Weekly Wattpad Contests

October Free Write

Hello everyone! So, how is everyone doing? I hope all's good, for now, we shall present our feedback for the October Free Write #1.

First of all, all hail herald_of_hell, the host for this free write. Her prompts are simply amazing! Simply wonderful and I believe that you guys can all agree as well. Now, on to the good stuff. I believe only proper that I leave the feedback to Ash. This is her free write after all. Now, cue the dramatic music.

Truth be told, every entry for this Free-Write happened to be something which I hadn't expected. I was pleasantly surprised by the great entries. Most of the people went with the spooky prompts in the spirit of Halloween. There were many new entrants and I hope they liked this experience.

Some entries succeeded in being something which I wasn't expecting like 'Us' by ArmyZentulip. It was not something I really expected to come out of this Free-Write but it did. The author nailed the narrative voice and perspective, she nailed the thought process of the main character. I liked the entry and even though it was short, it made me think for a while. The story is told from the point of view of a teenage girl who has a twin and it deals with her experiences and reactions to the changes happening to her sister. Even though the narrative voice was great it would have been better if the girl wasn't 14 as the narrative voice doesn't suit her age. The story has an unusual form like that of a diary which suits the pace of the entry.

Some had an ending which I wasn't expecting, like 'Halloween' by MarissaCrockett. I really liked her writing style. Her writing has an uninterrupted flow which I really admire. Sometimes writers struggle with keeping the plot flowing and setting the scene simultaneously. She nailed it!! I liked the ending, I wasn't really expecting that and honestly, that's what stories do most of the time, they show you a side which you weren't expecting. The ending gave me the spooks, so it ultimately fulfilled its purpose. It's a major cliffhanger. No spoilers for this one!

Now, onto the non-traditional cliffhangers. 'Yellow Eyes' by October82006succeeded in being the biggest cliffhanger of the century. It's not a traditional cliffhanger, the story starts and it ends but the ending goes without an explanation which feels like a real cliffhanger. The story was great. The descriptions were on point. While reading it, I felt like I was in the place where the story was set. I would have liked this story to be longer but it was short and spoooooky!!! Ultimately a story isn't an explanation, it's a narrative and this was one hell of a narrative.

In a nutshell, the Free-Write was amazing, It has been a pleasant experience and I look forward to many such experiences in the future.

Congrats to everyone. Well now that Ash is done with her feedback, grab a cuppa and get comfy cause it's now Lyssa's turn to give her feedback.

*Hears someone yelling*This is Ash's chapter!!! What are you doing here?

......Anywho, on with Lyssa's section of the chapter!

This was a very interesting contest, based on Halloween, I can see that those who participated really did enjoy themselves. In total, there were three entries and each entry offered something else different for the reader. I can't say much, I don't see why it would be fitting for me to write a long essay on these entries considering their lengths. But without further ado, I present thee the entries for the October Free Write.

Let's start with Yellow Eyes by October82006. An entry well done my friend, you have written this short piece based on one of the given prompts and the result was spellbinding. I really enjoyed reading your entry, despite the short length, it was able to build up anticipation and mystery. There were aspects of a slow-burn as well, something I highly appreciate. There were grammar errors here and there, but such an issue requires only minor editing on your part. A job well done, I would certainly like to read a longer version of this entry.

Halloween by MarissaCrockett. I speak no lies, the entry was well done. I certainly did not expect the twist in the end. I really liked it, you were able to weave background exposition with the narrative. Such a feat is hard to execute, just based on experience. Sometimes, we can end up writing too much background exposition, too much that the book feels cluttered. But you did a good job in containing it. Once again, I noticed a few grammar mistakes here and there, but with the aid of an editor, I believe that this entry can most definitely improve for the best.

A horror story indeed, congratulations for writing the heartbreaking and horrifying entry entitled Us. It made me think of my own sister and I was able to relate to the characters. However, because of the length, I don't think it was able to hold my attention very well. But then again, you did a good job with their relationship and you ended it on a sad tone. Once again, there are issues with the grammar, but overall, your participation is very much appreciated and I hope you can participate more.

In conclusion, this was a fun and exciting free write, kudos to you Ash for coming up with these prompts. Though we only had a few entrants, that is completely alright as there will be more coming up in the future days to come so do stay tuned. Other than that, I have no more to say other than I really look forward to the next one. We had some new entrants so I would like to welcome you all to the Contests Community, I hope you enjoy yourselves here. With that said, until the next contest mates!

Lyss and Ash