The Good
I think this story was really good. It was well written, well researched (it seems you really know about this data—is the story non fiction?) and the plot, though quick and simple, kept me in a sense of suspense and definitely interested in what would happen.
It’s clear that you’ve put some effort into this piece, and I like that. It was good to read something someone really cares about.
As if the animal’s gruesome appearance hadn’t been enough, the very idea that something like that could be living down there tormented me.
Me too! The ocean as a whole scares me. It’s such a strange world under there.
I froze, waiting for a reaction. Nothing happened. Stupid animal.
I love that, I can totally picture the scenario, and I felt the fright and then the decrease.
Lovely piece of writing and a lovely story.
The Bad
I’m tempted to say it was too short. That the conclusion wasn’t good enough. But I think I won’t—I think I want to accept it for what it is. Just a good little story that I can relate too—that anyone can relate to. So I’ll leave this section blank. Save for this. And that. And that. And that. And that….
The Bad
Although it looks like a lot of errors here, the writing impressed me, and these errors aren’t ridiculous and annoying. A lot of them are things you might chose to leave as is—adverb use, etc—but I really hope you’ll consider what I have to say.
Amid my circle of friends, we all aspired to be something someday; a rock star, an artist, a dancer, for me it was a world famous marine biologist.
I could be wrong here, but shouldn’t that say something like, …a rock star, an artist, a dancer… for me it was a…
Or,
… a rock star, an artist, a dancer, and for me it was a…
It just reads weird to me as it is.
all the while looking positively fantastic in my Speedo suit!
I’d turn that into a period. In fiction, exclamation points belong only in dialogue. Very rarely should they be in the narration, unless it’s quite called for, whereas this is not.
Against the far wall was the “kitchen”, the food prep area complete with a massive stainless steel refrigerator and a wide double sink.
Or,
Against the far wall was the kitchen, the food prep area complete with a massive stainless steel refrigerator and a wide double sink
Now everyone has his or her childhood fears,
…dragging them down through the waves toward an evil, sharpened beak-like mouth buried in mounds of slippery flesh.
I like this! But if you remove evil it works even better with the flow, and still gets the point across in full effect. :)
My lungs blazing and the pressure crushing me, being pulled ever closer to that ugly clamping beak!
A period to end it off.
“You can handle this”,
This comma needs to go on the inside of the quotation.
…I assured myself, smiling at the aquarist weakly.
to remove this adverb try,
I assured myself, giving the aquarist a weak smile.
Rachel produced a small stool, she hopped up on it and lifted the tank lid.
In all the years I’d been coming to the aquarium, it had seemed that it had never moved from that spot. In fact, I had seen people overlook it, mistake it for a piece of the decor and move past grumbling about the tank being empty.
I really like that part, but I think it works a lot better with what I’ve applied the “strike through” to removed. Leaving it there seems to needlessly elaborate on the idea.
The aquarist handed me a long, netted pole and left. I was alone, staring down into the dark, churning water, looking earnestly for those elusive white strands.
That adverb sticks out like a sore thumb. If you removed it, I’d like that more. Or if you reworked the sentence in order to use the word “earnest”.
I had accidentally poked it!
You know the drill.
The impact knocked me off my stool and onto tofloor with a thud!
‘to’ should be ‘the’
I won’t mention the exclamation points anymore, but I hope you’ll remove them on your next edit.
My pole clanked down loudly beside me,
Remove or rework.
a wash of dank smelling water splashed…
“Dank” is an adjective which refers to moisture. Specifically “unpleasantly damp; moist; wet.” So, firstly, I don’t think something can smell dank. (Though I know what you mean, I think you need to find another word—like stale, or rank—unless you don’t mean that at all.) And secondly, it is redundant to describe water as dank, no?
Without thinking, about it I grabbed my pole and scrambled over.
I ungraciously rammed it back down into the water,
Aside from this being yet another adverb, I don’t think you can gracefully ram anything.
just as the last of it tentacles disappeared back down into the murk.
it’s
I had sat there, immobilized in terror, watching boat after boat of screaming innocents meet their doom at the “arms” of this demon of the deep.
I’m wondering why there are quotations around this word. Is there a logical reason? I’m not asking rhetorically, I’m actually curious. I wasn’t going to mention it at first, but since you fail to quote the word here, I’d lain awake that night, and many others, seeing myself entangled in those awful suctioned arms. I just had to ask.
A good story, overall. I look forward to reading more of your things. The accurate data on aquariums and marine biology really pulled it all together. Good job!
~Kris
(Yogurt)
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