%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 Review #4839101 |
 | Ghost Manifestations  [E] Things to learn if you are going to do Ghost Hunting.  |
| (5.0)| Good morning, Paranologist , and welcome to WdC. A few words about myself before I get started: You joined yesterday, my birthday, so, psychic connection? Up to you. I am old (70+) which, if you like, you can say translates to experience. I wrote from the age of ten through about seventy. For reasons I don't completely understand myself, I no longer do so, but I love to read, and that is what brings us together today. I selected your story from the Read a Newbie list in the sidebar because "Things to learn if you're going to go ghost hunting" was a subtitle I couldn't leave alone. If there are things you don't agree with, understand that I am no Professor of English; I can barely tell a conjunction from a preposition, and remain uncertain to this day where all the commas belong. But don't worry; to paraphrase a famous quote, I come to praise the writer, not to bury him! So, let's get started, okay?WARNING THIRD-PARTY READERS: SPOILERS AHEAD FIRST IMPRESSION: As the philosophers say, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. This article left me vacillating about how much credibility to invest. Not quite a story, not quite a documentary; let's call it an instruction manual of sorts. You suggest in your bio that you believe in this stuff. I have to be honest right up front and say that I don't, but I'm not here to belittle your beliefs. I write about goblins and ghoulies on a regular basis, so who am I to say? I'm here to critique your writing, and it's a good article. It has value to anyone who wants to actually explore the abandoned house at the end of their street, and also to writers, being a collection of the sort of ghosts that are generally accepted as "real," even if it is with a wink and a nudge. It's a good piece of work, and fits in beautifully on a writing site. CHARACTERS: I usually review fiction and this section is of great value to those endeavors. Obviously, it has no function here, and is being skipped. IMMERSION BREAKS: When you write a story, you are weaving a magic spell around your reader. He wants you to succeed; he wants to lose himself in your constructed world. Some things, whether grammar, spelling, or word usage, yank him out of the narrative, and should be ruthlessly eliminated. The only thing I could point out are a couple of spots where I disagree with your comma placement, but they don't harm the article, and I'm not here to nitpick. This is clear and coherent, easy to follow, and anyone looking for this sort of information, whatever their purpose, will find it quite useful. It seems that you've met the requirements of non-fiction, ticking every box. THE BOTTOM LINE:  My personal beliefs aside, you've done a fine job presenting your subject matter, and I have nothing negative to say. It's possible, in fact, that I could refer to this in the future when I'm putting together a ghost story. It's solid work and I have no basis to say otherwise.* * * So, why does a non-writer maintain an account on Writing-dot-com? Because for sixty years I was a writer. Some of my work is published, much of it isn't, but I wished to collect it all in one place for anyone to read, and this site seemed the best fit. I invite you to take a look into my port and read anything that catches your eye, but I want to make one thing perfectly clear: This is not a request for a reciprocal review! It's simply that I enjoy being read as much as the next writer, and if nobody knows it's there, nobody's likely to read it. Consider this advertising... In any case, I enjoyed your story and thank you for sharing. I wish you the greatest of success on your writing journey, whatever you consider that to be. Just remember, it isn't all about the goal; the things you experience getting there can be as enjoyable as actually reaching it! And visit our forum if you want to meet some of the excellent writers who hang out there. We'd love to have you!
Stay inspired, ~ Jack  ![Merit Badge in Wings of the Angel Army
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Congratulations on being chosen as Angel of the Month for September 2025 by members of [Link To Item #army] ! Keep spreading your wings all over Writing.com! *^*Bigsmile*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Wings_of_the_Angel_Army-1188309_9.gif)  My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .
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You responded to this review 10/08/2025 @ 1:41pm EDT