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Please solve my problem

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Nugus

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I've just finished a short story and would love to have it critiqued in SYW, but the bloody thing is too long - 4500 words. If I could borrow the skills of a beta or two just to cast an eye over it that would be lovely.
The story is a bit of a mystery called The Last Hand. An FBI agent grills a serial killer on the whereabouts of one of his victims before the nasty man suffers a case of lethal injection.

Any takers would be elevated to superhuman.
Cheers.
 

jmare

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I've just finished a short story and would love to have it critiqued in SYW, but the bloody thing is too long - 4500 words. If I could borrow the skills of a beta or two just to cast an eye over it that would be lovely.
The story is a bit of a mystery called The Last Hand. An FBI agent grills a serial killer on the whereabouts of one of his victims before the nasty man suffers a case of lethal injection.

Any takers would be elevated to superhuman.
Cheers.

Well, Is it possible to break it up into smaller, easily digestible parts?
 

Nugus

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Possibly. I did think that I would slip bits into SYW, but I think that perhaps it should be judged in its entirety. But thanks for your thought.
 

jmare

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Possibly. I did think that I would slip bits into SYW, but I think that perhaps it should be judged in its entirety. But thanks for your thought.

I would possibly be willing to take a crack at it, but it might take a while to get back to you and I can come across as very harsh in my critiques. But if you're willing, I could take a glance at it.
 

Unimportant

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Maybe put the first few hundred words up in SYW? That might be a way to entice potential readers. I know it's a short story, but still..... it may at least give potential readers an idea of the writing level etc.
 

bellabar

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I also suggest posting the first part only in SYW.
I agree it's frustrating that people won't get to see how beautifully the end ties back to the beginning or the absolutely killer line you have at the 2000 word mark, but you know that bit is good anyway. The real value in SYW is that someone, or several people will say I like this bit but have you noticed that you always write < insert whatever previously unrecognised tic in here> which almost invariably will occur throughout your writing and not just in the first 500 words. This allows you to go back and tighten the whole manuscript so that when someone PM's you and says Send me the whole thing, I just have to know the ending, your work will be that much the better for it.
 
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Nugus

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Fair enough. I'll post the first bit in the SYW mystery bit. If anyone would like to read further then that would be great. If not then I know I need to look at the whole thing.
Sage advice.
Cheers.
 

Nugus

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Jmare, thanks for your offer. Please have a look in the SYW first. I don't want to waste your time.
 
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