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Conscience



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Thu Aug 18, 2011 2:01 pm
Priceless says...



Spoiler! :
Hiya..I'm not sure whether this should be in romance, fantasy or just other. It involves a vampire, and one of his skills, so..yeah. Erm..don't be too harsh? xD


The music blared away, melting in with the drunken calls and horribly off-key singing so prevalent at night clubs, especially Full Moon. Anya crossed her arms, mouth set in a disgusted grimace. Her friend had disappeared, probably with some stranger, leaving Anya alone to suffer. She looked angrily around at the young adults wasting their lives away and spoiling their health. She noticed many from their own university. These were the guys whose parents slaved day and night to pay for their university education and instead of at least trying to make their parents proud, they were here doing something that was never going to help them in anyway, unless you counted building up a tolerance for drinks, and bedroom skills.
It was in the midst of her severely pissed off musings that he appeared. Like the sun coming out of the clouds, like the lights coming on after a blackout, like the sight of that impossible dish you tried to cook turning out just right. Her heart stopped. He walked slowly, gracefully through the crowd, sidestepping the dancers. He wore a black button up shirt and jeans. He caught her eye and she melted into his grey eyes. At the same time she noticed a wariness about him, and a grim expression.
Before she knew it, those grey eyes were way closer than before.
“Hi.”
“Hey,” she said.
“I noticed you’re not out there ‘shaking it’.”
“Uh…yeah,” she said, tugging at her brown hair. “Not really a dancer.”
“Neither am I.”
“For some reason, I highly doubt that.”
He grinned. Perfect white teeth. “I’m Aden.”
“Anya.”
“Do you go to Fordson’s?”
“Yeah. You?”
He shook his head. “I’m a foreigner.”
She smiled and looked away. What the hell was she supposed to say? The most gorgeous guy she had ever seen was sitting right next to her. What should she act like? Should she be all flirty and seducing like her dumb friend? What if he didn’t like those kind of girls and just walked away? Then again, what if he didn’t like un-flirty and un-seducing girls like her and just walked away?
“You seem to be far above this sort of debauchery," he said, gaze fixed on her.
Un-flirty, un-seducing intellectual brainiac persona it was. “I guess."
“You’re way too pretty to be here,” he said, stroking her cheek. Electricity shot through her. It was like she melted into the feeling. She looked at him, hypnotized. All will power was taken away from her. She would do anything he wanted, go anywhere he wanted, be whoever he wanted her to be.

He stood up and walked through the crowd. She followed him. He was the only one she could see. He was her world, and nothing else mattered. Everything else dissolved into nothingness as her gaze stuck to his tall, lean back. He held something – a door? – open and she stepped through whatever it was. She turned around.
He looked at her with an unwilling expression on his gorgeous face. She was suddenly filled with immense sadness and protectiveness.
“What’s wrong?” she said, reaching out her hand. She touched his face, dimly aware that his skin was quite cold. “What’s upsetting you?”
“I have to do something I don’t want to do,” he said, looking at the ground. “But I can’t control myself.”
“Do what?”
“Kill you.”
Guilt washed over her. “Do it if it will make you happy. Kill me.”
“It’s not fair. You’re not in your senses.”
“I’m okay,” she said, smiling widely to prove her point. “I’m fine, see? Kill me if it’ll make you feel good.”
“I hate myself,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “I’m a monster. I kill innocent people, just so I can stay alive to kill more innocent people.”
“Anything that makes you happy,” she insisted, holding his shoulders.
“This is not fair!” he roared, pushing her away. “You’re in university! You have to study, enjoy yourself, get drunk, have the time of your life, then get a job, then meet the love of your life, then get married. You’re not supposed to end up as my meal.”
“But I want to be your meal,” she insisted. “Nothing else is going to make me happy.”
“I can’t do this,” he muttered, opening the door again. “Get inside.”
She walked through the invisible door and turned to see him.
“You see those seats over there?” he asked, pointing somewhere in the distance. She shook her head. “All I see is you.”
“Of course you would,” he muttered. “Follow me.”
She followed him, mesmerized. He was so beautiful. He sat down on something and she sat down next to him.
“Bye,” he said, and touched her forehead.
Anya blinked and looked at the dance floor. The song had changed. She felt disconcerted. Had she fallen asleep? In a nightclub? She remembered the gorgeous guy and looked around. No where to be seen.
“What the hell?” she muttered. “Must’ve dreamt it all.”
She glanced at her watch and swore loudly, getting to her feet and making her way through the throng to the exit. A pair of hungry gray eyes watched her go.
Last edited by Priceless on Thu Aug 18, 2011 3:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
We're all a little weird. And life's a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.
  





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Thu Aug 18, 2011 2:33 pm
dolwright says...



I love the storyline, very interesting. Actually I'm a sucker for vampire stories. I also love the way it ended, the dramatic irony used, when you made it all seem like a dream to the girl but ' a pair of hungry gray eyes watched her go', way to go with that. Lovely story, write more. :)
'when I'm gone, my words will remain...
your word is a weapon, either of destruction or re-construction, whatever you make of it,
It's your choice.'
  





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Thu Aug 18, 2011 4:32 pm
StandStrong says...



It's a good start, you have the themes and central questions outlined pretty well.

I will go through stuff chronologically.

These were the guys whose parents slaved day and night to pay for their university education and instead of at least trying to make their parents proud, they were here doing something that was never going to help them in anyway, unless you counted building up a tolerance for drinks, and bedroom skills.

I understand what you're saying here, but the extra commas distracts from the point. Can I suggest something like, "These were the guys whose parents slaved day and night to pay for their university education and instead of at least trying to make their parents proud, they were here building bedroom skills and alcohol tolerance."
It was in the midst of her severely pissed off musings that he appeared.

Nice. It brought a smile to my lips.

. Like the sun coming out of the clouds, like the lights coming on after a blackout, like the sight of that impossible dish you tried to cook turning out just right.

Similies are the cheap way out, and often turn out corny at best. Try describing the way the lights bounce off his cheekbones, or how he slithers around the wobbling dancers, or anything to give us a description of what he is like.

“Do you go to Fordson’s?”
What is Fordson's? Or does it really matter? If the comment is there for the sake of conversation, add in a little blip on what Fordson's is. Otherwise, delete it out altogether. Deleting is my personal favorite--it's easier.

Electricity shot through her. It was like she melted into the feeling. She looked at him, hypnotized. All will power was taken away from her. She would do anything he wanted, go anywhere he wanted, be whoever he wanted her to be.

I like this one quite a bit, though I want more of it...like, a couple more sentences. Does she no longer care about the Biology review tomorrow morning? College people stress over money and classes the most, then their social lives.

“What’s wrong?” she said, reaching out her hand. She touched his face, dimly aware that his skin was quite cold. “What’s upsetting you?”
“I have to do something I don’t want to do,” he said, looking at the ground. “But I can’t control myself.”
“Do what?”
“Kill you.”
Guilt washed over her. “Do it if it will make you happy. Kill me.”
“It’s not fair. You’re not in your senses.”
“I’m okay,” she said, smiling widely to prove her point. “I’m fine, see? Kill me if it’ll make you feel good.


The essentials of this conversation are great, but they come off as forced. Try going something like this (using your own style, of course):
-What's wrong?
Hesitation, anguish in the man's face, "I'm a monster."
Girl, laughing and teasing,cuddling up to him "No you're not, you're beautiful."
Aden, pushing her away "Stand back, I don't want to do this."
Anya, confused and misunderstanding, "You think I'm pretty, right? And I want to do this."
Aden, holding her away, "It's not that. I don't want to kill you."
Anya, "Kill me? Babe, you can kill me anytime."
Then on with the kill now to kill again bits and how she isn't in her right mind, ect., ect.

In writing this section, make it very dreamlike and have Anya toss aside her usual thinking and reservations. She needs to be a temptation to Aden in every way she can, doing her best to twart his arguments. This increases the conflict and makes his sacrifice all the more substantial.

“Bye,” he said, and touched her forehead.

I like this, though I do wish he would kiss her forehead as a sort of intimate symbol of caring for her.

Also, have her think she had been staying up too late studying or doing that research paper, and she should go home and get a decent rest. A second thing to throw in will be some mental note on what to do about her friend--will she text her later to check up and make sure her friend didn't end up in a dump, or figure that what her friend does is her business and Anya won't keep tabs like a parent?

She glanced at her watch and swore loudly, getting to her feet and making her way through the throng to the exit. A pair of hungry gray eyes watched her go.

Nice ending, though keep your gray/greys consistent. This has a great start, let's pump it up and make it pop!
Bob: hmm, there's a lesson in all this.
Mr. Eglamore: Okay. Let's hear it.
Bob: Never let sixty angry kids use a herd of laser cows to take over your house.

Gunnerkrigg Court is awesome.
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Sat Aug 20, 2011 12:33 am
Dreamworx95 says...



Hi Priceless,

This is well written, but I have to be honest - it feels like Twilight all over again. I see Bella Swan in the main character, especially when she says, "But I want to be your meal. Nothing else is going to make me happy." And I definitely see Edward Cullen in the vampire with all his self loathing.

However, I get the feeling that Anya isn't that stupid willingly. I'm guessing Aden is using some kind of seduction power on her, which explains how she seems to fall for him in an amount of seconds. I hope this is the case. But it makes me wonder, why is he telling her go live her life and seducting her at the same time? Is it a kind of seduction power that he can't control?

Good writing. I would read more.

BTW, are you Arabic? I am too. I read the line in your signature. Lyrics to a song, I'm guessing?

Good luck,

Dream.
  





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Sun Aug 21, 2011 5:19 pm
writingangel24xx says...



This was quite good and I wanted to keep reading it..although in the beginning of it I thought it was a cliche novel like any other..but I had to admit that it became more interesting as it moved along. I'm guessing the guy is a vampire or a wereworlf. It was exciting near the end of this segment because I seriously thought the guy was going to eat/kill her, but I liked that he didn't. I wonder what will happen later on in their relationship. Good job!
  





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Sun Aug 28, 2011 11:25 am
number32 says...



A few mistakes which need correcting:
The music blared away, melting in [Don't need in] with the drunken calls and horribly off-key singing so prevalent at night clubs, especially Full Moon. Anya crossed her arms, mouth set in a disgusted grimace. Her friend had disappeared, probably with some stranger, leaving Anya alone to suffer. She looked angrily around at the young adults wasting their lives away and spoiling their health. She noticed many from their own university. These were the guys whose parents slaved day and night to pay for their university education and instead of at least trying to make their parents proud, they were here doing something that was never going to help them in anyway, unless you counted building up a tolerance for drinks, and bedroom skills.
It was in the midst of her severely pissed off musings that he appeared. Like the sun coming out of the clouds, like the lights coming on after a blackout, like the sight of that impossible dish you tried to cook turning out just right[I don;t like similies when describing how amazing people are. A little cheesy]. Her heart stopped. He walked slowly, gracefully through the crowd, sidestepping the dancers. He wore a black button up shirt and jeans. He[This is the third time you used 'he' maybe you could try something else? Or you can always join two of the sentences together] caught her eye and she melted into his grey eyes. At the same time she noticed a wariness about him, and a grim expression. [On his face?] 
Before she knew it, those grey eyes were way closer than before.  
“Hi.” 
“Hey,” she said.  
“I noticed you’re not out there ‘shaking it’.” 
“Uh…yeah,” she said, tugging at her brown hair. “Not really a dancer.” 
“Neither am I.” 
“For some reason, I highly doubt that.” 
He grinned. Perfect white teeth. “I’m Aden.” 
“Anya.” 
“Do you go to Fordson’s?” 
“Yeah. You?” 
He shook his head. “I’m a foreigner.”  [Right, through this bit of dialogue you might want to show a bit of body language instead of just having lines of talking. Maybe he smiles, she shuffles her feet, he raises his eyebrows or whatever.]
She smiled and looked away. What the hell was she supposed to say? The most gorgeous guy she had ever seen was sitting right next to her. What should she act like? Should she be all flirty and seducing like her dumb friend? What if he didn’t like those kind of girls and just walked away? Then again, what if he didn’t like un-flirty and un-seducing girls like her and just walked away?  
“You seem to be far above this sort of debauchery," he said, gaze fixed on her. 
Un-flirty, un-seducing intellectual brainiac persona it was. “I guess." 
“You’re way too pretty to be here,” he said, stroking her cheek. Electricity shot through her. It was like she melted into the feeling. She looked at him, hypnotized. All will power was taken away from her. She would do anything he wanted, go anywhere he wanted, be whoever he wanted her to be.  
He stood up[Were they sitting down?] and walked through the crowd. She followed him. He was the only one she could see. He was her world, and nothing else mattered. Everything else dissolved into nothingness as her gaze stuck to his tall, lean back. He held something – a door? – open and she stepped through whatever it was. She turned around. [Too many 'she's.]  
He looked at her with an unwilling expression on his gorgeous face. She was suddenly filled with immense sadness and protectiveness.[Ness, ness. Try something different. 'She was suddenly filled with a strong sense of wanting to protect the man and also a air of sadness.'] 
“What’s wrong?” she said[asked], reaching out her hand. [Take away the full stop.] She touched his face, dimly aware that his skin was quite cold. “What’s upsetting you?” 
“I have to do something I don’t want to do,” he said[Use something that describes how he's feeling more], looking at the ground. “But I can’t control myself.” 
“Do what?” 
“Kill you.” 
Guilt washed over her. “Do it if it will make you happy. Kill me.” 
“It’s not fair. You’re not in your senses.” 
“I’m okay,” she said, smiling widely to prove her point. “I’m fine, see? Kill me if it’ll make you feel good.” 
“I hate myself,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “I’m a monster. I kill innocent people, just so I can stay alive to kill more innocent people.” 
“Anything that makes you happy,” she insisted, holding his shoulders.  
“This is not fair!” he roared, pushing her away. “You’re in university! You have to study, enjoy yourself, get drunk, have the time of your life, then get a job, then meet the love of your life, then get married. You’re not supposed to end up as my meal.” 
“But I want to be your meal,” she insisted. “Nothing else is going to make me happy.” 
“I can’t do this,” he muttered, opening the door again. “Get inside.” 
She walked through the invisible door and turned to see him.  
“You see those seats over there?” he asked, pointing somewhere in the distance.
[New line] She shook her head. “All I see is you.” 
“Of course you would,” he muttered. “Follow me.” 
She followed him, mesmerized. He was so beautiful. He sat down on something and she sat down next to him.  
“Bye,” he said, and touched her forehead.  
Anya blinked and looked at the dance floor. The song had changed. She felt disconcerted. Had she fallen asleep? In a nightclub? She remembered the gorgeous guy and looked around. [He was ] No where to be seen.  
“What the hell?” she muttered. “Must’ve dreamt it all.” 
She glanced at her watch and swore loudly, getting to her feet and making her way through the throng to the exit. A pair of hungry gray eyes watched her go.



It sort of reminded me of Twilight and all the other vampire books for teenagers in the shops these days. I liked the ending; 'A pair of hungry gray eyes watched her go', it was rather chilling. You need to work on your dialogue a little, you could always add a little extra at the end to describe how their feeling by their body language, how they say things, e.t.c. I thought Anya was a good character, she's not like all the other female protagonists in the teen vampire series' because she wasn't annoying. She was clever and likeable, especially in the first paragraph.

Overall, it was pretty good. It was quite short but the beginning hooked me. :]
  





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Thu Sep 22, 2011 7:05 am
Charlie II says...



Hello Priceless -- this is one of my "specially late" reviews. Ever so sorry about that! Hopefully I can still be of some help! :wink:

Twilight

Well, yes, this is always going to be compared to Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series. Unfortunately this genre, which has become increasingly popular in the last few years, is rather full of mind-bogglingly-beautiful vampires. I liked how you used the touch of the face to signify the bewitching -- that was original -- though from the MC's thoughts at the time it did feel a lot like Bella thinking about Edward. I know it's hard to escape from the shadow of Twilight, but try and keep it in mind to make sure you don't write a replica.

Dialogue and tone

Your tone, however, is first class! I really like these lines:

“I noticed you’re not out there ‘shaking it’.”

Un-flirty, un-seducing intellectual brainiac persona it was.

These lines are genuinely funny -- I love the awkwardness of the inverted commas of 'shaking it'! :D Perhaps, though, if Anya responded with a bit more wit and rapport then she wouldn't seem quite as Bella-ish. At the moment it's only Aden's dialogue that's really interesting. With some work, you could say the same about both characters.

I kind of like her sarcastic and disapproving introduction -- Anya is an interesting character at that point -- but then even she, the ultimate cynic, is brought under the spell of Aden and becomes "just another meal". I think that's a pity, because her best part in this piece, in my opinion, is at the start!

Conscience

So this is the title of your piece, and it's also meant to "explain" why Aden decides, eventually, not to kill her. Now, I know this is in Fantasy Short Stories, but bear with me a moment. I don't think that the set-up is quite enough. I think you need to write more at the beginning.

This snapshot of story focuses on a really important part of Aden's character development: for what *could* be the first time, he chooses not to make a meal of someone. So this part needs to have real punch, and you do that through showing not telling.

Most of the "conscience" is depicted through Aden talking. While this is okay, it would be better if it was shown through actions. Perhaps Aden imagines Anya on her wedding day, or graduating from college, or shaking hands with colleagues at a new job. These are the things you've talked about in Aden's speech, but they'd be so much more life-like if they were described (just a little!) instead of spoken. Plus, if this part goes on out of speech marks, it seems like it's going on inside Aden's head as his internal conflict -- that would be nice! :wink:

Also, while we're talking about showing and not telling:

She would do anything he wanted, go anywhere he wanted, be whoever he wanted her to be.

This line doesn't need to be written at all. You do a perfectly good job of demonstrating this without the need for an explanation. Again, your dialogue manages to be convincing enough. Good job.

Overall

It'd be nice to see a bit more fleshing out of this piece. In order for the change-of-mind to be convincing I think we need more build up and more tension. But, regarding the tools of writing, you're already so accomplished -- I think I mentioned already that I love your dialogue! Perhaps, if it works, see what you can do to develop this away from the style of Twilight. I'd be interested to see what you come up with.


Charlie
I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose.
-- Woody Allen
  








i like that the title of dr jekyll and mr hyde makes a clear stance that the embodiment of one’s own evil doesn’t get a claim to the doctorate
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