♫~ Kenword~♫'s (kenword101) Reviews

Public Reviews

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#4881776

Review of A Journal for moments lived.  

for entry "Satire - The Boarding of the Grandeur Cruise Ship" 

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with Inspirational Writers Guild  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   Sep 7, 2026 at 10:26pm

Length:   4,774 Characters | 4,195 w/o WritingML

Hello Shirley ,  as a part of Writing.com's 26th Birthday Party Celebration this September, I am selecting a few journal entries to read and review. Because you have written about one of my favorite subjects in such a satirical way, I was drawn to read your entry, and am pleased to share my thoughts  on "Satire - The Boarding of the Grandeur Cruise Ship" . September 7, 2026   FIRST IMPRESSION The Cruise. The beautiful lines of a magnificent vessel, the competent cadre of officers, mates, engineers, service and entertainment personnel, can there be anything finer? Well, yes. Yes there can. Let's add in some pretentious pretenders and fascinating fakers, and we'll sail off to see (sea) the wonders of the world. Cruising in America may have become the phenomenon it is because of the '70's show the Love Boat. Princess cruise lines only had a few ships back then, and their largest had a capacity of 670 passengers. Size today? Well let's just say they had to widen the Panama Canal just so that the mega ships of today could slip easily from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans.   HEART INSPIRED   I appreciated both the "First Incident" scene and the "Escalation" scene. Your main character Arthur "sheds his old life," to become something of a notable captain in his own right. He is ostentatious in what he thinks he knows and is completely unaware of how the ships of the modern age function. His counterpart in hilarity is the Countess Bianca whose Viennese accent cannot be sustained but is frequently employed to dazzle and impress an envious passel of passengers. The competition between the two to be the best imitation of a Captain of heroic merit, and a snobbish elitist is ironic, funny, and somewhat sad.     SPECIAL ELEMENTS There is a grand use of exaggeration in the outline of the story that keeps the humor elevated. The chasm between what Arthur and Brenda are in real life and the persona they take on when setting sail for adventure, is huge. But their play, while extreme hyperbole, is a good parody of what happens for many people when they set sail on a cruise where nobody knows who they are. And like many adventures where we find ourselves in a situation where everything is gilded, ostentatious, sumptuous and dazzling maybe the temptation is to come out of the ordinary everyday into the delights of pretense and illusion.       KEY THOUGHT   The beauty of the two pretenders is their desire to meet what, in their new persona, are the upper echelon of society; those with a great measure of prestige and influence. “I told the concierge I simply must meet the other dignitaries on this voyage. One finds the general populace on these crossings to be so terribly … pedestrian.’” I think, no matter what social stratta a person lives in, we all know the fake when they appear to be wanting to be considered associates, or even friends in our world. People who live their lives in pursuit of the kind of life another lives are often delusional, and in various professions over the years, I have run into lots of them. The scenes you have created for Arthur and Brenda will definitely lampoon the vacation industry in general, but also a whole lot of the world where good isn't good enough.     SUGGESTIONS   I think you should cast off and see where this story goes!~ Write on! IN SUMMARY   "Satire - The Boarding of the Grandeur Cruise Ship" is an outline and first chapter draft taking a satirical look at those who leave a lot of their reality behind to fraudulently become something they are not. If only for a cruise. Arthur and Brenda are ordinary day workers, of sorts, who divest themselves from reality for a bit of adventure on the cruise ship The Grandeur. They become what they believe to be impressive individuals whose credentials they themselves are having a hard time living up to. There is a lot of merriment ahead, I'm sure, for those who are about to encounter the Great Pretenders of this season's "First Crossing!" Most Enjoyable!   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~                       ♫~ Kenword~♫'s Writing SeasonFun Run: 8,878 of 10,000 words · Base Camp: Registered · Marathon: 50K goal My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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#4881681

Review of Paper Lantern  

for entry "Pet Peeves" 

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with Inspirational Writers Guild  

Rated: 18+ ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   Sep 7, 2026 at 12:28pm

Length:   4,558 Characters | 3,988 w/o WritingML

Hello Reagana ,  as a part of Writing.com's 26th Birthday Party Celebration this September, I am selecting a few journal entries to read and review. Because you have written about one of my favorite subjects in such a satirical way, I was drawn to read your entry, and am pleased to share my thoughts  on "Pet Peeves" . September 7, 2026   FIRST IMPRESSION Hilarious. Just the fact you went the "dog" route for the "Pet" in "Pet Peeves" hooked me hard. For the last forty years I have always lived in the ear-shot of the beasts that bark all day long. I always imagine the owners of the constant barkers as being duct taped to the bed by their beloved pet, and only released when it is time to be fed. (The dog, not the owner). I'm not sure how the dog owner falls for being bound to the bed again, time after time. I love your rebellion against the hated outline. Agreed, although I've come to peace with them now, but then look at me, I'm as old as that mountain you can or cannot see. Your some what odd use of the outline caused me to do several readings to get the complete story line, but each "bullet" point in your outline was golden! And I definitely enjoy puzzle solving.   HEART INSPIRED   I appreciated the contrast between the "competent pet owners" and the "incompetent pet owners." The heart wants to believe that having a pet is all about them. Dogs have a certain charm that works on the human heart to inspire the belief that the dog will make them feel good, or their children feel a special delight or their spouse feel unconditional love (for the first time?). But really? Isn't giving a person a dog setting them up to be a hostage to a self centered creature whose so called love and adoration is just a ruse to get what they want when they want it? It is hilarious you see the owners in community service (I wish) for their incompetence while their pet is being lavished with all the goodies and goodness hard working humans deserve.     SPECIAL ELEMENTS The way the journal entry is laid out and written requires no further writing. If the exercise was to create something to write from in the future, or to expand on with more words, I'd pretty much consider your work complete. There is one expansion I might enjoy. I'd enjoy seeing the scenes where the dogs are in some "inciting incidents." Again, you keep me smiling.       KEY THOUGHT   The running joke, which is so important to comedy of any sort, is a delight: “ For their enjoyment and social well ~ being” On warm sunny days, many dogs lead the way through my neighborhood sniffing along while mama's caravan along with their children on bikes and in carrier devices. The mistresses are usually hard pressed to look away from smartphone screens to care for child or pet. But believe me when I say it is absolutely "for their enjoyment and social well ~ being."     SUGGESTIONS   You made me laugh out loud. If you can improve on that ~ Go For It!~ Write on! IN SUMMARY   "Pet Peeves"  is a great satire on form and function in writing and the joys of living in a society where pets, more often than not, rule. Unless they actually kill someone, their antics are excused because everyone knows the errant beast is trainable. It's the owner's fault. And that is where this author really hits home with something funny, but not so funny. If this truth were only limited to people's pets, then I would sleep a little better at night. For the sake of peace I'll leave it at that. May all adults one day become responsible. There is such a strong humor in the story, I think, because the incidents that cause consequences are truly funny. Relatable. At the same time kind of outrageous. I'm still laughing. Well done!   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~                       ♫~ Kenword~♫'s Writing SeasonFun Run: 8,878 of 10,000 words · Base Camp: Registered · Marathon: 50K goal My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

3

3

Only reviews from the past
14 days may be credited.

#4868653

Review of The Silence Between Cities  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   May 17, 2026 at 10:04pm

Length:   5,546 Characters | 4,986 w/o WritingML

Dear Fantegero Thank you for writing this amazing story, "The Silence Between Cities"  . May 17, 2026   FIRST IMPRESSION The place where humanity's soul exists is so often imperceivable and a person can sush the internal struggles a soul is having permanently. Time, distance, and perseverance is meat to the soul. It expects such hardships if the prize is worthy. But the heroine in this story, Mel, begins a deeper search of her soul as the years have now past with only quick meetings, messages and promises. Then at the very moment Mel sets her heart and mind to make her soul press past all resistance, her love needs something more than a monogamous relationship. After 10 years! Now the truth. This is Mel's story and outwardly one has heard this tale, maybe too many times. But this story goes so deep into what makes a beautiful, loving, precious woman. I have read a few here lately, and like those characterizations, this one knocks me out. I was once married to a "Mel." Being young and stupid at the time I had no idea her worth and her inner beauty. She endured so much from me before we split up that there have been times when I have wondered how and why she put up with me. This story brilliantly gives enlightenment into the humanity in woman that believes the best of others, hopes for the best of all futures, and wishes the best of others. Very much like dear Melanie in "Gone With The Wind."   THEME  Adrian has a 10 year long distance relationship with Melanie. They have kept their hopes for marriage alive by internet, quick meetings at airports and phone calls. The relationship suddenly is challenged by Adrian's subtle insinuations that monogamy is not what he desires any longer. As it dawns on Melanie, over several conversations, that this is more than an idle wish, she begins to wonder about how she had come to believe that a "happily ever after" marriage could have ever been possible.   STRUCTURE   The story is extremely reflective and told in the third person from Mel's perspective. The prose is soft and casual as Mel's thoughts bring her soul to it's ultimate torment. "Maybe she never knew him."   MY PONDER MOMENT   This was my pondering moment: So she listened. But every attempt left her emotionally fractured. One evening, while walking home through Chinatown after work, Mei caught herself staring at couples passing by. Ordinary couples. Laughing over shared meals. Holding hands casually. She envied their simplicity. Not because their relationships were perfect, but because their boundaries seemed understood without negotiation. With Adrian, everything suddenly felt unstable.   I think, well okay, this is my own experience, every relationship comes to a point like this one. Something in the relationship challenges the expectations. Did I promise that? Was that how I am perceived? If so why does she love me? The time for searching the soul to determine the price of love relationships comes as an awakening to a part of me that just assumes everything is sunshine and roses. My soul. It does not care to be disturbed thank you. But it is my soul that is going to have to pay the price. If my heart is hurt, my mind twisted, I can numb, I can get counseling, or veg, but the soul? It carries the scars. Mel's realization that what Adrian wants is so beyond her capacity to love and accept that she must end the relationship. And this is the power of the piece, neither person really wants to hurt the other. But neither can except something that makes the whole relationship feel "unstable."   SUGGESTIONS   I was unaware of any need for edits. A very strong narrative and characterizations.   IN SUMMARY The need for happy endings is alive and well in me. Just don't read much of those stories anymore. I had a happy ending once. But then, you know, life happens. For Mel and Adrian who have made a 10 year long distance love relationship work are on the verge of losing their happy ending. Mel sees the couples that are joyful, as they hold hands at dinner, or walking together. She also perceives the boundaries that have been set around those relationships. Boundaries that Adrian is requesting to no longer be in their relationship. Suddenly, there is no longer the feeling of stability for Mel. The nature of man, at least from my experience, is we are not too concerned about stability, as long as we can conquer our world each day. But Mel, and the beauty of Mel, is she epitomizes where the need for stability lies, and why it had better be there if man wants an enduring relationship with a woman. Perhaps, or at least I hope, I have a bit more understanding now. Thank You!   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a support for your writing. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~  My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

4

4

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14 days may be credited.

#4867695

Review of Cosmic Healing  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   May 10, 2026 at 10:22am

Length:   3,487 Characters | 2,912 w/o WritingML

Dear MJones Transforming … Again Thank you for writing this exciting poem, the "Cosmic Healing"  . May 10, 2026   FIRST IMPRESSION The life of the one who truly lives life is full of color. It blazes around us in the sun. It diminishes to distinct grays with the clouds. Dark skies or bright skies color demands our notice, but where are my eyes directed most of the time? My soul? My body's wants and needs? Oh the demands that keep me from where my healing is actually to arrive. In perfect time. And often with bright colors. I love that your words elevate our meditation to the heavens. In the heavens is the wonder of where healing comes from and the walk with the One who rules the heavens changes my withered parts into something beautiful.   THEME  A girl us bound by something that requires the ultimate fix. But where does one find such a medicine. In this age of instant gratification one would surely just want to alleviate the pain. But for the girl there is a universe with answers far above her, and with closed eyes she draws the color and beauty of the cosmos into her being.   STRUCTURE   The poem contains some beautiful rhymes and the flow remains consistent though the rhyming scheme changes from stanza to stanza. I especially enjoyed the first stanza's three rhyming lines that set the tone for the verses.   MY PONDER MOMENT   This was my pondering moment: Purple clouds, ironically, were the bearers of clarity; a violet-ringed planet of aqua brought peace. Lavender stars offered gifts all their own, like light and love, and emotional release.   Your use of colors to give personality to the clouds, planet, stars and a sense of peace, open my heart's understanding of how the girl is receiving gifts that would help her heal. Clarity, peace, love and a release from emotional distress. Would that every man and woman find this in the cosmic elements. In God's design.   SUGGESTIONS   Beautifully written and a joy to read over and over again. Your gift is greatly appreciated.   IN SUMMARY Could the heavens, high and low, be designed for the healing of body soul and mind? We know the stars, planets and even our own sun speak diligently of times and seasons, and wondrous cosmic events. But may I slip out of myself while pondering the universes' beauty enough to receive a "fix" for the affects of loss, failure, age, disease, sin, gravity....? Perhaps if the words contained in the stars bring peace to my soul, no matter the torment, there may be more to an evening spent star-gazing than we can ever imagine. Certainly there is a blessed hope!   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a support for your writing. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~  My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

5

5

Only reviews from the past
14 days may be credited.

#4866991

Review of The Special Pen  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with Anniversary Reviews Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   May 4, 2026 at 10:32pm

Length:   4,389 Characters | 3,843 w/o WritingML

HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews"  Greetings StoryBob Happy Anniversary! I was pleased to read "The Special Pen"   from your portfolio and delighted to give your writing a review, as my way of saying, “Congratulations On Your Anniversary On Writing.com.” May 04, 2026   FIRST IMPRESSION What a pleasing way to tell this magical story. It is a story in verse, with a nice beat and a solid message that entertains my inner "wise guy" and gives my fingers, as I write this review, something with which to be amused and blessed. Thank You. I remember my "magic pen," and the day I was called out of obscurity. I actually couldn't get my feet to walk to the podium to read my first ever story, but my friend Rick did, and I'll never forget the look on the faces of my peers as they saw me in a completely different light.   THEME   There once was a girl whose lack of inspiration in words appeared dumb to others around her. Then along comes a source of great magic that starts to create a masterpiece for the girl. But it wasn't entirely magic. It helped Joan locate the real source of her brilliant storytelling. Something appearing on blank paper started her little heart cheering. She became engrossed in what she was creating. She could tell it was good. Joan's experience seems to be another testimony to the universal song of those who cannot rest or find peace unitl the thoughts burning in the soul begin to fill up blank space.   STRUCTURE Joan's story of her birth as a writer is composed in a poem with just a bit of a ballad's alluring sounds and an epic poem's great lyric. The rhyming scheme is a free flowing six stanzas in an ABAB pattern. Each stanza clearly moves Joan's story along with a charming rhythm.   MY FAVORITE MOMENT   This was my favorite moment: She looked at her pen and whispered thank you! The girl who had struggled was now a high-flyer A rising star, not just a trier! My magic pen was actually a girl named Kim. She was a gift who dropped into my middle school world and disrupted a solid career I had going as ghost writer for the class clown. As our unlikely friendship matured, she drew out areas of creativity from me I did not know existed. While I never went on to a career as an author, what I learned from Kim propelled me into careers that required, clear, concise writing. And oh the rewards for that skill! Even now the Kim factor still draws me to write just to find out what is in me to write about. Not very lucrative, but a lot of fun.   SUGGESTIONS   The creativity you used to tell Joan's story was beautiful. There was only one word that stumped the flow for me and that is the word "didn't." Absolutely nothing wrong with using the word, especially in the context of the last stanza, I'm just not a fan of that word. My preference you understand. If I were to do the line I would stay away from the negativity of the word and perhaps write: Joan was so happy, now what would she do? Or if the line is right as it is maybe just change the contraction to "did not" know what to do. I feel the extra syllable might even the flow of the sounds. Again, this comes from my own preference.   IN SUMMARY At a point when the young girl Joan is near tears because of her ill perceived "dumbness" when it comes to writing, she finds a pen with the remarkable ability to write stories on its own. (Hmmmm...AI?) But the pen's greatest gift is it knows when to stop being in charge of the written words allowing Joan to discover the joy of being a rising star storyteller! Definitely love the ending, thank you!   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been supportive of your work. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~    My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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6

Only reviews from the past
14 days may be credited.

#4866953

Review of Encounter  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   May 4, 2026 at 4:27pm

Length:   4,749 Characters | 4,141 w/o WritingML

Dear Beholden Thank you for writing this quirky story, the "Encounter"  The amazing detail within this short piece exemplified for me where fiction has evolved in my lifetime. Thank you for sharing your work. May 4, 2026   FIRST IMPRESSION   My first question out the gate was how important is it to read this bit of prose. Usually there is little development of even a simple complete thought within four hundred words, though thousands or writers try. Then pow!! There it was! Two persons midst throngs of people in a mega city at peak traffic time getting to know one another the only way it can happen on the streets of "Meganopolis" - in one-another's head. I love it. The protagonist sets various scenes in which to find a bit of humor. While centered around a woman who is more object like than anything, she holds the key to the quirky play the main character makes up. I'm still smiling.   THEME  Two people, one inanimate but striking and the other, intrigued by how people behind the female form appear to be related to her as they stride away and somewhat beyond her, he, the main character finds amusement as he changes his geographical point of view so that others might see his head as stacked on top of hers or enjoy his own view of how other bodies seem to be doing tricks so that the same illusion is entertainment for him. Comedian George Carlin once said, "what would you people do if all of the comedians died? Obviously - you would have to learn to entertain yourselves." This piece reminds me of that bit of wisdom, as the main character has taken a moment to find an odd pleasure in the dispassionate crowd around him.   STRUCTURE   Written from the point of view of the main character and in the third person, the prose of "Encounter"  is meticulously, almost reverently, done so that the reader can actually live out this amusing moment with the man on the street.   MY PONDER MOMENT   This was my pondering moment: Because she was standing at the lowest point of the sidewalk, with upward slopes both before and behind her, it looked to him as though people walked over her head before disappearing back into the crowd. He stopped at the point where he figured it would look to those behind her as though he were standing on her head. He imagined his feet disappearing into her short-cropped hair.   As it dawned on me what was happening for the person in the crowd the scene quickened a place in me of remembering all kinds of weird and wonderful things observed just walking through this life. Seldom have I considered drawing them with a bit of prose, but isn't this exactly the kind of observations we should be making as writers? That is a rhetorical question. When I get to the dry parts of my writing or even gifted best selling authors, I believe this is exactly what is missing. Plot yes, but what weird and wonderful things are happening to the people in the story that makes it brilliant and not just another mainstream story.   SUGGESTIONS   Way beyond my expectations with no blemishes that I could see. Well done!   IN SUMMARY If I was fascinated by another person, even on a sidewalk, at midday, I might make a bold move and introduce myself and comment on the day, or something remarkable about the other person. But what does it say about our culture, our society locked into personal devices, more hungry for "clicks" than for human interaction that someone can play a game with a still-life form without anyone breaking stride to wonder at the two forms, obviously incongruous to their surroundings, dancing an odd dance - a very odd dance indeed. Well here for your amusement is the story "Encounter" that made me believe it is possible to have such encounters in this day and age and have a most blissful time in the journey. Thank you.   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a helpful support to your writing day. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~  My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

7

7

Only reviews from the past
14 days may be credited.

#4866864

Review of Once Were  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   May 3, 2026 at 10:21pm

Length:   4,776 Characters | 4,277 w/o WritingML

Dear TeeGateM Such a joy reading your writing and was impressed with your poem "Once Were"  Your words inspired me to ponder a lot of my life and I actually found it freeing to write this review. Thank You! May 3, 2026   FIRST IMPRESSION   This was a painful read for me. Feeling the pain in the words was hard. But I needed to hear the words and feel the feelings deeper than I have before. "...shadows grew where light had been, and truth gave way to something thin." I was the one who let her fall. She was the most tender, sweet caring person on the planet and I was mean, filled with malice and deceit and I let one inconsequential transgression, that was no transgression at all, turn our union into a dead thing. I think if my wife M could have expressed her despair your words would have been hers. I have been reborn into someone "new" since then and the dear woman has forgiven me, but her last words as my wife still haunt me and the deep sorrow she walked in before our divorce I couldn't know for sure...well until your words spoke it out.   THEME  "Love should not have to beg to be," was my takeaway as the theme of this mesmerizing piece. Line by line I wanted the outcome to be different. Love overcomes everything after all, doesn't it? But sometimes one or the other person is so bent and broken, or just plain cold and heartless, that what seemed like a "forever love," just can't get there without one's soul being turned inside out. One person's sorrow, with a gift to write transparently about the truth of "breakup," is a reminder of the deep loss one experiences if the relationship one gives their entire being too comes apart.   STRUCTURE   "Once Were"  is written with a simple but quite forceful rhyming scheme. The rhymes are woven seamlessly together and each stanza heightens the impact of what the poet has experienced. The scheme is quite lyrical and very unobtrusive.   MY PONDER MOMENT   This was the moment I ponder the most: “ Take your echoes, set me free, Let every promise fade from me. I’ll learn to breathe, I’ll learn to be The one you never chose to see." When I married M I made the usual promises. As I broke every promise, and found her listless and confused, I wonder, truly wonder, if this is what she was saying in her mind. When I just left her alone to go off to my other world, day after day, with no consideration for her feelings or determination to be love for her when I returned. I don't know. But these words could have been her words. Even now I regret my selfish, arrogant, pitiful treatment of such a precious, amazingly patient woman.   SUGGESTIONS   Beautifully done. I have enjoyed reading so much of what you have written about your life. It seems to come so easy for you to be transparent and expressive. Just know that it is always a pleasure to read your work, and maybe even more so when it hits some of my raw nerves.   IN SUMMARY Occasionally a bit of prose will read me, more than I read it. This was one of those pieces. The first stanza is so hopeful and stands on the glorious truth of how lovers form their intense, everlasting bonds. A flame, fragile but real, warming the heart with a hope of togetherness. Then there are the tender moments that go on and on for hours. How could those possibly end? Then there are the words. Sincere promises that are so real. Here is where trust and submission to another is born. But what was the basis for such words? Were they just words. Born of wishes. No depth. No truth. No faith. And then where did the never ending silences come from? The ignoring? The contempt? Not a fight for a perfect love, only a whisper of defeat. But then the healing of the wounds can happen. It too is a part of the glorious pageantry that is being human. Not just to be free from the past hurts, but to at last love again. M did indeed do that. Love at last is amazing, especially if we grow up. Thank you.   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been supportive of your writing. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~  My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

8

8

Only reviews from the past
14 days may be credited.

#4866577

Review of Katie's Tiny Chapter 1  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with Anniversary Reviews Group  

Rated: 18+ ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   May 1, 2026 at 8:27pm

Length:   4,270 Characters | 3,646 w/o WritingML

HAPPY WDC ACCOUNT ANNIVERSARY FROM "Anniversary Reviews"  Greetings gts-writer99 , Happy Anniversary! I was pleased to read Katie's Tiny Chapter 1  from your portfolio and delighted to give your writing a review, as my way of saying, “Congratulations On Your Anniversary On Writing.com.” May 01, 2026   FIRST IMPRESSION I'm just going to have to say it: Bizarre! I'm okay now. Let's proceed! In fantasy stories where size matters, one does not typically find a lot of humor. But as I absorb what you have created in this tale of "two-sizes-makes-a-comedy," I am reminded of the great satirist Jonathan Swift. That is a compliment. What drew me to the story is the portrait of a little girl with no ambition but to enjoy a moment in the hammock. Much of my life has revolved around children and when their perpetual energy comes to a safe harbor its a magical time of sweet joy. Where this becomes a satire for me is the girl's interpretation of all communication from the little person. Does this sound familiar? Maybe because of my years working in government? People knocking on the multi-story glass enclave of my world yelling: "Hello! Is there anybody in there?"   THEME   Intentional or unintentional the needs and wants of a shrunken human, while clear to a little girl, befuddle the shrunken one, who sees the danger in his predicament, while serving the greater good of his "rescuer." At her feet. I'm sorry! This screams metaphor all over the place. Hilarious! Perhaps if he were not actually licking the girl's feet...but?   STRUCTURE Told from the third person point of view with an omniscient understanding of all that is going on in the story. It is both a narrative and a dialogue with the voice of both Katie and her "captive," able to reveal their thoughts to the reader. The flow is casual with stops along the way to ponder what each character needs to express. The elements bring together something out of the surreal to a place of "matter-of-fact." Of course this is the way both characters would act.   MY FAVORITE MOMENT   This was my favorite moment: Then her grin grew wider and wider, she thought she knew what the sweet little fellow wanted from her. She gently grabbed him with her thumb and forefinger and placed him in front of the sole of her foot. It is one thing to be completely misunderstood, it is another to face the consequences of that misunderstanding. Katie's conjecture that what the little human needed was to be adjacent to her enormous feet is classic allegory, myth and fairy tale. I wince at the potential of this story's outcome.   SUGGESTIONS   In my opinion, everything is pretty complete with no blemishes to speak of. Write On!   IN SUMMARY Think you are having a rough day? Well let me ask you this. Are you the same size, height and weight (give or take a few fractions) as you were when you started out your morning routine? If you are then you are probably having a better day than you can ever imagine. Katie finds a shrunken one of us and decides he is cute. Not such a bad thing except for the fact that he...well...is shrunken and on top of that has spent the day cleaning Katie's foot with his tongue. While this is certainly a bad thing, he then finds at the end of it all that he fits comfortably between her foot's second and third toe. Yikes! If i ever complain again just shoot me!     I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~    Please Visit ▶︎ "Joy Journey Journal"  ​ My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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Only reviews from the past
14 days may be credited.

#4835312

Review of Dreadful Poison  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   Sep 13, 2025 at 10:47pm

Length:   3,484 Characters | 2,866 w/o WritingML

Welcome to Writing.com   Greetings ocap10mycap10,  Welcome to Writing.com! I was pleased to read  "Invalid Item"  from your portfolio and it is my pleasure to give your writing a review. September 13, 2025   FIRST IMPRESSION   Having lived in a world a while where many of my "long gone" friends and now remotest of family regenerate their bitterness every chance they get with bad news, prejudice, gossip, inuendo and lies I immediately felt the surge of where your images were taking me. I gain reminders of the nature of mankind from God's word mostly, but appreciate the poets who express what they have experienced of the dark side of humanity.     THEME   "Invalid Item"  opens up the nature of the human heart and soul that can be easily poisoned by the impure, dark and bitter things we experience in this life. The poet's premise is that it only takes a small amount, like arsenic or strychnine, to become an agent of death within the human being.   STRUCTURE   The poem is written with several verses and a tag line. The elements of the poem are tied together well with an ABAB rhyming scheme that has an easy beat when read aloud.     MY FAVORITE MOMENT   This was my favorite moment: “At first, it's unincredible. You'd hardly know it's there. But soon it marks indelible, The heart, the soul, the air!" I think we live in a culture that believes that the god education can eradicate the evils of prejudice, malice and greed that foment hatred in the most tender of hearts. I think too we are born with a predetermination to hate anything that gets in our way, hinders our self gratifications, or doesn't fit into our notions of "the right people." With that predetermination working in my heart, I can be swayed to despise the people my peers despise, hate the people who believe differently than me and eventually become the bitterest of judges of the entire universe consumed with my own need to hate as much as I possibly can.     SUGGESTIONS   The images, words, and tone of your poem are well done. Your voice is one of clear concern for those who are tempted to hate, and still remain poetic in your persuasion rather than preachy. Nicely done. Write on!   IN SUMMARY   "Invalid Item"  reminds us that hatred is fatal. No life is transformed to loving, nurturing friendship and fellowship by the human emotions of hate. I receive a great deal of comfort in the vision of the poet that every soul has the responsibility of never taking a "dose" of this deadly poison.   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~    Please Visit ▶︎ "Joy Journey Journal"  "If I Were New To Writing.com"  GROUP The Power Reviewers Group  (E) The Power Crew inspire reviewers through kindness and learning! Winner of eight Quills! #1300305 by Maryann (101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(100x6@031820)_____  (YCM_@122313)(01.13.23) (Recognition 300 11.29.22) My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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10

Only reviews from the past
14 days may be credited.

#4833688

Review of Nature's tree  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   Sep 6, 2025 at 12:20am

Length:   3,152 Characters | 2,536 w/o WritingML

Welcome to Writing.com   Greetings Miya ,  Welcome to Writing.com! I was pleased to read  "Nature's tree"  from your portfolio and it is my pleasure to give your writing a review. September 5, 2025   FIRST IMPRESSION   I am immediately touched by the vision of the prose. So much of what has been important for me is fading and I find "nature's tree" calling so loud my double paned glass cannot stifle the wind, the birds, the Magnolia the Willow. And I too wonder how I got here? I have so much and it matters so little now. The only check in my spirit is can I actually live like the nature that calls so brilliantly. Your words are charged with the source of my transformation from house dweller to nature dweller.     THEME   "Nature's tree"  inspires a visit to where life is green, lyrical, profound, and rustling. The leaves are speaking what the breezes whisper and the light is from a sun we are familiar with but hardly ever hear the lullaby of the birds.   STRUCTURE   The poem is a beautiful song created in free form with a gentle rhythm and tone in its words and images.     MY FAVORITE MOMENT   This was my favorite moment: “How did I get here? I thought Surrounded by the earthy wonders Looking down at the rustled leaves” From a dew covered tent I look out across Lake Truman and hear the bright song of the birds who the night before sang me to sleep. As a young man I drove myself through the hills and valleys. But now I linger and truly wonder how did I get here. And I am healed. Yes. Physical pain gone.     SUGGESTIONS   There is so much lyrical magic in your verses and the vivid pictures truly capture the essence of one of the most beautiful places where I now dwell. You understand the craft of creating beautiful poetry. Keep up the writer's journey with joy!   IN SUMMARY   "Nature's tree"  beckons me to linger in a place my heart has always wanted to be but could never quite lose myself enough to find. The poem touches on the world that we admire so often from our cubicles, our cars, our well structured vacations, but seldom embrace. It is good to surrender to the call that the "nature tree" is always singing.   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~    Please Visit ▶︎ "Joy Journey Journal"  "If I Were New To Writing.com"  GROUP The Power Reviewers Group  (E) The Power Crew inspire reviewers through kindness and learning! Winner of eight Quills! #1300305 by Maryann (101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(100x6@031820)_____  (YCM_@122313)(01.13.23) (Recognition 300 11.29.22) My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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Only reviews from the past
14 days may be credited.

#4833473

Review of The Muses  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   Sep 5, 2025 at 12:15pm

Length:   3,558 Characters | 2,942 w/o WritingML

Welcome to Writing.com   Greetings Ra M ,  Welcome to Writing.com! I was pleased to read  "The Muses"  from your portfolio and it is my pleasure to give your writing a review. September 5, 2025   FIRST IMPRESSION   I sense the drive that is at the core of what brings us to the work of the scribe in your words. Violent, aggressive, relentless, purposeful but elusive, carnal and yet divine. Fascinating stuff. Words. Then there is the lagoon of thought and desire. Peaceful for a moment. Solemn but secure. Words. The images of "apple blossoms" in league with "hammering iron into gold." Then there is the stream of thought that will not be blocked or diverted. So this is what creativity is like? I am receiving it. I'm liking it.     THEME   "The Muses"  or "This is What Creativity Is Like" takes the premise that our deepest notions and emotions have texture, force, unrelenting power, to be overtaken by nothing and offering no quarter to anything that would pervert the process. The poet takes us inwardly with outward images that often contrast harsh textures with soft and light bursts with darkening shadows.   STRUCTURE   The poem is created in free form with a random amount of lines per verse. The rhythm and rhyme relies on the free flow of words that create a calliope effect elevating one's heart desire to hear more and more of the sights and see more and more of the sounds.     MY FAVORITE MOMENT   This was my favorite moment: “Like, a cup half full with sunrise light, a crescendo unfurling like jasmine at dusk, a cloak soft as twilight, A flowering apple tree ” Where it seems to begin, our day, our notions, our aspirations. Today, not just another day, but one surprised by how amazing the sunlight actually is, and it is not even fully realized? And where does it end, this day of creativity? A twilight that is as beautiful as an apple tree adorned with brilliant pink and white jewels. Oh that my days would be so splendid.     SUGGESTIONS   I love the energy and free flowing brilliance to your images. All worthy of deeper pondering and mediation. As always, my most thoughtful suggestion is to keep on writing. You have discovered a style and form that has incredible impact.   IN SUMMARY   "The Muses"  defines creativity in so many ways that one almost has to stop the "ride" the poet is taking our minds on. But the full impact of calling out our "Muse" and giving the creative force a big wink to say, "we know who you are and we know what you are doing!" brings joy to the wonder of being on the "ride."   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~    Please Visit ▶︎ "Joy Journey Journal"  "If I Were New To Writing.com"  GROUP The Power Reviewers Group  (E) The Power Crew inspire reviewers through kindness and learning! Winner of eight Quills! #1300305 by Maryann (101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(100x6@031820)_____  (YCM_@122313)(01.13.23) (Recognition 300 11.29.22) My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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Only reviews from the past
14 days may be credited.

#4831916

Review of In The Water  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   Aug 29, 2025 at 1:44pm

Length:   4,065 Characters | 3,448 w/o WritingML

Welcome to Writing.com   Greetings Sen Sosa ,  Welcome to Writing.com! I was pleased to read  "In The Water"  from your portfolio and it is my pleasure to give your writing a review. August, 29 2025   FIRST IMPRESSION   The opening to this piece of prose grabbed me immediately. It immediately struck me that something may not be right if a person chooses the pain of sailing. Especially if comfort is available. Why would a person batter themselves on purpose? I love the contrast between the passion for sailing with its bruises, cuts and concussions and the covert pain of obtaining a college education. The words you have chosen are vibrant and flow together so beautifully that I found joy in the journey.     THEME   "In The Water"  takes the punishment of enjoying an afternoon of sailing and discusses the deeper implications of living a life embracing the pain. The narrative blends well the nature of the human heart to challenge our limits of physical exertion and the nature of the human heart to endeavor to achieve mental and spiritual excellence. What is left beautifully unsaid is the plight of those who give into the flow of indolence, comfort and medication to confine themselves to the drift of uselessness.   STRUCTURE   The essay is written from a first person's actual experience with sailing and education. While on the sea the focus can be brilliant. On land the focus is clouded with thoughts of how others are achieving, how we are failing, and the inevitable hardening. But in the stress of sailing, there is a strengthening that makes the perils of the land easier to navigate.     MY FAVORITE MOMENT   This was my favorite moment: “Test, exam, assignment, group discussion, homework: the relenting waves of coursework continued to move me on and off the water. There was no break, no respite from the battering because you weren't on a boat. It was just you stranded in the ocean, watching each wave rushing towards you. It's different on the boat, because at least then, sometimes at least, the boat will ascend the wave, and you'll see the sun.” This is a wonderful paragraph. The "coursework," which is just preparation for "the real work," is relentless. There are dangers in the "real" that can shipwreck a person in a heartbeat. Finding a view of the sun in the "real" is satisfying, but not all who set sail into the "real" will ever enjoy that view, even for a second.     SUGGESTIONS   I enjoyed the style of writing you have developed. It is artistic while being very descriptive of what the human experience is all about. Write on!   IN SUMMARY   "In The Water"  contrasts the art of sailing with the art of being educated into adulthood. Each realm has its pains, and inevitable hazards, but one realm of pain is by choice, while the other is the reality of growing to be a productive human. Yes, even while your friends live in luxury and don't seem to endure any pain at all. But then, almost like a miracle, the ways of pain seem to merge and life is a beautiful blend that flows into mastery of everything that is good.   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~    Please Visit ▶︎ "Joy Journey Journal"  "If I Were New To Writing.com"  GROUP The Power Reviewers Group  (E) The Power Crew inspire reviewers through kindness and learning! Winner of eight Quills! #1300305 by Maryann (101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(100x6@031820)_____  (YCM_@122313)(01.13.23) (Recognition 300 11.29.22) My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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Only reviews from the past
14 days may be credited.

#4828910

Review of Only If You Love Me  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   Aug 7, 2025 at 11:25pm

Length:   2,858 Characters | 2,238 w/o WritingML

Welcome to Writing.com   Greetings David ,  Welcome to Writing.com! I was pleased to read  "Only If You Love Me"  from your portfolio and it is my pleasure to give your writing a review. August, 7 2025   FIRST IMPRESSION   This was yummm in every way. Lyrical. True. Passionate without haste. The interlacing of your poetic gift is beautifully done. And Eline...Oh my. I hope you married the girl.     THEME   "Only If You Love Me"  revisits the beauty and mystery of how romantic love is born. A look. A smile. A drawing into a dance where love meets love and never stops even when two hearts misstep for a moment. Love prevails. Always.   STRUCTURE   The story is written in a third person narrative form. The style is poetic with vivid pictures of surroundings, feelings and the most enchanting person on earth. Eline.     MY FAVORITE MOMENT   This was my favorite moment: “She looked up. And smiled. It wasn't a smile for anyone else. Not flashy, not designed to charm. It was a small, sincere curve of her lips that felt like it was meant just for him.” The sweetest smile on earth disarms the man. Gives him inspirations about a life that no one else has ever lived. Yes. There have been a few Eline's in my life, but I could never quite capture what the gravitational pull was. You have poetically expressed it beautifully. I'll step back into the dream.     SUGGESTIONS   There is a natural grip you have developed for capturing your audience and holding us through the whole story. It was a blissful read for me. Your expressions are more gentle than what most romance writers can achieve. Please do continue.   IN SUMMARY   "Only If You Love Me"  is a story of two people with a chance at life together if their own misgivings about the past will dissipate with the next rainfall. The connection is beautifully painted with words that are almost lyrical. Thank you!   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~    Please Visit ▶︎ "Joy Journey Journal"  "If I Were New To Writing.com"  GROUP The Power Reviewers Group  (E) The Power Crew inspire reviewers through kindness and learning! Winner of eight Quills! #1300305 by Maryann (101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(100x6@031820)_____  (YCM_@122313)(01.13.23) (Recognition 300 11.29.22) My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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Only reviews from the past
14 days may be credited.

#4828908

Review of Belle Tames the Beast  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   Aug 7, 2025 at 10:50pm

Length:   4,551 Characters | 3,901 w/o WritingML

Welcome to Writing.com   Greetings Quietwriter ,  Welcome to Writing.com! I was pleased to read  "Belle Tames the Beast "  from your portfolio and it is my pleasure to give your writing a review. August, 7 2025   FIRST IMPRESSION   I love reading your written words. Over and over they put a simple almost definable sense of warmth in my heart. Your story hints at the desperate trouble an island village is going through, and then, almost as aside, we come across a few good, very good, but unfortunately, very dead men. Mauled apparently. Not necessarily the most delightful obstacle for a village to face, but at the same time, not surprising. There is after all a savage beast on the lose. A fairy tale yes, but as all fairy tales, this one too is prone to have a hero or in this case a heroine to save the day. Nicely constructed characters and a charming initial draft.     THEME   "Belle Tames the Beast "  is a tale of three well trained beast finders who are on a quest, not just to find the beast but also to discover why the beast has turned to killing the villagers on Fairy Tale Island. The flow of the story is exquisite, hitting the target audience squarely while giving us old old old readers a sweet smile or two.   STRUCTURE   The story is written from an omnipotent point of view where we are able to experience the story from the perspective of the mayor, some villagers, the heroines and the mama wolf. Even as an adult my inquiring mind wants to know the deepest secrets that can be revealed. Not always possible from a single person's point of view.     MY FAVORITE MOMENT   This was my favorite moment: “As Belle, Goldi and Alysia began walking away from the village and the safety it held, they began to have small doubts of what lay ahead. And it was those doubts that would doom them if they could not control them. And they did that by singing happy songs that brought them joy and laughter.” Your story has some beautiful axioms to live by, and a few subtle hints that kindness and love are a supreme tool to overcome the evil around us. But what about doubt? What a strong force it can be even against the most highly trained warrior. The word "doom" is never used enough in stories as far as I'm concerned. What has doomed the village to a pleasureless night, to some degree, is the doubt that anyone can come up with a solution. This precept is brilliantly introduced into the story when every child needs to know there is a way to control what we feel, think, and do about our doubts. Great message!     SUGGESTIONS   Your skill as a developer of a complexed story is only matched by your skill of keeping a difficult story line flowing warmly, with action and thought that is easy to comprehend. There were a couple of edits that might need your attention. The only one that occurs to me at the moment is the line: "None of the town's folk did not know where this creature came from or why it was using the night as cover to do harm to those who lived there." I believe the line would read more clearly as: "None of the town's folk knew where this creature came from or why it was using the night as cover to do harm to those who lived there."   IN SUMMARY   "Belle Tames the Beast "  is a fairy tale with loads of lessons for young minds to grasp about heroism, wisdom, overcoming doubt, and being kind. How about the lesson about what a difference "training can make?" The narrative is warm and friendly. The words are sincere and well thought out. A wonderful story to end my day with! Thank You.   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~    Please Visit ▶︎ "Joy Journey Journal"  "If I Were New To Writing.com"  GROUP The Power Reviewers Group  (E) The Power Crew inspire reviewers through kindness and learning! Winner of eight Quills! #1300305 by Maryann (101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(100x6@031820)_____  (YCM_@122313)(01.13.23) (Recognition 300 11.29.22) My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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Only reviews from the past
14 days may be credited.

#4828132

Review of Beyond The Screen — chapter 1  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (4.0)

Given:   Aug 2, 2025 at 7:12pm

Length:   5,338 Characters | 4,725 w/o WritingML

Welcome to Writing.com   Greetings Luna ,  Welcome to Writing.com! I was pleased to read  "Beyond The Screen — chapter 1"  from your portfolio and it is my pleasure to give your writing a review. August, 2 2025   FIRST IMPRESSION   As a future noble, the child is impressionable and yet bored with the details of why a tale is so important. Get on with the story is her wish as elements of the story occur to her even before they are spoken. I may know this as de je vu, a sixth sense provided by the Spirit, to know what can't be known, and yet I do. What I might not expect is that I have actually lived this story out...before...some other time and space. I'm intriqued.     THEME   "Beyond The Screen — chapter 1"  introduces a child whose destiny is to be a noble in the kingdom in which she lives. Her life is tied to the story of the fall of mankind to the evils of the demon Diablo. Within my faith, I am quite acquainted with this entity and far from being a myth, or an opponent of the heroic he is a master of deceit, torture and death. What may or may not have happened to Diablo is at the center of this story as the main character Ari becomes aware of her strange new life.   STRUCTURE   Written from the first person perspective the story is a complex mixture of what the Countess wants to tell and what the main character Ari knows, or in fact remembers. The flow is mixed between major pauses and then a much more hurried pace. There is reflection and then an almost frenetic movement down a path of trying to remember.     MY FAVORITE MOMENT   This was my favorite moment: “My chest tightens. It hurts. It hurts so bad. My mind is a whirlwind of memories. My body is going limp. "I remember. I remember it all" I pass out with that last mumble. My body going limp on the chair.” So much action in this moment even as Ari passes out. Perhaps it is because of what is happening to her physically that there is no time to dwell on other details. But then it is more than passing out or even remembering, it is an entrance into the truth about who she is. As one who walks the path with many children, I can testify to the critical importance of this moment. Adults have an almost demented need to foist their best delusions on our youth to help them be more like what's most important to them. But the child already has the imprint on their DNA from birth of who they will be. They will, with love and proper nurturing, live that truth out with all of their might.     SUGGESTIONS   This is a big big story. As such, there are no shortcuts, and no end of the thousands of words to make me love Ari. Novels by nature need not be hurried. From the beginning, because of her nature, Ari is in a hurry to know, but we as the readers have to have a reason beyond the curiosity factor. I would have liked to have seen the estate for instance. The mystery will come along on its own volition because that is how stories evolve. But a more descriptive setting helps evoke the possibility of a mystery without Ari's overt jumping into it when she did. I can easily see the countess, but nobility is usually noble for a reason, if only because they are stunningly beautiful and rich. As Ari opens up about what she knows she is feeling, there is rain on the window pane, but that is the only descriptive about the atmosphere where her feelings are happening. There are other ways to speak of that atmosphere that could show me what Ari is feeling. Dim lighting, dark walls, tapestries or pictures, furnishings, all can be used to expand the idea of atmosphere without actually saying what Ari is feeling. Our surroundings are often a reflection of our mood. If I am down, in a dimly lit room and I am done being down, I get out of the house, into the light, pray, run, drive until the mood I don't want is changed. Characters in our stories often have the surroundings corresponding to their mood because that is exactly what they want.   IN SUMMARY   "Beyond The Screen — chapter 1"  is the beginning of a novel that promises to tell the story of a land called Astrelia, a countess, and a girl named Ari. The opening is a promise that there are two lives being lived out by the same person, and that that story will be a heroic one in which Diablo is once again battled, and peace restored to the joy of everyone. Thank you for sharing your gift for story telling and write on!   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~    Please Visit ▶︎ "Joy Journey Journal"  "If I Were New To Writing.com"  GROUP The Power Reviewers Group  (E) The Power Crew inspire reviewers through kindness and learning! Winner of eight Quills! #1300305 by Maryann (101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(100x6@031820)_____  (YCM_@122313)(01.13.23) (Recognition 300 11.29.22) My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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Only reviews from the past
14 days may be credited.

#4827892

Review of Finally  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   Aug 1, 2025 at 8:29am

Length:   4,097 Characters | 3,464 w/o WritingML

Welcome to Writing.com   Greetings Marigold ,  Welcome to Writing.com! I was pleased to read  "Finally "  from your portfolio and it is my pleasure to give your writing a review. July, 30 2025   FIRST IMPRESSION   O bless my soul for the many hours Hallmark has educated me on the beauty of the storybook wedding. The worry, anxiety, fears, foibles and joys of preparing for the best day ever is at last put into print. The piece sings forth in a pure tone, the way this special day of consecration and faith must. Rejoice! I confess I have been to more funerals than weddings, but those I have attended, (one I even officiated) when they are consecrated according to the great edicts of the Church, are sublime in everyway. Blessed are those who make the preparations for the Wedding Day despite the cost to their emotions.     THEME   "Finally "  opens up a panoramic view of a real, honest to goodness, American wedding. The strain of preparing for the great day are hinted at in the characters of Alexander and Bianca, but we arrive just in time to witness the grace and beauty and charm of the bride and groom.   STRUCTURE   Written from the perspective of the author, minute details of the wedding venue, members of the wedding company, the costumes, the atmosphere, and the emotions are depicted with great care and a bit of devotion.     MY FAVORITE MOMENT   This was my favorite moment: ““…Christ abundantly blesses the love that binds you. Through a special Sacrament, he enriches and strengthens those he has already consecrated by Holy Baptism, that they may be faithful to each other for ever and assume all the responsibilities of married life. And so, in the presence of the Church, I ask you to state your intentions.”” How long it has been since I heard those words. Let's see...my last wedding was my daughter's three years ago, and even though it was conducted by clergy of the church, not one of these words was uttered. Not that there wasn't scripture and an apt admonition, still, I do miss these words. There was a Hallmark movie from a long time ago that used this liturgy, but as I say...it was a long, long, long time ago. Thank you for putting this so prominently in your story. Big blessing.     SUGGESTIONS   I noticed in your Bio that Romance is not something you care to write. Yet this is one of the most romantic stories I have read in a long time. You capture so beautifully the emotions that transcend the physical desires that are often focused on in romance fiction. Believe it or not I saw serval stories in "Finally " that only need your skillful touch to come to life.   IN SUMMARY   "Finally "  a heartwarming tale of a wedding, celebrates the dedicated "planners" who are challenged to avert complete disaster. It is a joy to witness exactly how the wedding company prevails. The event becomes a beautiful tribute to those who give themselves in love to others to make life sunnier, worth living. Through the story we get to celebrate with the heroic friends and family who make Adrianna and Finn's glorious day, even more glorious!   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~    Please Visit ▶︎ "Joy Journey Journal"  "If I Were New To Writing.com"  GROUP The Power Reviewers Group  (E) The Power Crew inspire reviewers through kindness and learning! Winner of eight Quills! #1300305 by Maryann (101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(100x6@031820)_____  (YCM_@122313)(01.13.23) (Recognition 300 11.29.22) My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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#4827829

Review of ruwth is writing...  

for entry "~ Confidence Course ~" 

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: 18+ ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   Jul 31, 2025 at 11:07pm

Length:   4,532 Characters | 4,006 w/o WritingML

A Requested Review Good Evening ruwth ,  so great to hear from you. Thank you for sharing your writings. I am glad for the opportunity to review "~ Confidence Course ~" .  Thank you for your kind request. July 30, 2025   FIRST IMPRESSION   First of all thank you for your service. I am glad you were able to meet the challenges of a military life. It appears through your story that at the core of Air Force training is the belief that a well trained person is better prepared for the days of "action" that are inevitable in the military. I appreciate the fact that one tactic used to push recruit training forward is beautifully and euphemistically titled: "Confidence Course." Because those two words play a heavy part in your story. The obvious irony is evident. Were we confident at the end of the dunking, falling, saturation and great amusement of our drill instructors or were we more likely, "glad it is over?"   THEME   Two final challenges stand before an exhausted Air Force Basic Trainee. All of her physical energy has been spent just getting to the final two obstacles. Both are water challenges. Both require strength, balance and extreme coordination. And, but for the depletion of her physical strength, it would seem she would have all that she needed to complete the challenge. Is there a power reserve in the trainee's physical body, or at least in her heart and soul? Will she reach into that power reserve?     STRUCTURE   "~ Confidence Course ~"  is a prose piece based on a real experience the author went through in basic training. The narrative keeps a light hearted tone while revealing her heart felt feelings of being stretched in all of her physical and mental capacities. Each image of the rigors she experienced is nicely detailed and keeps the interest in the story heightened.   MY FAVORITE MOMENT   This was my favorite moment: “I did not expect to be able to catch the rope but I was wrong. I sprung through the air and successfully had that rope tightly grasped. I was half-way to success.” The "sprung" grabs my imagination. It was important for me to know that whatever was holding the trainee back was now overcome. The effort exerted to make the water challenge has now "sprung" forth. It was the first moment in the narrative where the story is no longer about speculation. There is a shift from this point to give the reader more revelation of exactly how the risk element effects the trainee.   SUGGESTIONS   My one suggestion is that you may want to delete this paragraph: "The good news was that I had already passed the course. There were only two more obstacles and even if I failed them, I already had my 12/14." You write about this in the paragraph before. If this one is eliminated the paragraph before this one and after this one could work as a good news/bad news part of the story. The good news is you have passed the course. The bad news is that everything in you is spent. Just a thought.   IN SUMMARY "~ Confidence Course ~"  is a vivid account by one trainee who passed the 14 challenge obstacle course requirements in her basic training. She only needed to complete twelve to pass. Yet there remain two that must be taken on. Because they involve water, mud and risky maneuvers, there could be some unintended comedy. It is hard not to laugh when a character takes an unexpected dive fully clothed into the water they were expected to cross. It wasn't revealed but I can imagine the training staff were having a bit of fun at the expense of those who couldn't navigate the last two challenges of the course. Very entertaining. Thank you.     I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~  Please Visit ▶︎ "Joy Journey Journal"  GROUP The Power Reviewers Group  (E) The Power Crew inspire reviewers through kindness and learning! Winner of eight Quills! #1300305 by Maryann (101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(101x3@021515) (101x4@111615)_(100x6 031820)_(100x7 020923)  (YCM_@122313) 04.28.23 (Recognition 300 11.29.22) My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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#4827566

Review of Chapter 1  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   Jul 30, 2025 at 12:08pm

Length:   4,367 Characters | 3,730 w/o WritingML

Welcome to Writing.com  {s-badge:1105747} Greetings Nikolina ,  Welcome to Writing.com! I was pleased to read  "Chapter 1"  from your portfolio and it is my pleasure to give your writing a review. July, 28 2025   FIRST IMPRESSION   A carefully designed few paragraphs introduce me to a detective whose life is shrouded in nostalgia. The man, Elias Riggs, is staying with an aunt and for reasons not quite clear, yet, he does not seem to have a grown man's usual tastes. He will not be confined to a "comfy" space, he wears the well-worn jacket of his grandfather generations removed from his current early am venture to a diner. The diner too seems to be stuck in another decade as well. The narrative reads with great entertainment using quirky descriptions of "dancing with covers," "night air swallow," "sickly white light," "air smelled of nostalgia," and my favorite "iced caramel crunch extra chocolate drizzle with marshmallows."     THEME   "Chapter 1"  is the beginning of a mystery novel whose main characters Elias Riggs and Ace meet at an all-night diner to discuss some revelation of facts in a murder case that have suddenly come to light. The twenty paragraphs are designed to hook the reader into joining the two men in an investigation of a homicide that is beginning to appear to be the work of a serial killer. The air of mystery is over every aspect of this opening chapter such that the intrigue is strong by the 20th line.   STRUCTURE   Written from the perspective of the author carefully blending observations about Riggs, Ace and their waitress at the diner. The perspective works well giving the author a wide range of possibilities for producing dynamite descriptive prose without the limits of one character's personality.     MY FAVORITE MOMENT   This was my favorite moment: “"You better be dying or held at gunpoint because you just interrupted my very sacred middle-of-the-night-sandwich time." "Ace, I am devastated to announce that my life is not currently being threatened, but I am very close to dying of boredom." "And you want me to come and serenade you?"” The dialogue has a flavor to it that again feels nostalgic. Not exactly antiquated, but the words evoke a feeling in me of getting to know two old friends with new technology, new philosophies and a few new evolution theories, while they them selves have not evolved. Milk shakes and caramel sodas in the middle of the night?     SUGGESTIONS   I love the design, flow and flavor of what you have created here. Most of the time I read a piece over and over to get the gist of what an author is trying to say. This, as you can imagine, can get to be tedious. But your work spoke something new to me each time I read it. It gained a serious life after my fourth reading and am looking forward to more of Elias Rigg's mystery. I guess I am saying that my one suggestion is to keep on writing. Great energy.   IN SUMMARY   "Chapter 1"  introduces the universe to a man whose life seems to be rooted in an age gone by, while faced with investigating a homicide that is tainted by the workings that have manifested in a much more dark and cruel age. Meeting Mr. Riggs made me smile, as a part of me lives that life, challenged by confinement of any sort and curious about how one mystery may tie itself to another and another... A very great start!   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~    Please Visit ▶︎ "Joy Journey Journal"  "If I Were New To Writing.com"  GROUP The Power Reviewers Group  (E) The Power Crew inspire reviewers through kindness and learning! Winner of eight Quills! #1300305 by Maryann (101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(100x6@031820)_____  (YCM_@122313)(01.13.23) (Recognition 300 11.29.22) My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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#4826764

Review of The Heroes’ Rest (Prologue)  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   Jul 24, 2025 at 11:39pm

Length:   4,352 Characters | 3,688 w/o WritingML

Welcome to Writing.com  {s-badge:206794} Greetings SM Yeardley ,  Welcome to Writing.com! I was pleased to read  "The Heroes’ Rest (Prologue)"  from your portfolio and it is my pleasure to give your writing a review. July, 24 2025   FIRST IMPRESSION   A mighty fine prologue indeed. The characters are given plenty of word-work to come alive and be, each one, extremely unique. The story opens with a tavern run by a husband and wife whose proximity to a dangerous land gives them a constant, and very diverse clientele. Drulla, the main character, plays manager, hostess and an insightful witness of the lives who are a part of her tavern's heritage. Through her we gain knowledge of the other important characters in the story. And through her we feel a bit of her anxiety that something isn't quite right.    THEME   "The Heroes’ Rest (Prologue)"  is a wonderful opening to what I surmise to be a fantasy action novel. The prologue gives us insight into the dwarf heritage of Drulla and Merril. It sets the scene for the nature of the world in which the characters live.   STRUCTURE   Written from the third person perspective, the story is seen through the eyes of Drulla. It is her narrative that brings to life the patrons of the tavern, as well as her husband and their main server Dax. The story moves quickly yet includes some touching back story to the Merril/Drulla courtship and marriage.     MY FAVORITE MOMENT   This was my favorite moment: “As the closest tavern to the entrance of the Eldari Forests, it wasn’t uncommon for people to stop here overnight before the two-week trip through to the other side. No one came out of two weeks in the Eldari Forest looking that clean. Some didn’t make it out at all.” By the time I read up to this paragraph I was beginning to wonder about time and space and what was the significance of the tavern. This paragraph speaks of a journey through a forest that is dangerous to cross. At the most it seems only animals would be used by the travelers to make the journey. On the other hand it could be that walking through forest was their only option. I surmise the time setting is a long long time ago and the space is near a forest from which some sojourners never come out. Subtle. But the way it is phrased I am there. I see clearly the scene in my mind.     SUGGESTIONS   The piece is really marvelous fiction. I only noticed one minor problem with a sentence structure that was unclear. The sentence was written: "He looked ready to spring into action with the sword and shield he carried at a moment’s notice." I believe the sentence would have better clarity if it was written: "He looked ready to spring into action at a moment's notice with the sword and shield he carried."   IN SUMMARY   "The Heroes’ Rest (Prologue)"  gives the heart of the reader something comfortable to enter into. The prologue to a novel centers around a tavern where humans and non-humans may enjoy a few drinks and endless moments enjoying a beautiful time of refreshing. The sense is love. Romantic love between Drulla and Merril though some of the zeal has faded. The dangerous world is held at bay for a few moments of peace and genial fellowship. It is Drulla who senses the danger. By the time of the possible intrusion of the dangerous world I am delighted to be a part of this bit of community. Well done!   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~    Please Visit ▶︎ "Joy Journey Journal"  "If I Were New To Writing.com"  GROUP The Power Reviewers Group  (E) The Power Crew inspire reviewers through kindness and learning! Winner of eight Quills! #1300305 by Maryann (101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(100x6@031820)_____  (YCM_@122313)(01.13.23) (Recognition 300 11.29.22) My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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#4826595

Review of what u LIVE for?  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   Jul 23, 2025 at 6:32pm

Length:   3,682 Characters | 3,060 w/o WritingML

"The Power Reviewers Group"  SuperPower Newbie Summer Beach Party! Hello sabr , I selected "what u LIVE for?"  from your portfolio to read and review, as part of the WDC "Beach Party Raid 1"  Thank you for joining our Writing.com community! July 23, 2025   FIRST IMPRESSION   As a man who has found my bliss, I love recalling the not so blissful days. When it was just about "bread and butter" with no heart satisfaction. Your words recall the times of hope and the days it took more faith than ran in my veins to get on the bus to downtown and that job - that all consuming job. And you are right. There was a burning desire, a hunger that drove me all the way to a place of satisfaction and no more longing. Fine encouragement for the ones who have for a moment lost their edge.   THEME   The hunger to have more out of life is at the core of this work. I am compelled to look around at the people who serve me my coffee, my AT & T cable hook up, my breakfast burrito or repair my car. There is a hunger for more in most. It makes me glad to be a part of their world and give them a smile. There is a place of satisfaction my friends. Beautiful.     STRUCTURE   "what u LIVE for?"  is a challenge to be the one who gets beyond the everyday necessities of life to find that precious joy that gives the human heart strength to endure through every hardship. The poem has a unique rhythm and flow to it as it takes full advantage of a free form. The tone is light, though the topic has moments that require dark introspection.   MY PONDER MOMENT   This was my pondering moment: “Where is the satisfaction of the heart? Where is the smile brighter than the sun?” Every morning breaks with new challenges, some will beat the weary soul down, others remind us we will over come the bitterest of defeats. I am glad you captured the image of how the smile actually appears to other people who are down and out. Sometimes I smile at myself in the mirror and start laughing. It has seen me through some moments of death and destruction through which I never should have ascended.   SUGGESTIONS   You have a delightful touch with words. Your humble soul shows itself strong in how complete your expression is offered to us. I say that more of this writing is just what is needed in this world. I hope you will write on!   IN SUMMARY "what u LIVE for?"  is a challenge to every man and woman to reach down into the heart and give every moment of every day all the zeal for life and love for breath that lives within them. Too many souls fade away when the heat comes. Life sometimes requires our strongest desire to find that place of satisfaction and bliss. Thank you for stirring my fires my friend!     I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~  Please Visit ▶︎ "Joy Journey Journal"  (101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(101x3@021515) (101x4@111615)_(100x6 031820)_(100x7 020923)  (YCM_@122313) 05.20.23 (Recognition 300 11.29.22) My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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#4826587

Review of I Am Redeemed For the Top  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   Jul 23, 2025 at 5:58pm

Length:   3,161 Characters | 2,541 w/o WritingML

"The Power Reviewers Group"  SuperPower Newbie Summer Beach Party! Hello Theactual Treasure , I selected "I Am Redeemed For the Top"  from your portfolio to read and review, as part of the WDC "Beach Party Raid 1"  Thank you for joining our Writing.com community! July 23, 2025   FIRST IMPRESSION   Reaching the top is everything. Writers generally know this truth and spin it a number of ways. What is the top is often wrongly perceived. You my friend are lighting up the way to the way of being at the top that truly matters. Truth. You proclaim that it is God that has carried you. I am glad for that. In my experience He is faithful to carry everyone, if they will choose. I am glad He makes Himself known to everyone. I am glad you chose His way.   THEME   The way of the true disciple of the one true God is defined by what we may suffer to reach the top. The Word of God proclaims it to be the Highest Place. We know that the way is open to those who ask, seek, and knock. That's all. Well then there is the endurance part, which you so eloquently put to the music of life.     STRUCTURE   "I Am Redeemed For the Top"  is a song of life performed free style and with passion. There are verses and chorus and a powerful bridge that concludes: "They’ll know, Say Jah no be man, of course."   MY PONDER MOMENT   This was my pondering moment: “I am not walking alone. Even on days when I feel small, I know I’m not forgotten.” Faith in God is expressed in a powerful way. God, it seems to me, is more often interested in my smallness than in my mighty independence. The only confidence possible though is that in Him we are not forgotten.   SUGGESTIONS   You have a beautiful song writing talent. I say that more and more your words will express what your heart knows to be true. Write on!   IN SUMMARY "I Am Redeemed For the Top"  is a confessional of what it means to climb up in the Kingdom of Light. There are no shortcuts. No pain free miles. Testing and trials are the way of faith. With out them I am a stagnant non-climber. Through each element of life's harsh reality my faith grows because God is always there to carry me through. I am glad you shared this precious song with its golden truth!     I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~  Please Visit ▶︎ "Joy Journey Journal"  (101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(101x3@021515) (101x4@111615)_(100x6 031820)_(100x7 020923)  (YCM_@122313) 05.20.23 (Recognition 300 11.29.22) My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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#4826565

Review of “Still Inside, Thanks”  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   Jul 23, 2025 at 3:18pm

Length:   3,829 Characters | 3,203 w/o WritingML

"The Power Reviewers Group"  SuperPower Newbie Summer Beach Party! Hello AngelaSemaj , I selected "“Still Inside, Thanks”"  from your portfolio to read and review, as part of the WDC "Beach Party Raid 1"  Thank you for joining our Writing.com community! July 23, 2025   FIRST IMPRESSION   Somewhere there is an out there. What confines the heart and soul of a person? Walls. Weather. Tedium. Boredom. Politics. Pandemics. Life. There is an "in there" for every person and we need the words of my poet friends to illicit the charms and the harms in isolation and confinement. Well done my friend.   THEME   Use your words. All together now: "I want to be out there! Out of here! Somewhere. Anywhere." Do you remember your first car? Getting a car was big when I was growing up. I had plenty of space to be "out" of my four walls. But I wasn't really "out there." Not until I got a car. Someday they are going to take the keys to my car away. I will remember our friendly little get together here and wonder. When can I be out there again?     STRUCTURE   "“Still Inside, Thanks”"  Is written with just enough words to propel my mind into a vision of what has been gained in the "Great Out There" and the dark days when there was only my isolation. My medications. The last words of each couplet rhyme and the tone and rhythm of the poem is full of flavor.   MY PONDER MOMENT   This was my pondering moment: “I chat with walls—they're better hosts Than humans ghosting harder than ghosts.” Beautiful way of expressing feelings of abandonment even if it is from virtual friends. Myself, I talk to the virtual partners in my online Spades game. They are always charming. They just don't add anything to the conversation.   SUGGESTIONS   You have a gift for brevity. I don't. Well, as you can see. And I love what you accomplish with your gift. There is a lot that can't be forgotten about the bad in rainy day isolation, but there is the good as well. No farm work today. Grass will have to mow itself. Your words have brought all of the good soul stuff from my inner sanctum to the surface. My suggestion is you keep putting your experiences into the universe as quickly and fervently as you know how. Splendid work.   IN SUMMARY "“Still Inside, Thanks”"  glows with the images of a rain that has become the master of the house, a sun that has abandoned its role in life and a car that is no more useful than a gargoyle. The words and images evoke feelings of when I was a child, or living in the college dorm, or 8 to 5 spent in a cubicle; even now the thought comes to that inevitable moment when someone else will have complete control over my life (should it come to that.) Why ponder it? Acceptance maybe. Be more soul and spirit than body and mind I suppose. The gnome makes me laugh, maybe that is why I smile at the future a bit. Thank you friend.     I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~  Please Visit ▶︎ "Joy Journey Journal"  (101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(101x3@021515) (101x4@111615)_(100x6 031820)_(100x7 020923)  (YCM_@122313) 05.20.23 (Recognition 300 11.29.22) My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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#4826560

Review of The Question of Why and How  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: 13+ ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   Jul 23, 2025 at 2:06pm

Length:   4,440 Characters | 3,822 w/o WritingML

"The Power Reviewers Group"  SuperPower Newbie Summer Beach Party! Hello Nightblue , I selected "The Question of Why and How"  from your portfolio to read and review, as part of the WDC: "Beach Party Raid 1"  Thank you for joining our Writing.com community! July 23, 2025   FIRST IMPRESSION   I am touched deeply by the way your poem begins and ends. Some say the end is better than the beginning of something, but yours are equal in import to me. I am swayed to your poem's point of view as I am reading the Margaret Mitchell novel "Gone With The Wind." No one would read this book today. Its prose is brutally honest, filled with sarcasm and wit that lampoons every idea of war and valor but with so many words a modern reader of texts and emails would faint under the weight of it all! But the point is that she vividly draws a picture for the reader of the exact moment the Confederacy knew it had lost the war, but the "leaders", as you eloquently say, "high up the shelf," refused to surrender. As a result thousands of lives were lost, Atlanta was burned to the ground along with many smaller towns and every plantation except Tara. You light the fires of what should burn in the hearts of poets, scribes and journalists, but is often missed. Tolstoy, Hemingway, Camus, James Jones, (From Here to Eternity) cannot, even with their amazing craft, stop egomaniacs from entering into armed conflict. But what we do, as you have done in your wonderful work, is to tell the universe and future generations that there was indeed passionate watchers on the wall decrying the perverseness of violence and open warfare. A fully conscious conscience as it were, despite the madness.   THEME   The forces of humanity that fails to understand the mandate they have to guard the lives of those they rule never checks its passion for blood. More unarmed non-combatants die in war than actual warriors, yet the ruling class justifies every single loss of son or daughter by what they THINK has been bitterly gained.     STRUCTURE   "The Question of Why and How"  Is written in free form prose but with partial-rhyming of two lines in each four line verse. The form works well to jar the mind out of any complacent thoughts of "I've heard this before."   MY PONDER MOMENT   This was my pondering moment: “Some spend their life with endless contemplating, Hoping that one day they’ll find themselves stating: Why “force”, what “death”, and how to do better, But the minds of mortals change like the weather.” I grew up watching movies of key battles in WWI and WWII. I believed "Might-Made-Right." I went to war. I still carry an image of a serene rice patty dotted with smallish women bent over their crops while an American Jet Bomber strafes a nearby field with napalm. Would the image correct misguided leaders in Washington DC from halting their parade of death? Perhaps. But they never saw. I went to Viet Nam believing one thing, but "like the weather," I changed my mind.   SUGGESTIONS   Your well crafted images and thoughts are extremely impactful. I am glad I had an opportunity to read your work. My only thought is "do more." Right? I appreciate you sharing some of your heartfelt truth.   IN SUMMARY "The Question of Why and How"  sums up the end of a beautiful stream of thought with these words: "In the end time's the wind, and we're just a leaf." I concur with this thought from Psalm 37:2: "...for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb."   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~  Please Visit ▶︎ "Joy Journey Journal"  (101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(101x3@021515) (101x4@111615)_(100x6 031820)_(100x7 020923)  (YCM_@122313) 05.20.23 (Recognition 300 11.29.22) My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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#4826558

Review of Craving KitKat  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: 18+ ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   Jul 23, 2025 at 1:58pm

Length:   3,138 Characters | 2,509 w/o WritingML

"The Power Reviewers Group"  SuperPower Newbie Summer Beach Party! Hello Wildfire8470 , I selected "Craving KitKat "  from your portfolio to read and review, as part of the WDC: "Beach Party Raid 1"  Thank you for joining our Writing.com community! July 23, 2025   FIRST IMPRESSION   Oh ho the wonders and aorta spams of Caro...I mean the wide-eyed wild child. Brisk dialogue and psychological ponderings move this tale of two people in the tragic comedy of misdirected connections through torrid contemplation to a kind of safe harbor both Henry and Kit desperately need.   THEME   Take a moment to understand the one you love. They are vicious sometimes because of the trauma of life; seemingly void of any care for what propels you through life, but what an amazing gravitational pull they have just at the point when I believe lust is abated and I only need Caro...I mean Kit's softness and nearness to be complete     STRUCTURE   "Craving KitKat "  Is a fictional piece with a solid flow. The mixture of short paragraphs and extended ones gives the piece a subtle fluidity. It's form is fine both on its surface and in the deeper moments that require pondering.   MY PONDER MOMENT   This was my pondering moment: “She studied him with an expression that could fill with infinite affection, guileless innocence, or wanton lust, as quickly as she could drop an iron curtain, veiling malice, venom, and murderous intent." I could never quite put my finger on that look. You capture that face as it is cupped in the palm of my hand. I could never raise my hand, but would anyone blame me. The torture!   SUGGESTIONS   I suspect that "Cravings" is part of a much larger story. I would say that you have defined your main characters to live on in many chapters and many adventures. I love them. But then I have lived them. I suggest you enjoy the rest of the journey with them. I know I will.   IN SUMMARY "Craving KitKat "  is a wondrous tale about two people who should never be together and yet the dance of love is beyond human comprehension sometimes. A Jimmy Web line comes to mind: "I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time."   I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~  Please Visit ▶︎ "Joy Journey Journal"  (101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(101x3@021515) (101x4@111615)_(100x6 031820)_(100x7 020923)  (YCM_@122313) 05.20.23 (Recognition 300 11.29.22) My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .

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#4697898

Review of May Your Heart Know Love  

Review by ♫~ Kenword~♫

In affiliation with The Power Reviewers Group  

Rated: E ★★★★★ | (5.0)

Given:   May 20, 2023 at 11:46am

Length:   3,283 Characters | 2,802 w/o WritingML

** Image ID #2293819 Unavailable ** Hello Tim Chiu , I selected "May Your Heart Know Love"  from your portfolio to read and review, as part of the "The Power Reviewers Group" 's May Review Raid. Thank you for your support of the Writing.com community! May 20, 2023   FIRST IMPRESSION   To love is to love love. It is a pinnacle of life experience. Some say that love has failed. So it may seem. But the question is was it a love that ascends beyond the petty and dismissive to the bonded, wedded, submissive heart kind of love. Not just in one soul, but in both hearts together creating life in every smile, grimace, and laugh. The peaks and valleys of love. The spellbinding, amazing, peaceful wonder of love. For those who have attained such bliss, the world is less virtual and more real, moment by sweet sanctified moment.   THEME   There is a love that transcends the mundane. There is a love that transcends the horrors. There is a love that brings two hearts together to be meshed into each other's soul for the pure understanding of the other. One serves. Another receives. And then the roles are reversed and it is not just a flat-line endurance of life but an ever rising spiral of love, respect and joy forever more.     STRUCTURE   "May Your Heart Know Love"  is a poem written in free form with the beauty of a first person monologue. The images of windswept valleys, views from a perch and peaceful wonder, help the flow of some of the more ethereal revelations of what love is.   MY FAVORITE MOMENT   This was my favorite moment: “I gaze in amazement at life down below and experience A true sense of calm and peaceful wonder. Your delight in my transcendentalized being Must surely be intentional; I am quite uniquely absorbed In your trust and guidance. " A great joy in my life is to be living this reality out every moment of every day. When I am with my love, she is heartened by my calm and peaceful wonder of what God has done me, and for us together. She gives back the greatest measure of trust and counsel my heart could ever hope for and there is more than I can take in of the pleasure that rushes in.   SUGGESTIONS   Every word sang to me. My soul is refreshed. Thank You!   IN SUMMARY "Make Your Dreams Come True"  declares that there is a love that is majestic, and superbly regal. It is a committed love where even the understanding of it all is in reach. There is love. The hope of love. The understanding of love. We are knitted together in love, often times more than we know.     I hope my thoughts and impressions have been a help. Let me know if you have any questions about my review.   Kind Regards, ~Kenword~  (101@100513)_(101x2@030614)_(101x3@021515) (101x4@111615)_(100x6 031820)_(100x7 020923)  (YCM_@122313) 05.20.23 (Recognition 300 11.29.22) My review has been submitted for consideration in "Good Deeds Get CASH!" .