Yuin
I’m out
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2024
- Messages
- 118
- Points
- 58
Hi! I just read your novel and here are my thoughts:Hello ! I hope you're well, I would like to have some feedback on my work, on the language too because I am practicing my English at the same time. It is a mix of SF and Fantasy with a lot of mysteries.
Here !
- The story is well established by its own terms and world-building. I enjoy the deities’ conversation and their distinctive personalities. The same goes for all the other characters. They all have their unique traits and charm!
- The synopsis is poetic, with concepts of nihility and love, which is similar to my story’s concept, but this is your own take on it!
- The storytelling is very straightforward, not convoluted with descriptions. The shift in perspective and setting was clear, and I could follow the narrative.
- Good attempt at writing a cliffhanger in Chapter 1 to kick off the action.
- I read your comment, and I also agree that Chapter 1 is a bit long. There’s no relation between Senna’s introduction and Zerhal, and it ends up interrupting Ayëron‘s story. Perhaps move Zerhal’s perspective after Delta, since I assume they can be grouped as something relating to deities and emotions, while Senna can be introduced as a connection to Ayëron. This would make the flow of events more logical.
- For chapter 2, Where should I start? I didn’t expect Abigail to be out of the story so fast. The way you described her emotional thoughts and recollections is okay, but it could be improved. Since the story is already established in third person, I don’t understand why you switched to first person. While it does make things more personal, I feel like her death was just glossed over. It felt like a short emotional conflict, and then I was told she’s dead. Umm… okay. I’ll just wait to see if she comes back later in the story, I guess.
- Also… why is most of the cast disabled? Is the gene pool okay in that country or nah
Language:
- Sentence structure is decent, with minor grammar issues such as tense switching and punctuation. There’s a wide range of vocabulary, so it wasn’t repetitive, I even learned some new words!
- The tense switches are bold. While some can be overlooked, the dining scene switches to past tense in the middle of present tense paragraphs, which is confusing.
- For example: [He stops putting pressure on his eldest son’s shoulders to come and stand just behind his youngest son, making the same gesture to come and put his hold on Abel’s shoulders.] Then, [As astonishment washed over the facial expressions of everyone at the table, the Varrhs’ father slowly returned to his seat beside his wife to develop his idea.]
- These shifts happen in the same scene. Since you’re writing mostly in present tense, just stick to it for consistency.
- There are many other instances of this in Chapters 1 and 2, so I’d recommend reviewing them to ensure present tense is used for current events, while past tense is used for background information.
- [You’d think it was a machine, since its body seems to be made partly of pipes.] Change “was” to “is”.
- Some inverted commas are missing between dialogues and narration. Without proper punctuation, readers may think the whole paragraph is a speech rather than a mix of dialogue and narration.
- Suggested corrections: [“…died in battle today.” The man…], [“…paying the price.” The King…], […before continuing. “My friends…”]
- The unconventional way of writing dialogue is a bit unclear. It’s hard to tell who is speaking and when the dialogue ends. It also disrupts the flow, as it goes from narrative to script-like formatting (with starting inverted commas but no closing ones), and then dashes continuing the same dialogue.
- [Worse still. Delta speaks.] Replace the full stop with a dash.
- [Ayëron hates her. Black anger clouds his eyes when he hears the word ‘Delta’. A hatred so strong that the pain he suffered is nothing more than fuel for his growing resentment. A hatred so strong that the suffering he was the victim of is now nothing more than fuel for his growing resentment.]
- This part is repetitive. Instead of directly stating that he hates her, describe the black cloud and how he’s enslaved by resentment and hatred. That will convey the emotion more subtly and powerfully.
- Overall good work, great potential and please continue to write!
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