Okay... So Maybe Not a TOTAL Bust
After last week's rather knee-jerk reaction to the news that I would not be advancing to the next round, I had some time to get over the disappointment... And got feedback from the judge of my section about what I did well and what I could improve on. I am happy to report that overall, the judge enjoyed the story and thought I did a good job painting a creepy and mysterious backdrop (for those of you that don't know, I wrote about a boy and his family walking home from the New Year's Eve Fireworks in the town square. On their walk home, they pass by the burned out ruins of an old prison, and stop to recount its history and ultimate destruction by fire...).
I also got bonus points for my use of mixing dream with reality while having "the ghost" just use phrases the boy's father had used in describing the fire at the prison earlier in the evening. Add to that some rather unexpected twists and turns, and the judge was a fan of the overall story. So YAY!! for that. In case you couldn't tell after my initial reaction, I was afraid that they had hated it outright, but now that I've gotten the feedback back, I feel a lot better. There were some definite places for improvement, but they weren't huge or insurmountable by any stretch of the imagination. Some of the comments actually addressed things I had struggled with a great deal in the past regarding how best to handle this situation or that one, etc. So, I am really glad to receive some of those points that will help me feel more comfortable in my writing moving forward. I'm also glad to get the critiques specific to this story so that I can see what I could have done better to make it a solid story. I think it is within reach, which is a great feeling!
Oh! One other thing that made me feel good about this review was the fact that some of the things that I know I don't tend to do that I am supposed to (i.e. trying to address all of the reader's senses through the story) were well received. That was a huge plus! It was great to see that I got the feelings through to the reader, and did it moderately well without it being something I feel that I do all that well. So, I think that bodes well for future efforts, right?
Here's hoping I learn and grow from this, and take full advantage of the feedback I was given. Here's hoping, too, that next time around I do better and not only make it to the next round, but make it to the finals!
I also got bonus points for my use of mixing dream with reality while having "the ghost" just use phrases the boy's father had used in describing the fire at the prison earlier in the evening. Add to that some rather unexpected twists and turns, and the judge was a fan of the overall story. So YAY!! for that. In case you couldn't tell after my initial reaction, I was afraid that they had hated it outright, but now that I've gotten the feedback back, I feel a lot better. There were some definite places for improvement, but they weren't huge or insurmountable by any stretch of the imagination. Some of the comments actually addressed things I had struggled with a great deal in the past regarding how best to handle this situation or that one, etc. So, I am really glad to receive some of those points that will help me feel more comfortable in my writing moving forward. I'm also glad to get the critiques specific to this story so that I can see what I could have done better to make it a solid story. I think it is within reach, which is a great feeling!
Oh! One other thing that made me feel good about this review was the fact that some of the things that I know I don't tend to do that I am supposed to (i.e. trying to address all of the reader's senses through the story) were well received. That was a huge plus! It was great to see that I got the feelings through to the reader, and did it moderately well without it being something I feel that I do all that well. So, I think that bodes well for future efforts, right?
Here's hoping I learn and grow from this, and take full advantage of the feedback I was given. Here's hoping, too, that next time around I do better and not only make it to the next round, but make it to the finals!
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