Character Development
My Own Worst Critic
The critiquing of myself has been the most challenging part of my writing. I always have more difficulty with the quality and flow of the work. I enjoy fiction best since I can use my imagination, not real things. There are writing challenges that reflect my personal experiences. I struggle to explain my feelings but try not to sound too frustrated. My life is boring, and I have been a failure in most of it. I do try, of course, to improve, but still, openings are more difficult to find. The positivity of everyday life was never my strong suit. So, I entered the challenge with several stories about my mother, father, great-aunt, grandparents, and great-grandfather. My stories always seemed flat, and I hated talking about my life because it often felt like a series of failures and disappointments. For this critique, I wanted something I wrote that could never sound right. It is a section of my story named Switching Schools. This was about a time that was rather difficult but never came out in the emotion that I did not want. It was not my most outstanding work, but I put it out there to only be read by so little. I do not mind that no one reads it, though. Here is the section of that work.
By Sarah Danaher10 months ago in Critique
The Flirtation of Eve. Runner-Up in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge.
Writing about a crochet hook led me to the original sin. When my brother asked me to write a magical realism story starting with a single object, I picked the tool currently in my obsessive everyday use: a crochet hook.
By Ariana GonBon10 months ago in Critique
Newtopia Review: A Breath of Fresh Air in Zombie Genre
So look, first of all, I want to feed one thing in your mind related to this K-drama, this is not a masterpiece K-drama, if you are going to start it with the expectation that you are going to watch a masterpiece series, then don't do that, you may or may not get anything but you will get disappointment.
By Ayush Verma10 months ago in Critique
Berlin Season 2 Release Timeline: Everything We Know So Far
Welcome back, guys; it has become difficult for me to create content these days. One reason is that I have started consuming very little content these days. Even if I watch something, I don't feel like writing about it. I have also launched my own YouTube Channel, BhaagoBossAya. Make sure you subscribe.
By Ayush Verma10 months ago in Critique
How Lying Got Me Into Columbia University. First Place in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge.
The following essay explores my self-editing process for the personal statement that got me into Columbia University. But getting in wasn’t the hardest part—telling the truth was.
By Hannah Hess10 months ago in Critique
The Monster. Content Warning.
The monster in my room. Have you ever woken up to find a monster in your room? I did, when I was four years old. It wasn’t your typical monster, it didn’t look like a monster but it was. It had taken over someone else. I was told by my parents to sleep in the same bed as the monster. This same monster had attacked several people. That’s what it did, it would attack one person and then that person would become the monster. Then that monster would attack someone else and then they would become the monster. Then when I was four the monster had attacked my sister and she became the monster. Then the monster attacked me. But for some reason no matter how hard the monster tried, I wouldn’t let it take over me. I would have dreams about myself becoming the monster and wake up terrified and shaking. But I didn’t want to be a monster, so I didn’t become one. And that’s when I realized that no matter what happened to the people before me, they weren’t forced to become the monster, they chose to. They were introduced to the monster and then they had to make a choice. Become the monster or defeat it, stop it from destroying everyone. The monster attacked me and it was bad but to me becoming the monster was so much worse because I would rather be hurt than hurt someone else. And that’s all it took, the way to defeat the monster was so simple and yet it had taken years for someone to stop it. All along all anyone had to do was stop being the same monster that had attacked them.
By Raine Fielder10 months ago in Critique
Self-Editing Epiphany: A Creative Odyssey
Writing is a tightrope stretched over a chasm of doubt—every word a step, every edit a glance backward to see if you’ve fallen. It’s a solitary act of courage, where the writer spills their soul onto the page, then turns a ruthless eye on the mess they’ve made.
By Ramesh Mahato 10 months ago in Critique
The Truth Paradox: Writing Between Lies and Liberation.
All human suffering is the result of believing in lies. To become aware of this is the first thing we must do. Why? Because this awareness will guide us to truth, and the truth will lead us to love, to happiness. The truth will set us free from all the lies we believe in. Excerpt from "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz
By Cathy (Christine Acheini) Ben-Ameh.10 months ago in Critique
Dissecting Frog Songs. Runner-Up in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge.
For the Self-Editing Epiphany challenge, I’ve decided to revisit my “Frog Songs” story. It’s a story which taught me the importance of reading aloud as I write, because reading aloud helps me hear the focal point of the story. When I first read “Frog Songs,” at my local library's open mic night, it made me realize how dreadfully boring it was because it lacked a clear focal point.
By Judah LoVato10 months ago in Critique
A Moment On My Soapbox. Runner-Up in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge.
Pulls out soapbox. History never repeats itself, but it loves playing a good cover. When we cease to understand, and only imitate, we doom ourselves and others into repeating the same chords, the same notes, eventually writing off a cover as a different song entirely.
By Matthew J. Fromm10 months ago in Critique
What goes through the mind of an empty envelope?
Humans! Aah, the notorious ones gospelled with the prowess of pouring their hearts onto the folds of power, of unleashing the confinement of unsaid pain through the enigmatic flair of woven syllables through the crevices of their glistening minds.
By Hridya Sharma10 months ago in Critique
