I really appreciate how you've drawn on your own experiences and memories of teachers to create Ruth's character. It's clear that she's not just a plot device, but a fully realized person with her own history and motivations.
PS - Your writing style is engaging and emotive without being overly sentimental. You've managed to tackle some heavy themes - loss, grief, hope, parenthood - with a delicate touch that feels REAL and relatable. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Neela. That is high praise! Writing is a special kind of balance beam act. Sometime I feel like I'm teetering on the edge, gripping with my toes trying not to fall off the beam and other times, I'm Simone Biles at the 2019 World Championships doing a double twisting double back dismount. and scoring a 14.30...
As the father of three children, I thought Ruth's description of her pregnancy was very well done. Because we fathers can only guess exactly what it means.
It's just as difficult to read about the death of a child. I thought the depressed mood contrasted very well with Ruth's feelings about seeing the neighbour's child. Great work!
This is so much more than a character profile. It’s like a story in itself. And so poignant given what we learn from one section to the other. Well done!
Thanks! I had a bunch of fun looking at the backstory material I had already created in order to re-purpose in this format. Ruth is who I want to be most like with I grow up!
I really appreciate how you've drawn on your own experiences and memories of teachers to create Ruth's character. It's clear that she's not just a plot device, but a fully realized person with her own history and motivations.
PS - Your writing style is engaging and emotive without being overly sentimental. You've managed to tackle some heavy themes - loss, grief, hope, parenthood - with a delicate touch that feels REAL and relatable. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks, Neela. That is high praise! Writing is a special kind of balance beam act. Sometime I feel like I'm teetering on the edge, gripping with my toes trying not to fall off the beam and other times, I'm Simone Biles at the 2019 World Championships doing a double twisting double back dismount. and scoring a 14.30...
As the father of three children, I thought Ruth's description of her pregnancy was very well done. Because we fathers can only guess exactly what it means.
It's just as difficult to read about the death of a child. I thought the depressed mood contrasted very well with Ruth's feelings about seeing the neighbour's child. Great work!
So glad you enjoyed the story and thank you for sharing it with your readers!
You are most welcome! (And I'd totally go see that movie or read the complete novel.)
This is so much more than a character profile. It’s like a story in itself. And so poignant given what we learn from one section to the other. Well done!
And thanks for the shoutout!
Thanks, Larry! A high compliment from you. Thank you for the inspiration (and the re-stack).
What a lovely character portrait. You brought her alive. Very indepth and lots of different tones you'll be able to play with when writing her! 👏👏👏
Thanks! I had a bunch of fun looking at the backstory material I had already created in order to re-purpose in this format. Ruth is who I want to be most like with I grow up!
And thanks for the kind words on the re-stack!
Thanks for the shout! I love dystopian movies about the future. I wrote a bit about 'em here, if you want to see my reasoning and stuff like that: https://goatfury.substack.com/p/5-dystopian-future-movies
Those are movies, but a great dystopian show right now is Severance. I think it would be tough to make the show any better.
I'll check it out! Thanks!