not that wasn’t flattered that he had always seemed to attract strong attention from the opposite sex, his self consciousness would not allow with to even consider that anyone would feel the same attraction to him if they knew the truth about who and what her was. You are missing the word 'he' between that, and wasn't at the start of this very wordy sentence. Look at the part here, "His self consciousness would not allow with(?) to even consider that anyone... Again, very wordy, even in the middle of a sentence. I think you meant him, not with, at the point of the question mark.

3. He felt it would just be easier and safer if he just introverted himself and played oblivious to any kind of flirtation, no matter how obvious they were. You use the word just twice in less than ten words in this sentence.

4. He then stopped and felt am uncomfortable shudder go through his body. Am should be an.

5. Thankful that was over, Ryan pushed hard on the large Victorian doors into the office and the door creaked open. This is a bit wordy, even for a short sentence. Perhaps this would work. Thankful that was over, Ryan opened the large Victorian doors of the office, and walked inside.

6. Great! Just what I need. He thought. Wow, a short sentence! However, it is an incomplete sentence and makes no sense. I know, it's three sentences. A little work here would fix them. "Great, just what I need." He thought. Notice that since he's thinking this, I put it in Italics to offset it some.

7. She got up from her mahogany desk and walked over to Ryan to greet him with his hand shake. Ryan did not return the handshake. He was annoyed, obviously. Very wordy again. This part, She got up from her mahogany desk and walked over to Ryan to greet him with his hand shake. His hand shake? How about she greeted with a handshake? Then the second part of this. Ryan was annoyed at having to be there, and did not move to shake her hand.

8. Ryan watched her soft strides back behind her desk and as she plopped back down on her chair. This sentence is incomplete. He watched her stride back behind her desk and as she plopped down on her chair. Use of 'and' is a conjunction, tying two thoughts or sentences together. So the second half of his is as she plopped down on her chair. That part makes no sense at all.

9. He could hear her heart pick up pacing, it was loud. This is worded very oddly, or as I call it, quirky. Here's another suggestion. Her heartbeat was loud in his ears as he heard the beat of it pick up speed.

10. In a swift motion she grabbed a pin from out of a small cup on her desk and began tapping it incessantly on her desk. You don't need to use 'out of' in this sentence. She grabbed a pin (or did you mean pen, as in writing pen?) from a small cup on her desk....

11. He struggle to keep his calm demeanor, it was like his inner beast was ready to burst out him. Again, this is worded a bit off. Struggle should be struggled.

12. Ryan was beginning it cave.“Dr. Simmon’s I am a good cop. Ryan was beginning to cave, not it cave.

13. “That is understandable Mr. Savage, but what concerns me is that your anger might be keeping you from effectively doing your job; as well as stresses you out to the point you give yourself a heart attack at an early age.” Stresses should be stressing.

14. “Mr. Savage to telephone calls during sessions.” This is an incomplete sentence. To take? telephone calls?

15. Ryan stormed out if the office passed the horn dog secretary. If should be of. Is the use of 'horn dog' secretary really necessary?

16. Ryan did not hear her. This sentence should be part of the previous paragraph.

17. This had only agitated him more than he already. Another incomplete sentence.

18. Son of a bitch! Did Ryan swear out loud to himself? Or were these words only thought in his mind? In either case, they either need quotation marks, or perhaps use italics font to show he is thinking these words. I'm not sure why they appear here in the story. If they are part of the previous paragraph where he was cut off by the white corolla, then they belong there. As they currently sit, they are out of place, and don't make much sense.

19. It was never that he thought that he did not have a problem, he was sure of it. Never should be not.

20. Ryan surprisingly found a close parking space and went toward the police tape the scrolled the crowd for Aaron, his partner. Again, worded awkwardly. It should be, "Surprisingly, Ryan found a parking space close to the area,,,,"

21. “I let you know when you get here! I should be I'll.

22. Ryan got back in his truck and then headed back to the police station. This one is a bit obvious I think. You used the word back twice in less than ten words.




Overall impressions:  A good beginning, but it needs a lot of editing TLC to be able to receive good grades from future reviewers.


Sum1

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Review of Movie Quotes  
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Maryann,
         I have been waiting for this day to get here to drop by and wish you a Happy 10th WDC Anniversary! I know, why wait? But honestly, there are many others on WDC I'd love to visit also, but there just isn't enough time in the day, so I visit those I can, or those who are special in one way or another to me here on WDC. Happy Anniversary!

         I love movies too, but I have to admit, I'm not very good at something like this. Of these 30 quotes, I knew 11 for sure. I was thrilled to see that your first one is from one of my favorite books (and movie), The Princess Bride. This is a pretty tough quiz here, I'd be interested in knowing the average number of quotes people know. *Smile* I would guess that each of these is special to you in one way or another, but I could be terribly wrong with that guess too. Either way, I love this quiz! Well done.


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Sum1

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Review of Bathroom Inequity  
Review by Sum1 Is Home!
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  
Rated: 18+ | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews*CakeP*


Dear Hyperiongate,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 4th WDC Anniversary!

         I love humor, whether in stories or poetry, and this one didn't disappoint me. While I don't write three line verses, these were well done. I loved the first line, and how the next two lines expounded on that first line a bit. I got a kick out of what you called the women's restroom, and the men's; the titles fit so well. My only comment on it, would be that I think centering it would help, as would splitting the long third lines a fourth line, at the dash point in each line.





Sum1

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