I agree, he does have a good point there. I think it suffered somewhat though due to the fact that I originally wrote it as a short story, then after writing it and leaving the ending open just to be ambiguous and leave the reader guessing, I decided that it would make a great point to start a larger universe, as it were. So it was only after writing it that I decided to carry on the story. My current plan was going to involve dropping subtle clues in the Hansel and Gretel story regarding Red and Luna's fates, then to bring Red back as a minor character in parts three and four, which were going to be based on Alice in Wonderland. After that, there would have been a lot more plot exposure and the ongoing story would have been revealed in that little section. So each seperate 'part' would basically correspond to a single chapter in the ongoing plot.Erja_Perttu said:No problems!Trivun said:No, don't worry, I did take your comments on board, and I think you're being pretty honest and you do make some good points. I've got a master copy of the story saved on my PC that I'm editing, so not all changes made to that are going to be put up here, else it'd take too long. The guy who quoted you is just annoyed because he decided to flame me instead of offering any sort of advice, and I called him out on it. But thank you for your feedback, it's much appreciatedErja_Perttu said:Oh well. I said what I thought. Whilst I'll admit I'm not a perfect critic, I did take an English literature course, so I believe my points are valid.LordNue said:Looks like he's going to ignore you too for not sucking his e-cock while you criticize his work.Erja_Perttu said:I think I agree with this. This would make a great blockbuster horror movie, you don't have to think on it much, it's got lesbians, blood guts and gore and a freak out ending. It just doesn't seem to have any substance to it.lvl9000_woot said:So, by Hollywood standards, he's right on track ;PLordNue said:Eh it's not very good. You take the name and basic idea behind a good story and turn it into something terrible.
This may sound quite harsh, and I?ve tried to make this as constructive as possible, so please do not be offended by my observations.
My main criticisms are that the overall use of language was pretty basic, the descriptions were Spartan in some places and overly used in others and the pacing and flow weren't quite right.
The only thing you really describe is what the two main characters are wearing and what the grandmothers? corpse looks like. Also, any character described as being 'a bit of a Goth' gives me immediate 'My Immortal' flashbacks, and that is never a good sign. Obviously, due to the nature of the story title you had to describe her clothing, but you dwell on it for far too long.
Your main villain is very stilted. She comes across as cliché and I'm guessing there's meant to be an air of either mystery or danger about her, but by mentioning that she sounds sinister in your writing itself, it destroys any attempt at atmosphere. I'd advise trying to make her a lot more subtle and manipulative.
Your main characters reason for straying off the path is incomprehensible. She's sick of listening to others rules, but why? What is her motivation? You've not given the impression that she's suppressed by society or a particular role, she doesn't seem smothered by anything other than a feeling of inadequacy with men which you've given no explanation for other than, so it seems, to try and make your character sympathetic, which doesn't pan out. In making the story more complex, you've made it harder to suspend disbelief.
Other than that, your story feels rushed due to how much you've tried to push into it and keep the word count down. The original story had four main segments, girl goes to see grandma, meets wolf, finds grandma has been eaten by the wolf, gets rescued from wolf by random woodcutter.
Yours is more convoluted, and any real message you?ve tried to convey, the very heart of a fairytale, is lost in lesbian kisses and gore. Sure you?ve made it twisted as you say, but the beauty of the original thing was in its simplicity, which is something your story lacks.
This last point may just be something which I?ve missed, or a plot point I?ve misunderstood, but the ending makes little to no sense. Sure it?s creepy to have a girl you?ve just killed be alive at the end, but other than giving Luna a strange name and calling her intentions sinful, you?ve shown no sign that she?s anything other than a psychopathic girl. For all your descriptions of the characters dress sense, you never mentioned if she had any supernatural features, or expanded on the wolf allegory.
Please feel free to contact me about any of my comments.
However concerning his rebuke about how much criticism he's receiving here compared to other sites, I'm not sure deviantart as whole is the best judge of work, considering that the majority of the audience there seem to think that 'yaoi' is 'kawaii'.![]()
I don't think I mentioned this, but Lord Nue has a good point here. Expansion would probably do your story some good, especially if you are looking to start a mythology. A few more hints as too a bigger picture rather than a huge neon sign at the end (Luna still being alive) I think would improve the atmoshpere as well.LordNue said:Your story is too short for what you want it to be. It reads more like the first chapter of a novel then a short story.