Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Review: I'm still inlove with you no matter what.


Author: AigooKeyandTaemin


Requested through APink Request Shop! ♥  

Title: 3/5
-       It was quite long, and there was a typographical error. (‘in love’)
-       On another note, the good part about it is that it gave a hint to the readers about the plot.

Poster/Background/Design: 4/5
-       The poster was quite excessively designed. The smaller words aren’t really clear.
-       You fulfilled the basic requirements as the main characters were shown.
-       The quality of the pictures in the poster were relatively standardized.
-       It was animated(:

Description/Foreword: 10/10
-       Excellent work on your description and foreword ^^
-       It was detailed, and pictures were provided for the main characters.

Characters: 10/15
-       You managed to give the readers a basic knowledge of the characters (their likes and dislikes, etc.)
-       However, their personalities were not really shown (more elaboration needed).
-       Emotions of main characters were shown.
-       Reduce the number of characters or it’ll be troublesome to characterize them. It was your first time writing so I didn’t grade you for your characterization in detail.
-       Feelings main characters have for others around them were expressed. Good job on that(:

Plot: 20/30
-       It’s good that basic planning can be seen from your story. Planning is important as you’ll know where you want your story to head.
-       Frankly speaking, it was too long. If it’s your first time writing, keep it short. A plot that’s too long might make the story too melodramatic and/or “draggy”.
-       You would do much better if you got to the climax of the story faster.
-       You were able to show Taemin’s affection for the girl (the conversation Taemin had on the phone and Minho’s remarks when he overheard).
-       I did see effort for making the plot interesting so I added marks(:

Flow/Pace: 3/5
-       Your transitions (into flashbacks, etc.) were quite smooth. Keep it up ^^
-       The pace was quite slow.
-       The flow was relatively smooth as you were able to push the story along.

Writing Style: 4/10
-       Your descriptions, background information, etc in the story was very, very detailed.
-       The points of view need some working on.
-       Please align to the left (and standardize it) so I can see where the paragraphing is.
-       Avoid emoticons. You’re supposed to show the readers how the characters feel not tell them.
-       Descriptions are too vague.

Originality/Creativity: 4/5
-       Marks were awarded more for originality than for creativity.
-       Story wasn’t copied/adapted from other sources.

Punctuation/Spelling/Tenses/Grammar/Vocabulary: 9/15
-       I didn’t spot any punctuation errors.
-       Spelling and typographical errors were few.
-       Suggestion: Expand your vocabulary and double-check your tenses.
-       Overall, there was not much of a problem other than the above-mentioned vocabulary and tenses(:

Bonus: 2 marks
-       For the pictures provided throughout the story ^^
-       Effort for writing a long story despite it being your first.

Marks Achieved: 69/100
Grade: C

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Corrections
*I only picked a few errors to correct from each of the first thirteen chapters (out of the current thirty-four). The story is still ongoing.

Chapter 1

-       Sentence: I’m still trying to familiarize myself to the new environment.
-       Why it’s wrong: (1) Tense. (2) Incorrect word. It should be ‘with’ not ‘to’.
-       Correction: I was still trying to familiarize myself with the new environment.

-       Sentences: (1) I finally woke up. After five rings of the alarm clock, I finally woke up. (2) But we can speak English very fluent English because of Forever Moving.
-       Why it’s wrong: (1) Try to avoid repeating so frequently. It only drags the story. (2) Don’t write “Forever Moving”. Firstly, the capitalization is incorrect. Secondly, you can’t express it like that.
-       Correction: (1) The incessant ringing from the alarm clock finally woke me up. (2) However, we speak fluent English as we moved house frequently due to our father’s job.

Chapter 2

-       Sentence: Me and Trish are starting to become closer and closer.
-       Why it’s wrong: (1) ‘Trish and I’ not ‘Me and Trish’. Improper English. (2) Tense.
-       Correction: Trish and I grew closer as time passed.

Chapter 3

-       Sentence: Secretive Parents of Mine never fails to make us surprised all the time.
-       Why it’s wrong: (1) Incorrect capitalization. (2) Tense. (3) It can’t possibly happen all the time.
-       Correction: My sneaky parents never failed to surprise us every time.

Chapter 4

-       Sentence: Well, I’m really hungry and this Bacon and Eggs looks and smells so good. I have to take a taste. NOM NOM NOM…. BURRRP! Excuse Me. ^_^
-       Why it’s wrong: (1) You are not talking. It shouldn’t be phrased like that. (2) Show, don’t tell. Describe how you’re ‘really hungry’. Don’t just say it. (3) Emoticons are highly discouraged. Story-writing consists of descriptions, not emoticons.
-       Correction: The smell of bacon and eggs had my mouth watering. Famished, I wolfed them down, burping contentedly when I finished.

Chapter 5

-       Sentence: They all putted their own scarves, cap, gloves and shades. They waved goodbye, I nodded and they walked out the door.
-       Why it’s wrong: (1) Don’t use ‘They all’ and ‘their own’. (2) Never ever repeat this mistake again: Past tense of ‘put’ is ‘put’. ‘Putted’ means ‘to try to hit a golf ball into a hole by striking it gently so that it rolls across the green’. (3) The way you phrased/expressed the sentence was odd. Taemin isn’t dismissing his servants. You didn’t express how Taemin nodded and readers might misinterpret it into what I had mentioned earlier.
-       Correction: After wearing their scarves, caps, gloves and shades, they walked out, waving goodbye. I acknowledged them with a smile and a slight nod and continued practising my dance steps.

Chapter 6

-       Sentence: After that meeting. We talked a lot about how was our life for the last 7 years… Those years when we were separated from each other and almost forgot about each other.
-       Why it’s wrong: (1) Both of you are meeting at that point of time, so you can’t say ‘after that meeting’. Also, ‘After that meeting’ isn’t a complete sentence by itself. (2) You’re telling the readers and not showing. Try to describe.
-       Correction: Seven long years; we almost forgot each other. How much have we missed out in each other’s lives? I leaning companionably against him as we each shared how our last seven years were like – all the happy, sad and funny moments that left deep impressions on us.

Chapter 7

-       Sentence: And it explained everything. Almost half of my life lies here in this tree. Without today’s happening, I will never uncover my childhood.
-       Why it’s wrong: (1) Incorrect expression. (2) ‘will’ has a more definite connotation as compared to ‘would’. ‘never’ is an extremity that needs to be phrased properly; it means ‘at no time in the past or future/not ever’.
-       Correction:  (I understood the ‘tree’ part, but a wrong expression is a wrong expression. I couldn’t think of how to tweak it so it’ll be correct so I’ll just correct the second part of the extract.) … If I didn’t meet him today, I would never have thought to uncover the past.

Chapter 8

-       Sentence: I fixed myself. Take not that I’m wearing a white tank top with my mini black shorts, it was a little bit revealing but it’s alright. I headed downstairs.
-       Why it’s wrong: (1) You can fix your make-up but you can’t fix yourself (you’re not an object or an item, etc.) (2) Typographical error. (3) Show, don’t tell. (4) This isn’t a journal. Trying to be conversational is fine, but avoid going all the way – making it a conversation.
-       Correction: I slipped on a white tank top and comfortable but slightly revealing black shorts before I headed down for breakfast.

Chapter 9

-       Sentence: No wonder why he looks so heavenly cute that makes all the Noona’s dead.
-       Why it’s wrong: (1) There shouldn’t be a ‘why’. (2) No such thing as ‘heavenly cute’. Kindly describe for the benefit of your readers. (3) Incorrect punctuation. (4) Cut down on the exaggerations and show the readers why they should think like that. Describe.
-       Correction: You can search online for examples from descriptive passages.

Chapter 10

-       Sentence: Everyone in class just introduced their self.
-       Why it’s wrong: No such thing as ‘their self’.
-       Correction: Everyone briefly introduced themselves.

Chapter 11

-       Sentence: He knew that I like Taemin. - __________ -
-       Why it’s wrong: (1) Tense. (2) Don’t replace descriptions with emoticons.
-       Correction: I pulled a long face. He now knows that I like Taemin.

-       Sentence: I have a lot of explaining to say to Jeongmin, tomorrow.
-       Why it’s wrong: (1) Wrong word. (2) Tense. (3) Incorrect punctuation.
-       Correction: I had a lot of explaining to do to Jeongmin. [It’s sufficient like that.]

Chapter 12

-       Sentence: …because I’m known as a cute-kind-nice-pretty-smart-new girl here.
-       *NOTE: You can choose to ignore this part – it’s just a suggestion.
-       Comment: If you write yourself as so perfect and all, readers might get turned off. After all, no one is perfect. Putting f(x)’s Sulli as the antagonist only makes it seem as if you’re jealous of her.
-       Suggestion: Avoid showing biasness in your writing.

Chapter 13

-       Sentence: “Yah! Taemin-ah! Fix yourself fast. The plane’s gonna leave us.”
-       Why it’s wrong: (1) ‘Fix’ yourself. *See corrections for Chapter 8 (2) The plane can’t leave them. Incorrect phrasing.
-       Correction: “Yah! Taemin-ah! Get dressed quickly! We’re going to miss our flight!” or “Yah! … The plane is going to take off soon!”

-       Sentence:
        :’( He’s going to leave me.
        I should’ve just answered his call.
        I’m going to miss him, if I answered his call I could’ve heard his voice.
        I’m gonna regret this.
-       Why it’s wrong: (1) Emoticon. (2) Paragraphing. (3) Journal-writing and not story-writing. (4) He’s not leaving you forever. Try not to exaggerate things. Also, write about how much you miss him and let the readers empathize with you. Don’t write it like that as it only makes it seem as if you lack maturity. (5) Your tone already shows that you regret it. Avoid repeating unnecessary details.
-       Correction: Try to use descriptive phrases. Your goal is to get the readers to empathize with your character.

Side Note:

Keep up the excellent work on your forewords and description section! ^^ Now what you need to do is to work on your writing style. Keep it less conversational. Narrate the story. Vocabulary and tenses can be worked on slowly. They require a lot of reading, and much, much more practise. You requested for leniency, so I tried my best to be lenient. Don’t be disheartened by the grade. Keep writing; you’ll improve with time(:

♥ cheonsa 

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