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Review of Julian's Secret  
Review by Harry
Rated: 13+ | (5.0)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Shannon ~

This story is simply delightful! It shows a lot of imagination. It is an entertaining read that is a lot of fun. Very well-done!

I have but a few minor suggestions to offer:

energy only twelve(-)year(-)old boys possess.

bought us(,) and the stupid VCR keeps

was 2:00 a.m.(,) and he didn't want

to the park(,) and I saw a tiny door

a dollhouse door(,) and it has a knob

the caterpillar[,] and the playing cards

Cheers!

Harry
277
277
Review of BLUE BOOKCASE  
Review by Harry
Rated: E | (5.0)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Joy ~

This story is quite well-written and tells a wonderfully uplifting tale. Extremely nice piece of writing!

I found only a few minor suggestions to make:

God wearing a black(,) hooded cloak

gave up(,) and He told me

a glorious event(,) and when my time comes, I

Cheers!

Harry
278
278
Review by Harry
Rated: E | (5.0)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Legerdemain ~

This is a cute, warm story that is well-written. It makes an enjoyable read.

I have only two items for your consideration:

“What’s wrong(,) dear?”

Although it was [dusty](dirty) and scratched from being dug up from the earth,

Cheers!

Harry
279
279
Review by Harry
Rated: E | (4.5)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Joy ~

This was an interesting, fact-filled, informative read that I enjoyed. It is well-written overall. However, I do have a few suggestions for you to consider:

and together with (the) Wampanoag people and their Chief Massasoit, they celebrated

[was] successful(ly) [to] convince(d) President Lincoln to proclaim

Since the American South saw this as a Yankee holiday, they made up their own Thanksgiving Day; >>> Unclear what this means. Was it celebrated on a different date? How was it different?

Cheers!

Harry
280
280
Review by Harry
Rated: E | (4.0)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Beck ~

I'm afraid what might work in a song is too much repetition in a poem, at least for my tastes.

half(-)ounce & deep(-)diving

Listing all the fishing gear was interesting and a novelty.

Cheers!

Harry
281
281
Review by Harry
Rated: E | (4.5)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Legerde ~

This is a nice poem that seemed appropriate for the prompt. It is filled with great images. I enjoyed the read. Well done!

I have a few grammatical suggestions for your consideration:

Softly, gently she floated downward(,)[.]
[T](t)wirling, spinning and drifting toward the Earth.

on a soft(,) pink flower petal.

in tiny(,) white mounds on the flowers.

Hours passed(,) and the sun crept higher.

Soon, all the other snowflakes had melted(,)

[T](t)he tree sent down

Twirling, spinning and drifting toward the earth they fell[.](,)
[F](f)alling in clouds of petals, piling in pink mounds under the trees.

In fall, the leaves will fall from the trees[.](,)
[R](r)eminding us eternally of the beauty of the snowflake[.](,)
[U](u)ntil once again the last snowflake of winter drifts down.

Cheers!

Harry
282
282
Review by Harry
Rated: E | (5.0)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Meg ~

This is a delightful acrostic Christmas poem. It has just the right degree of fun, mixed with thoughtful statements about what giving at Christmas should be all about. The rhyme is well done as well.

There are a few punctuation issues regarding needing periods in place of commas at end of lines 1, 5, and 15.

I much enjoyed the read of your poem.

CHeers!

Harry
283
283
Review of Mary  
Review by Harry
Rated: 13+ | (3.5)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Lureeasygoer ~

The content of your poem is quite good. However, technically the writing is far too easy going.
You have no punctuation hardly at all, and you are inconsistent with what you have (= Mary, Mary in stanza one, but Mary Mary in next two stanzas.) In several places, the verb tense is wrong: she has pave(d) the road, will forever be bless(ed).

Other items of concern:

of her children('s) heavy load

A moment in heaven lasting a lifetime how I feel >>> Very awkward.

as fate's honored guess (guest)

Now I'll be challenge the impossible feat>>> Very awkward construction.

You should seek out a friend who has proficiency in English and grammar and have him/her assist you with a rewrite of this poem. It has good potential to be quite worthwhile.

Cheers!

Harry
284
284
Review by Harry
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, THiNg ~

Overall, I liked this poem! In some ways the repitition of having a rhyming couplet with the third line being similar in all stanzas worked well. However, the fourth lines sometimes rhymed with screen but other times did not. Then you repeated 'unseen' and 'dream' in the fourth lines as the rhyme with 'screen'. These off-rhymes and repeats were a bit off-putting to me. In addition, you used punctuation after the first and last lines only. Why not use correct punctuation throughout?

Here: 'Saying friends heart wants to stay', should this be friend's heart or what?

This poem is already good. Some more polishing would make it even better.

Cheers!

Harry
285
285
Review by Harry
Rated: E | (4.5)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Maryann ~

This short poem captures the feel of looking at the Milky Way fairly well. It is well rhymed.

The colors mentioned -- black, blue, yellow, gray -- strike me as odd. When I examine the nighttime sky, I see bright white lights against a black background. I can see how the black background appears gray in the city sometimes, but when does one see blue and yellow at night? And you fail to even mention the white light of the stars at night.

What does "fine royalty" mean in the context of the last line?

Overall, the poem works, but it could be improved a bit.

Cheers!

Harry
286
286
Review of Storm-story  
Review by Harry
Rated: E | (4.0)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, fyn getting married 12/12/08 ~

First, congratulations on your impending marriage. May your marriage be both happy and long.

The story's content is good. The telling of the story was entertaining and held my interest well. Nice job story-wise. The writing needs tightening up , with better punctuation as well.

My suggestion for your consideration:

I hate storms(.) I really am not comfortable

Everything’s been going well(.)[,] I love my new job(;)[,] the ex is half a country away(;) and I even

[!](.) Forget weather.com(.)[, w] (W)hen a storm is coming, she’s howling and spinning in circles(.)[!] >>>>> Too many exclamation marks in this paragraph = three used.

in my writing group(.)[ and w](W)e share a love of Bichon(s)[’s](,) so even the pup ......
anywhere in the car(.)[!]

We were watching the sky too as it had this storm-green cast to it, but the meal had been good and the coffee was yummy and the conversation was excellent and, well, I really wasn’t paying much attention to it. >>>> Run-on sentence with four conjunctions in it. Break this up!

pitch black(,) and it sounded

something hit the house(,) and we both ended up

Suddenly(,) it was very quiet. We headed upstairs[.](--) Michelle, limping and one(-)footed, I carrying the two pups.

from the fridge(,) and we headed outside

Cheers!

Harry
287
287
Review of Girls Night Out  
Review by Harry
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Diane ~

You did a nice job with the story and incorporating the titles of books. The story was interesting and entertaining.

I have a number of punctuation suggestions for your consideration:

hate being alone(,) so I jump from one

couple of weeks(,) and then I am back out

sure how to get there(,) so we grab

from a friend at work(,) so we all hope

for the last two years(,) so it should be safe to

to our conversation(,) and Jillian chimed in

listen to her[, h](. H)er mother set her up.

You'll find yours[,](;) just give it time."

clothes were and(,) more importantly(,) how fantastic our bodies

in front of the club[,](;) most are pierced in multiple places

isn't in there[, h](. H)e really creeps

standing outside(,) so we plunged ahead

of the king[,](;) dude's trying to look like

I order a drink[;](--) I'll need a strong one to survive this place (--)[,] and start looking around.

on the dance floor(,) but I am not familiar

He is smiling(,) and(,) because he seems harmless, I smile back. He is talking(,) but I can't hear him over the music(,) so I lean in closer.

just for you(,) baby."

anything with it(,) and I told him so.

the designated driver(,) so she drops us

I am the last to be dropped off(.)[ and a] (A)s she is driving away,

than it's worth(,) but it has me laughing


You overuse connecting what could be two separate sentences with 'so'. If you use 'so', it usually needs a comma before it. You also need to use a comma before 'and' or 'but' connecting two complete sentences. Don't be afraid to use more separated sentences, i.e. not feel the need to link them together with 'so', 'and', or 'but' as often.

Cheers!

Harry
288
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Review of I WISH, I WISH  
Review by Harry
Rated: E | (4.5)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Meg ~

I enjoyed this poem. The content is fine, but there are problems with the punctuation. There are unneeded commas, commas at the end of sentences where periods should be used, too many exclamation marks ( including one seven-line sequence with five lines ending with an exclamation mark), and lines with no punctuation when needed.

[ ] = delete & ( ) = insert

I wish, I wish we had a day[,] set aside each year[,]
To show our gratitude and thanks for all that we have here.
Thanksgiving sounds the perfect way to tell folks how we feel[,](.)
Of course(,) there is the bonus of a scrumptious turkey meal[!](.)

We do not celebrate a day quite like this in Australia[,](.)
I had to look it up on Google ~ what magnificent regalia[!](--)
The pictures of the tables spread with food fit for a King!
Oh(,) how I wish we had a day that we called Thanksgiving[!](.)

[The] Cranberry Salsa/Cream cheese dip with crackers (is) just to start[,]
And then a big Roast Turkey begging to be pulled apart[!](.)
(There's) [S](s)tuffing and brown gravy with potatoes, mashed or sweet[.]
And by the side a salad spread so green and crisp and neat.
>>>>>> This stanza contains no complete sentences as presently written.

If there's any room to spare inside your full(,) round tummy,
You can have some Pumpkin Pie(.)[!] How very, very, yummy(!)
A great big dollop of sweet whipped cream (is) spooned [up there] on top.
My mouth is watering so much, I think I have to stop[!](.)

You may have got an inkling that I like a nice big dinner[,](.)
If I didn't, I tell you, I'd be a little thinner[!](.)
But food's not all Thanksgiving Day is all about, I'm guessing[, ](.)
It's a special day to gather and give thanks for every blessing.

I wish, I wish we had a day[,] set aside each year[,]
To show our gratitude and thanks for all that we have here.
This day will pass unnoticed[,] in Australia[,](;) so I'll say[,]
To all of you who celebrate, have a great Thanksgiving Day!

These are just my suggestions for your consideration. Take them or ignore them at your pleasure.

Cheers!

Harry
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289
Review of Sassy  
Review by Harry
Rated: E | N/A (Review only item.)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Pat ~

The content here is wonderful. Telling the world about Sassy is full of promise for an interesting and entertaining series of short stories. I look forward to reading more about her life. That said, the writing here seems a bit heavy-handed.

The first paragraph seemed overly long to me. Maybe break into a new paragraph here:

This, too, left its mark on Sassy. (BREAK)

For such a long time, when the doorbell would ring[,] or a sudden loud noise was made--even something as innocent as Buddy shouting at the ballgame on television--[she](Sassy) would run and hide ...

They wanted her to feel safe and loved and happy. She had come into their home and hearts when she was 22 months old. She was in foster care at that time, and they had no way of knowing how long she would be with them. Their only concern was to give her a place where she would feel safe and loved and protected. >>>> Repeat of safe and loved and.....

They knew how much Mommy Susan wanted to have Sassy back with her. They understood how painful it had to have been for her to not have Sassy with her. >>>> Too similar sentences. Maybe combine them.

the judge decided that Sassy needed to feel safe and to feel that she was "home". >>>> This point seems belabored to me. Note how often you repeat this point in this short story. You are hitting the reader over the head with it!

Some unneeded commas:

a loving wife to Buddy[,] and the happy mother

was her favorite number[, ]and that it had always been

adopted when she was five years old[,] and there had been

following her adoption[, ]because that is the way

I hope you will continue with the planned series.

Cheers!

Harry
290
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Review of Pain Pain Go Away  
Review by Harry
Rated: E | (4.5)
** Image ID #1467580 Unavailable **

Greetings, Robin ~

Ouch! I feel for you and your constant pain. You explain your condition well, as well as the symptoms you suffer.

I have only a couple of items for you to take a look at:

never a concern of mine[;] until I mysteriously developed two nerve conditions: bilateral Thoracic Outlet Syndrome()(T.O.S.) and

both my ulnar nerves, (in both arms) are compressed at the shoulder[,] and in the elbow.
>>>> This is confusing. Does each arm have only one ulner nerve or have two? Maybe: ...[both] my ulner nerve in both arms is compressed...

Cheers!

Harry
291
291
Review of Earning It All  
Review by Harry
Rated: E | (4.0)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Joy ~

Overall, this story is well written and entertaining. However, there were a couple of places that disrupted the flow for me. You raise these questions : Why didn't Mr. Sutton tell the guard right outside the door to tell the man to go away? Why did he get so agitated? Why was his face reddened like that? , but then never provide an answer. If the man had bothered customers in the recent past, then why didn't Mr. Sutton tell the guard right outside the door to tell the man to go away?

Janice is sitting in Mr. Sutton's office, needing to sign some papers to get her loan, when Mr. sutton reacts to seeing the man in the straw hat. Then next comes: Janice didn't quite remember when she bumped into the man in the straw hat, but she knew that it was inside the bank's building. All she could remember was walking along the corridor outside Mr. Sutton's office as she was stuffing the papers into her handbag. >>>> It sounds like they concluded their loan business, and Janice left the office and was walking down the corridor when the man bumped into her. How could she not remember when she bumped into the man? It would have been right after leaving Mr. Sutton's office on her way out of the bank, no?

It stretches the imagination that any lawyer would have the man he is committing a crime with repeatedly come and work openly at his office. This is a quite weak plot point to me.

A couple of minor items:

"Go away!" [H](h)e yelled at the man in the straw hat.

concerned about Janice's health(,) but she assured him

This story could be much improved with just a bit of tightening up the weak points.

Cheers!

Harry
292
292
Review by Harry
Rated: E | (5.0)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Nicki ~

I thought I'd return the favor and review a poem of yours. I really liked this poem! You used the Terza Rima form perfectly, hitting every rhyme correctly. All lines had a ten-syllable count, except for two:
Simple folk donned neither tuxedo nor gown;
Out of America I soared on iron wings

The punctuation was good, except here:
Requisite travel to set my soul free(,)
Out of America I soared on iron wings(.)

Overall, this was excellently penned and quite a pleasure to read.

Cheers!

Harry
293
293
Review of The Hunter  
Review by Harry
Rated: 13+ | (5.0)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Wild Bill ~

I enjoyed this story. You held my interest throughout and set the scene well for the ending, which is left up to the reader's imagination. A nice piece of writing overall!

A few minor items for your consideration:

mop of matted and greasy(-)looking hair,

He never went hunting[,] and told those

He said all that[, ]and spit half of it in my face(,) too.

No more loud(,) braying fool

Cheers!

Harry
294
294
Review of A Journey To Love  
Review by Harry
Rated: ASR | (4.5)
** Image ID #1467580 Unavailable **

Greetings, Joywitch ~

This is a well-written and enjoyable read. It flows along nicely. I have only two suggestions for you to consider:

1) Instead of some many couplets, perhaps you could try grouping these into quatrains or some other grouping. This may help the reading.

2) The rhymes are good overall. The last couplet seems the weakest with the repeat of me-me. Perhaps the last line could be something like "From the deep, his voice said, “I am you, don't you see?” to make the rhyme me-see instead of the weaker me-me.

This is a nice piece of writing overall.

Cheers!

Harry
295
295
Review by Harry
Rated: E | (4.5)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Billy ~

Within the 300-word limit, this story tells a good tale. It is skimpy and rushed, but the 300-word limit dictates that. The main problem I had was the extreme misuse of commas throughout.

Well, it happened one night[,] after I’d boarded the city bus[,] on my way to the outskirts of town. I had been invited to a party[,] by a friend at work[,] and was excited about going. >>>> None of the bracketed commas are needed.

I was so distracted by the coffee stain on my blouse[, ]that I didn't notice the strange(,) gothic man[, ]watching me from his seat.

long, dark hair[,]rested on his shoulders.

anything of it[,] and returned

He stood, approaching me[,] with a saunter that demanded the world believe[,] he ruled the night.

Cheers!

Harry
296
296
Review of The Big Race  
Review by Harry
Rated: ASR | (5.0)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Leger ~

This was a fun read. You tell quite a humorous story here. You did well keeping the reader's interest through to the end. This is a nice piece of writing!

A few minor items:

[”] (")C’mon(,) boys, let’s see

in the red(,) shiny(,) basketball shorts

his sweat(-)soaked shirt.

the “Weight Loss Camp 100(-)Yard Dash” sat down and devoured all his powdered(,) sugar(-)coated doughnut winnings.

Cheers!

Harry
297
297
Review of Cloud Imaging  
Review by Harry
Rated: E | (4.5)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Ms.Magi ~

According to your own instructions: "...the ending stanza then repeats the second and fourth lines of the previous stanza (as its first and third lines), ..."

Singular as snowflakes
Delicate rainbows
Swift as heartbreaks
Hiding in lightning shadows

Subtle as rainbows >>>> This is NOT a repeat of the second line of the previous stanza.

Other than this one seeming deviation from the formula, this appears to be a good pantoum.

Cheers!

Harry
298
298
Review by Harry
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
Greetings, Robin ~

Even though this is quite long, it is an enjoyable read because it flows so well and tells a compelling story. I much enjoyed the read. This is excellent writing. Although many readers do not appreciate long poems, I do!

I do have a few suggestions for you to consider:

Rather than begin each line with a capitalized word, if you only capitalized the start of a new sentence, it would aid in the reading. Also, correct punctuation is needed. For instance, these lines:
What strange stories we can tell
deep within each of our cultures --
where we beg God come and dwell.
It happened on a star-lit night.
I found a most amazing sight.

Be consistent with verb tense. You switched from past to present tense in these lines:
My excitement [can’t](couldn't) be quelled.
For I believe(d) I found a map
That show(ed)[s] where Ancients dwelled…
My job [is](was) selling ancient maps

[Am](Was) I to dare presume?

Nest to last line: tinker's dam[n]:
A tinker's dam is a small amount of some kind of paste that the tinker places around the hole or crack in the pewter. The dam serves to keep the solder in one place until the solder can fill the hole or crack. After the operation, the dam useless and is thrown away.

This is a wonderful piece of writing. Very enjoyable. If cleaned up just a bit, it would be perfection.

Cheers!

Harry

A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.
299
299
Review by Harry
Rated: E | (4.5)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Fyn ~

This is a rather cute story about a mother's shock at her youngest child leaving home, causing an empty nest sooner than she had expected. Not to mention the reason she left...

I enjoyed the read muchly. I did find a few items for your consideration:

In the summary: when [i](I) needed her most!

“Mom! I joined the Navy today!!! I leave in six weeks!” >>> Too many exclamation marks.

“You what?” My baby in the [n](N)avy? Boot camp? She can’t keep her room clean! She doesn’t do orders well. She hates to exercise! Oh dear. >>>> Too many exclamation marks.

“I’m going to be a journalist in the Navy! >>>> This is the eighth exclamation marks within the first three paragraphs.

It will be ok(ay). You’ll be okay. >>> Be consistent.

flurry of last(-)minute packing/

with empty(-)nest tears,

I was not looking for a pet[,](and) certainly not a dog(,) as me and housebreaking a dog

too cute to resist(,) and my income

wanted a Bichon(,) and it was the one(-)year anniversary of her death. I came home with an eight(-) week(-) old Bichon, a crate,

Oh and(,) Mom, I have

Cheers!

Harry
300
300
Review of The Monster  
Review by Harry
Rated: E | (4.5)
A Simply Positive Group Sig For Reviewers.

Greetings, Diane ~

This is a cute story that should appeal to young children. You told it well, except for the following grammatical issues:

to hide [it's](its) true identity.

There it was[;](,) hiding in the back

“Come on out(,) silly girl[,](;) the Easter Bunny left you a present(,)[.]” Daddy said.

pink basket this year(,) Mirabelle(,)[.]” Mommy said.

Daddy frowned(.)[,] “Why don’t you want your Easter basket(,) Mira?”

hiding in there(,)[.]” she whispered.

“It’s got big eyes(,) and it’s empty inside(,)[.]” she said.

Bunny left for you(,)[.]” she said.

ones for me[, t](. T)hey’re my favorite(,)[.]” Mommy

tucked a well(-)worn afghan

her jellybeans(,) but the monster was

the jellybean feast(,) Mirabelle threw

want them(,)[.]” said Daddy

no idea(,)[.]” Mommy responded.

“Sure(,)[.]” he said.

Cheers!

Harry
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