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Trummy
08-11-2014, 06:54 AM
So, I dont have much experience writing, but I'd love some criticism. Thanks for reading in advance. :)

That's it, that's the last ****ing straw. I've done whatever I could. I complimented her, bought her things, made her laugh, and did all that I could to cheer her up. For what, exactly? Apparently not a god damn thing. I told her my feelings, she didn't accept. She wanted to "Just be friends." I'm ****ing sick of it. She doesn't realizehow much I want her. It hurts.
That's why I'm here, outside of her date's house. It's five o'clock in the morning, and I have my baseball bat beside me, ready for the dreadful crime that I'm about to commit. Half an hour passes, the dim sunlight growing brighter, and brighter with every hour-long minute as I wait in anticipation. Another twelve minutes, and his parents leave for work. I dont know what they do, I dont really care, either.
Less than fifteen minutes until he wakes up, I sneak into his house. I quickly find his room, and carefully open the door, like a baby is inside. A baby is so young, so fresh into this world, oblivious to the things that happen. Free from worries, other than ****ting himself, and eating. I get closer to the bed, carefully, as to avoid anything that could generate noise and wake him up before the deed is done. I arrive, at the right of the bed, looking down at him. What does he have that I don't?
What is so much better? Thinking about those things, just reinforce the dep anger I have toward him, and I start to raise the bat up, and wait. The time is now five fifty-nine.
I wait for the alarm to go off. I count down the seconds on the digital clock that he has by his bedside. Three, two, one.
The alarm goes off. I move the bat with such a force that it hits his stomach, and he immediately opens his eyes in both shock and pain. I pick it up, and bring it
down again. This time, on his right arm. I hear a crack. I assume it's broken, so I go to the left arm, so as he has no way of defending himself. Two more on the legs, they are taken care of. at this point, I'm just wailing into his body, enjoying the screams, and pain that he's feeling. I look at his face. He's looking at me, I'm looking back at him. He cannot speak. He is in shock. The blows were just too much pain. I look into his eyes, and I think back to when we were just kids in elementary.
He had life, he had youth, and spirit. But now, he had blood soaked bed sheets, and a thread of spirit left. I raise my bat up one last time, and bring it down on his head. Not just once, but several times, to the point where it's just a bloody, brainy mess.

DATo
08-11-2014, 08:40 AM
Hey Trummy ! [:- )

You admit you do not have much experience writing and say you would love some criticism. That's sort of the whole point of this forum so you are in the right place. Most, if not all of us are amateur writers and this forum gives us the opportunity to receive criticism from our peers. I personally take all criticism seriously and try to better my skills by taking seriously what people who read my stuff tell me. I may not alway agree completely but sometimes, after thinking over what someone has said, I come to the conclusion that they were right and try to avoid the same mistakes in future writing. Please keep this in mind as you read my critique. My only intent is to help you.

First of all there really isn't a story here. It is more of a scene, like a snippet from a movie. Your narrator cannot win the woman of his dreams so he sneaks into her boyfriend's house and murders him with a baseball bat. That's it ... end of story. See what I mean? There just isn't anything to make this story interesting other than the violence, and frankly that would only appeal to a minority of readers.

Something which might have saved it at the very end would be to have the narrator discover to his horror that he has killed the wrong person - perhaps the boyfriend's younger brother; or, if the boyfriend had woken up in time to grab the bat and fight with the narrator in which their struggles result in the narrator falling through a second-story window. In this second scenario the narrator might be ending the story with his final thoughts as he lay dying on the concrete sidewalk he has fallen on below with his own skull broken. Something that would "bookend" the story's beginning and ending would be if his final thoughts were of the girl.

Do you see what I'm getting at? Your phrasing is good as well as the manner in which your story develops. I'm sure you have the potential to write a great story. Maybe you could try rewriting this one and posting the result in this thread. If you like perhaps I and others might guide you along the way and each time you rewrite it you will gain some new knowledge which may be of use to you in the writing of future stories.

Please, PLEASE do not let my comments discourage you from writing more. It may be painful to hear frank criticism but it's just like physical exercise - without the pain there can be no gain.

AuntShecky
08-11-2014, 11:21 PM
Read a copious amount of short stories from various eras and cultures in order to get an idea of how fiction is made.

An11
08-12-2014, 01:14 AM
Hi Trummy, like you I don't have much experience in writing but keen to learn so don't even feel qualified to give feedback on your writing. Will leave that to the fantastic community here. Just wanted to share a few things that are helping me get going as you may find them useful.
Write quickly and get what is in your head down on paper. Allow yourself a certain amount of time, don't worry about editing and re-reading just pour it out. Then once you are done, finish...close the computer and do something else.

Go back to it next day or later and re-read it while your mind is fresh. You will spot things, maybe have new ideas etc... Make your edits....rinse and repeat
Keep a notepad on you at all times as ideas will come for plots etc.

The above is helping me, hope it helps you too.

Above all, keep writing

All the best

DATo
08-12-2014, 06:40 AM
Hi Trummy, like you I don't have much experience in writing but keen to learn so don't even feel qualified to give feedback on your writing. Will leave that to the fantastic community here. Just wanted to share a few things that are helping me get going as you may find them useful.
Write quickly and get what is in your head down on paper. Allow yourself a certain amount of time, don't worry about editing and re-reading just pour it out. Then once you are done, finish...close the computer and do something else.

Go back to it next day or later and re-read it while your mind is fresh. You will spot things, maybe have new ideas etc... Make your edits....rinse and repeat
Keep a notepad on you at all times as ideas will come for plots etc.

The above is helping me, hope it helps you too.

Above all, keep writing

All the best

An11 - I think that is excellent advice !