---The Three Piece Puzzle---


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MrsMasonMusso

7:58pm Jan 21 2010 (last edited on 7:32pm Jan 26 2010)

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Posts: 47

okay so yeahh this is my first time posting. i personally think it's terrible. but i need the critizism. and i probably spelled that wrong... ohh well. well yeah, be harsh if you need. and if you like it, tell me!! kay thanks
PeaceLoveMetroStation

CHAPTER 1

My name is Jamie Greene and I’m a 16-year-old girl and I have dark brown curly hair with blonde highlights. I have bright green eyes and my skin is a light tanish color. I wear jeans and a t-shirt almost every day. I have a license but I don’t use it. I’m too lazy to. That’s enough about me. I met my best friend Kale in my basement. But Kale isn’t a normal 18-year-old. Keep reading to know my story…

It all started when I moved from sunny Florida to creepy Connecticut with my mom Jen, sister Delilah, and my brother Blade (My dad died last year). We’re moving to southern Connecticut. Almost at the New York boarder. It was a sunless cloudy day. As we pulled up to our new home I got a sudden chill up my spine. I shook it off and started to unload our white Jeep. I took a quick glance at my new home.

"Blade can you get the door?" asked Jen.

"Ughhh!!! Why do I have to? Why can’t Delilah or Jamie get it?!?!?!?!?"

"Because I asked you to."

"Ugghhh!!! FFFIIINNNNEEEE!!!!" complained Blade.

When I went to my new pale green room I started to unpack. All of a sudden I heard a crash. It sounded like it was from the basement. So I walked to the basement door and started to walk down the seriously creepy stairs. When I got to the bottom I could have swore I saw a shadow like figure appear next to me. I got so freaked out that I could almost feel the color run out of my face. I found the light switch on my right and switched it on. I turned around as quickly as I could. Nothing. Nothing was there. I took a breath as I turned off the light and went back to my room.

I couldn’t stop thinking of what I saw or at least what I thought I saw.

"Shake it off Jamie Shake it off…" I kept repeating to myself. "I have more important things to worry about."

CHAPTER 2

***************THE NEXT DAY******************

Today is my first day at a new school. I hate being the new kid. It makes me feel soo awkward. When I got to the school I went to the office to pick up what I need. Like my schedule. When I left I was totally lost. Nobody was there to help me. After I got to my first cl*censored*, of course I was late. The teacher didn’t seem to have a problem with it. He just handed me a few books and showed me to my seat.

I had to sit next to this guy who looked so hot his name was Cameron. He did not look happy. I had no idea what his problem was. So I ignored him. When the teacher started to teach, he was teaching stuff I already knew. So after three more cl*censored*es it was lunch. When I went to lunch I didn’t know where to sit. I hadn’t made friends yet. I scanned the lunch room to find an empty table. As I was scanning I saw Cameron sitting alone.

"Hey uh can I sit down?" I asked shyly.

"Sure I don’t care" Cameron replied sourly.

So I sat down next to him. I tried to make conversation with him. That didn’t go so well. He just stared at me like I had two heads. After the last four periods of the school day I walked home.

The whole time I felt like someone was following me. I took a quick glance behind me and nothing was there. So I just ignored the feeling and continued on. When I walked in my house I saw a note from Jen. It said…

Dear Jamie,

Blade, Del, and I went to the mall. We will be back at 10:00 tonight

Love you.

-Mom

P>S> There is lasagna in the fridge.

Okay thanks for telling me. Good job Jen. Well I’m in a house all alone great… So now what am I going to do? As time p*censored*ed I got kind of hungry. So I decided to heat up some lasagna but Jen didn’t hook up the microwave. Great… So instead I used the oven. When I put it in it was cooking really slow. So I turned it to high. About ten minutes later I checked on it. IT WAS ON FIRE! I ran and got the fire extinguisher and put it out. As I was eating burned lasagna (it wasn’t too bad) I heard that same noise I heard the same noise the other day. This time I knew what to expect. I went to the basement door and hurried down the steps.

CHAPTER 3

When I got to the bottom I couldn’t believe my eyes. I think I saw something. Like… like … a person’s figure. I couldn’t be too sure. It was so… so…so ghost like. But it couldn’t have been one it looked so real. I wanted to just run back up the stairs, but I had to find out what this was. It was so real, as it just stood there watching me. I couldn’t take it any more I felt so confused. I wanted to bl
ink but I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Our eyes were locked.

I think it was a teenage boy ghost. He couldn’t have been over 18. He was really tall. I bet I’m as tall as his neck. He had black side swept short shaggy hair. A dark tanish skin color. Very muscular. He had bright blue eyes. He had blue jeans and a black short sleeve shirt. He had a dog tag chain around his neck. His shoes where black with white out-lines. He kinda reminded me of Emmett from the Twilight movie. He was really hot.

"W-w-w-who a-a-are y-y-y-you" I stuttered to get the words out.

"Hold on. Who are you?" The mysterious figure asked.

"I-I-I-I a-a-a-asked y-y-you f-f-f-first" I stuttered once again.

"Who are you?" The voice asked again.

"Okay my name is Jamie Greene. Now who are you?"

"Hello Jamie. My name is Kale. Kale Knapp." He said calmly.

"No disrespect here Kale, but are you dead?" I asked awkwardly.

"Uh hello? What do you think?" Kale said sarcastically.

"You don’t have to be mean about it. I just asked."

"Well Jamie if you must know I have been dead for almost a decade. And to tell you the truth this is the highlight of my spirit life. You are the only one who’s ever actually talked to me. The others see me once and move out the next day."

"That’s a complement right?" I asked kind of stupidly

"Yes Jamie it is. You know out of all the girls I’ve seen you are definitely the sexiest one." He said with a small laugh.

"Oh crap, my mom’s home. I got to go I’ll be back in an hour or so bye Kale." I said and walked upstairs.

Jen was right there when I walked up. Oh great.

"Jamie, what where you doing down there?" Jen asked.

"Uh I heard a crash and I thought it came from the basement. I guess it was just me." I lied.

I guess she bought that. Wow she’s sssssooooo stupid sometimes. Well I can’t wait until Del, Jen, and Blade go to bed. I think a ghost is crushing on me. That’s not weird at all.

"So Je- mom what did you get me?" I asked selfishly.

"Nothing." Replied Jen.

"Uh that’s nice of you mom." Then walked out.

I can’t wait until I see my ghost friend. Wait do I like him? I can’t like a ghost! How could I like a ghost? I can’t like a ghost. When Jen, Del, and Blade went to bed I waited a half an hour just to be sure until I went back to the basement. As I walked down the stairs I felt a burst of cold air. I guess its paranormal crap. Anyways I just ignored it and continued down the stairs.

"Kale? Kale are you here?" I asked shyly.

"NO! GO AWAY!" He said in a hard creepy voice.

"Excuse me? Kale, not cool. What is wrong?"

"Just Kidding! Hahaha I’m funny right?" He said as he was appearing.

"Kale that wasn’t funny. You confused me." Now he just looked at me weird so I went on "Ugh first you said I was sexy then you tell me to go away."

"Well my bad then. You are sexy. And I don’t want you to go away."

"Kale, I can’t stay long tomorrow is Friday and I have school. I have to get some rest."

"Well can I ask you something?" Kale asked sort of shyly.

"Sure anything." I replied.

"Can I come? I haven’t seen above this house in over ten years." He said with a short laugh.

"Sure. Come on." I said laughing too. I went up the stairs with Kale close behind. We went up to my room. I think I really do like him. But it’s only been one day. Wow I’m pathetic I like a ghost. "Kale do you like the house?"

"No. I love it." He said with a small chuckle.

"Ha-ha thanks Kale." I said blushing. "Well here’s my room I still didn’t finish unpacking." I said sort of laughing.

"Oh snap! Someone is coming! I have to hide!"

"Kale go disappear." Then he did. It was just Blade going to get a drink and go back to his room. "Kay, Kale it’s safe." I whispered.

"Okay." He said as he appeared out of nowhere.

"Kale can I ask you something? But it’s kind of personal."

"Yeah go for it." He said.

"How did you… you know… die?"

"I knew you would ask that sooner or later." He said with a small laugh. "It all started in 1999 the year when I was 18 I got horribly sick with a serious fever. The fever got so high that I guess my body couldn’t take it anymore. And just gave in. I don’t mean to scare you but this was my old room. I died in here. After I died, my family left. I have no idea if they are still in the country. But I know one thing they are still alive. If they died I would with them right now. I don’t remember much about them."

"Wow Kale. I don’t know what to say."

"Don’t say anything Jamie. Oh my god its 12:00 don’t you have school in seven hours?"

"Ugh well yeah I’ll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. You will."

CHAPTER 4

*****************THE NEXT DAY******************

The same thing at school happened. Except I met a girl named Kellie. We like the same bands, books, and subjects. This time at lunch I sat with her and her friends Jackie, Emily, and Joe Kellie’s boyfriend. The day went pretty fast. Maybe it was because I had friends and I was thinking of Kale. Today when I walked home that feeling I had the other day wasn’t there. Jen, Del, and Blade had work so I was alone with a ghost until 10:00 tonight. Yay! This is great.

When I walked in the door I saw Kale standing there in the doorway.

"Jamie I have to show you something." He said.

"Okay" Was all I could say. He took my hand. I was shocked when he did. I didn’t think a ghost could take my hand. It was kind of cold but not it was also warm to. He took me to my room. The boxes where gone I was all unpacked. He unpacked all my stuff. "Kale! Wow thank you!" I said very excitedly. He lightly pulled my arm and hugged me. Now he was a normal body temperature. "Kale I have another question for you."

"Okay go for it."

"Do you change body temperatures? "

"It’s a ghost thing don’t worry about it." He said with a laugh.

"Kale, how did you get up here?" I asked stupidly.

"Jamie, I’m a ghost. I can go through anything." He said with a small chuckle.

"Okay, okay you don’t have to be rude about it." I said sarcastically. "Kale, can I ask you something? It’s kinda random though."

"Of course anything"

"Do ghosts sleep? Like I said it’s really random."

"No Jamie we don’t."
"Wow." Was all I could say. The rest of the night we just sat in my room talking and staring into each other’s eyes. At first it was awkward but then it was kind of a good feeling. Wow now I know that I like a ghost. Wait it’s only been a few days since I’ve met him. Okay now this is annoying. Now I’m having mixed feelings for him. But I know one thing for sure. Kale definitely likes me. I took a glance at my small digital clock on my left. It said 9:55.

"Kale, you better hide it’s about that time when my mom, sister, and brother get home from work. I don’t want them to think I’m doing something else." I whispered.

"Okay see you in thirty." He whispered then disappeared.

CHAPTER 5

When I went to the kitchen I saw Jen by the sink looking out the window.

"Hey mom you okay?" I said.

"Hey Jamie. Yeah I’m good just tired."

"Get some rest then. Night mom."

"Night Jamie."

Then she left. Blade walked in beside me.

"Jamie! What’s up?"

"Nothing Blade." Then I left. I went outside to get some air. It was a cold clear night. I sat on the gr*censored* in the front yard. I was just thinking about Kale. He is just… I can’t find the words for him. When I went back to my room I didn’t see Kale. I whispered his name a few times. He didn’t show. So I went to check if everybody was asleep before I went to the basement. Everyone was so I crept down the stairs. When I got to the bottom I left the light out.

"Kale? Kale? You here?" I whispered.

"Jamie you have to get out of here. There is something wrong." Kale replied nervously.

"Kale, do you really think I care?"

"Yeah I think you would with this. But normally no. That’s one of the things I liked about you."

"Liked?"

"Jamie I can’t see you anymore."

"W-w-w-what? Kale d-d-don’t mess with me like that."

"Jamie I’m so sorry. The gods in charge don’t like me with you. They think you’ll tell everyone that you’re with a ghost."

"W-w-what? They really think I’ll tell people I’m with a ghost? I’m not dating a ghost. Well I wasn’t. And I really want to. Kale I’m in love with you. I know it’s only been a few days but it’s true. I seriously love you. " I admitted. I can't believe i just did that.

"Jamie I’m in love with you too. I never thought I would love a living person." He said with a small chuckle. "But I can’t be with you like I said they don’t like me hanging out with you. They made their decision. I’m so sorry Jamie. " He said serious now.

"I-I would never tell anyone anything. You know that."

"I tried to explain. But they wouldn’t listen to me."

"Is there a way? A way we can be?"

"I’ll find a way. I promise. I love you. Bye" Then he was gone. Now I wish I said I loved him earlier. Ugh I can’t believe this! They really think I’ll go and tell everybody I’m in love with a ghost? Who would I tell? Jen? Del? Blade? My friends? Definitely not.

CHAPTER 6

Three months p*censored*ed since I’ve seen Kale. Kale was my best friend and my lover. I’ve been sort of depressed. My family has been seriously worried about me. I can’t stop thinking about him. I just love him so much.

"Jamie, are you okay? You’ve been this way for three months." I barely heard Del say.

"Yeah I’m fine." I lied. "I just miss Florida."

"Oh that’s it? Can I tell mom that?" Del asked.

"OH NO!" I screamed.

"Okay, Okay." She said kind of scared.

Even though it’s only been three months I really miss him. I wonder where he is. Would he be in my basement? Or did he go somewhere else? I’ll go and look in the basement when my family is asleep.

***************4 HOURS LATER********************

Wow. I haven’t been down here in three months. I miss him. The stairs seemed very familiar but not.

"Kale? Kale? Are you here? Please! Please! I miss you. Kale I love you."  I said those words over and over again, but the more I said it, the fainter they become. Kale wasn't coming. I felt a tear run down my face. And standing here yelling to mid air would do nothing to change that. I decided to just go upstairs. When I got to my room I was so tired. As I walked to my bed I just crashed.

***********NEXT DAY*****************

Today was Thursday in the last week of school. I did what I usually do meet up with my friends and go to my cl*censored*es. School went by pretty fast. Well I’ve only been here for the last three months. But yeah it’s been okay. Well tomorrow is the last day so I’ll be depressed the whole summer. That’s the only thing that keeps me distracted. I just need to hear him say "Jamie I love you" just once. Just once. I love him too much not to think of him. But as of right now I’ll never see him again. I should try to forget about him. Scratch that. That would be ten times worse. How am I going to avoid depression? Oh yeah I’m not. I remember when Kale promised he’d find a way. I know he’s going to. If it comes down to I even have to kill myself I will do it.

This reminds me about the Twilight Saga. The second book New Moon when Edward leaves Bella. She was so depressed for almost a year. Well guess what? That’s me right now. I wish my Edward would come back. Well that’s fiction. This is reality. Sometimes I wish I had my fairy-tale life. If it were a fairy-tale, there would be a way that Kale and I could be together forever. But once again that’s fiction. I could feel the tears pouring down my face now.

CHAPTER 7

*************NEXT DAY****************

Well the last day of school was like any other. Except we cleaned out our lockers, returned our books, and said our good-byes. The only thing I could think about was Kale and how depressed I’m going to be. Like I said before, it’s what keeps me distracted. Great a whole summer of moping. Maybe if Kale finds a way we will be able to be together. I hope so. He is definitely my Edward Cullen.

CHAPTER 8

Well, this is going to be a great summer. Hint, hint, the sarcasm. My friends have gone to Hawaii, or whatever place they chose over me, and Kale is the only thing my mind can wonder soon. I mean, come on! Is it too much to ask for your true love to fight to be with you! Not really. No one understands. No one understands how utterly horrible and crappy I feel. You know, dying doesn't look so bad right now.

After the walk home I thought that I couldn’t wait any longer. I actually might commit suicide. I feel like an emo kid acting all depressed and stuff like that. But I know that committing suicide isn’t the best thing to do. The more I think about it, it seems better and better but worse and worse. Better because I could see Kale again. But worse because my family and friends will be so depressed for months.

Like when my dad died. We all were depressed when he got in that car accident. Now I don’t know what to do. You don’t know the position I’m in right now. It’s either life or death. I want to see Kale so bad. OH MY GOD! I don’t know what to do! This is the worst decision I’ve ever made. I feel the tears rushing down my face.

Wow. This is great. The depression is really kicking in now. Yep. This is what the summer is going to be like. Fun, fun, fun. I know he loves me. I know he’s trying for me no, for us. I know he’s out there trying to persuade those gods that I won’t tell anybody anything. He knows that. He loves me too much to let me go just like that.

luvsarahdessen97

8:03pm Jan 21 2010

Normal User


Posts: 192

LOVE IT!!!!! haha, its awesome!! but dont be afraid to really go crazy with detail, you can NEVER have enough! peace love- look over there < haha

MrsMasonMusso

7:35pm Jan 26 2010

Normal User


Posts: 47

okay, comments are like my air (thanks luvsarahdessen97 =]) dont sufficate me!!! i dont mean to sound desprate or anything but i just want to know that my writing os good, you know?

tinyfreya

5:02pm Jan 27 2010 (last edited on 5:03pm Jan 27 2010)

Normal User


Posts: 385
I did a paragraph-by-paragraph critique for you. It may seem a little harsh in places,  so be warned.

 

My name is Jamie Greene … Keep reading to know my story…

Starting off a story with a paragraph describing the main character’s looks is not a good idea. Start with something catchy, for example “From the day I met Kale in my basement, life was never the same.” This entices the reader to keep reading, because they want to find out more. Describe the character by including bits and pieces in the story, for example, “As we drove off I opened the window, making my flyaway curly hair go wild,” rather than a big block of text describing everything about her.

It all started … my new home.

You switch tense a LOT in this paragraph. Make sure everything’s in the same tense; past tense is usually easiest. Say, “We moved to southern Connecticut” rather than “We are moving to southern Connecticut.” Also, brackets usually aren’t such a good idea, so maybe use the dead father as a reason to move? Use something like “My father died a year before, so we left the sad memories in Florida and moved to Connecticut,” or something along those lines.

"Blade can you … complained Blade.

This conversation is quite good, and helps set up the characters nicely. However, under no circumstances should a sentence end in more than one punctuation mark. "Ughhh!!! Why do I have to? Why can’t Delilah or Jamie get it?!?!?!?!?" should be “Ugh! Why do I have to? Why can’t Delilah or Jamie do it?” If you want to make sure the reader knows he’s shouting, try ending it with “complained Blade loudly,” or “shouted Blade”.  It’s also unnecessary to stretch out words, so use bold or italics instead of “FIIIIIIIINNNEE”.

When I went to …more important things to worry about."

This is a very choppy paragraph. Try connecting two or more sentences together, so instead of “All of a sudden I heard a crash. It sounded like it was from the basement. So I walked to the basement door and started to walk down the seriously creepy stairs,” you have, “All of a sudden I heard a crash from below me, probably in the basement, so I headed for the creaky stairway into the depths of the house”.

 

***************THE NEXT DAY******************

No. Just… no. You should be able to point out that a day has p*censored*ed without using excessive asterisks. Just start the next paragraph with “The next day,” or “After a sleepless night,” or something like that.

Today is … to my seat.

More tense-jumping and short sentences here. Make sure everything is in the past, “It was my first day at school,” and try to connect a few sentences together.

I had to sit … I walked home.

The first sentence here irks me. It sounds like you’re saying that he was called Cameron because he was so hot! Try saying, “I was excited to be sitting next to this really hot guy, but he had a serious attitude problem. I tried to ignore him, but I couldn’t help myself listening out during the rollcall for his name, which turned out to be Cameron.” This is quite a good conversation too, but once again the sentences are pretty short and clunky.

The whole … down the steps.

Aside from the clunky sentences, this section’s pretty good. I’m not sure why she’s always calling her mother Jen, and this confused me a little. The fire’s also unnecessary, so you might as well have the lasagne-heating go off without a hitch and move on.

CHAPTER 3

There’s no need to make a new chapter here, and they’re short enough as it is. Just take out this heading and nobody will be the wiser.

When I got to … Our eyes were locked.

This is quite good, but her perception of ghosts seems a bit odd. So it looks like a ghost, but it can’t be, because it looks real and ghosts always look fake? You might want to change a few sentences.

I think it was a … He was really hot.

Remove the pop culture reference; it’s just unnecessary. You’re over-describing him a bit, and he doesn’t seem particularly ghostly, either. Instead of describing everything about him, it would suffice to say “He was very tall and well-built, with dark hair, casual clothes, and bright blue eyes.”

"W-w-w-who … I lied.

This conversation is… awkward. It gives me the impression that they’re going to fall in love at some point, which a first meeting shouldn’t. He probably wouldn’t be so blasé about being dead and so on either, it sounds unnatural.

I guess … down the stairs.

Choppy short sentences, tense jumping, and a few other things I’ve already covered are in here. She’s also very rude for no apparent reason, but I do get the impression that you’re trying to make her seem like Bella Swan.

"Kale? … You will."

This insta-relationship doesn’t seem natural. They’re known each other for mere hours – interacted for mere minutes. They shouldn’t be so comfortable with each other. (As a side note, didn’t Edward Cullen almost die of fever? I’m seeing some serious Twilight in this, and it’s not good.)

The same thing … then disappeared.

I know this is the whole chapter, but nothing actually happens in this chapter. You should describe her new friends, not just leave them as empty shells with which to not seem like a loner. The conversation is again unnatural, it’s way too fluid for people who’ve known each other for about 24 hours.

When I … Definitely not.

Wait… isn’t this what happened in New Moon? I know I might be unfairly making Twilight references, but it’s stamped all over this. There are more plot devices than those used in Twilight. I don’t mind her falling in love with a paranormal being, but at least give them a month or so of actually getting to know each other and falling in love, rather than making the mistake of thinking “Well, I have decided they’re going to fall in love so they might as well do it straight away.” This conversation would make perfect sense… if the reader had been shown that they had fallen in love. As they haven’t, it makes no sense.

Three months …kill myself I will do it.

NewmoonNewmoonNewmoonNewmoon. Oh, and since when was he her lover?

This reminds … pouring down my face now.

Yeah. See? This has just confirmed my suspicions. This could be a good story if you went through it, stripped out all the obvious Twilight stuff, and replaced it with original, interesting stuff.

Well the last … He is definitely my Edward Cullen.

If you add in one more over-the-top Twilight reference, then I’m just going to stop right there. If this was a Twilight fanfic, it would all make sense. As it’s supposed to be an original story, it doesn’t.

Well, this is going to be a great summer. Hint, hint, the sarcasm. My friends have gone to Hawaii, or whatever place they chose over me,

But why wouldn’t they choose Hawaii over her? All she’s done since she met them was mope.

 and Kale is the only thing my mind can wonder soon. I mean, come on! Is it too much to ask for your true love to fight to be with you! Not really. No one understands. No one understands how utterly horrible and crappy I feel.

Hey, he could be fighting for her, she has no idea! It might be a more interesting read if she tried to find someone who understood how “horrible and crappy” she feels. Oh, and there’s been a ton of tense-hopping in the past few chapters, but I was a bit caught up trying to convince you not to reference everything with Twilight that I didn’t notice. Sorry.

 You know, dying doesn't look so bad right now.

Then kill yourself! Dying seems Ok, you get to be with your one true love, (or, at least someone who you think is your one true love,) and you don’t seem to care about anyone but Kale.

After the walk …Kale again.

I feel I’m repeating myself, so I’ll stay quiet on this one.

But worse because my family and friends will be so depressed for months.

With the way you’re acting right now, they won’t. They’ll probably shout, “Hooray! The whiny mopey girl is gone!” Being depressed can be fine in a story, but give her a better reason than a ghost who she knew for two days has stopped haunting her. Maybe because he’s gone she’s started to act like a magnet for metal things, or other ghosts are turning up and being really rude, or something. Just… yeah. I think I’ve made myself clear on this one.

Like when my …just like that.

More whinging and an ending that seems like it shouldn’t be an ending. Great.

 

In short, you need to cut down on the whinging, flesh out the relationship, write in longer sentences and longer chapters, talk about things other than Kale, give her more reasons to be unhappy, and remove all direct and some indirect Twilight references. It starts off promising, it really does, but it just turns into a not-so-great Twilight fanfic by the end.

 




I've had to go on a unplanned hiatus and will not be able to get on much, if at all. I apologise for any inconvenience this causes you! If you really need to contact me, I may respond to rmails.
luvsarahdessen97

6:30pm Jan 27 2010

Normal User


Posts: 192
hey, tinyfreya...could you comment on my story "Pictures of You"? You seem VERY harsh and I like that! Haha, but could you? I'm extremely serious about my writing and I feel that I need to improve more. By the way, the author of this story and I are writing partners and friends, so that's why I'm asking you this.
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