Review of "Hedges"

Posted: September 14, 2016

                Now that I have completed my short story, I would like to give a small review of it.  As the writer of this piece, I absolutely hate it.  While I am proud of certain parts, as a whole, I know for sure, that it is not my best work.  I consider it a fluff piece.  It is so fluffy and light, my displeased at the vibe it gives off.  I will probably not go back again to read it after this review, for I am that disappointed with it.

                If you have not read the short story, “Oh the Hedges”, you will probably want to read it before continuing with this post and the next.  It is ok if you don’t, but you might be confused at some of the references.

                To begin, the limited writing space that was available was very restricting.  I wanted the piece to be very short, as to not bore the reader.  So I decided to put it into five parts, each being roughly 500-700 words long.  For seasoned writers, they will testify that it doesn’t take much to get there.  I remember being in high school and dreading the 500 word essays.  Now, I feel I would beg the teacher for more work.  The limited space was an obstacle that changed the story from my original plot.

                I planned for Walter Sherman to go to jail.  I wanted a whole jail scene, with our star feeling unjustly treated, and possibly meeting some questionable characters.

Also I wanted to dive further into Mr. White’s life and family.  Two or three paragraphs seem to hardly do him justice.  But of course Mr. White was not the main character, but to our protagonist, he is the antagonist.

Secondly another restriction was writing as I go.  This was very difficult.  Each day I would add to the story, and publish it that day.  So I could not add anything to the first day, unless it was already preplanned in my head.  Unfortunately for any clever bit I might come up with to possibly tie into the end, would have to be left out, because I missed it from the beginning.

Writing as I go, was a very good exercise, and I encourage anyone who loves to write (and read) to practice this.  For more formal works, such as a novel or magazine publishing, I suggest preplanned work along with the ability to edit, add and cut from the piece.  Writing without the option of editing and proofreading showed me as a writer the importance of proofreading and editing, (I will be blogging about these two topics multiple times in the future.) so I will do it again to test myself.

In general, if I catch or someone alerts me of a spelling or grammar mistake after I publish I do have the option to update the post.  I will fix the problem right away because readers will discover how unprofessional you are, if they return to an article, and the problem hasn’t been fixed.  I recall the very first blog I wrote, chose instead of choose, in the first paragraph!  A mistake like that cannot be left unaddressed.

The last problem I found while writing “Oh the Hedges” was the limited time allotted.  I felt I made a huge mistake promising a five-day story (not already written) in five days.  It was very hard to complete while doing my other day to day activities.  Recalling on the very last day, rushing through without much thought, I wish I would have had a better ending.  The Casablanca reference is so lame.  The last line should have referenced the title and theme: Oh the Hedges.  But my exhaustion and limited time, cost me that line, that I will have to be content not to go back and change.

The time limit I was up against, showed me how much discipline is needed when writing.  Steven King writes for a minimum of two hours a day.  All writers should be practicing this way.  It is hard to find that kind of time.  I tell myself if I can’t find that time, then I have to make that time.  Surely the precious minutes lost on social media can be used for refining my writing skills.

In conclusion, I have found that the limited space, writing as I go, and limited time were very hard tests to push through.  They taught me some valuable lessons allowing me to improve on my writing.

Thank you for reading the very first short story I published online.  For the next short story that I create, I will apply the lessons I have learned and write something great and enjoyable.

-beck