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Author Topic: The first 13 lines of Chapter 2
teddyrux
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Any and all criticisms welcome.

Although the store was dark, he could see the bags of dried flowers, and dried bat guano, the jars of preserved frog brains, and pickled pigs livers on the shelves. Customers often asked what the pigs livers were for. The standing rule was that only D’Nera knew what potions they were for.

The truth was, she ate them.

As he approached the door at the back of the shop, he could smell Jasmine. He hated that flower. It had no alchemical properties so why did she insist on keeping them. The work it took just to keep them alive made them not worth it. If they had some alchemical value he could understand keeping them, but all she did was put them in vases and put the vases in her rooms. You can’t go into her rooms without smelling those stupid flowers.

Thanks in advance

Rux


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Survivor
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When capitalized, "Jasmine" is a girl's name.

You haven't used the name of your POV character.

Aside from the confusion caused by those minor glitches, this is pretty good. There are a few missing punctuation marks, and a strange tense or two, but the lines so far introduce us to at least one interesting character and an interesting setting.


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Christine
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Biggest hiccup....I thought Jasmine was a person because you capitalized it...but Survivor already went there.

If this begins a chapter, it is a starting point of sorts. Therefore, you need to reaffirm our knowledge of characters, even if you introduced them in chapter 1. Use "his" name at least in the first sentence.

" It had no alchemical properties so why did she insist on keeping them. QUESTION MARK The work it took just to keep them alive made them not worth it. If they had some alchemical value he could understand keeping them, but all she did was put them in vases and put the vases in her rooms."

Aside from the missed question mark, the reason I quoted this section is because it's redundant. The last sentence can be cut entirely without losing any meaning...you mentioned it before and almost in so many words. You don't even really need the part about putting them in vases in the rooms, but if you wanted to retain that part of the seentence I wouldn't find fault with your logic.

"You can’t go into her rooms without smelling those stupid flowers. "

Once again, redundant.

But generally not bad. Did you post part of chapter one at any point? I don't remember, we get so many thirteen lines around here. This works well as a chapter intro as well. It feels like the soft draw I like for a chapter beginning, especially towards the first part of a novel. Something is happening, we're getting exposition, and the pace is liesurely. Works for me.


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teddyrux
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Thanks for the clarification on jasmine. It plays a important part in the story that I think I tried to emphasize it, Thanks for the POV character advice Survivor. I know just where to change that. Thanks for telling me I'm long winded and redundant Christine. :} That section is redundant.

No I haven't posted any of chapter one. Chapter one requires a complete redo. Or I have to make it the prologue.

Thanks again


Rux
;]


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