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3,277 Public Reviews Given
3,325 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 Dear Me  Open in new Window.
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer BreakOpen in new Window.*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  Open in new Window.
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
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  Open in new Window.
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer BreakOpen in new Window.*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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Review of Beethoven's Fifth  Open in new Window.
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer BreakOpen in new Window.*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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Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer BreakOpen in new Window.*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 Joey Versus Santa  Open in new Window.
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer BreakOpen in new Window.*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  Open in new Window.
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer BreakOpen in new Window.*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  Open in new Window.
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
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  Open in new Window.
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer BreakOpen in new Window.*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.


For the Anniversary Reviews..




Sum1

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Review of Bathroom Inequity  Open in new Window.
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: 18+ | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer BreakOpen in new Window.*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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Review of War, With a Twist  Open in new Window.
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer BreakOpen in new Window.*CakeP*


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

         This is very interesting, and very cute at the same time. While I've never been involved in paintball, I can understand what you're saying here. What I really liked most here, was how you described your senses and how each was affected by what was going on around you. You hid the ending well in this, that also helped make it stand out more. I do have a couple of comments for you on it.



Title:  Excellent for this.




Description:  Very good, I was drawn in by your description.




General Comments:  

1. Who know paintball could be so much fun? I think know should be knew.

2. Your head:
Holding two thoughts:


You end both lines with a colon, but really you need only one, after thoughts. Maybe a comma at most after head, but it's not really needed either.

3. You did use the word 'Your' many times in this, and it's very short. You may want to think about substituting another word for a couple.




Overall impressions:  A very good short story about a different type of war. Nicely written.


Sum1

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Review of Of Water  Open in new Window.
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer BreakOpen in new Window.*CakeP*


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

         I found this poem to be pretty interesting. What set it off for me was the last verse. I wasn't sure where you were going with it until I read that, then it really became interesting. I myself find water to be very interesting. People take fresh water for granted, but if they realized how precious it really is, they'd think differently.

         I thought your first two verses were good, especially how they described different aspects of water. Then your third verse described what you think of water, and really made this poem stand out. I do have one comment for you on it.

1. In the second to last line, I don't see why you have it indented, unless you want it to stand out. I think it would be just fine if it was on the same line as the previous one.

         Overall, a very interesting read. Well done!




Sum1

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Review of The Storm  Open in new Window.
Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.0)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer BreakOpen in new Window.*CakeP*


Dear Percy (Or is it Parcy, which is what shows for April's Fools day),
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 3rd WDC Anniversary!

         This is a nice poem about young love. I had to look up the definition of Rispetto, and I'm glad I went to 5-6 sites to see their definitions, because at first I saw the traditional Rispetto, with 11 syllables/line. You paint a wonderful picture with your words, to me the maiden in your poem was a Mermaid for some reason (except she wouldn't have ankles, toes, or feet, huh). Both verse blend well together to tell your shorty story here. I do think that the abab scheme in the first verse is a little off, since waves and sands are not perfect rhymes. Overall though, very nice. I would love to see it a little longer, but that's just my person preference.




Sum1

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Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
In affiliation with WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group  Open in new Window.
Rated: E | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer BreakOpen in new Window.*CakeP*


Dear Mary,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 7th WDC Anniversary!

         Wow, this one hits the reader pretty hard. I think it's fantastic that you and your first husband were able to remain friends throughout life. One of the saddest things I see is when two people who loved each other go their separate ways, and all there seems to be left is a hatred for that person. That isn't evident here one bit, I'm thrilled that you two could do this. At the same time, I'm saddened for you both, knowing what he was going through. I do have a couple of comments for you on it.



Title:  Excellent for this story



Description:  Very good, it's what drew me in to read this.



Grammar:  I noticed no errors.




My Favorite Part:  I think you worded this fine with a couple of lines you wrote, There are many things I would like to say, but considering the journey that you are about to take they seem trivial. We both made mistakes back in the beginning of our life together which changed the course of our lives; however, we both have been blessed to have many other people love us too. For me, that says far more than any other words you could write. In those short sentences you're reaffirming the love you've shared, letting him know how much you love him still.





General Comments:  

1. This is very easy for me to say, I'm not the one suffering through the loss; however, I would like to have seen a little more to this. Maybe a little more insight as to how you two managed to remain close throughout your lives.




Overall impressions:  A pretty moving letter from a woman to her ex-husband who is terminally ill.


Sum1

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Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: E | (4.5)
Hey Carl,
         I thought I'd drop by your port and provide you a review in turn for your kind visit today. Welcome to Writing.com, or WDC as we affectionately call it. I see you've been a member for almost a month now, and I'm wondering what your impression of WDC is now. I like what you say here, especially your one sentence second paragraph. I think you and I have come to the same conclusions about our lives. Your last line rings so true for me. But, I do have a couple of comments for you on this.



Title:  Very good for this essay/monologue.



Description:  You say this is an excerpt, so now I would love for you to add more to it, reveal a little more of yourself to us.



Grammar:  Very good.




My Favorite Part:  The last line says it all for me.





General Comments:  

1. I find it funny, because it is true in an odd way, but I also find it insulting, what kind of a man would I be if I sacrificed the needs of my family for my personal ambition. It seems a semi-colon after insulting would help this line read a little better.

2. The older I get, the more I realize there is a balance in life that you achieve as your passions become grounded and the joints of the scale do not react as quickly to shifting weights. It seems that a comma after grounded would help also.




Overall impressions:  A nice short look inside what makes this author unique. I just wish it was a little longer. Well done!



Sum1

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Review of That Darn Cat  Open in new Window.
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Rated: E | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer BreakOpen in new Window.*CakeP*


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

         I found your story to be pretty amusing, I've always found cats funny, and fun to be around. Unfortunately, I haven't been around one much for eleven years; now I'm allergic to them. *Frown* Everything you say about cats is true, and while I've never been around Siamese much, what I've seen of them verifies what you say. I could almost imagine myself with your family at the pet story, picking out the kitten. I do have a couple of comments for you on it.



Title:  Very good for this story.



Description:  Also very good for this story




My Favorite Part:  Your description of Vanilla, and how he loves to play with straws.





General Comments:  

1. My daughter was to use the big, sweet eyes on us, and I was to give in to her first. This sentence doesn't read right, and I'm not sure what you were intending to really say. But I think you meant something like this. My daughter would use her big, sweet eyes on us, and I was the first to give in to her.

2. They want love and affection on their terms, and otherwise they are very low maintenance. I think you can delete the second use of the word 'they' from this sentence




Overall impressions:  A cute story about cats, how you love them, and your recent purchase of one.


Sum1

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Review of You Make Me Cry  Open in new Window.
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Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
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Dear Stephanie,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 5th WDC Anniversary!

         I found this poem to be very sad. You (in the poem) are torn it seems, your man makes you cry for a variety of reasons. You explain each of them in the verses,repeating the title in every other verse first line. I liked this small touch, bringing the reader back to the whole point of the poem. Your rhyme scheme was good throughout, with an abcb except for the last verse. I thought it flowed very well, even with some lines being a bit longer than others. I would like to see the last two lines used a little more, and make at least one last complete verse. Thank you for the enjoyable, albeit a little sad, read.




Sum1

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Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: E | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer BreakOpen in new Window.*CakeP*


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

         This is such a cute poem! I loved your rhyming and the flow of dialog between the two of them. I could see this going on in my mind as I read it, and knew why she could no longer sit comfortably in the bathroom, but you did a very good job of bringing it all to life in the poem. I do have a couple of comments for you about it.

1. I know it's easy to tell who's talking in this, but you might consider putting each person's dialog in a different color. It would really help this out and make it a bit more entertaining (does it need to be more entertaining???) *Smile*

2. Since this is all dialog, shouldn't you be using quotation marks? If you choose to do this, you will need to enclose each person's dialog separately.

All in all, a pretty entertaining read! Thank you.




Sum1

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Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: E | (4.0)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer BreakOpen in new Window.*CakeP*


Dear Susie,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 7th WDC Anniversary!

         I love satires; this one is pretty cute. I think you can give us a few more examples of how vampires have been portrayed in books and movies. If I may, I have a few comments for you on this. *Smile*



Title:  Excellent for this note.



Description:  Excellent, this is what caused me to read this.



Grammar:  A couple of minor errors were noted, detailed below.




My Favorite Part:  The beginning when Jefferson Squire addressed the forum owners.





General Comments:  

1. I think you can do better with this. This is your chance to show your stuff against the S & G forum, so do it! Being a satire, give us a few more examples of why vampires are not how they are portrayed. In doing so, you could also show them to be exactly as they are portrayed (if you so chose, sort of like Jefferson showing an example of what they are not, but then having to backtrack, just an idea). A couple of examples you could use would be:

         a. "Hey, we're not able to change into bats at a moment's notice like the movies portray. We can only change into bats if we get threatened. Oh wait, we're threatened all the time. Uhhh, Never mind ....

         b. With all the advances in technology your kind has done, we no longer need fangs to suck blood. It's really hard to do that if you have a cavity, and it's hard to find a dentist willing to work on fangs. Besides, the dentist usually ends up being another victim. Did I really just say that?? Strike that from this note.

         That's what I mean, you can make this really comical if you so choose, but that's entirely up to you.

2. For centuries I have put up with your kinds narrow-minded, uninformed ideas about my noble race. The way you use kinds makes it plural. I think the correct usage would be kind's, but I would look that up to be sure. *Smile*

3. We resent the implication: we are not parasites, though we do suck blood. I have never witnessed more blatant acts of discrimination in my (very long, half) life. The colon should be a semi-colon. I don't understand your use of (very long, half) life in this sentence.



Overall impressions:  A pretty cute note from a vampire to the Stake & Garlic contest.


Sum1

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Review of Tardy Zombies  Open in new Window.
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Rated: E | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer BreakOpen in new Window.*CakeP*


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

         This is pretty cute story about Zombies. I loved the idea of riding bikes in early November, that time of year is always special. But I think your daughter confronting the zombies on her bike made this story. That's something a straightforward eleven year old would do. As a result, this story doesn't follow the usual zombie routine, but then, it's written for young people, and perfect in that regard. Very nicely done!



Sum1

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Rated: E | (4.0)
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Dear Jill,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 10th WDC Anniversary!

         This is a beautiful poem about friendship. While it's free flowing, it reads very nicely. While it does need a little minor editing TLC, it's beautiful just the same. What this needs is very minor, but something only you can do. *Smile* Specific things are:

1. You use the word 'someone' six times in your poem. In a poem this short, (14 lines), it really stands out.

2. There's a few other words repeated often, like 'Magic', 'you'.

For both of these, you may want to look at a way to find a different word to use. Overall though, a very nice read.




Sum1

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Review of Enter The N.U.B.  Open in new Window.
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Rated: ASR | (4.0)
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Dear Submariner,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 9th WDC Anniversary!

         You tell one heck of a story here. And it is definitely not a 1 star rated story! The flow of this is very good, but may be beyond the comprehension of some readers. You went into a lot of detail about the ship's layout as you gave Andrew his initial tour, and that may not have been necessary. (Since it was so detailed, it may chase away readers who are not familiar with a submarine.) I do have a little feedback for you on this.



Title:  Excellent for this story



Description:  Very good, but I'm betting you can write a better one. *Smile*



Grammar:  There were minor issues with homonym usage, or words missing here and there. A little TLC editing would help this some.




My Favorite Part:  Remembering the layout of a Trident Submarine Engineroom. I had trouble remembering where the Evaporator sits.





General Comments:  

1. The first time I met him, I thought Andrew was a snob, a cocky little brat, educated, but with no common sense. A semi colon after brat would make this sentence read a little better.

2. In your story, you took Andrew on a tour of the Kentucky, which included going aft to the Engineroom. But you never mentioned going to see an ELT to get him a TLD. Taking him aft without one would not have been allowed if I'm not mistaken.

3. “From what I have seen of it, sir, it is quite impressive.” Andrew stated, but I cut in before he could continue and stated that He and I had only just begun the voyage around the boat. He should not be capitalized.

4. He was qualified all possible watch stations in the Engine Room, and he qualified all the forward watches too. This doesn't have a true ring to it. There is no way Webber would be allowed to qualify on the Missile System (It's not his rating), nor the Navigation Center/Radio/Sonar. To qualify radio, he would have to have a TS clearance, a Nuke was not granted that clearance. Besides, the need for him in the Engineering Spaces would be very high, so they would not be able to let him do things like that. Imagine the problems when you had a DASO run, or the annual weapons test. Nope, he may have qualified Chief Of The Watch, but not every watchstation forward. Also, though the skipper would listen to advice from others, it is highly improbably that he ever took any from a First Class Petty Office. Webber was a nuke, but he was not all knowing. (Although to a young person still new to the submarine, he might have seemed that way. From how you describe him, he reminds me of a man I knew named Harold Lewis)

5. After only a short pause, our chief collected himself together and told Andrew that he didn’t want to see him again, until He was completed with his check-in. Again, he should not be capitalized.

6. Finally we had made it underway. You should delete the word 'had', it makes the sentence read awkwardly.

7. We could tell that Webber was proud, also, but he would never admit it. Having two commas around 'also' gives a double pause to the sentence. You should delete the first one.

8. He told the so, in not so few words. I think the is meant to be them. I know this is fiction, but you still might want to make it realistic. I've never seen anyone yell a the Chief Of The Boat in front of others. If they did, it didn't last long, and the 'conversation' was taken behind closed doors. I know it could still be heard, but I've never seen a COB tolerate anyone E-6 and below yell at them.

9. Others tried to open the Engine Room door, to no avail. It was dogged from the inside. I was about to ask someone what had happened when I noticed Andrew. He looked pretty grim. This is on a separate line, as if it is a paragraph on it's own. But it's not indented like the rest of your paragraphs. This happens in a couple other places in the story also.

10. I tried to explain to him that it wasn’t his fault, and that no one else was to blame hear either, but before I could get any words in, the “general emergency” alarm sounded. Hear should be here. I also think that general alarm should be capitalized.

11. The ‘gong…gong…gong’ seemed to last a long time as anticipation of what set in as to what was going to happen next. This sentence is worded poorly. I've highlighted the words in red that really set this off. Maybe it you changed it to read, "The ‘gong…gong…gong’ seemed to last a long time as we waited in anticipation of what would happen next."

12. From what I gathered from the throng of people milling about, was that petty Officer Webber had gone to relieve the watch a little early. You have a couple of extra words in this too. I think you can delete 'was that', and capitalize Petty Office, it's a title for Webber.

13. With those snacks and all the water he could drink, Webber could’ve lasted a long time hold up in there. Hold should be holed.

14. “Webber, we know that have control of the Engine Room…” I think you left the word 'you' out of this sentence.

15. Your story has a nice climax to it, but you leave me wondering. The Kentucky had been on patrol for 40 days, yet was close enough to land for the Coast Guard to get there quickly? Also, you say they found the Engineroom hatch open, but if you were in a patrol area, then it would be too deep, and the boat would have imploded/exploded. The hatch may have been in one piece after that, maybe not, it might have been blown open, maybe not, but it seems unlikely they would have found the boat in one piece.




Overall impressions:  A very good story about life on submarines. While it is a story of fiction, the author describes everyday life on board decently well. In fact, he glossed over quite a bit that most people wouldn't understand. Overall though, a nice read, if you're interested in Navy stories.


Sum1 EMC(SS) (RET.)

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Review by Sum1 Author IconMail Icon
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Rated: ASR | (4.5)
*CakeB* HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews ~ Summer BreakOpen in new Window.*CakeP*


Dear Countrymom,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and knew I had to visit your port once again. Happy 11th WDC Anniversary!

         I love your collection of special poems and stories in this post. Like you, anything to do with Veteran's is special to me, so it's always a pleasure to drop in and visit you. You may want to review this page, the first three items are now 'invalid', you may want to consider replacing them. Other than that, I think everything you do here that involves the veterans in one way or another, is great. Thank you for this page, the contests you run, and everything else you do.




Sum1

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Review of Big Brother  Open in new Window.
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Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
Hey Davy,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 10th WDC Anniversary!

         Before I get to my review, I have to say this about your name Kraken. I read a book years ago called 'The Kraken Awakes' by John Wyndham. He was a special author, his stories always left me thinking, asking myself questions. Now, on to the review.

         I hate to say it, but I read 1984 before you were born. *Rolleyes* Needless to say, its memory is in the far recesses of my mind. But from what I recall, your poem parallels the book well. When you think of today's world, I think it closely resembles the world George Orwell wrote about. Web Cam's are on many street corners, more so in London than most other places if I'm not mistaken. Funny how that is, since London was the locale of the original book. Our lives are closely monitored by many organizations, mainly due to the use of the Internet, which I don't think George Orwell wrote about in his book. I do have a little feedback for you on it.



Title:  Perfect for this poem.




Description:  Very good, it's what drew me in to read this.




Grammar:  I saw no errors




Rhyme/Rhythm:  Your rhyme scheme was excellent. There were a couple of places where the rhythm was off a little, but I'm not one who believes that every line needs the exact same rhythm.




General Comments:  

1. I appreciate you font use. The black color, it's boldness and just the way it presents itself on the page makes this poem stand out. However, it can in some cases chase others away. You may want to change this, I don't know. Just wanted to let you know my thoughts on it.





Overall impressions:  A nice chilling poem that parallels an equally chilling book.


Sum1

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Review of my sun  Open in new Window.
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Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
Dear Black07Angel,
         I saw your suitcase on the Anniversary Review page and thought I'd drop by to honor this occasion, your 5th WDC Anniversary!

         You really pour your heart out in this poem, expressing your love for him. While I find it hard to read free flowing verse sometimes, this flows nicely. One line is a bit longer than the others, but I still loved this poem. I think changing the font colors emphasized the thoughts of him, as well as the repetitive "I miss you". My one comment on this, is that you should think about capitalizing the first word of lines that contain a period.



Sum1

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