The 2019 Talent Awards | ✔️

short story winners

please pm Jells_ your email for your sticker! also, please give a huge thank you to our judges. with them, these awards would not be possible.

judges:

MarteenaRV
Jells_
voiddanger
JessicaGoyette

winners:

in first place is cold-hearted by v3olympus with a score of 56/60!

review:

-Title: This single word represents your entire story, the theme, and humanity. Using the title as the final word of the story was a nice touch as well.

-Cover: The image is poor quality, and the fonts are a bit too bulky, while the cover concept itself is good. I recommend using a crisp, realistic image and a slimmer cursive font. If you want a custom made cover, I'd be happy to help you out for free (don't mind the shameless self-promotion, but this is also my form of a reward since you won first in my batch of entries). PM me if you're interested.

-Summary: The synopsis is short and simple, draws the reader in, and doesn't reveal too much of the storyline. The wording creates a feeling of intrigue and mystery.

-Plot Development: Writing in phases really helps to move things along without rushing them, and I think that you did a great job at that. It gives the impression of the cycle of life, and really contributes to that aspect of the theme of the story.

-Character Development: While the phases method contributes to plot development, it also greatly affects character development. For each phase, conditions in the world worsen, causing the water to, figuratively and literally, become more bitter, and I think that is a beautifully disastrous concept.

Grammar: Mistakes are minimal, with the occasional misspelling and punctuation mistakes that do not drastically affect the reading experience. The grammar is great, so this isn't needed, but Grammarly is a decent editing app for writing if you do wish to improve.

Personal Enjoyment: Your writing and description are poetic, with just the right amount of storyline and theme to make it flow seamlessly without just being meaningless words floating on a page. I loved the feeling of reading the personification of rain and the environmentalist inside of me really appreciated the underlying theme of global warming and self-destruction among humans. ~ VoidDanger

tied in second place is the text by hilliebillienolan and silent whispers by zealna with a score of 52/60!

review for the text:

A really good story. The poetic way of expressing the harshness of depression and suicidal thoughts is just genius. You get to know the character more and more throughout the story, but it's not until the end that you feel like you really do. It gives a gentle yet strong message. Don't listen to the text, don't take a step further. ~ MarteenaRV

review for silent whispers:

-Title: The title really shows the emotion of being alone in your beliefs, and standing tall while remaining strong in your faith.

-Cover: It's simplistic but suited to the story, while the fonts really work together nicely with the pure white background and each other.

-Summary: The summary reveals what (at the moment) seems to be the majority of the story and secrets yet to be revealed in the story itself. I feel that making the summary more mysterious and vague would hook the reader's attention to the story and make them want to read the story to quell their curiosity.

-Plot Development: I've never been very good at judging plot, so do excuse me for that, but I believe that the series of events (and an unfortunate one for Reem at that ;)) keeps the story progressing quickly enough, without it feeling so rushed. I do believe that this would work better as a full book rather than a short story judging by the amount of information the synopsis reveals that has not been disclosed in the story as of yet.

-Character Development: Reem showing restraint about dating because of her religion is a perfect example of character personality, and I have full confidence that your characters will continue to develop, but the plot is moving closer to the pace of a normal book instead of a short story, so there haven't been many examples of character development.

-Grammar: There are multiple commas that must be added and a few word misusages, but nothing extreme enough to hinder a reader's understanding.

-Personal Enjoyment: I am not Islamic, and nor do I speak Arabic, but the translations by Arabic words and phrases drastically improved the reading experience. Your characters have a decent sense of humor, and the pickup lines are a good addition to the story. ~ voiddanger

in third place is broken layers by briannarosec with a score of 50/60!

review:

Your title is very original (not being used too much on wattpad!). I am not a fan of your font for your title, I don't find it clear enough to draw the eye, however your cover is beautiful as a whole. Your summary is very well written, it gives just enough information to draw us in. Your plot is perfectly placed, your character dev. and grammar impeccable as I read. I loved your book! Good job! ~ JessicaGoyette

congrats to all the winners! additional reviews will be placed in a separate book later on :)