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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/profile/reviews/nmarshall/sort_by/r.review_creation_time DESC/page/10
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1,125 Public Reviews Given
2,497 Total Reviews Given
Public Reviews
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Rated: E | (5.0)
Very nice!

This poem painted a word picture, a vivid one at that! I could easily see the man. It also gave me enough so that I wondered about what brought him to this place in life.

I felt this flowed nicely. Your words choices bring this to life. I saw nothing out of kilter and have nothing but priase for this piece.

Thank you for sharing!
~Nikola
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Rated: E | (5.0)
What fun, Spidey! I scored 12 of 12. Of course I was born in 1963 so I have watched it for all these years.*Laugh*

Good quiz, lots of fun, and well written. Everything was clear, no confusion at all in any question. I love the fact that there was a graphic at the top, it was a pleasant, and nostalgic, surprise.

Thanks for the fun!

~Nikola

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Review of For My Soldier  
Rated: E | (5.0)
Emotional Impact:Strong. You have voiced what so many of those close to our soldiers are feeling


Imagery:More than visual imagery, this piece has emotional imagery. I can feel the frustration and lonliness.



Flow:I felt it flowed well.


Closing comments:An excellant poem. Keep up the great work!

~Nikola

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Rated: E | (4.0)
Hi there! This review is given by a judge for "Invalid Item"   by A Guest Visitor .

You've captured the celebratory spirit that comes with such a milestone. I like the visual of members coming together to sing and dance in honor of WDC's birthday.

Nice work! I hope you enjoyed the contest.

~Nikola
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Rated: E | (4.5)
Hi there! This review is given by a judge for "Invalid Item"   by A Guest Visitor .

What a fun, festive poem! It has a feel of inclusion and an overall capture of what this site is about.

I love the line: A literary passion connects you and me.

Very nice! I hope you enjoyed creating for the contest.

~Nikola
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Rated: E | (4.0)
Hi there! This reveiw is given by a judge for {;item:1468426}.

This is a nice, celebratory piece. A fun tribute to the site. I like your word choice.

My favorite lines:

In celebration, I offer this bit of wordplay


My literary version of a warm embrace


Nice work! I hope you enjoyed the contest.

~Nikola

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Rated: E | (5.0)
Hi there! This review is given by a judge for "Invalid Item"   by A Guest Visitor .

What a great poem! You included the celebration of our site's birthday along with the community aspect and, of course, our writing. Your word choice is very nice and your words flowed so smoothly into one another. I honestly cannot choose just one or two lines or stanzas that grabbed my attention. As I said, nice word choices.

Great work! I hope you enjoyed the contest.

~Nikola
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Review of Little Jamey  
Rated: ASR | (5.0)
I am reviewing your story as a judge for "Short Shots: Official WDC Contest"   by Writing.Com Support . Thanks for entering!*Smile*



First Impression: I was pulled into the story immediately. Good work!



Comments:

Donna's long graceful limbs seemed to flow across a balance beam like satin sheets blowing in the breeze on a clothesline on a warm Spring day.

Nice!



Character Development: Very real, very believable. I feel so much for your lead character.


Dialogue/Monologue: I love the opening monologue. You engage the reader from the first sentence and gives them time to empathize.


Plot Structure: Good flow, not holes.


What Worked: Emotion, emotion, emotion! I was crying by the end.


What Didn't Work: Nothing to comment about here.


Overall Impact: Powerful!


Closing Remarks: You have a wonderful writing voice. Thanks for sharing it!*Smile*

~Nikola
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Review of Disappearing Act  
Rated: E | (4.5)
I am reviewing your story as a judge for "Short Shots: Official WDC Contest"   by Writing.Com Support . Thanks for entering!*Smile*



First Impression: That this would be a fun story. I was right!



Comments:

into the back, where he cried out in

The comma isn't necessary here.



Character Development: Very nice! I could feel the mother's exasperation and Thomas' fun. Very believable characters.


Dialogue/Monologue: Again very nice. The dialog between the mom and her ex at the end was priceless.


Plot Structure: Well done! The story moved along nicely with no holes.


What Worked: The charm of Thomas pulled me in for more fun. I couldn't wait to see where he'd be next.


What Didn't Work: No comment here.


Overall Impact: *Laugh* It was a definite feel-good, laugh-out-loud story. Fun to read.


Thanks for sharing this piece!

~Nikola
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235
Rated: 13+ | (5.0)
I am reviewing your story as a judge for "Short Shots: Official WDC Contest"   by Writing.Com Support . Thanks for entering!*Smile*



First Impression:Good opening! It draws the reader right in.



Character Development:Very nice! I can feel the fear of the parents. Even little Savannah has a lot of character for a little one.


Dialogue/Monologue:Believable and powerful. The dialog moves the story along and infuses it with tension.


Plot Structure: Moved along smoothly. Lot of suspense. It kept me on the edge of my seat.


What Worked: I think what was most powerful was the tension of the plot and the strong emotion. The description also gives the reader a strong sense of place.


What Didn't Work: I have absolutely no comment for this space.


Overall Impact: Powerful! Emotional!


Closing Remarks: This piece pulled at my heartstrings and then broke them. Excellant writing!

~Nikola
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Review of Indigo Girl  
Rated: E | (5.0)
I am reviewing your story as a judge for "Short Shots: Official WDC Contest"   by Writing.Com Support . Thanks for entering!*Smile*


First Impression: From the beginning sentence I was hooked. Being an Indigo myself I was intrigued to see where you took this story.


Character Development: I felt like the development of the characters had a slower pace than normal. It built up right until the conclusion. It worked very well as a tool to keep readers interested.
I felt for Angela. I was in suspense as to what the couple would decide.
And I wasn't fond of the administrator. You did an excellant job with her.


Dialogue/Monologue: Believable. It made your characters real.


Plot Structure: Flowed smoothly. There were no holes to confuse readers.


What Worked: Actually it all worked for me. I feel this is a well written piece.


What Didn't Work: Nothing jumped out at me here.


Overall Impact: I would love for you to delve more into the lives of Angela and Samantha after the adoption. It would be fascinating to watch them grow together.*Smile*


Closing Remarks: Thank you for sharing! This was a delight to read.

~Nikola
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Review of Having My Cake  
Rated: 13+ | (5.0)
*Shudders**Sick*

This piece nails one of the most basic gross outs humankind knows. It's the kind of piece that elicits chills and repeated "eewwws" even after the initial read.

I thought your imagery was excellant. It would have to be to keep the kind of gross out factor I mentioned above.

Excellant!
~Nikola
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238
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
Intriguing. I love a good ghost story. This is nicely self contained as a whole. I didn't feel it was a good as your other pieces. It felt weak in a few places. By no means a bad story. Just a tweak or two needed.

it continued to cry with bone chilling shrieks
Try choosing one or the other. Perhaps "the bone chilling shreiks echoed behind him."

Just tossing thoughts out there. Thanks for sharing your talent.

~Nikola
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Review of Under the Rug  
Rated: 13+ | (5.0)
More! More!
This stands alone well but I want to know more. You could easily expand this. Include more of the legend, perhaps some previous disappearances. I want to know more about this family too. I think this would be a wonderful short story!*Smile*

You do well in your word choices. You make the most of the few you have to work with. Well done.

~Nikola
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Review of Black Wind  
Rated: 13+ | (5.0)
Ooohhhhh...I LIKE this! Your wording is intense and kept my interest. It is often so difficult to tell a complete story in so few words.
There is a wonderfully sinister feel to this. There is just enough to let your reader connect with the characters.

I wasn't expecting the end. Great job!

~Nikola
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Review of Skin Art  
Rated: 18+ | (4.5)
Hi Lou,

I can't believe there's been no reviews for many of these pieces!*Shock*

The great thing about flash fiction is that they are good bones for a longer short story or perhaps a novel in disguise. I'd love to see you take this and run. (I have a feeling you may hear more of that from me as I read these items.)

I want to know more. Why is this happening? Is it the tattoo itself or did the artist have something to do with it? Hmmm...

The only word that bothers me in this piece is "gore." It sounds cliche.

I like this. It gives me some things to ponder as to the whys and what happened over time.

~Nikola
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Review of Storm Warnings  
Rated: 18+ | (4.5)
First Impression:I live in Tornado Alley so the title caught my attnetion right away.



Comments:
*She stopped just inside the door. Shelly ducked out from under her protecting arms and saw her daddy sprawled at the kitchen table,
Who stopped just inside the door? Make it clear so that your readers aren't confused.



Character Development:Your characters come to life on the page. They are vivid, flawed, just like the real deal.


Dialogue/Monologue:I thought this was excellant! The dialog flowed easily and your characters spoke realistically. Very nice!


Plot Structure:I like the way that you weave this story. It flowed well, no snags at all.


What Worked:Everything really. The plot is solid, the characters believalbe, good word choices.


What Didn't Work:Other than the one comment above, I have nothing to add here.


Overall Impact:I thought this was a well written and entertaining piece.


Closing Remarks:Keep up the good work!

~Nikola
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Review of Night Terrors  
Rated: E | (4.0)
I can relate to those unknown creepies that scare us all. As a child I had monsters in the closet and still am leery of those dark places.

Have you considered omitting some those "little" words? Words like "an, the, a, etc." can clog up a poem and it won't have the impact it otherwise might. Read this again and see what you think.

I love this subject matter and you've done a good job of relating it to your readers. Just maybe a little tightening up would make it sing!

~Nikola
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Review of The Silence  
Rated: ASR | (4.5)
I love this twist on an otherwise joy-filled holiday.

once lived. Then there was the stench it permeated the room and smelled like an open grave.
Begin a new sentence with "it."

We had to use a specially constructed trailer to carry the mechanism, that‘s going to cost me a pretty penny.
Change the wording of this sentence to make it clearer for your readers. Perhaps "It cost me a pretty penny..."

You tell a good story with the word limit That's not always an easy thing to do.

I enjoyed reading this. Keep writing!

~Nikola
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Rated: 13+ | (4.5)
Nicola,

This is a powerful, emotional vignette. I see that it is nonfiction and that alone makes this heart wrenching.

I simply cannot offer any criticism on such a piece. Even so I found no errors.

Your word choice reflects the pain as does the imagery you use. The title choice is a good one and well fitted.

I'm sorry that your friends, and you through them, suffered such pain. Stay strong.

~Nikola

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Review of Closet Doors  
Rated: E | (4.5)
Hi!

I really like this poem!

I could relate to the beginning where the monsters of childhood lurk. I had monsters in my closet and to this day don't like the doors opened at night.

And I could relate to the monsters that lurk later in life.

I thought this was well worded and the emotion shone through as well as imagery. I felt. I saw.

I honestly don't have any comments. You brought forth emotion and that's what poetry does best. Thanks for sharing this piece!

~Nikola

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Review of Longing Memories  
Rated: 13+ | (4.0)
First Impression:Is this non-fiction? It reads like a true story. I was intrigued from the beginning.



Comments:
This morning will be like every other, Teodore thought to himself.
Use italics to emphasize the thought. It is a visual aid for readers to recognize the change from story to thought.

through the grassland to where he finished his work yesterday.
This reads choppy. Perhaps "to the place where he finished his work yesterday."

and then return back to his work.
You don't need the word "bakc" here. It's repetitive.

With a small material sack on his back, holding his belongings, Teodore slowly made his way home and headed for the nearest train.

What kind of material was the sack made of? It helps the reader to visualize if you have something specific.
The last of the sentence reads rough to me. Perhaps "slowly making his way home, he headed for the nearest train."

Florea in the kitchen *tiding up
*tidying



Character Development:I'll say there wasn't a lot of character development but this is a plot driven piece so it works. It is easy for your readers to know who is who.


Dialogue/Monologue:Very realistic. Well done!


Plot Structure:There is a large timeline in this piece and I felt it does jump around a bit leaving me confused. However, I think this would be a wonderful novella or novel. There is a lot of background, both of your characters and the history surrounding their lives, that would make for interesting reading.


What Worked:I loved the storyline and the historical significance surrounding it.


What Didn't Work:Only the jumpiness of the plot where time changes.


Overall Impact:Enjoyable reading.


Closing Remarks:I think you've got something special here. With a bit of work it could make a marvelous novel!

~Nikola



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Review of Absolute Horror  
Rated: 18+ | (5.0)
Hi Pennywise,

What a great group! I'm so happy to see the horror genre receiving more and more attention on WDC.

I'd love to be a part of the group if you'll have me.

~Nikola
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Review of No Safety  
Rated: 18+ | (5.0)
I don't feel this qualifies as classic horror but the subject itself is horrific.

I have several friends who are police officers and I volunteer for my local PD. I know how easily something terrible can go down.
I've also been held up at gunpoint so I can relate, in my own way, about having a gun trained on you.

This is a very powerful piece and a sobering look at how dangerous law enforcement is. Bravo for bringing it to people's attention!

~Nikola
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Review of The Painting  
Rated: E | (5.0)
Hi ♥Hooves♥ !

This is a reciprocal review on behalf of writetight, whom you were so kind as to have reviewed recently, and is in connection with "Invalid Item.

I'm really taken with this story! The fact that you chose a famous painting to write your story around made it more vivid to me. The theme of reincarnation is nicely done.
This is well written. I honestly see nothing out of kilter.

One thing--Have you ever considered taking this further? An ongoing story through the ages, perhaps captured in other famous paintings. It would be intriguing!

I thoroughly enjoyed this piece. Keep writing!

~Nikola
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