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 @ahmadmanga with Fifty-Nine Over Thirty-One Becomes Nothing.
Creativity sometimes leaps from the page, or the screen in this case. From the title to the cover image to the way the piece is formatted - it all screams intent. And there's little more creatives could ask for. For things to be great, they have to be done with intent. It also helps when the narrative is gripping. 😁
He has work to do but can't cultivate motivation. He'll ask for a sickness break. He's mentally fatigued, so that won't even be a lie.
True, this piece is short, and yes it's obvious English is not the author's first language. Does it matter though? @ahmadmanga paints a bleak picture of a topic not many people are brave enough to discuss. His sentence structure and grammar might not be expert-level, but his words are well-chosen and impactful. It is clear that this is written with passion, by someone that has a vision. Not much more you can ask. 👏 Kudos.
In the room's darkness, Hisham sees a chair. On the chair, he finds his joker standing. Hands moving. The same joker who always mocked him through the mirror, looked desperate, impatient, as he attached something to the room's walls.
Next up we got @juliamulcahy with A sky with a jolt of lightning.
It's been a while since I've read Julia's writing. Far too long, in fact. I love how she captures the feeling of the setting and the character's mood. The sentences are stringed together for us to understand our protagonist's situation. There is nothing worse than a bad hangover, especially when you have to go to work.
When her friend, Jackie, had asked her out, her initial response was to say no. And then, with a little nudge from her good friend, she'd said, okay but only for a little bit.
The piece is simple, but there is something to be said about not overstaying your welcome. It's as long and as simple as it needs to be. Perfectly capturing a moment in time, emphasized by the proverbial jolt of lighting. Well done, and I hope @juliamulcahy graces us with her writing more often.👏 Kudos.
Pressed close to the other bodies within the tube, she stood. Head down. Eyes shut. Hating life. Hating herself. Head banging. And then, with a jolt, the tube stopped.
Third on the chopping block is @jazclassic's The COLORS I'm EXPERIENCING right now.
A very heartwarming, passionate, colorful story. That somehow manages to talk about a sensitive topic while remaining respectful. I know, shocker! I love tales that bring life to these nebulous discussions people have nowadays. This story in particular sees the beauty where others wouldn't. That's something commendable. That's something worth fighting for.
I sighed exhausted with Ember's yelling. It felt like I had been talking to the wall for the past 10 minutes. I know it's unbelievable even I couldn't believe the pregnancy test myself, it showed the two visible lines, I was a month and half gone. And all I could do was stare at it bewildered with an open mouth. I didn't have the time nor luxury to cry at the moment.
Some would scoff at the optimism, but in this cynical world, I find it refreshing. It also helps that @jazclassic does the story justice with her competent writing. Our protagonist is experiencing a plethora of emotions, each displayed perfectly for the reader to follow and empathize with. Very well done. 👏 Kudos.
So I was happy; I felt the colors I had missed all my life were returning to their rightful place. But that was when I knew Levi was already falling for me. Crazy, right? Yeah, I thought the same too.
And finally, we have @jhymi with Aurora.
I love reading writing like this. Superb. A true understanding of the written word. @jhymi is a swordsman, wielding her blade with precision and grace. She understands and loves the craft, and that fact jumps off when you read her work.
What I knew, however, was that every day from that day on, I pitched in ideas on different voice meetings we could have, just so I could hear his voice. It was kind of pathetic, seeing how I was more interested in that particular branch, but I was a desperate woman. I didn’t know what I was desperate for exactly but I knew I needed to keep hearing his voice and that too as often as I could. If I was going to be lost, what better way than for it to be by something so ethereal?
I have never read your writing before, and I feel compelled to be a little suggestive here. With your proficiency, if you managed to somehow instill a sense of conflict in this story, it might've been my favorite short story I've read all year. Conflict is essential for storytelling. It is what gives our tales that extra umf. Not sure how serious you are about writing, but if this piece is anything to measure, you are hella talented. 👏 Kudos.
His words held power. Like the brush of an artist, he held my hand as we painted our lives and future together. “I think I’ll call you Aurora,” he said the first time we had a conversation. And when I asked him why, he said, “Cause you remind me of something so rare and ethereal. You light up the world, like a painted sky.”
If you are ever interested, I am always willing to expand on my comments. I love discussing the technical side of writing.
✍️ 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!
**About the Scholar and Scribe Community**
Return from grocko's Picks | 15-21 September 2023 to Јоцко's Web3 Blog
