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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/profile/reviews/jeff/sort_by/r.review_creation_time DESC/page/11
Review Requests: OFF
4,141 Public Reviews Given
4,270 Total Reviews Given
Review Style
I believe in constructive criticism and honesty. I can adapt my review style to fit the kind of feedback an author is looking for (e.g., developmental suggestions, fine-tuning, proofreading, etc.), but will always try to be as encouraging and helpful as possible.
I'm good at...
Plotting, characterization, dialogue, structure/pacing, and professional considerations. I can also do serviceable technical editing/proofreading, but I'm much better with developmental/creative feedback.
Favorite Genres
I read almost everything. I particularly love genre fiction (mystery/thriller and science fiction/fantasy especially) and nonfiction of all kinds.
Public Reviews
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for entry "Christmas Colours
Review by Jeff
In affiliation with I Write  
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
Hi 💙 Carly -

I am reviewing your item in connection with "I Write in 2018

I thought you did a fantastic job with all of the colors and vivid description in this poem. The different colorations you described made everything feel vibrant and alive, which worked well with your choice of subject matter, structure, and word choice. Overall, this was an excellent poetic work, as so many of your works usually are. *Smile*

Thank you for the opportunity to read and critique your material. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff

If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations
"New & Noteworthy Things
252
252
Review of I Write In 2018  
for entry "Who Am I?
Review by Jeff
In affiliation with I Write  
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
Hi 💙 Carly -

I am reviewing your item in connection with "I Write in 2018

I really enjoyed this item. I thought you did a great job communicating the emotion and narrative situation primarily through dialogue, which is really not easy to do. In only a few short words and brief verbal exchanges, you painted a vivid picture of a complex scenario and it was clear and easy to follow along with. Overall, I think you did a great job with the prompt. Well done! *Smile*

Thank you for the opportunity to read and critique your material. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff


If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations
"New & Noteworthy Things
253
253
Review by Jeff
Rated: ASR | (4.0)
I think you did a really good job with this entry for the Christian Writing Contest. You explained your passage of choice in detail and expanded upon it with your own thoughts, which are the two things I look for when I'm reading nonfiction. All in all, this is a really solid entry. Best of luck in the contest! *Smile*
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254
for entry "~ Proverbs 18:18 ~
Review by Jeff
Rated: 18+ | (4.5)
Looks like we picked the same book of the Bible from which to write our essays! *Delight*

I really like the fact that you really honed in on one particular verse of Proverbs 18. I tend to focus more on larger excerpts from scripture (as evidenced from my entry!) because I like the "big picture" view of things... but, man, I really admire people who can really dig into the meat of a single verse and extrapolate a ton of information from it. You did a great job of that here.

And I totally agree with you; sometimes I read a verse from the Bible and go, "What the heck? Am I just not getting this, because it doesn't really make a lot of sense!" A pastor of mine once mentioned that fully understanding the Bible requires a lot of knowledge about the people and time period around which it was written, so maybe people back in those days were more inclined to agree to a drawing of lots rather than trying to win a dispute, conflict, or contest based on merits. Our society is so geared around winning, can you imagine what it would be like to just draw lots and the winner is the winner, plain and simple? It's almost hard to believe.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed your item and your insights. This was a really fun contest and I hope you consider running other rounds of it... I could use more opportunities in my life to be introspective about the Bible. *Bigsmile*

I would wish you good luck in the contest like the other entrants I reviewed, but I don't think you're going to win. *Pthb* *Laugh*
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255
Review by Jeff
Rated: ASR | (4.5)
I really loved your piece. I thought it was well written, addresses the prompt effectively, and is a really great message for those out there who may be despairing their particular fertility/pregnancy situation (whatever that situation may be). My wife and I recently went through a similar challenge with fertility issues and it took a lot of prayer and introspection to get to a point where we were able to recognize that sometimes God has different plans than we do for ourselves. But it's amazing how often, if you listen to Him, you'll find that His plans are infinitely greater than yours ever were.

Good luck in the contest! *Smile*
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256
Review by Jeff
Rated: E | (4.5)
This is a really great piece. I love the way you broke down the Bible verses and mixed them in with your own writing, and then took the time to elaborate upon them and add in your own thoughts. For me, this is exactly what nonfiction should be... informative, educational, a little bit personal... all in all, a really solid entry. Good luck in the contest! *Smile*
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257
Review by Jeff
Rated: E | (4.0)
Overall, I thought this was a great item. There are so many jobs out there that people look down on, but everyone who works hard at their chosen profession deserves respect and admiration, especially when it's a thankless job that most people would never want to do.

The only suggestion for improvement I have is to reconsider the ending... when the narrator asks what else she could have done with her life and mentions possibly being a soldier, it kind of undercuts the impact of the piece, especially when earlier on in the essay it's made clear that she was encouraged to be a teacher, veterinarian, or scientist but chose to be a sanitation engineer because she was passionate about it.

If this is meant to be a persuasive piece, I think it needs to end with a reinforcement of why being a sanitation engineer is the right thing for the narrator, not simply a the default because the narrator couldn't think of anything else to do with her life.

Otherwise, I thought this was an excellent piece and it will be my pleasure to feature it in this week's For Authors newsletter! *Bigsmile*
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258
Review of Grosvenor Arch  
Review by Jeff
Rated: E | (4.0)
Nice job on this essay! I've never really considered the nuances of arches before. The only slight suggestion for improvement I have is to remove the reference to "natural arches" in the item description. The introductory paragraph of this piece talks exclusively about man-made arches (the Arc de Triomphe, St. Louis arch, McDonald's golden arches, and the architecture of the Taj Mahal), which felt a little out of place when the topic promised in the intro was a discussion of "natural arches." If the intro simply promised a discussion of arches in general, the first paragraph would fit right in... and it would arguably make natural arches all the more impressive. Nice work... it would be my pleasure to feature in this week's For Authors newsletter! *Bigsmile*
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259
Review of Hand in my Back  
Review by Jeff
In affiliation with I Write  
Rated: E | (4.5)
Hi Tinker -

I am reviewing your item in connection with "I Write in 2018

Overall, I think you did a great job with this poem. I think your word choice was excellent and it was well structured. I couldn't find any errors with the form, although you do need to fix the xlink WritingML at the bottom of the piece so it properly links to the webpage you're trying to point to. *Smile* All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. Nice work!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and critique your material. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff

If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations
"New & Noteworthy Things
260
260
Review by Jeff
Rated: 18+ | (5.0)
ruwth,

Thank you so much for pointing me to this item. It's awesome! I think I attempted at one point to have at least one of every item type in my port as well, although I never really thought to try and put them all together into an item, let alone one that's presented in the form of a freestyle poem! I am a little in awe. *Shock*

This was really fantastic and I've bookmarked the item to check out your wide variety of items in the near future.

Well done!

Jeff
Logo for Senior Moderators - small

If you're interested in checking out my work:
"New & Noteworthy Things
"Blogocentric Formulations

261
261
Review of I Write In 2018  
for entry "Diner of Despair
Review by Jeff
In affiliation with I Write  
Rated: 13+ | (3.5)
Hi 💙 Carly -

I am reviewing your item in connection with "I Write in 2018

I thought you did a great job with the prompt. By including an actual storm and having it be an integral part of the story, it really felt like you took the prompt serious and didn't just include it as a throwaway line. I always appreciate it when a writer takes a prompt and really runs with it. *Thumbsup*

I found the relationship between Emma and Charlie to be a bit confusing. As fellow travelers, the assumption is that they're somehow important to one another, and yet the way the story ended with Emma just watching the diner disintegrate and take Charlie with it, there didn't seem to be a lot of emotion behind it. It was almost like she was watching an objective event unfold in front of her rather than being traumatized at her significant other (or close companion) literally torn away from her. I know 300 words isn't a lot of space to work with, but I would have loved to have seen a little less back-and-forth in the diner in favor of a little more emotional resonance at the very end of the story.

Other than that, though, I thought this was a fun story and a great take on the prompt. Nice job! *Smile*

Thank you for the opportunity to read and critique your material. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff


If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations
"New & Noteworthy Things
262
262
Review by Jeff
In affiliation with I Write  
Rated: E | (4.5)
Hi Tinker -

I am reviewing your item in connection with "I Write in 2018

I enjoyed this poem. I thought it flowed nicely and was well structured. I sometimes have a hard time with free verse because there's no meter or construction for me to evaluate it against, but even without the specific rules of a particular form, you managed to make this poem feel well paced and expertly laid out. Your imagery was also great; it was a joy to read.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and critique your material. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff


If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations
"New & Noteworthy Things
263
263
Review of Kitten Sitter  
Review by Jeff
In affiliation with I Write  
Rated: E | (4.5)
Hi Prosperous Snow celebrating -

I am reviewing your item in connection with "I Write in 2018

I thought this was a really cute flash fiction story. I'm a sucker for an animal story, and this one was full of charming characters and a clever ending that perfectly pulled things together. I really appreciate the fact that your entry has a complete beginning, middle, and end; that is NOT easy to do in less than 300 words. Great job and good luck in the contest! *Bigsmile*

Thank you for the opportunity to read and critique your material. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff


If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations
"New & Noteworthy Things
264
264
Review of In His Element  
Review by Jeff
In affiliation with I Write  
Rated: E | (4.5)
Hi Genipher -

I am reviewing your item in connection with "I Write in 2018

I actually entered the same contest this week, so I was very excited to see that I'd get a chance to take a look at my competition! *Bigsmile* I absolutely love limericks and think you did a fantastic job with this one. You really captured the fun and entertainment value of a limerick with your choice of language; I laughed out loud at "fat bearded guy" as your rhyme for "sky." *Laugh* Overall, I don't really have any other feedback than to say I really, thoroughly enjoyed your poem and wish you the best of luck in the Christmas in July contest! *Delight*

Thank you for the opportunity to read and critique your material. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff


If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations
"New & Noteworthy Things
265
265
Review of The Swift  
Review by Jeff
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
Hi CeruleanSon -

This item was brought to my attention by Thundersbeard 30DBC JULY HOST through "Invalid Item, and as a fellow featured author, I thought I'd stop by for a quick review. Overall, I thought this was a delightful story. Your detail and description was excellent, your characters were fascinating, and the dialogue really helped the pace move along quickly. Steampunk is still a relatively new genre for me, but this was on par with the best of the stories I've read in the genre. Well done!

I hope this review has been constructive, and thank you for the opportunity to read your work! Please also remember these comments are the opinion of one person and, as the author, it's up to you to decide which feedback to utilize. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff
Logo for Senior Moderators - small

If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations
"New & Noteworthy Things
266
266
Review of I Write In 2018  
for entry "My New Home
Review by Jeff
In affiliation with I Write  
Rated: 13+ | (5.0)
Hi 💙 Carly -

I am reviewing your item in connection with "I Write in 2018

Looks like we chose the same contest to enter this week! I always enjoy seeing that because it gives me a chance to look at someone else's take on the exact same prompt I've been mulling over! *Bigsmile* I thought you did a great job with this story and gave both the house and your protagonist a level of detail and description that made it feel incredibly authentic. I love the fact that the house feels like both a representation of your protagonist as well as a reflection of her.

I don't often give 5-star reviews, but this is an exceptional piece of flash fiction. Well done!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and critique your material. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff


If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations
"New & Noteworthy Things
267
267
Review of Open Mic Night  
Review by Jeff
In affiliation with I Write  
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
Hi 💙 Carly -

I am reviewing your item in connection with "I Write in 2018

I thought you did a great job with the prompt in this story. You really captured the uncertainty and emotions of being in a situation where one has to perform on stage in front of a crowd. I could vividly see the scene thanks to your excellent description and use of detail.

There were just a couple of small places where some typos need to be ironed out. In the second paragraph, it should be "cold sweats" (not "cold sweets"), and in the third paragraph, it should be "bits of advice" (not "bits of advise"). Other than that, I think you did an excellent job writing a compelling story based on an interesting prompt.

Well done!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and critique your material. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff


If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations
"New & Noteworthy Things
268
268
for entry "Desperation
Review by Jeff
In affiliation with I Write  
Rated: E | (4.5)
Hi Tinker -

I am reviewing your item in connection with "I Write in 2018

I briefly considered this challenge for myself with I Write this week, but when I saw all the rules and CJ's own twist on them, I quickly decided that it was way too complicated and I chickened out. *Laugh* I was very excited to see someone attempt this though! And while I'm not sure I even understand the rules of the modified poetic form enough to speak authoritatively about how well this particular piece followed that form, I can say that I really enjoyed reading this piece, subjectively speaking.

I'm very impressed that you were able to adhere to such a rigorous set of structural criteria, while still managing to create a compelling and entertaining poem. Your writing was clear and concise (of course, with a 30-second poem, it kind of has to be! *Bigsmile*) and evocative. Excellent job!

Thank you for the opportunity to read and critique your material. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff


If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations
"New & Noteworthy Things
269
269
Review by Jeff
In affiliation with I Write  
Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
Hi 💙 Carly -

I am reviewing your item in connection with "I Write in 2018

I really enjoyed your poem for this month's Dark Dreamscapes contest. I thought the imagery was excellent and and pacing was very strong. The only thing I noticed was that the second stanza starts with the lines "Above them, Chadron / Sweeps his mighty oar" and I think the ferryman from Greek mythology's name is Charon (or Kharon)? Wasn't sure if that was an intentional name change or not, but I assume it's the same character since there's also a reference to the River Styx.

Other than that, I thought you did an excellent job with this poem and really enjoyed it. Nice job! *Smile*

Thank you for the opportunity to read and critique your material. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff


If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations
"New & Noteworthy Things
270
270
Review by Jeff
In affiliation with I Write  
Rated: 18+ | (3.5)
Hi ruwth -

I am reviewing your item in connection with "I Write in 2018

I have to admit that, even after reading this item and the instructions for the Taboo Words Contest at least half a dozen times each, I'm still a little uncertain as to whether this is a note to yourself to write a future entry, or this is the entry itself. Don't get me wrong; if it's the latter I can appreciate an unorthodox approach to a contest and enjoy it when people think outside the box for their entries. But three things gave me pause and caused me to second guess whether they're what you're actually doing, or if this was merely a placeholder for a future entry:

1. The reference to I Write threw me off. This piece isn't just self-referential to the Taboo Words Contest, it's also self-referential to the I Write activity, which really makes it feel more like a journal entry or a recap of an item on your to-do list than an actual entry.

2. The prompt for the Taboo Words Contest is to write a poem or a short story. That this is written in first person (and is describing the activity you're trying to complete) makes it feel more like a blog or a journal entry rather than a short story. If you had told the story in third person or added a little narrative detail to give us a sense that this is indeed a short story narrative rather than a nonfiction personal accounting, I think that would help.

3. The most problematic part for me is the characterization of the entry as being something that still needs to be done. "I need to enter a contest right away," "What contest will I enter this week?," "I will enter the Taboo Words Contest." Since these are all present tense, it makes it seem even more like a blog entry or a to-do list rather than a short story. I would recommend changing it to past tense so that it's a little clearer this is the entry itself.

If the goal is to clarify at the end that your "very unique take on the prompt" is writing about writing an entry for the contest, I would try to make the last paragraph a little clearer that it was your intent to do so. You might mention something about how you didn't use any of the taboo words in the piece that they just read, or even in the details below with the word count and prompt information, explicitly state that it's intended to be a meta story.

Overall, I liked your take on the prompt (assuming the intention was to write a self-referential story and that this isn't a placeholder for a real entry to that contest you'll write later!), but I think it could use a little clarification so that there isn't a single doubt in anyone's mind that this item is both about the entry and is the entry itself.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and critique your material. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff


If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations
"New & Noteworthy Things
271
271
Review of A New World  
Review by Jeff
In affiliation with I Write  
Rated: E | (3.5)
Hi Angel -

I am reviewing your item in connection with "I Write in 2018

Before I get into the details, let me just say that I'm a huge fan of extremely short form fiction. Whether you call it blink fiction, flash fiction, micro fiction, or whatever else, compelling people with a narrative of only a handful of words is a very difficult thing to do and I'm always impressed by authors who attempt it, let alone succeed with it!

I really enjoyed your item. I think it's interesting and leaves the reader intrigued to know more without leaving them completely hanging. So, overall, the piece nicely accomplishes its intent.

Where I think there's some area of improvement is in the specific diction and syntax choices. With so little space to work with, every word counts. Short pieces like this become very similar to poetry in the sense that the brevity of the piece puts a lot of emphasis and focus on every single word that's used. Some suggestions you may want to consider:

1. The opening sentence is a bit of a run-on. I'd recommend breaking it up to add a little more punch it up and not start with a grammatical error. Something like "Jan awoke slowly, the dream still there. A city of towers and exotic palaces. Getting out of bed, ..." would punch it up a little and start the piece on the right foot.

2. Removing unnecessary words can give you the space to fit even more narrative into these short pieces. Unless it's integral to telling us something about the character or provides important information about the scene being played out, adjectives like "gradually" can often be cut. "Getting out of bed, she began her normal routine" gets the same point across with one less word, which is one more word that can be applied elsewhere! Similarly, the actual definition of deja vu is "a feeling of having already experienced the present situation" so "the deja vu feeling haunting her" is a bit redundant when "the deja vu haunting her" communicates the same thing without the repetition.

3. I'd recommend varying some of the language choices that show up in short succession. When "unable to shake the strange visions" is immediately followed by another sentence that uses the phrase "an attempt to shake off the deja vu", that second use of "shake" can make the piece feel more limited and constrained than it actually is because the vocabulary repeats itself.

Overall, I think you're off to a strong start. Telling a story in under 100 words is incredibly difficult, especially when the subject matter is about a mythical creature like the phoenix. You've done a great job so far, and hopefully some of the suggestions above help refine the piece and make it even stronger. Nice job! *Smile*

Thank you for the opportunity to read and critique your material. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff


If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations
"New & Noteworthy Things
272
272
Review of Mom  
Review by Jeff
Rated: E | (3.5)
Hi Devilcoco101

I discovered this item using the site's Read & Review feature and wanted to take a few moments to send you a quick review.

I thought you did a good job with this poem. The meter and rhyme scheme flowed well for the most part, and you did a great job of infusing a lot of emotional depth into so few words. There were a couple of lines that bumped for me, though. "She threw, which was bad" feels like it's maybe missing a word (she threw what?), and I'm a little unsure what the second to last stanza was getting at when it says, "It picked her up to go and rock." Was it a reference to the baby in the previous stanza? A little clarity on that point would help make this poem even stronger.

Overall, I think you're off to a really great start with this poem, and a bit of revision could really make it shine. Really nice job! *Smile*

Thank you for the opportunity to read and critique your material. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff
Logo for Senior Moderators - small

If you're interested in checking out my work:
"New & Noteworthy Things
"Blogocentric Formulations

273
273
Review by Jeff
In affiliation with I Write  
Rated: 18+ | (5.0)
Hi ruwth -

I am reviewing your item in connection with "I Write in 2018

Thanks for sending me your item by email. Like you, I don't typically write or review poetry because I've never had much interest or experience with it. But I'm enjoying challenging myself to try something new for "I Write in 2018, and I'm even happier that I've convinced someone else to wander down the poetic path with me. *Smirk*

I agree that this form doesn't really lend itself well to the "read aloud" test; the form makes it difficult to get much of a reading rhythm going. But I thought you did a great job with the tumbling refrain and the construction of your quatrains. I'm particularly impressed by the way you used the same lines in each of the quatrains... coming up with lines that work in varying combinations throughout the poem must not have been easy.

I'm glad you attempted this challenge with me! While I'll always be a prose writer at heart, it's been fun to attempt some of these more challenging poetic forms. I hope you'll keep trying them too! *Bigsmile*

Thank you for the opportunity to read and critique your material. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff


If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations
"New & Noteworthy Things
274
274
Review of Hitching a Ride  
Review by Jeff
In affiliation with I Write  
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
Hi Cheri Annemos -

I am reviewing your item in connection with "I Write in 2018

Overall, I enjoyed this poem. I thought you did a great job with the image prompt, and you created a vivid picture of the situation depicted. The only thing I really stumbled on while I was reading was the second stanza; the first and third felt very practical and grounded in reality, while the second felt a little more ethereal and metaphorical. The juxtaposition of those concepts - going from grounded to metaphorical to grounded again - was a bit jarring as I read it. That said, each of the stanzas on their own were well crafted and elegant. Nicely done! *Smile*

Thank you for the opportunity to read and critique your material. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff


If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations
"New & Noteworthy Things
275
275
Review by Jeff
In affiliation with I Write  
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
Hi LostGhost: Seeking & Learning -

I am reviewing your item in connection with "I Write in 2018

Overall, I think you did a great job with this story. In particular, the imagery was excellent and the dialogue helped move things along at a brisk pace. The one line that caught me up a little was in the fourth paragraph when the narrative said "...and I felt my body turning green inch by inch." I think you need a little more to describe this sensation, because green is a visual cue and you're describing a physical sensation. What does turning green feel like?

Other than that, I thought this was a strong story. Nice job! *Smile*

Thank you for the opportunity to read and critique your material. Keep up the good work and keep writing!

Best regards,

Jeff


If you're interested in checking out my work:
"Blogocentric Formulations
"New & Noteworthy Things
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