E - Everyone

What We Want Prolouge

PreviousNext

 "Elena can you describe yourself in one word?"

My first year teacher asked me that question three times throughout the school year...my answer changed drastically and sometimes I wonder....what would my answer be today? I don't know for certain but it would have changed. Quiet? was my first response. Of course today it would be Loud. I'm an advocate for those of us being repressed. My name is Elena Paige Sampson and I'm a Princess in the kingdom of Arlington. I want to change the world and I have a little help from my friend and girlfriend Mia. We live in a world where we aren't legally be together but we have a plan to change all of that....and it all starts when I become queen.

Comments & reviews · 5
Note: You are not logged in, but you can still leave a comment or review. Before it shows up, a moderator will need to approve your comment (this is only a safeguard against spambots). Leave your email if you would like to be notified when your message is approved.

User avatar
SpideyJude Comment

Interesting work. I love your technique. Elena seems like quite the character I would fall in love with. The concept is great, can't wait for this to come out! Keep me updated!!! A few grammatical errors, but it was great nonetheless. Keep up the good work. Although, how will Elena become Queen?

User avatar
Corvus
Review
Corvus wrote a review · Fri Feb 09, 2018 7:20 pm

Review time!
I love the basic premise and the phrasing, but I noticed a couple things.

"throughout the school year...my answer changed drastically and sometimes I wonder....what would my answer be today?" Too many "..."s I would replace some of those with other punctuation.

"Quiet? was my first response." mabby add "that" between "was" and the question mark

"Of course today it would be Loud." comma between "course" and "today"

"have a little help from my friend and girlfriend Mia." comma between "girlfriend" and "Mia"

"where we aren't legally be together" add "allowed to" between "legally" and "be"

"that....and it all starts" one to many dots

hope this helps!

<3 -Corvus

User avatar
SirHenryFisher Comment

Errors:
"Elena can you describe yourself in one word?" should have a comma after the word Elena.

When you say "I don't know for certain but it would have changed." you should have inserted a comma after the word certain.

All, the times you put a .... in, it should be 3 periods, not 4.

Suggestions:
Make it longer. It gives the reader an idea of what the general plot is, but it is made up of just a quote and a long paragraph.

Make it more descriptive. You lay down the plot pretty well, but this seems like a short epilogue mixed with a summary of the basic plot. You never mention what grade she's in, what school she's in, or what the teacher's name is. All you do is mention the kingdom of Arlington and Mia.

Indent. I think that you should turn that huge paragraph into several smaller ones.

Feedback:
Good job. while you didn't describe somethings and didn't indent, it gives me an overall view of what the plot is, and it kind of foreshadows the future of the book.

Errors:
"Elena can you describe yourself in one word?" should have a comma after the word Elena.

When you say "I don't know for certain but it would have changed." you should have inserted a comma after the word certain.

All, the times you put a .... in, it should be 3 periods, not 4.

Suggestions:
Make it longer. It gives the reader an idea of what the general plot is, but it is made up of just a quote and a long paragraph.

Make it more descriptive. You lay down the plot pretty well, but this seems like a short epilogue mixed with a summary of the basic plot. You never mention what grade she's in, what school she's in, or what the teacher's name is. All you do is mention the kingdom of Arlington and Mia.

Indent. I think that you should turn that huge paragraph into several smaller ones.

Feedback:
Good job. while you didn't describe somethings and didn't indent, it gives me an overall view of what the plot is, and it kind of foreshadows the future of the book.

User avatar
Vervain
Review
Vervain wrote a review · Fri Feb 09, 2018 4:40 am

Hey Membb <3 Here to drop a sweet review on this prologue of yours!

First off, a quick link -- I'm pretty sure I've given you this before, but To prologue or not to prologue is p useful.

This prologue seems more like a bit of an infodump that could have been better shown, rather than told -- sprinkle bits here and there through the first chapter, and leave the "We couldn't be together, but We Have A Plan" for the first chapter to really hook the reader in action.

As it is, this is just a paragraph of the reader being told "Hey, this is what's happening, and here's what we'll do!" Which can always, always be better shown through actual character action.

Second off -- grammar! I know, my favorite part. It's annoying, and can sometimes be left for draft 2 or even 3, but when bad grammar and punctuation distracts the reader, it should be dealt with. I had a hard time parsing a couple of sentences in this incredibly short piece because of your punctuation. I'd go through line by line but that's annoying; instead, just pick up a copy of Strunk & White's Elements of Style or something and check it out. Very useful book to have on hand, and it might illustrate a couple of rules you don't understand as well as you could.

Third -- Arlington is...probably not a good name for a kingdom. 1: It's a town name (note the '-ton' ending). 2: It's the name of a national cemetery and/or Robert E Lee's old house. It's pretty well known in the US.

Now I do really really like the world you're setting up! Your characters sound interesting, and I'm excited to see what you're going to do with the storyline. My main critique here is with the delivery of the idea, not with the idea itself. The idea is wonderful and gorgeous and awesome -- the delivery, not so much.

What can you do to polish it up? Split this prologue up and sprinkle it in the character backstory. We don't need to know this all at once; this can be fed to us slowly but surely throughout the first chapter. Brush up on a few of the more complex grammar rules, and make sure you're spacing out your sentences -- and be careful not to use too many ellipses! Ellipses are the crutch of a writer who doesn't want to use any other kind of punctuation. Dashes are my crutch, so trust me, I get it. Just go back and edit the ellipses into semicolons, or colons ("sometimes I wonder: what would my answer be?"), or periods or commas or something.

You're the best! <3 Have fun writing!



Remember: the plot is nothing more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations.
— Ray Bradbury