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Author Topic: An Agent Of Chaos, Scifi, Incomplete
Kaz
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I pretty much know where I'm going with this; so far it's around 1,000 words, and it shouldn't be longer than 2,000 when it's finished.

I'm certain there are a few things that need improving, so...

+++++++++++++++

The Earth was a watery, blue marble beneath the lens of the macroscope. The device was not much different than a monocular; it was about as thick as the doctor’s fist, and was considerably less sturdy, the doctor having built it as a series of lenses, adjoined by cheap circuitry and thin, metal wire, which shone with a bright form of energy that coursed up and down its length. Its cylindrical shape was set on top of a tripod, which in turn had been set on the floor, the object of study being naked soil. All around his poorly lit laboratory there were scattered piles of broken limestone that had been dug up from the foundation of the house. Dust had piled up over the years and now covered the floor like a gray blanket.



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cjpatrick
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I am interested and I would continue to read. Not sure what is going on in the scene, but I would say that's a good bit of the appeal. Those first few lines feel real polished. Keep it up.
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snapper
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quote:
I'm certain there are a few things that need improving,

Just a few

quote:
The Earth was a watery, blue marble beneath the lens of the macroscope.

The first sentence is so important to an opening. This one made me scratch my head. It was fine until I got to 'macroscope'. I assumed that the MC ws up in space but the next couple of sentences suggest that he isn't. In fact the next few sentences make it less clear on what it is. If you are going to introduce a fictional piece of equipment, the reader needs to know what it is or it will be nothing but techno-babble. I know you attempted to describe it but your description made it less clear on what a 'macroscope' was.

quote:
The device was not much different than a monocular; it was about as thick as the doctor’s fist, and was considerably less sturdy[,] change to a period the doctor having built it as a series of lenses, adjoined by cheap circuitry and thin, metal wire, which shone with a bright form of energy that coursed up and down its length.

Wow, what a long sentence. I'm not sure if its one thick lense or a series of them. In any case, I still don't have a clue of its purpose. Saying that it was as thick as a mans fist, but less sturdy, does not help.

quote:
Its cylindrical shape was set on top of a tripod, which in turn had been set on the floor, the object of study being naked soil.

To me, a macroscope is nothing more than a solid pipe shaped hunk of glass suspended in the middle of a surveyors stand, with some glowing lights on it. I bet that's not the picture you were after.

quote:
All around his poorly lit laboratory there were scattered piles of broken limestone that had been dug up from the foundation of the house. Dust had piled up over the years and now covered the floor like a gray blanket.

So the doctors a slob, at least that is clear in your story.

From reading enough guidelines and receiving a few rejections with comments attached, I am convinced that they really do want character driven stories. If you are going to push a flashy piece of hardware as your hook you better make us sit up and take notice. I suggest you rewrite this with a character looking through it and letting the reader catch the wonder of your device through their eyes. Let us feel his awe as he sees it. Opening with a a futuristic telescope when we have no idea on how it works and not a clear view of what it looks like does not make a sharp hook.


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JenniferHicks
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I agree with Snapper that this needs a stronger focus at the top. I would say go for more action as well as character. The description is nicely done -- I especially like the broken limestone and the dust -- but that can come later. If very little happens in the first few lines, then I have to wonder whether anything will happen in the rest of the story.
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annepin
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The writing is indirect at times, which makes the story a tad cumbersome to get through. For instance:

"Its cylindrical shape was set on top of a tripod, which in turn had been set on the floor, the object of study being naked soil."

Could be reworked to about half its length and twice its clarity.

Nevertheless, I am intrigued by this macroscope, which I assume allows big things to be viewed in their entirety. The moment you started to lose me, however, was when you launched into a description of his lab:

All around his poorly lit laboratory there were scattered piles of broken limestone that had been dug up from the foundation of the house. Dust had piled up over the years and now covered the floor like a gray blanket.

Do we need to know all this now? It does create setting, but you lose the opportunity to establish story or character, which I think are more important for getting the reader to turn the page.


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Crystal Stevens
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Is it just me, or does there seem to be an over use of the word "was"? I can't help but think this could be worded much better if given a bit more thought.
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Bent Tree
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My main complaint here is that this intro does not seem to introduce a character directly. For my reading enjoyment this seems to be one of the most important aspects of an intro. This is otherwise interesting but without the feel of the characters voice, this reminds me of a NOVA documentary.

Hope this helps.


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Kaz
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Hmm.

Then I'll take snapper's advice and rewrite it from the main character's pov. Hopefully, I'll have the revised version up in a few days.

Also, thanks for the feedback, everyone.


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