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I wasn't going to post this until I'd done some more critiques, but if I'm going to respond to this thread as well as critique other stories, I'm going to have to post it now.
So, please forgive me.
BTW, if this opening sounds familiar, I posted the first thirteen a few months ago, but without the opportunity to read the rest of the story. Now, the rest is in a legible state.
"Carrick" is fantasy, abt 10,500 words (according to MS Word).
***
Mary raced as fast as her legs could take her down the dirt path. Her vision was blurred with tears, and the branch that caught her foot while she ran easily brought her crashing to the hard earth.
Tears cut through the dirt on her face, but in spite of the pain in her knees and bare hands, Mary forced herself back on her feet. She couldn't let Mom find her and take her back home. Everyone was pointing at the TV and talking about meltdowns and quarantines and people dying and she hated it. She wasn't going back to that.
It was while she was getting her gangly seven year old body off the ground that she saw in the corner of her eye a tall, thin shadow on a nearby rise.
posted
I liked it, I definitly wanted to keep reading, however...
I thought you could have done a lot more with the first paragraph. The description wasn't as intense as I would personally haved liked. I think I wanted to feel more of what the girl was feeling.
posted
HSO: Funny, I was afraid you might feel snubbed since I posted this without emailing you about it. Glad to know your feelings aren't hurt.
Wenderella: Thanks for the comments about the first paragraph. When you said you wanted to keep reading, did that mean you wanted me to send it, or were you just stating how the excerpt effected you?
posted
I think I can see what Wend is saying. The first paragraph is weak and doesn't introduce the main tension. For instance, the first sentance, taking in isolation, tells us nothing about the mood of the opening, because you use "raced" rather than "fled". Also, you miss the chance to tell us right away that she is running away from her house.
And when you do introduce the thing that she's fleeing, it doesn't really feel like you've pegged just what has really scared her. You only mention the superficial elements, the things that wouldn't ordinarily bother a child too young to understand them.
Also, some of the language is a bit rough. That last sentance needs particular attention.
All that aside, I'm semi-hooked by the introduction of the character whom I assume will turn out to be Carrick. And whether or not he(?)'s the POV character later, I think that having this meeting from Mary's POV is a good (or at least viable) choice.
On the other hand, I'll postpone reading it for now.
posted
Wenderella and Survivor: I see what you guys are saying. I can also see I'm going to have to change the opening description since it's giving people the wrong idea about the rest of the story.
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