Thread: Gary the Ghost
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Old 07-11-2007, 12:44 AM
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Razor Razor is offline
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Re: Gary the Ghost

Good story! I found myself wanting to read on, which is good. The character development is good, for such a short story.

Here are a few grammar things I found:

Quote:
"Stan! You shouldn't scare you sister like that! Off to bed with you! Mother said in an angered voice.
Missing a " after 'you!.'

Quote:
Stan looked at Stacy, and seeing the determination in her eyes, figured there was no point in arguing with her. So, he got out of his comfy bed, and followed behind in his pyjamas.
They made their way downstairs, and before leaving the house Stacy grabbed a flashlight. They then left, headed for the dirt road, whilst their Mother slept.
Not sure if you want to separate paragraphs or make this into one. Also, misspelled pajamas.

Quote:
"I know a way," said Gary, but it will take all of us to pull it off. Come with me."
Missing a " in front of 'but.'

Just a few little things. Obviously nothing major.

The flow is okay. A bit jerky, but part of that is from being a short story and not having time for lengthy and gradual transitions.

I like the idea of the story. It comes across good, my only problem is the ending of it seems a little rushed. Like you decided to wrap it up and shoved a lot into the last paragraph. Not that the last paragraph is bad, I just think making it into say say three or four and keeping with the style of the rest of the story, like say writing about the three (Garry, Stacy and Stan) talking after the miner is sealed, and Garry deciding to guard the grave, and Stacy and Stan deciding to come and visit him while he does.

The start is pretty strong. I liked the first paragraph. The math homework bit was a nice touch. There a few places where there could be spots that are smoother. Like this one:

Quote:
"Why is that here?" she asked Stan, who shrugged his shoulders not really paying attention, as his mind wondered to home and the special dinner his Mom would have ready for them.
Not sure why exactly he knows there will be a special dinner. It becomes evident later, but the special dinner comes out of no where. I would suggest: "...attention, as his mind wondered about what his Mom would fix, as she had promised something special." Or: "...attention, as his mind wondered towards home and the spaghetti dinner their mom had promised them. " Whatever special dinner it was. Then of course you would need to change the part later in the when they arrive home and when they eat.

Quote:
When they arrived, their Mother did have a special dinner awaiting them. She did so to comfort her children after moving them away from their home and friends. But, there was no choice, as their Father had been transferred to a new job in this town. This meant more money for the family, but also meant leaving behind everything they had known.
This paragraph (my opinion) doesn't do much for the story like this. With a little tweaking: "They arrived to find the dinner room table set and brimming with food, and their Mom bubbling over with affection, more so than normal. She felt bad and a little guilty for the new house, school and everything that comes with moving. The move had been necessary with their Father's new job, but still, it didn't make it any easier."

One last thing, maybe a little more description of where this story is taking place. Like a big city, a small town, or maybe the country side. I ask because you talk about walking home from school, but then there is a tractor and barn. Which usually aren't in a city or town unless on the outskirts. I mean I live in Kansas and I have seen rusted out tractors on the edges of a town's city limits unless its at a mechanic.

I think those would strengthen your story. There a few other soft spots. (My opinion of course.) Make sure that it adds to the story, comes across strong and doesn't disrupt the flow of the story. If you are like me, I can read my stuff fifty times and make multiple changes with each reread.

Good job, I did enjoy this story, and that's why I took the time to give such a lengthy critic, I see potential here.

Last edited by Razor; 07-11-2007 at 01:16 AM.
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