Thank you so much ^-^. I'm glad it seems to be working and that you enjoyed it! I'll go through some of those longer sentences and straighten them up a bit.
I was thinking the same thing with the cover but I wasn't sure... I'll have to sit down and decide how I want to approach that.
Thank you again! 
Here's my story, Chasing Grief, if you have time. Chasing Grief is a story in poetry form about a woman who lost her love and is trying to navigate her feelings of loss and grief. for this, she ventures through life, death, and everything in between to find answers to her questions as she tries to reconcile with her heart. This story is full of imagery, emotions, and feelings.
Y'all, please stop posting your stories when I'm not even done with the first batch, lol! I don't think some of you even read the OP because I don't know when I'll get time to do more and I don't want you waiting too long just in case.
So, I like the intrigue you built up about the village, but I think the first paragraph does a bit too much to set the tone. It tells the reader a lot about appearances being deceiving and dark secrets, but the rest of the story and the details you throw in do a good job at setting this up through ominous hints and tone. I do like the first sentence and it could be a nice standalone line followed by a trimmed down version of the rest of the paragraph leading to the story.
The second paragraph could also do with a bit of editing to smooth things out and make things flow better. One of the main issues I see with 1st person stories is the overuse of "I" to start sentences, and you do fall into this from time to time, also with the word "there". The repetition added with simple observations stacked over one another in short sentences gives things a bit of a jerky feel. Play around with sentence structures to make things smoother and paint a more cohesive picture. Here's an excerpt of what I mean:
"I was on the run. I wore a hooded raincoat in an effort to disguise myself. It was one that was slightly too large for me, but it would have to do."
And here's one way it could be re-arranged.
"I was on the run. In an effort to hide myself I wore a hooded raincoat that was slightly too large--it would have to do."
I do find it interesting that there's so many things we don't know as the story progresses. Why is the boy leaving? What about his family? What's up with the village? Those are all really good questions to have as we head to the second chapter, just to keep people interested.
As to the characters, there's not a lot of them, but I do think you could build up the main character, particularly as this is in 1st person POV. The story tells us a lot about what he sees and hears and a bit of the reasoning behind his choices, but we aren't shown much about how he feels and who he is. With this POV you have a chance to really get into the character's head and I think it's something that's lacking in the first chapter. That also kind of connect with another thing I wanted to point out which is the voice that I feel doesn't come off as strongly as it could. The narrator sounds a bit passive as he recounts a story that should bring out some emotion, given the hints to a darker secret he'll encounter.
The exchange with the ticket-checker was a bit odd. The main character is eight years old, but he sounds much older, and the attitude he showed the man seems off given his situation. One would expect him to not want to call attention to himself, so he'd probably be polite, vague in his reasons and circumstances, and with an excuse/lie as to why he was on his own.
The second chapter continues to build up Cubbington as this dangerous place, but it does feel a bit heavy handed and it's odd that some people can't stand to hear the name, while others are shouting about it at the top of their lungs. There's also a bit of odd wording like: "He had some sort of muscular body..."
It's not technically wrong, it's just sort of out of place and made me pause for a bit. Also, the main character is eight and greeted the barman rudely, I'm not sure the barman would politely introduce himself and call him sir.
Overall, it's an interesting story, definitely curious to see what's up with the village since it's seemingly normal, even pleasant. It was nice how the second chapter ends with a very normal looking man giving a normal response. Really underlines just how dark things can hide beneath very inconspicuous circumstances.
Like I said, interesting story that just need some fine tuning. Would definitely at least give a once over to fix up missing words, typos and smooth things out.
I went through editing everything except the first two chapters honestly, I'll swing through and fix them up, it took hours to fix everything it slipped my mind TwT.
Your feedback is extremely helpful, thank you so much! This universe is my baby, also cerebral disturbance is a headache. I'll probably have a glossary or something
Okay, so I liked your opening chapter! Not a lot happens, and it's short, but those are actually good things because what does happen is interesting and unusual enough to hold the chapter up and it's short enough that mobile readers would stick through to the end. Your dialogue punctuation is a bit inconsistent in that sometimes it's perfect and other times things that shouldn't be capitalized are, so just give that another look over. Also, on that note, when the crows are arguing you say they're "bricking" with each other, but I think you meant "bickering" so just wanted to point that out.
One of the things that stuck out to me was the voice the story is told in. We have a young narrator living in modern times, but the way things are worded sometimes feels a bit overly verbose and more like something you'd expect from a more detached narrator in a 3rd person limited or omniscient POV.
The writing itself is good and you've struck a pretty good rhythm, but there are a couple spots where I had to pause and read over a sentence. When the MC is thinking about Mrs. Kelley, for example:
Mrs. Kelley always said I was a little off, but if I was being honest here--even if I was vividly seeing and hearing things again--it was her forcing us kids to call her mother when she was only fostering us for the money she received from the state.
That sentence feels incomplete. We get told a motive, but not what it's supposed to explain. So we learn about Mrs. Kelley and what she was like, but how does that connect with what's going on in the story?
The other spot comes near the end:
So, this wasn't new, but as of now: I had more pressing matters to worry about like--where will I be eating next month, or eating dinner for tonight?
This sentence just feels awkward and overly-complicated. One of the ways you can streamline it so that it flows better:
So, this wasn't new, but I had more pressing matters to worry about--like where I'd be eating next month or whether I'd be eating tonight.
Also, before I forget, the opening sentence kind of threw me off because of the way it ended and the line that followed it. I thought for a minute the story would be in present tense but then we switched tense and stayed there.
Second chapter, not much happens, but the tone of it feels better and more consistent. I do feel like it could be combined with another chapter just to make it feel less fragmented. Another thing is the last line in the opening paragraph. I'm not sure why it's italicized, if it's for emphasis or it's because it's something the narrator is thinking. If it's the latter it's not necessary given that we're already in the character's thoughts as it's a 1st person POV.
In general, it's an interesting start! The writing's pretty good and it's definitely intriguing. I will say, the first chapter did a good job at hinting at things and setting things up, but the second didn't really go anywhere. So, heading into the third chapter I wouldn't really be sure what to expect or look forward to. While the first chapter has some intrigue with the mention of whoever the crows serve, the second feels stagnant. Yes, the crows are still there, and we have a new character mentioned, but we're not told anything else, so the main question going forward after that is who Lucien is, and the intrigue built up in the first chapter is pushed back sort of taking away from the work already done to draw readers in.
To me, it feels like the story slows down a bit in the second chapter--which feels more like an unrelated interlude--because the main point of interest, which is who Kaschel is, was kinda pushed back. We're establishing Adeline's world and circumstances, but in doing so we've paused the forward momentum heading to the twist that leads us further into the story. It's probably because of how the chapters are split that it feels this way too, making things feel fragmented. Right now I know from the summary and the first chapter that there's a more fantastical twist coming up, and that feels like an important part of the story, but it's not present in chapter two and that takes the bite out of it when it does arrive.
So yeah, good start, but it might need a bit of shifting things around if you want to keep readers interested.
Thank you so much for the honest feedback. I definitely felt the same way. I will have to rework the beginning. I've been told in writing I need to pace it better and not go so fast with everything, so maybe I started out too slow this time. Thank you again! It really helps, especially pointing out the awkward sentences and punctuation.
No problem, like I said, it's a good read! And yeah, covers are tough to figure out sometimes, but I think that could really help you out. The art you have is very nice, btw.
@ThePassionOfAchilles Editing sucks, tbh. I'm just finishing up line edits to my third re-write, so I feel your pain on that, lol. I think you just have to pace yourself with the information being introduced and keep readers in mind to make your story truly engaging to newcomers. It can be rough when you're passionate about something, but figuring out how to tell a story is almost as important as the story itself.
@BelleBriar I'm not sure if it's a pacing issue, since I only read two chapters, or if it's a structuring issue. I've had to deal with both before, lol. If the information in the first chapters is essential to the understanding of the story, that's one thing, but if a lot of it can be cut or shifted to be shown at a later time, that would be better. Just try to start as close to the start of the actual story as possible. Maybe look into writing structures like the three act one mostly used in scripts or save the cat. It actually helps a lot with streamlining stories just to know where you're headed and what beats you need to hit along the way.
Hello! Sorry this took a while, but I enjoyed your work! The way the characters were introduced was very well done and you really have a way of building them up in a natural way with little mannerisms and details that makes them feel more authentic. You've honestly done such a nice job at weaving in all these details that very organically presents a lot of information, it's very nice to see.
I will say, the transition from Besh's POV to King David's was a bit sudden. There's a couple ways to go about this, either make a clearer transition, place a divider to indicate a change in setting, or cut the chapter there and start chapter two from the king's POV. The latter could work considering shorter chapters sometimes help keep readers' attention and you have enough intrigue in the first half of chapter on to want people invested in the story to want to read on for some answers.
Small thing to point out, but at the part where the king is thinking back about his family troubles you have a couple sentences in close proximity ending with "he thought" and it does feel a bit repetitive. It does feel like the king is simply listing the excuses he gave as he reflects on the situation, but because of the short sentences it gives off a jerky sort of feel to that paragraph.
Again, the change in POV is a bit sudden, so I would definitely recommend a divider be placed there. One last thing to point out before heading to chapter two is that sometimes there is also a lot of repetition with the start of sentences. The final paragraph does this while describing Besh's actions and feelings and, again, it reads almost like a list. The final line is good, but there's something missing there, something to hook readers. Chapter endings are tough and I think you did well.
Second chapter also has the issue of abrupt switches from one POV to another. A couple parts are a bit oddly worded, e.g.:
The King called his name several times, hugging him, it seemed, tighter on each occasion.
It's not technically wrong, it's just that the sentence feels fragmented and breaks the flow of the story. The part where David is telling Besh about his search for Albert and the other troubles he's dealing with also feels a bit jerky because of the very brief sentences that make up the dialogue.
So yeah, very well written with interesting characters, though I worry the pacing might be a bit too slow. The main plot point is the search for Albert, but we spend two fairly long chapters building up the characters. On the one hand, I understand the need for that. On the other, I know the faster pace readers prefer, especially on sites like Tapas. If you could cut down a bit of what's there, I think it would help the pacing quite a bit. But yeah, good start to an interesting premise and I really enjoy the variety of characters you've introduced.
Okay, so it's pretty solid in terms of technical aspects like grammar, and your dialogue punctuation is good. There's not much I can say because of two reasons, the first being that I'm not at all familiar with Spiral Knights. That would be an issue if I were looking to read this story because it feels like, without established knowledge of the game it is harder to follow along with the story.
There's very little in the way of description, both when it comes to characters and settings. There's a lot of information being told, but it goes over my head because nothing is presented in a way that would work for newcomers to the game. Also missing is a strong voice. It definitely reads like you're retelling events from a game instead of telling a story because there's a lack of emotion in the narration.
So, yeah, it's fairly well-written, but lacks voice and a significant amount of details. It feels like you could expand on these characters and paint a clearer picture of them and their world with some work and by relying less on reader's familiarity with the source material.
Gonna eventually get through the rest of the stories here and then I'll be back at some point to take on more request. Please don't leave any more story links because I could come back to this next week or like, next month, lol.
Hello, sorry it took me a while to get to yours! On to the feedback!
Okay, so we start up learning a lot about Ji-Won, which is good and not so good. We're told about her aspirations, her goals, her family/parents, and why she'd so secretive about what she wants in life. But we get all this in two paragraphs! We don't know yet who Ji-Won is as a person, so it's hard to relate to her enough to care about what she wants. It's also a bit odd to have their names repeated during conversation when we've already been introduced, just because people don't talk like that.
The next bit is a nice way to talk about Ji-Won's dreams a little more naturally, but it also makes the bit of exposition we get at the start unnecessary and the constant repetition of her wish to be a boxer like her father feels redundant.
In general, the first chapter is solidly written in technical terms, but by the end of it there's nothing to really make readers excited. There's no twist, no suspense, or a promise of things to come so the only thing we have is Ji-Won's desires, but because we don't know Ji-Won yet, that might not be enough.
There's a lot of repetition in the second chapter as well. We're told multiple times that Ji-Won is passionate about boxing and she's a graceful boxer. I definitely see the influence from K-dramas, particularly when we get flashbacks, but I'm not sure that works as well in the story because we're not being shown what happens in these flashbacks in detail, so it feels like we're just being told things yet again. There's a lot of telling going on--we're told what the characters want, who they are as people as soon as we meet them, their past, etc.--but we're not shown who they are through the things they do and say. Because we're not getting to know the characters in a more organic way, the emotional impact of scenes like Ji-Won entering the boxing club for the first time and fighting her way into being accepted falls flat.
The ending scene with Seung-Ho and Min-Joon does this again, with telling us about their relationship instead of building it up and showing who they are as characters through their interactions. We also meet the male lead, but it's a not so dynamic meeting because nothing really happens, and the female lead is nowhere to be seen. It feels like the story should have started at a later point or cut down on unnecessary exposition to get to more efficiently introduce the characters and reach the first meeting between the female and male leads by the end of the first chapter. Or, at least, get to a more suspenseful point by the end of chapter one.
So yeah, I think it's well written, it flows well, and there's definitely potential to have an interesting story given Ji-Won's aspirations being unique. She could be a very interesting character, because the bits we see of who she is when we're being shown that are nice! She's strong, she's smart, she's independent, but you need to show us that to make her really shine!
Okay, so this took way too long but I was busy. Sorry for the wait!
So, the start is interesting, it's nice that we begin the story with action, great way to get readers' attention. Also, dunno if you've watched the show but the drug reminds me of the redeye drug in Cowboy Bebop. Just a random thought I had, lol.
Anyway, like I said, interesting start, but even though there's a lot of action going on it's told in a very passive way that sort of takes the bite out of the scene. It's like in this sentence:
Before he could finish his sentence, something came down from the sky and grabbed one of them and pulled him up.
The wording is very vague, so it's hard to picture it, and the wording slows the pace of the actions that should feel more jarring and immediate. Here's a rewrite that cuts down on the wording to get to the action and make it move along at a quicker pace:
He was cut off as something shot down from the sky, grabbing and pulling him up.
The other thing is the conversation they guys are having is a bit confusing, but that's also because, by this point, it's very hard to get a feel of the scene. It's unclear who these people are, what they look like, where this is all taking place or who I should be following. Taking a moment to set the stage would help a lot in creating a clearer mental image. Back to the dialogue, bits of it don't really make sense in the context given, and other bits sound unnatural, like when the one guy is straight up giving background information while another person is floating right in front of them.
There's also some inconsistency in tense usage, some repetitive wording like "light of lightning" and the usual typos, so definitely give it a once over. Oh, and also maybe fix up the spacing to be more consistent. I also found some bits that were very unclear in their wording like:
The ground of that alley began to appear blood stains with rainwater.
The first scene is really interesting. Like I said, great way to grab people's attention, but there's definitely some smoothing out that needs to be done.
Overall, it's an interesting concept, but the writing feels very stiff and there's a lot of odd wording and lack of clarity when it comes to who's speaking or where something is taking place.
Hi, so this took forever and I'm sorry for that! :'D
Also, I don't know a lot about poetry because I don't write it, so yeah. Can't really say much as far as feedback goes other than that it was good and an interesting way to tell a story. I think you did a really good job at painting a picture of grief through some very lovely imagery.
This is mine. I guess if you could focus on tone/voice/characterization? (how well you feel like the story engages you, and how well you can feel the emotions from the characters/tell how they're feeling based on what is said and implied, idk which this falls under or if it's a bit of them all) I would appreciate that. This is my first novel, so I'm really looking for as many opinions as possible so I can improve as a writer. I worry a bit about flow, but mostly, I want people to be able to feel what the characters are feeling, so that's what I'm working really hard for.
Here's mine (Hope I'm not too late).
The first episode is just a prologue, serving as a hook. The story begins in episode 2.
Hello! So I did my initial read through of chapter one and it was a nice way to set the scene and introduce the characters. I like that we don't go too in depth as to who they are, instead slowly getting some details through their conversation. It's a nice way to have readers want to keep going, if only to learn a bit more of what's going on and who these people are. The ending was a great cliffhanger to leave things at, and I'm glad that you cut back on some of the more elaborate descriptions at the end if only to better show the rapid pace at which things happened.
There's little issues with grammar/punctuation I noticed, so I'd take another look at that, particularly as far as dialogue goes with things being capitalized or not capitalized when they should/shouldn't be. There's a couple other things that shouldn't be capitalized, like champagne and the word darkness in the fourth paragraph. I'd also look over the use of the em dash (—) vs the en dash(-) but I think you can't even type the em dash on Tapas. Last bit as far as grammar goes is the artists' names used which should be Van Gogh and Da Vinci.
So, the writing itself is pretty good, just some spots read a bit oddly because of the odd--almost poetic--structure of it. I understand what you're going for, but it doesn't always work. The biggest thing I would suggest though, is cutting back on some of the more elaborate descriptions. They can be great at times as a way to set the scene, but when there's too many it weighs down the story and sort of slows the pace. The first paragraph, for example, is heavy with the mood you're building, but there's so much buffer around the point you're trying to make that it can get lost at times.
Also, I found this line funny:
We emerge from the parking garage like some species of metallic groundhog.
I dunno, maybe I'm just weird but it kinda took me out of the mood because the picture it painted was jarring in the context of the style/mood you were setting up. Full disclosure though, I do watch a lot of videos of groundhogs and marmots, so I had that on my mind too.
One last thing about formatting, is the spacing is a bit odd, which I know can be the site's fault so just check that out if you can. And now on to chapter two!
Okay, so the part where she's in the hospital and under sedation is interesting because I see what you're going for. There's this sort of chaotic, flowy mess of thoughts that represents the chaotic, flowy mess that are the MC's thoughts. I'd give that large paragraph a once over because there's some mistakes/typos there and I do find some of the wording/structure affects the flow. Maybe cut it into two paragraphs as well, because it does get a bit big and I'm reading on a desktop.
Small thing to point out but in the part about Kattar's mother praying it should be incantation. The part about her words being a trilingual sob was nice though!
The little break we get after the initial hospital scene is odd. I'm sure it's there for a reason, but at the moment it just slows the pace and the tension built sort of fizzles out when we read about what I think is a dream sequence.
In terms of punctuation, it's a bit of the same as the last chapter, so just take a look at that, particularly as far as em dash usage and dialogue punctuation goes. Your narrator/MC has a strong voice, but it's also a bit odd and I couldn't really put my finger on why until the end of the second chapter when she wakes up in the hospital bed.
So, it's a first person POV which means we should get a lot of what the narrator is feeling, but most of the time we're reading about what she's seeing and physically feeling. We don't go too in depth as far as her thoughts go, but when we do it's a lot about what she notices or what something reminds her of instead of what she feels and thinks about the things happening to her. In a way, she's a bit of a passive character, but I did like the mention of the guilt she already feels in regards to the accident.
Final thoughts are that it's good! You've set up some interesting conflict to be developed in the story. To me, and this is entirely a taste issue, the poetic sort of style does feel like a bit much in some parts. The pace and flow feel bogged down by these descriptions that sometimes feel out of place. It's a first person POV, so the voice should feel like the thought process of a character, but it feels very much like written prose instead. I think some of your descriptions are nice, but I'd just be wary on how they affect the tone, pacing and flow of the story.
Anyway, hope this helps, and I do think it's an interesting read with a lot of potential!
