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The Prompt
The CP-Edited Draft
Last week, our authors refined their own stories and posted their self-edited drafts.
This week, our writers swapped with Critique Partners (CPs), helping each other improve their stories by critiquing each others’ work.
This is sometimes the hardest week for writers because sharing work with others—especially strangers—can be daunting. There is the anxiety about whether others will enjoy our work, as well as the desire to give good critiques to our partners which will be honest and helpful.
But most writers can agree that the challenge is worth the reward. Not only do we learn about our own process when we provide feedback for others, we get to learn about our work through the eyes of new readers.
Sometimes, it’s difficult to see the big picture when working alone in our own head space. We miss things or forget that our audience aren’t mind readers when we’re too close to our words. This is when good CPs come in to save the day, pointing out our blind spots and giving us fresh perspectives. We may not always agree with the feedback or choose to implement them, but critiques can help us identify areas that may need a second mulling.
We applaud our writers for taking this next step in the process and are excited to witness their next drafts come closer to being the best they can be. Remember, it takes a ton of courage to be transparent about the ups and downs of processing feedback, so please join us in encouraging the authors by leaving comments on their blogs and tweeting about their stories using #WriterInMotion.
Next week, tune in to find out how editor feedback from our very own Jeni Chappelle can further evolve these spectacular stories!
Sometimes Our Skies
by Clari
The Giant climbs the mountain one narrow, cut-into-the-slope stair at a time, carrying in her arms a dying spirit of the skies. She pushes against the chilling wind and raindrops swirling before her face, her heart drumming the rhythm, almost there, almost there.
On the eve of the equinox, the Spirit fell from her skies by the wish of a lonely child, and concocted a plan to trick her.
Found and Lost
by Monique Ocampo
There we were, face to face with Desdemona, the self-proclaimed “Duchess” of House Kariko. My partner, Andy, and I had just rescued Katherine from her captivity. We still had to find Connor, but at the moment, we had to deal with the vampire who was responsible for turning both of them. There wasn’t much space to fight. We were standing in the middle of a hotel hallway.
The Drowning Game
by Kristin Record
He was gone. There was no denying it any longer. Days of expecting my brother James to walk through the door began bleeding into one another, staining our denial until only the truth remained. He was dead.
Our family’s traditional grief ceremony was in full swing. Flames from the bonfire leaped high into the night sky flirting with the stars and casting crimson shadows across the still lake.
Rainey’s Painting
by PJ Powell
Amadeus, a fluffy orange cat, nestled into a blanket on the airship’s deck, his tiny nostrils flaring in the breeze, the perfect subject for Rainey’s cloud portrait.
“Finders, keepers,” Rainey had sung when the cloud painter’s wand had fallen from the sky. Now, she imagined herself a famous cloud painter. Diving into the depths below the ship, pulled back by the connecting bungee, steering and braking with a beautiful swath of red nylon.
La Capitaine
by Dani Frank
Margot levels her pistol at the man at her desk, the sound of it cocking stops his search.
“Bonsoir, mon petit lapin.” A little rabbit. She chuckles at the lie. He is a shark, circling for blood.
“Margot,” he coos, drawing out her name. “Where is the map?”
“That’s Capitaine Margot, Guy.”
The French of her homeland molds his flat English name into something almost forgotten.
Untitled
by Jen Davenport
“Black as night. Light as day.” Azami choked on her tears as she draped her upper body over the lid of her mom’s casket. “Extinguish the candle of the past. Today we celebrate the present and prepare for the future of tomorrow. We protect our coven, we love our family, and we care for those who cannot care for themselves.”
Homecoming
by C.M. Fick
The radio crackles, speakers buzzing to life for the first time in eighty-six days. I sit bolt upright, my breath catching in my throat, and I reach for the dial to hone in on the interference.
We’d given up hope.
Well, most of us had when the resupply mission didn’t return. But not me.
The Beacon
by David Neuner
Someday I’ll die alone on this deserted island. But not today. My lover’s sacrifice assures me that I will see the sun make its long trek across the sky before plunging the world into darkness, where I will once again try to outshine the stars.
Waves break on the rocks of the protected cove where blood still stains the turquoise water. My lover’s remains are down there, along with others whose voyages ended in this quiet sanctuary.
The Painter
by Tyler Zeoli
Rayne climbs one rung at a time into the endless blue nothing.
Beneath her, the colony shrinks to a small, perfectly organized grid. The sweat from her palms makes the metal slick, her arms shaking with fatigue.
She’d been stuck in bed the last three days, with a rattling cough and drenched in cold sweat. All Rayne wants to do is sleep; the warm embrace of her bed calling out to her from a thousand feet below.
The Imposter We Traded
by Talynn Lynn
Every morning I wake to carnival day.
Today, though, I have my key. If I don’t use it before midnight, my way of escape will gone. It’s a silver key with a twisted metal handle, a sapphire stone half moon and engraved stars. There’s a tiny inscription on the moon, but it’s so small, I’ve never been able to read it. I’ve always kept mine in my jewelry box, but today, I string it on a ribbon and tie it around my neck.
Want to read even more awesome CP-edited drafts?
We’re beyond delighted to have so many brave souls from the writing community join us in this round of Writer In Motion! Be sure to visit our Week 3 Forum and check out more stories revised with the help of critique partners.