I loved the excitement of the piece. Understated, but the obvious feeling of panic and questioning if you're actually capable of managing your role in saving the home for your family.
Perhaps the panic is the one emotion which you recall, while all your parents feel is immense pride in your
How many times in life have we remembered something so completely differently than others, and in remembering it incorrectly created a destructive narrative which damaged the relationships we have with the people who love us the most? This story and misunderstanding feels very relatable, and the tensions between each of the characters are so well observed. I really enjoyed this story, Amanda!
I really did. Last night I was thinking about something that you did in the beginning that I had not realized until much later. The fact that his partner didn't understand how inviting his parents over for his birthday was not something he would like revealed how much your protagonist life is internal -- how emotionally closed and protected he kept himself. This is clearly to the detriment to his relationships. Very cool and clever.
Wow! You did such a fabulous with this, Amanda. The story really captures that tricky quality of memory. I, too, am very glad you joined this project and let it pull you from your comfort zone. ♥️
I enjoyed how the layers get peeled revealing the narrator--the memories that have to be jogged within him about his fears at the time of the fire and then his father's praise. Also, his reluctance to share with his parents the important things in his life that have kept him distant from them.
This is an incredibly well crafted story, Amanda. When I emailed you the prompt a month ago, I remember feeling like there was no way I would be able to turn it into a story with a meaningful arc. You did just that and so much more. Bravo!
Aw thanks, Ben! I felt like that when I saw the prompt too! And it took me ages to find my way into it so I didn’t write the first draft until 13th December. Then felt like it was the worst story I’d ever written!
Fascinating depiction of how faulty our memories are - particularly when tinged with trauma. A 30th birthday party in a holiday house, thrown by your relatively new girlfriend, is a perfect setting for a reckoning of past and present. It feels very much like a threshold. Well done.
I really enjoyed this story, particularly the unexpected twist, the way you turn expectation upside-down with self-reflection. Very cleverly crafted!
Thanks Lizzie 😊
Amanda, You did a nice job detailing selective memories and how they construct our internal narratives. We'll done. D
Thank you, Dave 🙏
I loved the excitement of the piece. Understated, but the obvious feeling of panic and questioning if you're actually capable of managing your role in saving the home for your family.
Perhaps the panic is the one emotion which you recall, while all your parents feel is immense pride in your
achievements then and to the present day.
Thank you for pointing this out to me too...
Thanks Beth. That’s what I was hoping to convey in this story. The character has got a lot of figuring out to do of who he is and who his parents are!
Absolutely, Amanda, you truly brought it into very clear focus...xxx
😊
How many times in life have we remembered something so completely differently than others, and in remembering it incorrectly created a destructive narrative which damaged the relationships we have with the people who love us the most? This story and misunderstanding feels very relatable, and the tensions between each of the characters are so well observed. I really enjoyed this story, Amanda!
Thanks Troy - I’m so glad you liked it. I was so nervous about sharing it!
I really did. Last night I was thinking about something that you did in the beginning that I had not realized until much later. The fact that his partner didn't understand how inviting his parents over for his birthday was not something he would like revealed how much your protagonist life is internal -- how emotionally closed and protected he kept himself. This is clearly to the detriment to his relationships. Very cool and clever.
Wow! You did such a fabulous with this, Amanda. The story really captures that tricky quality of memory. I, too, am very glad you joined this project and let it pull you from your comfort zone. ♥️
Thanks so much, Holly! 🙏❤️
I enjoyed how the layers get peeled revealing the narrator--the memories that have to be jogged within him about his fears at the time of the fire and then his father's praise. Also, his reluctance to share with his parents the important things in his life that have kept him distant from them.
Thanks Fran 😊❤️
This is an incredibly well crafted story, Amanda. When I emailed you the prompt a month ago, I remember feeling like there was no way I would be able to turn it into a story with a meaningful arc. You did just that and so much more. Bravo!
Aw thanks, Ben! I felt like that when I saw the prompt too! And it took me ages to find my way into it so I didn’t write the first draft until 13th December. Then felt like it was the worst story I’d ever written!
Fascinating depiction of how faulty our memories are - particularly when tinged with trauma. A 30th birthday party in a holiday house, thrown by your relatively new girlfriend, is a perfect setting for a reckoning of past and present. It feels very much like a threshold. Well done.
Thanks so much, Julie.