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The Amethyst Library
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Alright, Jo, I'll do that. I'll try and take another look at your story tonight. Preliminarily, you've probably got even odds to advance.
Aeraie, it's possible, but highly unlikely. You can't really get a prestigious rank without having a developed story with a mature plot and a certain depth of characterization, both of which are very hard to demonstrate in a short story. Feel free to try, though. I myself received Maestro based on the strength of a short story, so anything, as they say, is possible.
Beep, well called.
Twisted, your application is, unfortunately, incomplete. I'd suggest re-reading the first page. Incidentally, though, I certainly appreciate that you wish to get more involved in the community of the Stories Forum. I'd also suggest posting on the Story Discussion sticky if you're interested in finding new readers or talking with other authors.
EDIT: Alright, here we go, Admirable.
I do have a soft-spot for apocalyptic stories (see about half my stories here), and your history detailing the coming of the apocalypse is well-written and interesting. However, your story itself is written somewhat clumsily, with endemic spelling errors (serrated and valuable were repeatedly misspelled, for example).
A couple more specific issues: "(Censor) you..". While there's nothing wrong, per se, with that, it's just something that I personally dislike. Circumventing the censor thus also has the effect of ruining the effect of the actual word you're trying to use.
Also, "ROOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR!!!!". For one, multiple exclamation marks look unprofessional and juvenile, and writing a word out like that seems somewhat cartoony. More creative imagery and description can be used to much better effect in situations like this.
Once again, unfortunately, I'm afraid that your rank is going to remain stagnant. To advance, your grammar simply has to be better. Your perseverance, however, is admirable.
Aeraie, it's possible, but highly unlikely. You can't really get a prestigious rank without having a developed story with a mature plot and a certain depth of characterization, both of which are very hard to demonstrate in a short story. Feel free to try, though. I myself received Maestro based on the strength of a short story, so anything, as they say, is possible.
Beep, well called.
Twisted, your application is, unfortunately, incomplete. I'd suggest re-reading the first page. Incidentally, though, I certainly appreciate that you wish to get more involved in the community of the Stories Forum. I'd also suggest posting on the Story Discussion sticky if you're interested in finding new readers or talking with other authors.
EDIT: Alright, here we go, Admirable.
I do have a soft-spot for apocalyptic stories (see about half my stories here), and your history detailing the coming of the apocalypse is well-written and interesting. However, your story itself is written somewhat clumsily, with endemic spelling errors (serrated and valuable were repeatedly misspelled, for example).
A couple more specific issues: "(Censor) you..". While there's nothing wrong, per se, with that, it's just something that I personally dislike. Circumventing the censor thus also has the effect of ruining the effect of the actual word you're trying to use.
Also, "ROOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR!!!!". For one, multiple exclamation marks look unprofessional and juvenile, and writing a word out like that seems somewhat cartoony. More creative imagery and description can be used to much better effect in situations like this.
Once again, unfortunately, I'm afraid that your rank is going to remain stagnant. To advance, your grammar simply has to be better. Your perseverance, however, is admirable.
17-Aug-2011 09:34:40 - Last edited on 17-Aug-2011 10:20:51 by Poller5
You're very welcome, Admirable. I certainly try to do my best.
For the censor issue, the best thing is probably to use something allowable here (based on "damn" or "hell"
and let the context do the talking for you. Words like that can still have impact when used right, and in the absence of more "powerful" swears they still have a certain gravitas. This is a pretty personal issue, though: I almost never use swear words in my serious writing, despite using them all the time in casual conversation and writing intended to be humorous. Others might not have any issue with how you framed that.
Even though it's from the point of view of an "unintelligent" character, your narration always has to be smooth and intelligent. Anyone telling a story has to have certain knack for it, right? Your clumsiness was worst during battle scenes, which are admittedly very difficult. There's a lot of description necessary, and it all has to be smooth and flow well. Practice really is the only way to improve, though, so keep at it.
For the censor issue, the best thing is probably to use something allowable here (based on "damn" or "hell"
and let the context do the talking for you. Words like that can still have impact when used right, and in the absence of more "powerful" swears they still have a certain gravitas. This is a pretty personal issue, though: I almost never use swear words in my serious writing, despite using them all the time in casual conversation and writing intended to be humorous. Others might not have any issue with how you framed that.
Even though it's from the point of view of an "unintelligent" character, your narration always has to be smooth and intelligent. Anyone telling a story has to have certain knack for it, right? Your clumsiness was worst during battle scenes, which are admittedly very difficult. There's a lot of description necessary, and it all has to be smooth and flow well. Practice really is the only way to improve, though, so keep at it.
17-Aug-2011 23:40:33
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