It’s time to tear some stories up, for your benefit.
Four writers have graciously laid their stories on the butcher block. Brad Pauquette and Alli Prince critique these stories, so that we can all learn to identify common writing issues.
A lot of writing advice says to not bog down the action of a story with description. Just say “they walked up the stairs”–we’ve all seen stairs before! No need to describe them, right? Wrong.
In this episode, we’ll see lots of examples of how description (or a lack of it) impacts our connection to a story and its characters. We’ll see how it applies in a short story setting and how it applies to novel chapters.
Brad and Alli critique these four stories, with the author’s permission:
“The Left Turn,” a short story by Shirley Hartnett
“We Don’t Talk Anymore,” a short story by Tina Chen
“Shtetl Girl, Chapter 1,” by Judi Jacob-Hamedl
“From Embers to Seeds, Chapters 1&2,” by Sandra Terra
“The Incurable, Chapter 1,” by Jennaya S. Chou
Before you begin, take the time to download the stories we’ll be discussing. Do your own critique first and see if you identify similar issues as Brad and Alli. Download all four stories here: https://writers.company/september-22nd-procritique-materials-now-available/
Brad Pauquette is an experienced editor and the director of The Company. With more than 15 years in the publishing industry, specializing in new author development, Brad has worked with hundreds of authors to help them improve their work and publish their best. Brad’s bestselling book, The Novel Matrix, is available from all major retailers.
Brad will be joined by author Alli Prince, a graduate of The Company’s full-time apprenticeship program. Earlier this year, Alli released a full-length novel, Call It Consequences, with over 80 Amazon reviews. She was also the managing editor for Lawless: An anthology of short stories inspired by the biblical book of Judges.
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