This is a delightful, entertaining story about one woman and how she takes her passion as a fan to the extreme! It not only explores Jane’s obsession, but how it effects her relationship with the people around her. One does not have to be a fan of HP to enjoy this story.
You requested a harsh, in-depth review. I don’t know about harsh, but I will do my best to go in-depth and state my honest opinions. While I hope you find this review helpful, please bear in mind that these are just my opinions and feel free to use or discard them as you feel best suits your vision for the story! Here are my thoughts/suggestions as I read:
Jane looked around herself in satisfaction. Herself is unnecessary. If she is looking around, the reader assumes she’s surveying her surroundings.
On her chair was draped the traditional red and gold striped scarf. This reads a little awkward from a reader’s perspective. We have to rearrange the sentence. Suggestion: The traditional red and gold striped scarf was draped over her chair.
Her roommate had not yet arrived, but was due any moment. If someone is due to arrive, it’s not necessary to say the hadn’t arrived yet.
Jane imagined the happy times the two of them would have, discussing Harry Potter trivia, Oliver Wood their favorite couples Oliver Wood, their comma
It was not her favorite of the seven books, but she couldn't seem to remember what color dress Hermione This just helps tighten the writing.
Jane was so absorbed in the story that she didn't hear the cart coming down the hall. absorbed in the story, she
Man, she does have it bad! Talk about obsession! I like how you have laid the framework so far by showing the extent of her HP inFANity. From posters, pillowcases, clothes, this girl has it all. The fact that she has to look up something because she can’t remember a certain dress color really drives that point home.
“I love them.” She continued chattily. “If you Personally, I would take that part out and just let the conversation flow.
What kind of person was she going to be living with?! What would they have in common!! What would they TALK about?!! Avoid using double punctuation marks. Editor’s frown on them. If you want to set something off, italics work nicely on the site. If you do not know how, on the top left side of the WDC screen is a site navigation bar. Click on Site Tools, WritingML Help, and Basic Tags. This will explain how. If you are writing this story as a manuscript and want something italicized, editors usually request you underline any text you want emphasized. It’s easier for their eyes to spot.
She began to panic slightly, Try to avoid adverbs. Sometimes they are unavoidable, but they tend to clutter writing. Most times, the serve as a short cut for writers and can be replaced with a better description or stronger verb. For example: She moved slowly Gives a better sounding visual as She crept —don’t you think? Slight panic made her heart leap might be another way to descibe Jane’s feelings here. I’m sure you can come up with something better than my example.
Nice visual description here! Her red and gold socks peeked out from under her jeans as she used her feet to push off her shoes. Even her socks are HP themed? What a funny character she is!
They got along well enough when Jane deigned to talk on another topic, however, that hadn't happened enough for them to really strike up a friendship yet. topic. However, This can be divided into two sentences to avoid a run on.
Who could think of homework at a time like this though." though?” This is a question.
"Bye Tammy! See you later!" Stacy waved down the hall as she opened the door to her room. It could just be me, but this came so abruptly, I had no idea who Tammy was or where she came from. I went back and reread twice looking for what I missed. It might help to clarify this a bit by saying Stacy waved at her friend down the hall or something to that effect
What do you think?" she asked, twirling around in her full Hogwarts school robes. Hogwart’s
"You're...wearing...that?" she asked incredulously as she cautiously made her way into the room. Just another example of using adverbs as shortcuts rather than showing the story.
"It's so...itchy." she confided. itchy,” she confided.
She finished scratching and looked around her once more, trying to see if she'd forgotten anything. Explained this in the beginning.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You go ahead." A pleasant-looking boy said. Pleasant how? What did he look like? As a reader, I want to see, hear, feel, and taste the same things Jane does. These are the connections that draw a reader in and endear them to a story.
"Ah." Comprehension filled Travis' face. Travis’s
Oh! Ouch! I really felt for Jane when Travis grew cross and rushed away. Then again, I can’t blame him. Maybe this will help her realize her problem. Then again, maybe not!
He didn't even have a favorite Harry Potter book! EVERYONE had a favorite book! Not me. I’ve never read them, though I have watched two of the movies with my son.
As the classical music assailed her sense, she slowly fell asleep. You might want to consider rewording this. As it reads it sounds like the classical music attacked her. Assail is a rough word. soothed her senses, maybe?
The next morning, Jane was slowly woken up by noises in the room. The next morning _____ noises woke Jane. what kind of noise? Rustling, banging, loud, soft?
As they touched the floor she shivered a little from the sudden lack of warmth, then went to turn and turned the light on.
Slipping it off it's hanger, its It’s is a contraction for it is.
As a reader, I would like some more details about what Jane sees, feels, etc. By fleshing out the character some more, I feel the reader will be able to make an even deeper connection.
Despite the sprawling notes above, (you asked for a harsh, in-depth review) I did enjoy the story! There were times I had to laugh about the extent of her obsession. It was interesting Jane go through her various stages of denial and form a tentative truce with her roommate. In analyzing Jane’s actions, the reader can even come away with a message. Sometimes we all have a habit of getting carried away when it comes to talking about our passions! I hope you continue this story. It will be interesting to see if Jane really is in recovery!
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