This was a writing exercise. The prompt was to write a short story, 500~ words, from the perspective of the nearest object to you. (example: coffee cup, bag, pen).

I missed seeing the word limit before writing though and just pantsed without giving thought to the plot at the time of writing. Here's an extract of the same:

Prompt: POV of the Object Closest to You

Looking forward to your feedback on this. Thanks.

My Critique:

https://www.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/comments/1hi4vt2/comment/m3a2az4/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Warning: This does focus on mental health, and references substance abuse, so if you're sensitive to that proceed with caution or not at all.

I know that the pacing isn't that great, but if I try to go through another self guided revision my laptop is going to call in a wellness check.

Closing Season: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cFjSgOZfq70_aBUH5h73Z1LIE0LeWMs80wNF7lPA6-I/edit?usp=sharing

Critiques:

Wasn't sure if my critiques were thorough enough so I did 2.

[2123] https://www.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/comments/1hdyghs/comment/m30rbkk/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

[1734] https://www.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/comments/1hd7514/comment/m30x2gd/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

YA Fantasy. Any/all critique welcome. Thanks guys.

Story: Dragon Entombed

Critiques: 1220 and 1430

In this slice of hell, our protagonist has moved on to a new school and is trying to fit in.

His relationship with the demon is strained, in large part because he has not been drinking.

As always, any feedback is appreciated. What pulled you out of the story? What did you like, what did you not like?

If you want the chapters leading up to this point, you can get it here.

Big Ideas

Critique: [2419]

Hi all! I was one of the Halloween contest judges so it’s only fair that it's my turn to be judged.

I posted a very early version of this piece a year or so ago, but I’m hoping it’s less of a character sketch this time round and more fleshed out with setting and some sort of storyline. It’s the beginning of a YA fantasy and I tend to write quite tightly in first draft so I know there will be areas requiring expansion.

Anything you can see – micro, macro, worldbuilding, pacing, readability, missed opportunities to ramp things up, things I need to include etc.

Here it is - The Necromancer's Daughter

I’m particularly interested in how engaging it is – things you like about it, and if you would want to read on. If this is the case then I might just write the rest of it and not leave it as a vague outline.

Crit: [2745]

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u70_C6kXmGmwtUdAUt295JStuZm6bwKJjS7zdOhSj64/edit?tab=t.0

Hi all, I wrote this about a year or 2 ago and haven't written anything since. In my personal opinion it's a steaming pile of trash. But! That is why I am here. I'd love some of your insights into what I've written. I'll take any pointers I can get, there are a few parts I quite like and a lot I hate. Go nuts with it :)

Critique - https://www.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/comments/1hbdypu/comment/m1zgvlx/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Critque 2 -https://www.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/comments/1h91lcr/comment/m235yyc/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web3x&utm\_name=web3xcss&utm\_term=1&utm\_content=share\_button

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-amzOBhFEFMlBKeJHHoSh2dre_vtdjbq1yVxOz3P6z0/edit

Hello, writers. I just started writing this story of mine a week ago (no prior writing experience). This is the prologue chapter for the story, and my aim is to establish the Victorian setting, dark tone, and bleak atmosphere. Hope you enjoy it, and your thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Premise:

When London is overrun by Demons who have emerged from underground, who come at night to terrorize the citizens of London, it is up to a group of former criminals, disillusioned priests, and a doctor desiring to learn more about the Demons and save his city, to bring London out of the thick fog.

NB: The writing style might seem overly formal or old-timey. This was a deliberate choice on my part in order to better communicate the Victorian setting.

Critique [1984]: https://www.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/comments/1hbdypu/comment/m1ql0nt/

This is the second chapter of my 50k word sci-fi novel into The City. Thank you so much for your help with Chapter 1 - [1220]. Your comments were invaluable in fixing up this chapter in preparation for submitting it here.

Story: Chapter 2 - [995]

Crit: [1443]

You likely don't need to know what happened in Chapter 1, but for the curious that don't want to read it:

Chapman is working at a convenience store when a woman is murdered on the forecourt. None of the customers blink an eye. Murder is legal here, at the cost of the victim's net worth. After Chapman rejects her pervy manager's advances, he orders her to clean up the mess. A shy/charming penniless-looking guy helps her tidy up, for seemingly no reason. Just before the end of her shift, her dad messages her asking for her to bring back some booze. Shift ends, she doesn't grab any booze.

This was my submission for the Halloween Contest. I figured I might as well throw it out for more in depth critiques.

Mouse Trap

This is still, essentially, the first rough draft with some minor edits. I'm trying to not be too redundant in word choice when referencing Evan's target.

Just a little pseudo-Vampire story about finding prey in a crowded room.

I'm open to any and all feedback, what did you think? Some of the judges didn't care for the ambiguity of the ending, how did you feel about it?

What worked for you? What pulled you out of the story?

Thanks in advance.

Oh yeah, and here's my last critique.

It's at the top of the main page. It's replacing an old sticky thread, so many folks here (myself included) might not even have realized the sticky changes subtly bc it's formated so similar to the old sticky. But yeah the results are up.

https://old.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/comments/1hbj2vh/weekly_halloween_contest_results/

I'm purposefully not sticking this so it will be floating

Hello All!

Seasons greetings (why not?)

Coming into the new year I have found a magazine that's going to give me a page. It's a community mag which I have read for years, it's unpaid, but I'm dead chuffed. The mag is a mix of articles, reviews, short stories, op-eds.

They have given me total freedom.

I want to put stories in there which primarily make folks think, what the hell did I just read?

So it can be stupid/silly/obscene/funny/intelligent/wacky/surreal/absurd, all or none of these, as long as it feels that it was written with verve, and makes folk think, what the hell, and makes them curious about what other nonsense I might give them next time.

If you have time a verve/hell/nonsense check on the below would be great - want to come out swinging.

How I Ruined My (new) Corduroy Trousers

Critique,

[1797] Caught in the Undertow

P.S. I would like to thank the sub. To get in this mag was a personal goal which would not have been possible without the destructive assistance from this sub. I appreciate it. Go hard, RDR.

Hello! This is the first work I am posting here, mostly because I am very unsure about it. Please let me know any feedback! I hope to improve as much as possible.

If necessary, there is a trigger warning for vomiting and depictions of an ED.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CjeT8phlGnum0R1dRe7StdjuK8ewAKWUHQvVZQ-CRag/edit?usp=sharing

Critique: [765] Murder at the Rainbow Inn

Hi! This is the opening two pages of my mystery novel. See short plot summary below.

When a childhood friend turns up dead at the sex party she’s hosting, card-carrying homosexual Merit Meyers must go back in the closet to infiltrate the Christian cult she was raised in, find out who killed him, and prevent her chosen family from being framed for his murder. Will she be able to deceive the community who ostracized her long enough to catch the murderer?

I'm looking for any kind of feedback! Just trying to get a feel on whether I'm moving in the right direction or not. :)

Story: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRUukcDSRGSRWO7PPFd0ZBpddPplTq2DtH9p9mweYUt0sVpSh1trLnHTSi4iuEjQ_gZ8tDvJ6G8sZ3m/pub

Critique: [1984] Cathedral

Thank you so very much to everyone who participated in our 2024 Halloween Contest. From participants to readers to judges, I hope everyone had a bit of fun. We had a few behind the scenes hiccups, but have come to close in deliberation where I believe the judges are accepting where things landed. There was no hands down winner-winner chicken dinner and like a good old freedom sausage something something voting is compulsory. Rankings had to be made. Even though this is a relatively smaller subreddit and small number of submissions, it goes without saying that it does take some bravery to put oneself out there for others to read. So kudos and all that. But now down to brass tacks.

First Place

Those that Washed Ashore by u/Few-Original4980

”It reminds me of Samanta Schweblin’s short stories; the same creepy, unsettling magical realism but with a distinctly different voice.” Also for the record I cannot stand that they decided to call it Fever Dream over Rescue Distance but that is a whole different subject. This story led to the debate about why damn Yanks think everything has to be political and maybe a bunch of cadavers washing ashore is just a bunch of cadavers and not an allegory about immigration.

Second Place

Space Gray Demon by u/CTandDCisME

”Being asked ‘did you troubleshoot?’ and ‘did your reboot’ for iPhones triggers my fight or flight response so just for that this story scores a 20 on the abject horror scale for me.” The deadpan humor and the relatively contained story here pushed this one up fairly high for the judges. Some pieces scored really high with one judge and then really low with another, but this one scored pretty high amongst all of the judges and eked past others.

Third Place

Have My Lips The Sin That They Have Took by u/Scotchandsodaplease

This one was a source of contention. It seemed to take the contest theme of Mortido and run with it down a creepy corridor that caused one judge to have flashbacks to performing CPR while waiting for someone else to call the time of death. This struck a chord with its drug-infused drive toward self-destructive behavior and its unlikable MC.

Honorable Mention

In the Hearts of all that Loved you, you will Always be There. by u/Parking_Birthday813

Funny enough, our honorable mention goes to another possible Mortido death drive with a certain flair for a lack of clarity in its narrator.

Really though, a lot of the works were all pretty much neck and neck. In the end, it came down to being forced to put them in an order amongst each judge and awarding points based on those rankings followed by adding up the points. We then discussed and agreed, but a whole lot of this years’ pieces were filled with some really great potential or slices of imagery that were compelling. It’s just they sometimes didn’t come together strong enough as a whole to meet that potential. There is something to be said about style and all that subjective stuff, but we tried our best to honestly address and compare each piece to the best of our ability. And we did it all without really any drama llamas spitting. Thank you judges.

As mentioned earlier on the contest pages, if you want feedback from the judges about your submission, please feel free to ask for it as a comment below. Or if you want to do some crits to avoid leeching, please feel free to submit as a regular post.

As always feel free to use this as our weekly thread and post off topic comments, but we would really love to hear what you all felt about the contest and the others’ pieces. Thank you RDR.

Hello! This is the first scene of a story I've been working on recently. I would love to know what you think, any advice or feedback is greatly welcomed! Thank you in advance!

Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LZfktw9RkRPDqRXbMtUtG4T97ZyZyccrpecSga7uIdc/edit?usp=sharing

Critique: [2064]

In the race for a billion dollar prize digital nomad Rynn pits his unpredictable ADHD-fueled genius against the underdogs of Sydney in a shocking no limits AI-engineered social game.

Gauntlet Roulette Google document

Greetings friends. All critiques and document comments are appreciated. Previous Destructive Readers feedback provided valuable insight. Thanks in advance to learned minds who offer guidance!

Critique: 2419 2419 2419 2419

This is part 3 of a story I've been shopping here. If you've read any of the previous excerpts, you'll probably feel a shift in the writing here. I know the pacing slows down, which is why I wrote the first part so tight -- and maintained most of that in the second part. Here, we're starting to shift into a more stream-of-consciousness narrative to mirror the internal struggles of Sam as he tries not to emotionally shut down while grappling with the trauma of that day, and the weight of the many traumatic memories it's stirring.

My biggest thing here is I would like to retain this shift while addressing as many of the potential pacing problems it creates as possible. I don't want to lose that element, I just want to balance it.

Backstory: Sam was abandoned by his drug addict mother as a child. His brother who was paralyzed in a car accident, attacked him on the morning of his college move-in. After that, Sam reflected back on the day he found out about his brother's accident. The scene ends with Sam visiting his brother in the hospital after the accident. This next part picks up after Sam's college move in and early orientation.

Story: The Smokers' Theory of Friendship pt3

Crits: [924] Sylva's Whispers

[1220] Into the City

[1369] Body in the Water

[1035] Dragon Rider

I'm really trying to keep grinding at this story and I'm building toward the end of the second part. This is a novella in four parts.

This is more of a micro chapter, following the adventures here.

If you want all of it in one convenient location, click here.

Summer's Over

My Critique-924 Words

Our narrator is coming to terms with the reality of school starting back and what that means. He's had a reprieve from both the monster hunting his family and the demon's influence. Now, that reprieve is over.

He's started to take control of his life, but still feels out of control. How will that play out in the new environment? That's a problem for me to solve later.

Hit me with whatever feedback you want, I always appreciate it.

Hello! I've been working a low fantasy novel set in a steampunk setting. I don't know if I should provide a synopsis? I'm looking for some feedback on my first chapter. I've already made some tweaks based off of other feedback I received. It'd be great to know:

1. Are the characters strong enough?
2. Is the pacing ok?

Thanks so much in advance.

UPDATE: I have made edits thanks to previous replies.

Google Doc : Mettle

Crits: [1220] and [1561]

Guys the mods forgot to do a weekly lol quick use this thread to post cats

/someone please suggest topics so we can post it/

Can we talk for a moment also about how the new released photo of the guy who shot the health care ceo looks exactly like the Laughing Man which took place in 2024 from Ghost in the Shell anime? Like that's crazy...

Hi all, This is an excerpt from a chapter I haven't finished yet. I'm not entirely happy with it. I really need to hone my skills at writing fight/action scenes. I know it's not my best work. But it's low hanging fruit for anyone looking for an easy critique, lol.

My work: https://docs.google.com/document/d/111hwcs_1Yd5Vd9mz13fJDEuOThbkH9ZCtIL4RsZbvR4/edit?usp=sharing

TW: Violence, Drug references.

Thanks in advance.

Critique: https://old.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/comments/1h4jyhx/1369_body_in_the_water_part_4_i_think/m0mykxk/

This is the opening chapter of a short (~50k word) cyberpunk novel.

No one else inside the convenience store flinched as the woman on the forecourt outside was murdered.

Story: [1220 - into The City].

Crits: [1713] and [924].

I've been retooling this story for a few months now and have taken a radically different approach than when I started.

From this scene, we will quickly transition to the discovery of a villager wounded in a mysterious animal attack which will kick off the inciting incident. Is this intro too low stakes?

I'm interested if the tone is working for you and if this would entice you to read on or if the stakes need to be higher in this initial excerpt. Been struggling with where to begin, which I don't want to spend too much more time on before moving on, but I'm juggling several inciting incidents:

1. Animal attack
2. Mysterious lord's arrival
3. Summons from her Duchy aunt to return home to her deathbed (to me, this is the true inciting incident for her adventure, it's what takes the protag away from home. But starting right there also feels a bit low stakes.)

Gdoc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MuDvq9xEB4QkiI0ckUalPU7PJPM2rwnTpAlJZ3vXxbo/edit?usp=sharing

Background:

Ten years after surviving her father's attempt to cut out her heart, Renna has built a quiet life as a healer at a mountain abbey. But when a nobleman's arrival coincides with brutal attacks from a mysterious creature, she's pulled into a dangerous quest that leads back to the royal court she fled. Now she must navigate political intrigue, conceal her true identity, and face the violent past she thought she'd left behind.

Thanks for your time and eye!

Crit: https://www.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/comments/1h6wcm8/1232_nothing_left_to_save_chapter_4/

The Price of IT"

Jian barreled down the freeway, in sync with the vehicles around him. The high speeds and excessive weights of the cars transformed each one into a potential instrument of destruction. Most days, this wasn't even a passing thought, an unspoken fantasy of what could happen. But today, unfortunately, wasn’t most days. Jian was slow to notice — distracted, perhaps, or tired, but certainly complacent. He had long ceased to respect the vehicle for what it truly was: a two-ton behemoth of raw, cataclysmic power.

And unfortunately for Jian — and even more so for Kaixin — this "beast" was still one of the smallest metal monstrosities on the road, the 2-ton box of steel pushing 70 miles per hour on the asphalt river. Jian certainly heard the crunch. How much of it was his wrist snapping under the inertia, and how much was the twisting metal and snapping plastic, he couldn’t process fast enough.

All he knew was that the taillights in front of him flashed... but he had nowhere to go. Neither did the Dong Fang on his heels trying to maintain 65 mph. In the blink of an eye, his car was merged into a twisted amalgam of steel, plastic, and rubber. The snap he heard was the last sound he would hear that evening.

---

Three days later, Jian awoke in the ER, dizzy and disoriented. Fighting the blurred vision and the pounding headache, he focused on his wife, Mei. She looked more distraught than he’d ever seen her. The moment he stirred, she woke as well.

“What happened?” Jian muttered, the words exhausting him.

“There was an accident,” Mei replied, her voice shaking, though she fought to keep it steady.

Jian’s mind reeled. The words didn’t register. He drifted in and out of consciousness, until suddenly, a sharp, haunting thought gripped him. "Kaixin!" he burst up shouting, his voice breaking. His sudden movement sent Mei stumbling backward, her tearful composure cracking. She could only sob as Jian’s strength faltered. She didn't say it—her reaction had spoken more words than existed. The painkillers blurred his thoughts, and they now wandered to joy filled memories of his daughter, weaving in and out of the theatre of his mind. He drifted back into unconsciousness, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

---

The recovery was long. Jian, devastated both physically and emotionally, grew cold and distant. Mei saw only his bitterness, the layers of resentment veiling the grief he truly felt. The loss of their daughter, his failure to process the tragedy, and his growing numbness—all of it wore her down. Despite wearing Kaixin’s headband across the vertical scar on his right arm as a constant memorial to the daughter they had lost, Jian couldn’t offer her the comfort she needed.

Mei couldn’t bear the sight of him any longer either, the pain between them too wide for an olive branch. It didn’t take long for her to find an excuse to leave, casting yet more darkness over Jian’s life. Alone, cold, and incapable of forming meaningful connections, Jian spiraled into a quieter, more reclusive existence. The laughter of children, once so familiar, now cut at his soul.

---

Still, the world kept turning. Despite his inner turmoil, Jian had to make a living. He found himself behind the wheel again, once more barreling down the freeway at breakneck speeds, as the world around him moved like a blur. But today, again, was not a normal day.

He saw the accident ahead. Cars spun and collided, and Jian deftly navigated through the chaos like a dancer on stage, swaying in harmony with his surroundings. He came to a stop, heart pounding, and without thinking, rushed to help. Most vehicles were fine, but then he heard the screams.

Down an embankment, a van lay overturned, smoking. Jian’s feet carried him down the slope as fast as his legs could carry. At the side of the van, he saw the trapped woman, her seatbelt holding her in place, and the young boy suspended in his car seat. The windows were too smashed to crawl through, and the twisted metal frame impossible to navigate.

Without hesitation, Jian reached for the driver’s side door and, with a strength born of desperation, began to rip it apart. The metal groaned and bent, as though it were made of pewter rather than steel. Without thinking, he freed the woman first and then lunged toward the child. Smoke filled the cabin, and the upholstery began to melt, but Jian didn’t flinch. The flames reached higher, the heat unbearable, but still he fought to free the boy. He felt his skin burn, his arm cut deep from one side to the other by jagged metal, but there was no stopping him.

---

Jian lay on the hospital bed once more, but this time, he was conscious. As his arm throbbed and his body ached, all he could think about was the raw power he’d felt moments before, the impossible strength that had allowed him to rip the car apart. What was that? What was "IT"?

He searched high and low for answers. He scoured online forums, books, and ancient texts. He consulted Viktor Frankl, Carl Jung, and Nietzsche. He sought answers in Eastern philosophies, in meditation, yoga, and the teachings of the Buddha. He prayed for enlightenment. He worked for it. He gave selflessly, hoping "IT" would appear.

He delved into the Bible, reading passages again and again. He pushed through fear, attempting to transcend his body and mind. But nothing gave him what he was looking for. The search stretched on for years. As time passed... Jian’s body slowed, and his spirit weakened. He studied, he gave, he searched, but still, "IT" remained elusive.

---

Finally, at 70 years old, Jian lay on his deathbed, bitterly reflecting on the years he had wasted. He had spent his entire life chasing something he could barely even define, only to find himself empty-handed.

Then, one day, a steady stream of visitors came to see him—neighbors: shop owners, school officials, children from the community, people he had helped over the years. Jian had never realized the impact he’d had on those around him. As he lay there, he wondered if he had been wrong all along. Had he missed the point of his search?

---

The last visitors arrived in the evening. A young couple entered, holding a baby. The man introduced himself as Zaihao. "forgive me sir" the man said with a calm respect in his voice, as if he were speaking to a noble or official. I'm sure you won't recognize me, I was so young when we'd met. You had saved my mother and I from a car accident. I wanted to pay my respects to you and introduce you to my daughter." he said slow and softly, as if addressing the president himself.

As Zaihao’s wife turned the child toward Jian, he gasped. The baby was the spitting image of Kaixin. "Her name is Jianqing," Zaihao said softly, offering a gesture to hold her.

Jian took the child in his arms, and for the first time in years, felt peace wash over him. They spoke for hours, Jian holding Jianqing the whole time, unable to keep from smiling, and crying. He handed the headband he’d worn for so long to Cheng. As it slid off his arm he'd seen for the first time, despite carrying it with him for 30 years. The scars formed a rough cross carved in Jian's flesh. A subtle and gentle sign from the cosmos that his pain no longer held the same weight. He had found "IT"—not through strength, sacrifice, or endless searching—but in the lives he had touched.

Jian passed peacefully in his sleep that night. Understanding it wasn't the pursuit of himself that made his life worth living. No, it was quite the opposite. when he looked back at the life he'd lived for himself he saw shame and regret... It was in the life he'd lived for others where the true meaning lie.

After all what else could "IT" be?

(Sidenote not included in the word count, the names are deeply symbolic)

Jian= "Strong or Blade"-He seeks strength and cuts through his life (and the door) with determination.

Kaixin= "Joy"-The loss of this sends Jian into his spiral and pushes away...

mei= "Beauty"-Jian forces the beauty from his life in the death of his joy since the accident.

Zaihao= "Grand Bearer" (Grand in a beyond physical sense)- He bears the start of Jian's quest, he bears the clarity for Jian in the shape of a framework that changes his worldview of his life in hindsight, offering Jian peace, he bears the thematic revival of Jian's Joy (The image of Kiaxin) and a thematic legacy to carry in that revival.

Jianqing= "Jian's Clarity"- This young child that had never existed is the thematic tool that brings clarity, is the thematically revived Kiaxin, and is borne by Zaihao.

Hey everybody, thanks for checking out this post. I'm just looking for honest feedback and whatever you think of this story - anything is appreciated. Please let me know if its a bore or if you actually liked it, and what I could do better. Thanks!

Link - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uvSi2fMhsTCkNQ0MRNVb5jlMJAqfR4IGFpMmCQr-4cM/edit?tab=t.0

Critique - https://www.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/comments/1g37wil/1114_jake_and_rachel_first_kiss_excerpt/

Here’s the next chapter to a project I am working on. I am trying to capture something very ordinary, in human emotions, relationships drifting apart, the contradictory swings of emotions.

A married couple dropped off their kids and rented a cabin on the beach for their 10 year anniversary. They brought drugs and in this beach scene they’re still on day one, coke.

Please dont hesitate to jump in, drag it through the mud. I can handle bad reviews but I would love to get inspiration and polish this up.

My work: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U_vD3ck5N_2QZskGda1yGsFeQjU_3LsQuDEBjMt2vbQ/edit

Crit: [1419] https://www.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/s/Jcmq54mE7M

This is the second excerpt of a mostly complete first draft. I'm hoping to gather opinions before a second draft, so please feel free to critique any area.

In part 1, the readers got some background about Sam's past. His mother abandoned him and his half brother as children. Sam now lives with his father. Sam's now-paralyzed brother attacked him as Sam prepared to leave home for college. This part picks up after the attack.

TW: idk but I'm sure there's something in terms of violence/trauma

Here's my piece: The Smokers' Theory of Friendship (pt2)

My crits: [1419] God's Dice

[660] Sports Commentators Discuss Sunday Sex

[405] The Albino Girl's Guide to having fun

Genre: Lyrical prose, literary. Themes: Obsession, madness, art vs. reality. TW: sexual abuse.

Synopsis: Set in rural France, 1943, Damian Beaumont, a middle-aged French literature professor, reflects on his troubled past after a mysterious accident forces him to leave the country. Witty, sardonic, and incredibly well-versed in all sorts of literature, Damian takes us through his disturbing life and psychology, which includes not only a traumatic affair with fifteen-year-old Odette Bonné thirteen years ago, but also a complex, unusual relationship with a young prostitute from Paris.

Story here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l5O45Z7msm0IqbbYBfTHU8Z84ngRKrCu9bbbD3vhKOM/edit?usp=drivesdk

Critique 1: https://www.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/s/XHlAc5AzLT

Critique 2: https://www.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/s/vMn3pFwqbc

Hey All!

Hope Tuesday is going well - fighting the lurgy over here, but thats December in Scotland.

Attached is a humor site reject. Dialogue only, perhaps a bit sketchy.

Looking for feedback specifically as a humor piece, where to dial up, without erring into anything too explicit.

Sports Commentators Discussing Sunday Sex

Critique: [880] The Lawn is Dead

Hi all, This is part two of this chapter. Part one was just posted a few days ago. There was no really good place to break this chapter in two. So, this starts out with my main character getting ready to walk to the store to buy cigarettes. But for context, he is 16. He lives with his martial arts teacher who has a substance abuse problem. And lately he's having to do a lot of the work that his teacher should be doing. While at the store, he runs into someone who once was his enemy, but is becoming something undefined at this point.

Thanks in advance.

My Work: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GgviiFxEOUiovtMU2GbVkL9MMnAyBvi0FjN3FdBRQb8/edit?usp=sharing

Critique: https://old.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/comments/1gsruxw/1561_critique_of_two_strangers_chapter_1_part_1/lzy1m9t/

Link to part one: https://old.reddit.com/r/DestructiveReaders/comments/1h3ph5h/1177_gods_dice_part_1/