Paul had nowhere else to turn to, but to his words.

[alex4]

.....

[Delta40]

I don't really know what you're trying to achieve in this piece Alex. Paul's ability to write or Arnold's lonely agony. Either way, it feels messy and I even suspect the N is Paul and was feeling this way and tapped out the experience to get it off their chest before the rest of the story developed! I also don't think the reader wants to an overview of story because they really can't experience it in the same way as if you actually write it. I would be much more interested in Arnold's lonely agony above everything else you wrote here.

[alex4]

.....

[Delta40]

Thanks for explaining. I didn't sense that solitude myself and perhaps having read your other piece you're delving far deeper than you really need to. Admittedly, I'm a poor critic in comparison to others who post here.

[hillwalker]

I got the solitude - to such an extent that even the reader is excluded. Navel-gazing is rarely entertaining when it's someone else's navel you're gazing into third-hand.

H