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31 Public Reviews Given
32 Total Reviews Given
Public Reviews
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Review of A Woman Scorned  Open in new Window.
Review by Cabaret Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.5)
This is one twisted story. I love it! Although short, you manage to capture the emotions and strangeness of love.

This does seem like one long paragraph, though, and I think that spacing this into more paragraphs – even if it is just a single line to a paragraph – will add to the intensity and impending doom and also give it more of a feel of a short story.

Good luck with your writing! I look forward to reading more of your work!
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Review of When I met bubba  Open in new Window.
Review by Cabaret Author IconMail Icon
Rated: ASR | (3.5)
I really like your account of a summer to the country. That must have been a strange experience for a city boy! I have specific changes for you throughout the piece, and I did them under each specific line where I could. One thing I noticed over and over was a lack of capitalization of Bubba. First names (or nicknames) should always be capitalized. You have some words that are misspelled several times; I only corrected each word once, so you will have to make sure to correct the words throughout.

I started to remember when bubba and I first met; it was several years ago when we were
just kids.
I don’t think ‘I started to remember. . .’ works well. The sentence would read better if it were worded as, ‘I remember when Bubba and I . . .’ . Also, it is unclear of what relation Bubba is to you until later in the piece. It may help if you add ‘my cousin’ before Bubba.

Then I went to spend the summer with my grandmother, or as Bubba would say "gan mammy".
‘gan mammy’ needs to be capitalized as you are using this as a name.


When we finally arrived at my grand mothers I realized that I had entered a totally
different place than I was used to.
Should be grandmother’s. A comma is also need after grandmother’s.

I was in Hogs Holler; a little tiny community spread
over 100 miles of land that had forests, swamps, and gators, or for you city folk,
Alligators. Lets not forget raccoon or coon, Squirrel, Deer, Bear, Possum, and several
other eatable varmints, as bubba always told me.
The different animal types do not need to be capitalized. Lets should be Let’s. I really like how you included how Bubba calls them eatable varmints. That really helps the reader understand your new environment.

Now I thought I was going to be so bored out of my mind here in hogs hollar that I was
ready to leave the minute that I arrived.
Hogs Holler should be capitalized, and the spelling of Holler needs to be corrected.


When my mom and dad left my grand mother said it was time for bed, I looked at the clock
and said:
"Are you kidding, its only 8 O'clock"
"We get up pretty early around here" grand ma said, " So you better get your rest."
The formatting of this should be . . . and said, “Are you kidding? It’s only eight o’clock!”

“We get up pretty early around here,” Grandma said, “so you better get your rest.”


Well the next morning Grandma was true to her word, we were up at the crack of dawn, there were chickens to feed, cows to milk, and all kinds of other chores to do before we even had breakfast.
This sentence needs to be broken into two.

I didn't know it, but my cousin Bubba had shown up in the middle of
the night; he was staying at grandmas too.
‘grandmas’ should be Grandma’s.


Now Bubba was sort of strange to me, because he dressed a little funny. He had on
overalls that were to short, they came up about 4 inches above his ankles, and he had no
shoes and no socks. He always walked around with his hands in his pockets chewing on a
weed. He looked like something out of a Walton's show.
This is a good description of Bubba. When you say the pants were ‘to short’ you should have it as ‘too short’.

It was my grandma,

“Now you better eat everything on that plate boy, we don’t waist food here like all those
city folks do, so you eat those grits. I thought to myself "EEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWW" grits, what
an ugly word for a food. Well I choked them down with as much butter and anything else I
could find to put on them so I could go out and play after all the work I had done.
This is a comical telling of your first experience with grits. A little bit of editing needs to be done. Grandma’s words should start on the same line. You used the wrong spelling of waste. After Grandma says, ‘so you eat those grits’ you need to close her words with quotation marks, and then start your next sentence on a new line.

I put my plate in the sink and grandma said, “now that’s what I like to see, a boy that
does what he’s told.” Now you get out side and play for a while so I can get a few things
done, then we will start the days work around here. Start the days work around here. I
thought I had already done the days work.
I really like how you have incorporated Grandma’s words; you really help the reader envision what is happening. That being said, you need to capitalize the first ‘now’ and move the closing quotation marks from ‘told’ to ‘here’. I like how you are wondering about the day’s work (day’s needs an apostrophe) but you’ll need to start that on a new line and end it with a question mark.

I noticed bubba was sitting in the middle of the cow pasture with a stick, pocking at something.
Poking is misspelled.

thought to myself, “what in the world is he doing?” So I just sat and watched for a bit as bubba flipped cow terds at this frog. It seemed that there was no point to what he was doing and no type of entertainment at all. So I asked bubba what he was doing and he replied

"I is feddin da toad his viddles, jist like granma did ta us."
I really like how you incorporated Bubba’s accent into the text. Changes you need to incorporate include the correct spelling of ‘terds’, a comma is needed after ‘replied’, and Bubba’s comments should start immediately after replied, not a new line.

"ok since when do toads eat cow terds bubba?"
Capitalize ‘ok’ since it starts a sentence.

We must have sat there for about 15 minuets,
Minutes is misspelled.

well after we feed the toad bubba suggested that we find something more entertaining to
do. Or in his words,
I’m really sorry I’ve come to the end of your story! I look forward to reading more as you add to it! When you return, don’t forget to capitalize the beginning of this sentence.

Good luck with your writing!

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Review by Cabaret Author IconMail Icon
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
This piece is well-written and very easy to read! I like how this is written as a flashback and reflection and doesn't use dialouge.

I didn't find any errors except for a misspelling of 'exhileration' and an unnecessary comma in the second-to-last sentence.

I did have a minor confusion with this part:
Sarah discovered she was pregnant for the second time on Emma’s second birthday. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect--especially since this had been a planned pregnancy, where Emma was not. Sarah felt so much more ready and prepared this time around. She didn’t need that adjustment period after the shock of finding out, knew what to expect and had the added excitement of knowing she would be providing her daughter with a sibling.

It was one of the only times in her life she allowed herself to feel only pure hope and joy, without any doubts or reservations to cloud her happiness. And it was probably the last time she ever made that mistake.

It was a Tuesday morning. She remembered this because Tuesdays were the designated trash collection day in their neighborhood, so she’d always delay her morning run with Emma in the stroller until the sidewalks were cleared.


It almost seems as if this happened on the same day as her finding out about the pregnancy. I think that something as simple as: 'It was a Tuesday morning, ______ weeks into the pregnancy' would help clarify the timing of the situation.

You have a true gift with prose. I hope to read more of your work in the future.

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Review by Cabaret Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (5.0)
This piece is well-written and delightfully entertaining! You have managed to take middle-age by the horns and run with it. I hope you continue to use your new stage of life to write more pieces.

I did not find any errors in your piece, so I'll focus on what I really enjoyed. I like how you not only cited 'hints' of how you have reached middle-age but were able to justify why those things were happening and convinced yourself it wasn't middle-age. I especially enjoyed how you included that your husband had this realization long before you did.

Thanks for a wonderful read!

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Review by Cabaret Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (5.0)
This is the perfect little story. I like your variety of word choices suchs as swooped, wisps, and flitted.

I especially liked the ending. Not only was there a surprise factor, but it was also entertaining. Even though you didn't get into details, I could envision Little Sammy happily eating and enjoying the fairy's lunch.

Nitpicky corrections include 'popcorn' (one word) and in this sentence, 'With the skill that thousands of tooth recoveries had helped her developed she removed the tooth', I would change 'deveoloped' to 'develop'.

I look forward to reading more of your work!
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Review of My Place In Time  Open in new Window.
Review by Cabaret Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.5)
Oh, this is a great story! I was completely surprised at the ending - I did not see that coming! (I don't want to give it away in the review and take the enjoyment away from future readers.) If I had to make a nit-picky suggestion, it would be that 'spring' doesn't need to be capitalized. Looks perfect, otherwise!

Good luck with the contest!
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Review of The Skirt  Open in new Window.
Review by Cabaret Author IconMail Icon
Rated: 13+ | (5.0)
This is a wonderful story of overcoming oppression and living the way you want to live and not the way society wants you to live.

When I review, I always try to find something to help the author. I looked for flaws in your story. I put it into a word document hoping that I could find just one teeny thing wrong. I didn't find a thing. I had to admit that I loved the story. I do. I really do. It's perfect. The voice is real. The word choice makes the story come to life.

You are my Nancy LaChance.
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Review by Cabaret Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (3.5)
This is a really interesting concept, and it makes for an interesting read. I am wondering, though, since it is such a short piece, if it would be better written as the last moments of the prisoner, rather than starting at three months from execution and switching to the execution day.

5, 10, 11, 12, 16 those so tiny numbers turn in my mind from simple 5th grade math problems to second, minutes, hours, to days, to years.
I would put a period after 16 and start ‘those’ as a new sentence.

Time has flown by to fast for my taste, in an 8 by 10 cell for a crime I know I committed. For what you ask? Well something I do regret, I think.
I left this in because I needed to refer back to it in a later paragraph.


My jail time will only be a few months shorter and I wonder if the injection is painful, for I shall soon find out.
The first part doesn’t make sense. I would make the second part into its own sentence.

There’s not much to say to the family’s child you killed or to the family that cares about you I mean what does it matter when your six feet under and rotting away.
Suggestions:
family’s child – family whose child
put a period after ‘about you’
your – should be you’re



I truly wish I could find someway to express my sorrow and agony but I really don’t find that possible to put so much feeling in something like Mozart on the piano. I doubt I could be that abstract in my thinking mind, my bleeding heart can’t take it any longer. I am going mad with the guilt of the killing.
This is unclear. Just a few paragraphs up, you sounded as if the character wasn’t that regretful as you wrote: ‘Well something I do regret, I think.’

Three months later, my cell door opens as the guards escort me out as if someone might care. As I went down my own “Red Carpet” I passed the cells to people trying not to notice me. For what was about to happen to me was sure as hell going to happen to them soon enough. I could still feel them peer at me; I could since the fear pouring off of them.
There should be a comma at the end of carpet. Sense is misspelled.

They slipped me into the smooth blue chair and strapped me in tightly. I shall never know if the person’s family I killed will ever find it in them to forgive me but it really doesn’t seem to matter as much as it had three months ago.
This seems to contradict the earlier writing portion. Earlier it seemed to be more his wanting to give an apology – nothing was said about forgiveness.

The doctor came up to me “ May god forgive you” as he quickly ran the full needle into my arm. I slipped into a Simi-coma and then all my thoughts and emotions faded away into a black pit.
I would put a period after me and phrase the next part as: “May God forgive you,” he said as he quickly stabbed the needle into my arm.
Simi-coma should be semicoma.

Good luck with your writing! Please considering joining the I Remember When group for newbies!



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Review of Parent and Teen  Open in new Window.
Review by Cabaret Author IconMail Icon
Rated: ASR | (4.0)
I really enjoyed this poem! You have done a good job of contrasting parents and teens! I like how your use of antonyms; the reader can really see the areas in which you feel there is a stark difference between parent and child.

The only suggestion I would be would be to find a different word for 'old'. I'm sure there are many parents of teens who aren't ready to be labeled as 'old'!
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Review by Cabaret Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (2.0)
I found you piece to be very interesting. You obviously have a strong faith and want to share that with others. This is an admirable trait.

You have quite a few errors running through your piece. I have broken some of the areas down where I felt the need to comment on specifics.


Why don't you believe in God? This is a good start. You need a sentence here to connect the ideas of your first and second sentence. Something like, ‘I’ve asked this question to dozens of people.’ People give many reasons why like, “Oh, I’m an atheist or I just don’t believe. But one day I asked a person why they don’t believe in God and they said to me, "Why do you believe in God?”

You may also want to emphasize how the table has been turned and capitalize or bold the word ‘you’.


Well, this is a good question. Luckily, I had an answer, but that’s not the point. The point is that even if you don’t believe in God, even if you walk around denying any links between you and God, he's still there he watches watching over us.

Have you ever wondered why your life sometimes isn't going that well? that's not because God doesn’t exist and it's all just a coincidence? This sentence was unclear, and you have a double negative. No, it is because your you’re shutting God out. I mean We are Gods creations,. We are his children, and He loves us too much to let those bad things happens.


Just because you expect God to reveal him self to you (just like he did to moses and the burning bush thing) doesn’t mean it will happen (like the burning bush and moses but he dose reveal himself to us) and plus God reveals him self im small ways most of the time but he dose have those hallelujah moment and those are amazing. See God wouldn’t let anything happen to his children he wants us all in heaven but we arn't all like Jesus so we will succumb to sin in our life and when that happens god just sits there and smiles saying my son (or daughter) I love you and I forgive you.
I think I need to step back and let you have a turn at editing your own work. Words that need to be corrected: himself (one word), Moses, does, in (you have a typo of im), aren’t, God. Also, this passage is very wordy. You have only two periods for a lot of lines. You’ll need to add more periods. Also, commas are in areas like introductory words. For example, ‘See, God wouldn’t. . .’ Also, I would eliminate the word ‘thing’ from your first set of parenthesis and phrase it something like, ‘just like He did to Moses in the burning bush’.


So why don’t you beige in God if has there watching over you even if you deny it? Well why not believe in him tell you what I want you to go to mass then go and confess your sins to the father and have them washed away then go and pray to God and see if you change your mind please just try it. And then see if u still doesn’t believe in God
Misspelled words include believe (beige) and he’s (has). The word ‘you’ must be spelled out. Your reader won’t take you seriously if you don’t write professionally. Also, considering changing the tone of your second sentence (this sentence needs to be shortened into smaller sentences). What you are asking people to do does not transcend through all the religions. Many religions do not have confession and/or baptism. Instead of trying to have your reader go ‘all out’, maybe you could ask them to try talking to God and then to listen, really listen to what God has to say to them in return. That may not seem so overwhelming to someone who already has doubts about God.

Good luck with your writing. Please consider joining the “I ReMember When” group for newbies.
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Review by Cabaret Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.0)
This story is a creative way of describing a revisit to books and characters we had enjoyed as children. Too often people find the stories they had loved no longer satisfy them; it's sad that many times people lose the imagination and creativity that they had once enjoyed as a child. I think you have captured these changes well. I especially enjoyed these lines, 'Years ago his stories had seemed so full of meaning, deep, rich and philosophical. Today, however, they seemed shallow and superficial, almost contrived. I marvelled at the change.'

I also like the ending. I felt that it ended in an upbeat manner; as long as there are children, the magic and wonderment will live on.

I think it would help your story if you found different words for 'said'.

I look forward to reading more of your work. Please consider joining the “I ReMember When” group for newbies.
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Review by Cabaret Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.0)
This is a wonderful piece about letting go of your son. You have done a good job of capturing the anxious tension that occurs in the awkward few moments before a loved one leaves. I had some specific suggestions which I have listed below. I also think it would help if you spaced between paragraphs, as it would make it easier for the reader.

I sat studying the outline of my nineteen-year-old son Erik as he sat at the end of the couch from me.
I would put a comma on either side of Erik. I also think you need the word ‘opposite’ in between ‘the’ and ‘end’.

I choked on the lump in my throat and blinked abnormally fast as I fight the torrent of tears waiting to flood my cheeks.
I think you need to use the word ‘fought’ instead of ‘fight’, because the other verbs are in past tense.

Tick, tick, tick the grandfather clock meticulously reminded us that time was moving. It was the only sound
in the room.
If you play around with the way you write out the ticking sounds, for example, tick. . .TICK. . . TICK you can further emphasize that not only is time moving, but it is also continuously reminding you of the change that is about to occur in all your lives.

I look forward to reading more of your work. Please consider joining the “I ReMember When” group for newbies.
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Review of What a Rip-Off  Open in new Window.
Review by Cabaret Author IconMail Icon
Rated: E | (4.0)
I really enjoyed reading your piece. It is well-written and expressive. The description in-between the conversation was believable and realistic. I found a few areas where a comma should be replaced with a semi-colon or period. Those sentences are:

Dana was fuming when she left the store, she had just spent the last twenty minutes arguing with the manager over the price of a cell phone.

They said there was no point fixing it, it would cost us more than the phone did.

Don't worry about the cost, I got a bigger bonus than we had budgeted for.


I also found two minor typos in this sentence
They didn't even hsave a sign anywhere in the store stating this fact, eiether, so she refused to ease up on it.

I look forward to reading more of your work. Please consider joining the 'I ReMember When' group for newbies.
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Review of Lycanthropy  Open in new Window.
Review by Cabaret Author IconMail Icon
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
I enjoyed your story. It is full of vivid descriptions and inner turmoil. I found a few errors, so I broke up the piece and wrote my suggestions underneath each part. I hope you don’t mind.

The silent sounds of nature became little more than roaring buzz.
I think you need the word “a” after the word ‘than’.

Even before I saw it I knew it was there, summoning the demons from their hiding places to walk the realm of man. The pale light of the full moon covered the landscape, stirring the beast within.
I really like the description here.

A powerful primal force tore lose it’s psychological prison, breaking apart my feeble human body to fulfil its own grand design.
I think you meant to use “loose” and “its”. “Fulfil” is also misspelled. I like the descriptive words you used.

The demons set in revealing the macabre history of the blood, rendering me a helpless observer of the thousand or more monstrosities burnt into the memory of the beast. The feeling of teeth tearing flesh. The warm coppery taste of blood. The primal knowledge that a life has been extinguished. All the terrors, which I’ve seen many times before driven home as though I had never experienced this living nightmare before. Each and every frightening image made me want to start screaming and never stop, but all that came out was a beastly howl. I was trapped; my only hope was that noone would come my way. All hope is fleeting.
”No one” is actually two words. I like the descriptions you used. It sets up a frightening situation without being overly gory. I’m not normally a fan of fragment sentences, but I think it works in this situation.

She broke into a run, if she didn’t run there’d be no fun my primal self maintained.
This sentence is awkward and unclear.

Good luck with your writing!

Feel free to join the “I ReMember When” group for Newbies.
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Review of Recipe For Love  Open in new Window.
Review by Cabaret Author IconMail Icon
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
I really enjoyed your article. I like the positive message that you give about having hope and faith within your own life and wanting to see this spread out amongst those around you.

Just two itty-bitty nitpicky things. One is the misspelling of ‘impossibilities’. With the phrase ‘Prince Of Peace’, I personally wouldn’t capitalize the ‘o’ in ‘of’.

You may also want to consider putting a space between paragraphs. It makes it a bit easier to read.
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Review by Cabaret Author IconMail Icon
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
I really enjoyed your piece.

My favorite part: I love the message of this piece. One does not have to be an addict to be touched and inspired by your words.

Suggestions: NA - write out "Narcotics Anonymous" for the first reference. Although I was able to figure out what NA was through your text, it would have been easier immediately.

I would combine these two sentences It had been eight years ago and we had both been sick with tremors, nausea, diarrhea, and anxiety. Plus the feelings of ants crawling under your skin. into one.

I would reword this part We talked as the memories flooded back to either "As we talked, the memories flooded back" or "We talked and the memories flooded back".

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