Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[emilo]

Name of story: The Long Road Home by Mare

1) Are you finding it easy to follow plot wise? Yes

2) So far who is your favorite character and why? Hmm... Maybe Howie?  He's pretty introspective, but still fun-loving in this story.  He's such a lovable guy-- cares about everyone so much, but he still gets angry in the story, and I like that.  Makes him seem more real.

3) Are you getting a sense of how it will end and if so, any guesses? (Sometimes authors get a kick out of seeing what a reader thinks will happen and how predictable they may or may not be)  Well, yes.  I'd guess this is going to be a happily ever after type of story, in which the guys realize how much they love each other and their careers and decide to go on as a group, maybe after a little bit longer hiatus?  Mare, I can imagine you laughing evilly because it actually ends with them deciding to go their separate ways, or with the beginning of the Zombie apocalypse or something....

4) Do you feel like the summary the author gave accurately describes the story you are reading? Would there be anything you would include or omit? Yes.  Short and to the point, but I don't really think I'd add anything.

5) Has there been any big surprises/plot twists or just overall observations?  Nothing really big plot-wise or character-wise.  One big observation I've made (which, turns out, is unintentional) is Mare's use of literary devices in the story.  Methaphors, imagery, foreshadowing, parallelism, and so on.  Makes me feel more like it's an actual piece of literature.  Though there are some mistakes grammar and organization-wise, as this is an early story for her, it's obvious that I'm reading the work of a strong writer.

These are the harder questions, but don't be afraid to answer them. Remember we all signed on to this knowing and expecting to get and give constructive criticism.

6) If this wasn't a challenge story and you didn't have to continue reading, would you have stopped already? If so please explain why.  Probably not.  This isn't the type of action-packed story with a lot of twists and turns that will keep me engaged and reading for hours on end, but it's a nice characterizati on of the guys and their relationships (Mare's specialty), and I'm interested to see how it all turns out.

7) Has there been any glaring errors that have stuck out? (I'm not talking about the occasional missed period, typo or spelling/grammar errors but huge mistakes that need to be pointed out that the author might not be aware of)  Nothing huge.  There are a lot of sentence fragments and a few incorrect punctuation marks (i.e.- a period where there should be a question mark), which kind of bugs the former writing center tutor in me, but no big snafu content-wise (content is very good!)

8) Do you have any questions for the author in regard to the storyline, characters or plot?  When was this written exactly?  I understand it must take place about 2003 or so.  Was this when it was written?  What inspired it?  Were you possibly thinking (like me at the time) that maybe the Boys were gone forever?
 

[Carter-Orange]

Halfway there survey (Only to be completed once you have gotten at least halfway through your story)

Name of story: To Protect and Serve

1) Are you finding it easy to follow plot wise? Yes, Mare always tells a good story and writes in a way which is easy to follow.

2) So far who is your favorite character and why? It's got to be Kevin.  He's a detective working on the case of a child killer and his character is likeable and also realistic. 

3) Are you getting a sense of how it will end and if so, any guesses? (Sometimes authors get a kick out of seeing what a reader thinks will happen and how predictable they may or may not be) Well, I do like a happy ending, so I'd like to see Kevin and Howie catch the bad guy and no one else get hurt.  But as this is Mare's story I'm sure it won't be predictable!

4) Do you feel like the summary the author gave accurately describes the story you are reading? Would there be anything you would include or omit?
Yes, the summary fits the story well.  I don't think it needs anything else.

5) Has there been any big surprises/plot twists or just overall observations?
I didn't expect Kevin's work colleagues to be in on the crime (that's if they really are, I'm on chapter 28 now), so that was a nice twist.

These are the harder questions, but don't be afraid to answer them. Remember we all signed on to this knowing and expecting to get and give constructive criticism.

6) If this wasn't a challenge story and you didn't have to continue reading, would you have stopped already? If so please explain why. No I wouldn't have stopped reading.  Even though I don't usually go for stories where kids are tortured/killed, I'm really enjoying this story and can't wait to see how it all ends.

7) Has there been any glaring errors that have stuck out? (I'm not talking about the occasional missed period, typo or spelling/grammar errors but huge mistakes that need to be pointed out that the author might not be aware of) No errors that I've noticed.

8) Do you have any questions for the author in regard to the storyline, characters or plot?
  Was it tough to write some of the more upsetting scenes?

[mare]

Thanks, Emily!

3) Oh, so you haven't gotten to the part where Howie goes bonkers and eats all the others yet? Oops! Have I said too much. (I made sure to put a . instead of a ? just to annoy you lmao)

5) Thank you so much for saying all of that! Like I told you, I had no idea what I was really doing when I wrote this but I'm glad it felt like a real story to you! YAY!!

7) I agree with you there. I was the sentence fragment queen, when I wasn't busy running them on and on and on and on... lol

8) I honestly don't remember when it was written, Emily. I'm sure that's shocking to all of you what with my wonderful memory and all. I know I posted it on AC way after it was written. It was originally posted on Izzy's and Julie's sites so I'd actually have to check. I think Izzy had it first but I would imagine it was around 2002 or 2003. I never really thought they'd break up, but I wasn't really sure what to expect when they got back together.

I was inspired to write it because of how disconnected they all seemed to be in interviews I had seen around that time period. I hated seeing them like that and it was clear to me that they weren't enjoying each others company. I thought what better way to convey that then forcing them all to take a long drive together. lol

Thanks for being an awesome reader!!

[mare]

Thanks, Steph!

3) Hrmmm....well. ..  lol

5) There's a pretty big twist coming up in chapter 29 too! LOL

8) I am actually like you. I would have skipped this story after the first chapter just based on the content. The only thing I really had a hard time writing was the dead puppy at the beginning and the final few scenes at the end. The last one in particular but I obviously won't say why! LOL I needed to write it though to set up the sequel.

You are also an awesome reader! Look at that, two of my people the first to do their surveys! You get gold stars, both of you! You too, Julie but you only had to read one chapter! LOL

[RokofAges75]

LOL Yeah, I had it easy!  Also, I checked, and I started hosting The Long Road Home in October 2002, so it's over 10 years old!

[mare]

Wow! We've been doing this for a while! LOL

[carterkid]

Sorry I havn't checked in.My power went out and just got it back on tonight.So if I don't answer that's what happened.

[FrickingKaos]

Nobody has started reading mine yet but here are my surveys.

 Name of story: Separate Ways by Mare

1) Are you finding it easy to follow plot wise?

Yes....the plot is simple and clear.

2) So far who is your favorite character and why?

I love Nick because he's got such an innocence about him yet he wants to be a tough guy when it comes to his emotions. I just love how he's written.

3) Are you getting a sense of how it will end and if so, any guesses? (Sometimes authors get a kick out of seeing what a reader thinks will happen and how predictable they may or may not be)

I think that Nick will get hurt somehow, he is a bit too trusting. However part of me thinks things will work out between Nick and Mike, and their family will be together.

4) Do you feel like the summary the author gave accurately describes the story you are reading? Would there be anything you would include or omit?

Yes, everything is fine the way it is.

5) Has there been any big surprises/plot twists or just overall observations?

Mike doing drugs and learning to steal...that road made me feel sad for him because Jane acted like he didn't exist anymore.


These are the harder questions, but don't be afraid to answer them. Remember we all signed on to this knowing and expecting to get and give constructive criticism.

6) If this wasn't a challenge story and you didn't have to continue reading, would you have stopped already? If so please explain why.

Nope. I always love Mare's work. Never a disappointment to me.

 7) Has there been any glaring errors that have stuck out? (I'm not talking about the occasional missed period, typo or spelling/grammar errors but huge mistakes that need to be pointed out that the author might not be aware of)

Not so far that I have seen.

 8) Do you have any questions for the author in regard to the storyline, characters or plot?

Where did you get the idea to write about Nick having a long lost brother from and why did you choose the setting to be around Jane's book release?

[mare]

Sorry I havn't checked in.My power went out and just got it back on tonight.So if I don't answer that's what happened.

Sorry to hear about your power and no worries, you don't have to answer the survey until you are at least halfway through the story yet and looking at your reviews for Steph's story you still have one more chapter until you're there. lol

[mare]

Thanks, Tracy! Seems you jumped the gun on this a bit too since you are only on chapter 8 but I know...you wanted that gold star LOL

To answer your question about Mike, It's a bit early to really get into why I came up with this idea but Kevin has a lot to do with it. I guess in my mind, Jane was such a horrible mom that I almost felt the need to invent a different family for the poor kid and watching Nick interact with Kevin in interviews etc... made me think he needs to get himself one of those things lol.

I really was never a big fan of the family he has and I wanted him to be the youngest sibling in real life so I just made the real wreck of his family disappear and created Mike. Nick's relationship with Mike adds a new element to his relationship with Kevin since they are about the same age.

I figured Jane's book was a perfect opportunity to show how much she uses her son while at the same time giving Mike something to be able to 'see' to make that connection.

And of course, you know how much you rock as a steady reader all these years and this one is about as old as Long Road too. Yikes!

And feel free to ask or comment on anything else once you get to the real halfway point.

[usako]

8) Do you have any questions for the author in regard to the storyline, characters or plot?  So what WAS Brian so upset about?  The only hint I got was where it said "what he shouldn’t had said, like that day" - maybe he had a fight with Nick?  It wasn't clear, but like I said in my review, I don't think that was the point of the story either.  I'm just wondering what the back story was in your mind.

There isn't a back story in my mind, I wrote that story a day when I was feeling really low and needed a hug so I kinda conveyed those feeling into Brian.  In my mind, Brian is the kinda of guy that internalize everything so it comes to a point when it takes only a small thing, a joke or a owrd taken in the wrong way, to make him break down.
Also, especially with one-short, I tend to leave something open in case I might get inspired to write more. That's the case of "Crash and Burn",I might go back and write something more. Who knows? 

1) Are you finding it easy to follow plot wise?  It was pretty easy to follow.  The only thing that might make it difficult for some readers is that some of the descriptions are overly wordy and/or awkwardly-worded.  However, since I know English isn't Cinzia's first language, I didn't let that bother me.  Anyone who can write this well in a second language has my respect!

Thank you. This is one of the few story that I wrote in English, without the long process to first write in Italian and then translate it.

[RokofAges75]

Thanks for your reply!  That sounds like it would be difficult, having to translate most of what you write into another language.  About as difficult as writing it in the second language to begin with!

I am nowhere near fluent in another language, but I did take four years of German in high school, and if I were to attempt to write a story in German, it would either have horrible grammar or be very simplistic so as not to butcher the grammar too badly.  So again, I admire your ability to craft those long, sophisticated descriptions in English!

[mare]

Readers survey (To be completed once the person reading your story is finished)

Story: The Long Road Home

Person reading it: Emily

1) When you found out this person was reading your story what were your initial thoughts?

I honestly didn't know what to expect. I wasn't that familiar with Emily so I wasn't sure if she would like the kind of stories I wrote.

2) Did your reader leave you an adequate amount of feedback and was it helpful to you?

She left me comments on every chapter and they were very insightful and helpful

3) Did you find yourself going back to read your story as a result of the feedback?

No, but mostly because I was too lazy lol I might go back and read it now though, out of curiosity

4) Do you have any questions for the person reading your story?

Nope, she was very clear and concise with her feedback.

5) Overall did you find the experience a good one or a bad one?

I had a great time! Thanks, Emily!

[Carter-Orange]

In case you are wondering why I've not started on yours yet Erika, I'm reading them one at a time, so will be starting yours in the next couple of days once I've finished Mare's

[mare]

Halfway there survey (Only to be completed once you have gotten at least halfway through your story)

Name of story: My Safest Place

1) Are you finding it easy to follow plot wise?

Yes

2) So far who is your favorite character and why?

Truthfully I am having a hard time caring about any of the characters so far, but I would have to say Kevin. He is dying and is dealing with it the best way he can whether it's anger or sadness despite everyone's lack of concern about his well being. 

3) Are you getting a sense of how it will end and if so, any guesses? (Sometimes authors get a kick out of seeing what a reader thinks will happen and how predictable they may or may not be)

Kind of? But then again he is in a hospice so I'm assuming he's going to die. lol

4) Do you feel like the summary the author gave accurately describes the story you are reading? Would there be anything you would include or omit?

I think it could be a little more detailed. I really had no idea what to expect and was surprised to see what the story was actually about. I think more people would click on it if the word cancer was in the summary lol may be sad, but true.

5) Has there been any big surprises/plot twists or just overall observations?

Not as of yet

These are the harder questions, but don't be afraid to answer them. Remember we all signed on to this knowing and expecting to get and give constructive criticism.

6) If this wasn't a challenge story and you didn't have to continue reading, would you have stopped already? If so please explain why.

Yes, because as I mentioned above, I'm having a hard time caring about any of the characters.

7) Has there been any glaring errors that have stuck out? (I'm not talking about the occasional missed period, typo or spelling/grammar errors but huge mistakes that need to be pointed out that the author might not be aware of)

Nothing at all grammatically. Erika is doing a great job with that. The characters need some more developing but Erika has said this is one of her earlier stories so I'm sure she has gotten much better with that since this one. 

8) Do you have any questions for the author in regard to the storyline, characters or plot?

I was just wondering what made you decide to center this around a hospice and how much research you did?