Hello cloud9,
I would like to comment on your story 'Michi'. I would like you to know that you don't have to agree with what I say. My comments reflect my views and are aimed at making a good piece even better.
Overall impression: A very good story where the reader doesn't get tired from the beginning for there is enough to be intrigued about the male character. Your sentences flow freely and there are just a few sentences that sound forced or overdone.
Plot and characters[: The plot is simple and yet the characters' past histories are revealed. I believe that mentioning Rosanna both in the male character's thoughts and when he tells Michi is like repeating yourself. I mean, you can mention in Hiroshimas's thoughts that he is afraid of women who have small hips, but leave a bit of suspense for the reader and tell them the reason when Hiroshima tells Michi.
The character's background is well drawn. That both characters come from totally different social and cultural backgrounds (traditional Japanese and modern 'American-Japanese') is very interesting.
Errors and suggestions: I believe that with a bit of polishing, your story could become really good. Be attentive to your punctuation. Sometimes, you don't use a comma where one is required for better understanding. It happened that I had to re-read sentences to understand their meaning correctly. "She was enjoying the feelings that his warmth brought over her so much that even though the idea sounded awful she said okay, just so she wouldn't have to leave his embrace." This sentence would be much better if you put a comma after "that" and "awful".
There are errors with your punctuation. ""What's wrong?" He questioned." After the following punctuation marks (", ! ?") that are at the end of direct speech should you begin a sentence with a capital letter. ""What's wrong?" he questioned" is correct. Only after a "." should you use the capital letter to begin a new sentence. Here is another example where a comma is needed: "Startled she jerked around.". "She jerked around" is not part of the same sentence as "Startled", so you need a comma between both. "Startled, she jerked around."
Punctuation within the direct speech is very important too. ""No." She answered softly." is incorrect. Well, sort of. You can write it like you did, but then the sentence isn't flowing. Try something like: ""No," she answered softly." The "." is still in your sentence, but only at the end of the narrative bit and not within the direct speech.
Also, there is an inconsisteny in your writing. Sometimes, in the narration, you use contractions when at other times you don't use any. That looked weird to me. In the direct speech, using contractions is always best, unless you write a story that is set a long time ago, which is not the case for your story.
You should also pay attention when using ther gerund. "After she finished she rearranged the various dishes and waited some more." Here, I would advise the use of a gerund at the beginning, or the sentence seems stilted. "After finishing, she rearranged..."
I noticed that you used a lot of adverbs. Adverbs are quite helpful and I have to say the English language makes frequent use of them, but in a story, I would not advise their use. They tell and don't show. I would like to illustrate that, because I myself found it difficult to grasp the concenpt of not telling, but showing. Take the following example: "He sat down quickly." We know that the character sits down quickly, but it doesn't tell us how. Did he slmup? Did he drop himself in the couch? So instead of saying "He sat down quickly", it's better to say: "He slumped into the chair." That gives us an idea of how he sits down. Though sometimes you need adverbs, don't overuse them. Try to find a substitute for them, either a whole sentence, or another verb/ a synonym.
What I liked best: The first part, when Michi arrives at his place is the best. You introduce the whole atmosphere, the totally different characters and there is something restrained and yet beautiful about it. I felt sad for Michi.
I hope this comment was helpful. I you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Keep up the good work!!
Jéssica |
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