Hello, fellow wonderful Scholars and Scribes! Welcome to the weekly picks! This is where we go over which pieces were submitted to the Scholar and Scribe community that stood out and made an impression. I will give my subjective review on each piece selected in hopes of stimulating creativity and reaching our ultimate goal - becoming better writers.
This is a purely prose selection. No poetry I'm afraid.
All selections are placed in terms of release order - these are not rankings.
With that being said, first off we have @restcity with Midnight Whispers.
https://images.ecency.com/DQmc8z5rqJHBqu51DX7Mk9dG2Ft3G4qnF5m3djoAdMyKanW/image.png
I am jumping into this story and hence have no idea what's going on. But the writing speaks for itself. The dialogue is very free-flowing and natural. This is apt, as the chapter is set in a very casual setting. The tone @restcity uses suits this feeling, as the word choices place you right there among the characters. This is always tough to achieve and commendable when done well.
“I heard Azure say that at the table. Why are you guys so excited about New Year's Eve?” asked Dyan. “In our family, that’s like, the biggest celebration of the year!” answered Royal from her bunk below True. “Yeah! We watch movies, play games, and then, at 12:00 o’clock on New Year's Day, we give each other presents. It’s a family tradition we made up.” Maya explained.
This gave me a Life is Strange feeling, not sure if anyone has played that game. But the characterization, the manner of speech, the great pacing. This all contributes to a sophisticated piece. I can tell that this comes naturally to our burgeoning author. All in all, I am very impressed and I hope they keep writing. 👏 Kudos!
Dyan was going to do some experimenting tonight. If Maya was Spirit in her novel, were the Blue’s… the aliens!? Was she controlling their life with her words? Tonight, she’d find out.
CONSTRUCTIVE THOUGHT: Most times, you are using one or two too many words in a sentence to say the same thing. I did this a lot as well when I was starting off. Cutting down on these excess words will make your writing even more readable. Analyze the example above.
Next up we got @wrestlingdesires with Danger on the High Seas: Flames and Waves of Fury Part Three.
If there's one thing about WD's writing it's the uniqueness. They always take us to places we didn't think possible. And this piece is no different, as we are transported in a Disney-esque world where creatures frolic in the vastness of the ocean.
Close to sunset, Flames saw a tall sailing ship being thrown around, heading ever closer to the center of a whirlpool. He circled low overhead and saw that the sailors were frantically trying to keep the vessel upright.
The choice of words is impeccable, creating the setting in your mind without ever dropping the ball as it were. It's whimsical, it's well-paced, but most importantly - it's profoundly @wrestlingdesires. Not sure why, but I imagined this story as a comic more than anything, the characters were realized thusly in my mind. Always a treat to read one of your pieces. 👏 Kudos!
They hit the water hard, many leagues away. Once again, Flames awoke to Waves holding his snout above the water. "I really need to stop doing that," he groaned, swallowing some saltwater in the process.
Third on the chopping block is @killerwotwith's Preparations For Battle.
Killer's (Killlaahhh) writing has evolved over time a lot. You can notice that now his pacing is much improved. And the once convoluted long, seemingly never-ending paragraphs, have subsided to more manageable levels. It's still his recognizable style, which I've always found cool in writing. No matter what you do, you can never get away from your Voice.
Merrick looked at Zebulon, who seemed lost inside his own head oblivious to all of the eyes now fixed on him, watching every movement he made. Every fidget. Every inaudible mutter Every glance into thin air. Everything he did was scrutinized by every present member of the crew in eyeshot.
The space saga and world that @killerwotwith has developed is impressive in both scope and creativity. If he ever got around to reading the Dune saga, it might inspire him with even crazier ideas. But you never know. As it stands, the writing is captivating and very engaging. 👏 Kudos!
Merrick walked toward the window to stare out, to see if he could spot the enemy ships. Sure enough, in the distance, there were two small blinky lights, slightly larger than the far-off stars. The room remained silent for a moment as he thought for a moment.
And finally, we have @zakludick with Maledictus Terra Book 2: Sanguifex.
Zack is another staple of the community with good reason. He's probably the most prolific author we have and it shows. He writes with such confidence that it leaps off the page, demanding your attention. His worlds (I know he cowrites a bunch of his stuff, relax) are gloomy and brooding. His words emphasize this distinction.
Adrian could feel Trix's demeanor and he hoped that it was shared with King Sebastian. She was keeping herself level-headed and calm. Now was not the time to strike.
Zack also has a very recognizable Voice. It has a little Joe Abercrombie in it I must say. Mainly in the way he does scene setting and dialogue. I am a fan of both, and hope he keeps improving as a writer. As should we all. As the old adage goes, availability is the best ability, and being available to your keyboard is a talent. 👏 Kudos!
The wolf was now in clear focus of everyone. "Derric?" Magna asked, wanting to make sure that it was the same wolf. It was a kind of ludicrous concept. It was both impossible that Derric could come from that direction and for there to be another talking wolf in this place.
✍️ Hope the Scholars found something to read and the Scribes discovered something new about the craft. Thank you for stopping by and see you all next week!
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Return from grocko's Picks | 08-14 September 2023 to Јоцко's Web3 Blog
