A reflective review by yvesdot
I honestly never read animal stories, so it was really exciting to get to sit down and read a snip of one from since it was totally new to me! One wolf is lost out in the woods, while two wolf-shifters in the human form go looking for her. (Let me know if I mixed that up!)
You know, I feel really bad when I read things outside of my genre, because oftentimes I'm just, like, "this is clearly good, but I can't personally enjoy it because it's not my thing," and then I worry my critique isn't helping because, well, I'm not the target audience! In this case, I think there was a lot of talent for sure, and the plot itself is really interesting and unique-which is also to say it's well-utilized within the context of writing about wolves. It reminded me of Stiefvater's werewolf series... is that just 'cause that's the only one I've read? But I think the urgency in the plot and the use of both human and wolf forms also made me think of that; there's a certain style there.
Some things I noticed-there was a little bit of rabbit-eating gore in there, and I was totally for it. I love reading people's descriptions of gore (okay, okay, probably weird of me) because I personally find that kind of thing hard to write realistically. I mean, I'm not biting rabbits to pieces in the woods, so how should I know what that feels like? But this felt really real, and I admired how there was simultaneously no sensationalizing or downplaying of the act. It was very cleanly and plainly described; I liked that.
Also! Use of Comic Sans. I've heard this as a strategy (since it's so plain and simple, it can be easy to catch mistakes and read through-there have been studies on this! Readability actually improves) for writing, and I honestly think I might try it after this. It was really easy and simple to read, and honestly, I don't see Comic Sans often enough to recognize it outside of, well, where it's labeled as Comic Sans. There were still some typos/grammatical errors, but I'm sure it's easier to catch them once you've got the right font!
Also: POV switches! Oh, the relationship I have with POV switches. I've honestly thought to myself lately that I need to try a couple stories that really utilize that, because so far I've really only written third person limited and first person (non-changing), and I'm going to eventually write something third person omniscient (or third person limited, switching off-unsure as of yet), so I need to practice now! This story really reminded me that it's a common trope for a reason; I've got to try it.
YOU ARE READING
Inner Reflections: June Edition
Non-FictionIn celebration of our one month anniversary, authors engaged in a stimulating Readathon and reviewed the works their partners had worked on in the month of June. The aim of the Readathon was not to exchange critiques or votes. Its purpose was to exp...
