Inner Reflections: June Edition

The Mysterious Selkie

A reflective account by HandofRel

- What did you think of your partner's work?

It was really well written and detailed. The writing felt very academic. Like it was written by a med student or a doctor, especially during the medical procedures. LuliWrites did an amazing job of bringing these characters and this world to life.

The relationship between Kangmin and Aria is freaking adorable! It was fun to see them interact, and how their own sides of the story filled in the gap in the other's perspective, to hilarious effect. I also think it's a nice balance between their differing personalities.

In the beginning, I wasn't sure if I liked either of them, truthfully. Kangmin was extremely callous, while Aria was just kind of there? It wasn't until you saw the too of them together that the chemistry evolved, and you saw them really come to life. The way they played off each other was cute, Aria's playfulness shined through, the dialogue was funny, and I started rooting for their relationship. I also really appreciated Aria's straightforwardness with Raen, and not leading him on. That was very refreshing!

- What sets it apart from what you usually read?

I usually don't read too many stories written in first person perspective. I gravitate towards an omniscient third person since that's what I'm most comfortable writing.

I seriously enjoyed how strong the writing was. It was clear, concise, and you could really feel the differing characteristics of the characters involved in the story. Like I said it felt very academic like a med student was writing about a real-life event that happened to them.

It was heartbreaking to read the diagnosis of each patient, but even more heartbreaking to see how Kangmin reacted to it! I don't know anything about medicine or the medical profession, but it still made sense. LuliWrites created a very believable situation, filled with some pretty heavy emotions. It also did a really good job of showing how detached and coldhearted Kangmin has become. And as far as the relationship goes, I like how she managed to make the reactions between Aria and Kangmin feel genuine.

- As an author, what did reading a fellow writer's work teach you about the art of writing?

As I said, I usually don't read too many stories written in the first person. But what I did really like was the way that you get connected to the characters, since you're seeing everything from their point of view. The emotional distance between the reader and character is very intimate, and I can see how you can get invested in what is going to happen, because of it.

The one thing that I was looking for was a more physical description of the surroundings and the outer appearance of characters. But the interesting thing is that I didn't need it? There were hints through narration, through the way that they spoke, and how Aria and Kangmin saw each other. They were subtle, but as a reader, my mind had already built up its own image of the characters without actually giving me all the information. Which is a really cool trick!

I always try to exhaustively explain everything, and it's interesting, and cool, to know that you don't have to. The imagination is a powerful thing, and the readers will create their own versions of the characters and the world, purely based on slight details. It's almost like piling on detail, without having to explain it all. If that makes sense?