I need YOU to Help ME with the editing (grammar and sentence flow) of the prologue

mitkopom

Not mikoporn or mitpopcorn!
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(y)(y)(y)

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to 🧑‍🏫Sensei Trondheim and 🧑‍🏫Professor JayDirex for their kind and patient assistance. I would also like to thank Corty for their second much more serious post.
(y)(y)(y)

I would also like NOT to thank to SailusGebel And STakeshi for their fail to comply. :s_wink:


"PS now my head hurts just thinking that I have 102k words or 46 chapters already published that need my newly acquired knowledge... Hmm I may just edit the first few chaps in order to hook more readers and then leave the rest it like that....:unsure:. So far the bad grammar hasn't stopped the views counter of the story to roll in hundreds per day.......:whistle:
 
Last edited:

Ilikewaterkusa

You have to take out their families...
Joined
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The prologue is about 1,3 k words, so it wont take much of your time may be 20-30 minutes. +Most of the grammar mistakes have been fixed thanks to an enthusiastic reader!
So! You are bored and You have nothing to do but to show your skills in writing(editing)?!
Contact me and let's get that thing done!
Me and you! ™️ Together!
🛠️🔨🔧🪛 = 💎💎💎
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
chapter name: ARC I Prologue 1: Tragedy

ARC I - Birth of a Legend
It was late January evening. Tom Tailor was driving his luxury company car on a highway A1 in Bulgaria. The snowfall was very heavy, visibility was getting worse as the Sun set down minutes ago. Tom was getting warried if they will reach the construction site before they close the road. It was that bad of a blizzard. He scrunched his eyes behind the glasses trying to focus on the snowy road. The asphalt’s black was gone and it was all white everywhere, glistering sparks caused by the car’s headlights.

Tom glanced right towards his wife Caroline sitting next to him and pouting heavy. She was giving him a nasty glare. She was not happy.
-“I am sorry” mumbled Tom for the n-tieth time this evening.
- Hah, you are sorry? Sorry you say… I was planning to hit the malls with Tracy and Stephany. It is everything on sale now after the holidays. Caroline voice was getting higher pitched every minute
-"I am s…” Tom failed to finish.
- "You are dragging Cristina and me over those dumpster of construction sites all year round. Once, ..at least one time of the year me and my daughter expect, hope to relax back in the FAKIN civilisation. Now Caroline was screaming.
- “Hey don’t mix me in the argument. I don’t care” said Cristina from the back seat. She sounded bored, scrolling her phone.

Tom glanced in the mirror at Cristina. His one and only child. Warmth spread in his mind looking at her. What a fine lady was she growing up. He was a very conservative family man. He loved his wife and even more his precious daughter. Tom focused on the road again. Car was getting unstable even with those fancy systems of a brand new heavy limousine.

-“It was emergency calling. I need to be present for testing the auxiliary cooling systems of the nuclear plant. Bulgarian government is pushing for an early completion than the arranged deadline” said Tom

-“I don’t care” grumbled Caroline

Tom turned his head right towards his wife to continue the argument. Right this moment both his wife and daughter screamed in unison.
He immediately focused on the road. His ayes went wide as saucers. He didn’t had a time to scream as a 40 tone truck flew over the crash barrier coming from the opposite line. It hit them with a massive force frontal- sideways. Airbags blew up everywhere as the heavy car was sent spinning in rolling motion outside the road. Tom vision went blank with only the horrible tire screeches and sounds of metal grinding in the background.

It just happened in a instant. Moments later sharp pain in Tom’s abdomen woke him up from his stupor. He cried in shock seeing a metal bar stuck in his body. Tom panicked when he thought about his wife and daughter, pain immediately shut in the back of his mind. He drew his hand and shook Caroline, who looked conscious but dazed.

-“Honey.. Honey ! Look at me, please!" said Tom

Shortly after Caroline’s eyes focused on him.

“ What? What happened? mumbled Caroline

-" We had an accident. We crashed" said Tom while turning his gaze back to his daughter. Airbags were deflating and a horrid smell of gas was sneaking from bellow.

-"Cristine!” Shouted Coroline. “Oh my daughter”.. ..

-"Honey!! She looks ok. Don’t panic. We got to evacuate now, I don’t like the smell. cried Tom . “Hurry up, try open the door!” ordered Tom

-“I can’t. It's stuck” cried Caroline

Tom pushed his door which opened easily. Removed his seat belt and cried in pain when he pulled out the metal bar and exited the car. World spin, his vision got blurry. Tom gathered his will, adrenaline pumping. He had to save his family no matter the cost. He slumped around to the other side of the car or what was left of it as- it looked like smashed can. Caroline won’t be able to exit from his door as several metal rods has spiked in the middle, blocking her path. He elbowed the already cracked window of the passenger seat with every ounce of strength he manage to master. Then cleared the residual glass and helped Caroline as she was getting trough already. Pain in his abdomen flared. Tom gritted his teeth and moved to the back door where Cristine was struggling with her seat belt. Something was wrong. Tom looked at the window. The top of the car was bent, there was no room for exit there. The door refused to open as well. Tom started to panic, gas smell was getting worse. The tank was leaking!.

-“Cristine come through your mom’s seat window! Hurry!” shouted Tom

-"I cant. I cant ! The seatbelt. It wont come out.. Daddy help, Aahh..". Cristine was crying, weakly struggling with the seatbelt.

Tom’s mind went to overdrive. Seat belt problem. A possible jammed mechanism. The belt must be cut out. He slumped around back to the driver seat. There he opened the door’s pocket where was his multi tool. A gadget every respected engineer must have. Quickly enabled the knife function and while seating in the driver seat turned around to face Cristine.

-"Here, Cris cut the belt!””

-“It wont open daddy. It…””- Cristine was heaving.

-“Hey, sunshine look at daddy. Look at me, please!”. – Tom tried to look calm. Finally, Cristine looked at him with some semblance of reason.

-"Cristine, now take this knife and cut the belt! ... Yes, that’s my girl.”… Careful,….. “

-“There!!!” shouted Tom smiling as his daughter finally managed to cut the stupid seat belt. It looked like eternity to him, but the process took less than 2 minutes.

-“Quickly, out through the window, hurry!” ordered Tom

Soon Cristine struggled to her mom’s seat, and later through the window with Caroline pulling her at the same time. Both mother and daughter fast retreated some distance from the already burning car. Tom mastered his strength, exited the vehicle and slowly arrived at the place where both his family were sitting. He dropped next to his wife on the ground, inspected them carefully with his hazing sight. There! It looked like both Caroline and Cristine are going to make it. Relief washed true his muddled mind. His family was safe. Now he can rest. He was feeling tired. He wanted to sleep.

Tom was not stupid. He knew he was losing tons of blood. ”I won’t make it” Tom felt the cold reality.

-“Cristine come closer, sunshine” Tom whispered.

-“Papa what wrong”? Mommy, papa don’t look good!" shouted Cristine.

-“Listen Cristine, I am so happy to have you, to watch you growing up from the little bundle of joy to the fine young lady you have become. I want you to keep going and never give up no matter what". Tom caughed blood.

-“Papa!” “”Honey” Both of his beloved girls were crying loud

-"Shhh. “ Carol, the insurance will settle for several million. Then the savings. You won’t have money issues”. Tom made a deep pause, as he was losing his sight. At least the pain was fading. Caroline was shaking her head, tears flowing rivers…

“- I love you! I love…” Tom couldn’t finish as he drew his last breath in this cold January night, laying in the snow in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by his grieving family in a distant foreign country. He was unfortunate indeed, but his early death triggered chain of events affecting fates of billions.
---------------------END of Prologue 1-----
The fact that like the story used said, order and stuff just made it just sound robotic. it was more like the script to a play rather than an actual story
 

mitkopom

Not mikoporn or mitpopcorn!
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The fact that like the story used said, order and stuff just made it just sound robotic. it was more like the script to a play rather than an actual story
I happen to agree with you. Very few things could be done to fix that currently without external help. May be in time my writing skills will improve enough to fix the story....
The two negative comments about the story were from native speaking readers. Yet I got a 5 stars review from a reader at RR who said the grammar is good. He was obviously non-native speaker and was absolutely fine with the grammar.. So this is an interesting observation of mine. Non-natives are much much more tolerant towards grammar issues, the fact I tie to their fail to detect the said mistakes? Or when they are reading they focus on comprehending the overall flow of the events without paying much attention to the details. It is like that for me in particular. I am able to enjoy stories with poor grammar and such and as long it is interesting and readable enough I practically ignore the errors
 
Last edited:

TheEldritchGod

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There once was a man who drove his car on a snowy night.

He crashed and died.
 

mitkopom

Not mikoporn or mitpopcorn!
Joined
Jan 31, 2021
Messages
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All right now using the tips in this post I have edited the prologue. If you compare it to the original and tell me how did I manage?

---January Late Evening---
Tom Tailor drove his luxury company car on a winding highway in Bulgaria. The darkening, sky filling with heavy snowfall, made it hard to see the road. Getting worried, Tom wondered if he’d reach the construction site before roads closing. He scrunched his eyes behind the glasses trying to locate the path.

“This is some blizzard,” he muttered while navigating the white-out. Tom’s wife, Caroline, sat next to him pouting.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, glancing at her.
“Hah, you’re sorry? I was supposed to hit the mall with Tracy and Stephany today. Since everything's on sale after the holidays,” she replied while her voice raised to high pitch shouting.
"I am so-” Tom failed to finish.
"You are dragging Cristina and me over those dumpsters of construction sites all year round. Once! At least one time of the year me and my daughter expect, hope to relax back in the FAKIN civilization". Caroline screamed with a face full of disappointment.
“Hey don’t mix me in the argument BECAUSE I do not care!” Cristina intervened from the back seat. She sounded bored, scrolling her phone and listening her favorite songs with the headphones.

Tom glanced in the mirror at his one and only child. Warmth spread in his mind looking at her.
"What a fine lady she has grown up" A very conservative and traditional family man, Tom loved and cherished his precious wife and daughter.

The car slid left a little bit feeling very much unstable, which made him focus back on driving.
"It was an urgent call, so I have to be present for the testing of the auxiliary cooling systems. The Bulgarian government is pushing for an early completion of the nuclear plant than the arranged deadline" Tom explained.

“I don’t care. The worst holidays ever!” grumbled Caroline.

Tom turned his head right towards his wife to continue the argument. Right this moment, both his wife and daughter screamed in horror.
He immediately looked back at the road ahead and his eyes went wide as saucers. He didn't have time to scream as a 40-ton truck flew over the crash barrier from the opposite line to hit them with a massive force frontal- sideways. The Airbags blew up, inflating while the heavy car spun violently outside the road.

Tom's vision went blank, as only the horrible tire screeches and sounds of metal grinding remaining at the background.
Everything just happened in an instant.
Moments later, sharp pain in Tom's abdomen woke him from his blackout. He cried in shock, seeing a metal bar piercing him.

"Caroline, Cristina," Tom panicked remembering about his family. The pain immediately shut in the back of his mind, so he managed to drew his hand and shook up Caroline.
"Honey. Honey! Look at me, please!"
"What? What happened?" mumbled Caroline dazed but conscious.
"We had an accident! We crashed," Tom turned his gaze back to to check on Cristina who appeared to be fine.

The airbags deflated with a hiss and a horrid smell of gas rose from below the seats.
Shortly after, Caroline's eyes focused on him and her eyes shot wide open with tears already rolling down her face.
"Cristina! Oh, my daughter" she panicked.
-"Honey!! She is fine so please...! I don't like the smell so we must get out of here now!" Tom pressed Caroline to focus and move.
"Hurry up and open the door!" ordered Tom
"I can't. It is stuck!" replied the frightened woman
Tom pushed the driver's door open and removed the seat belt. He looked with horror at the metal piece still stuck in his body. The adrenaline pumped up throughout the bloodstream and he mastered all his will to pull it out.

"Aaaagh, Damn it, it hurts like hell"

The pain was suffocating!

Shortly after he managed to exit out of the vehicle. The world spun around him and his vision blurred. But Tom had a family to save no matter the cost so he forced himself go. Slumping badly he arrived at the other side of the car or what was left of it.

The middle of the car was badly damaged by several metal rods blocking Caroline's exit from the driver's side. So Tom elbowed the already cracked window of the passenger seat using every ounce of strength he managed to master and quickly cleared the residual glass. He grabbed Caroline's shaking hands and pulled her out. The pain in his abdomen flared, making him stumble for a bit. Tom gritted his teeth and moved to the back door where Cristina still struggled with the seat belt.

"Something is wrong with that damn belt" he thought and and briefly analyzed the situation. The top of the car was bent making the back windows unapproachable so there was impossible for Cristina to escape that way. Unfortunately the door refused to open and he began to panic. He could smell the gas leak from the tank and Tom judged that they have little time to spare.

“Cristina, come through your mom’s seat window! Hurry up!” shouted Tom
"I can't. I cant ! The seat belt won't come out. Daddy help me! Woaah" Cristina cried weakly and pulled her seat belt in a futile effort to free herself of her prison.

Tom’s trained engineer's mind went to overdrive working as a machine:
"->Seat belt problem-> A possible jammed mechanism-> The belt must be cut out-> time is running out". He slumped around back to the driver seat and opened the door’s pocket where he found his multi tool. A gadget every respected engineer must have. He enabled the knife function and while still seating in the driver's seat turned around and faced his teenage daughter.

"Here, Cris cut the belt!”

“It won't open daddy. It…” Cristina sobbed and couldn't finish as she burst in tears.

“Hey, sunshine look at daddy. Look at me, please!” Tom tried to sound calm and collected. It took some to for Cristina to look at him with some semblance of reason.
"Cristina dear, now you are gonna take this knife and cut that belt!"
"Yes, that’s my girl”
"Careful now..."
“There!!!” shouted Tom smiling as the girl finally managed to cut the stupid seat belt. It looked like eternity to him, but the process took less than 2 minutes.
“Quickly, out through the window, hurry!” ordered Tom
Cristina crawled swiftly to her mother's seat, and then throughout the window with Caroline's helping hands. Both mother and daughter fast retreated some distance from the already burning car.

Tom took a deep breath and mastered his strength, exited the vehicle and slowly arrived at the place where both his family were hugging and crying. He dropped next to his wife on the ground and inspected them carefully with his hazing sights:
"There! They are not injured"
It seemed like both Caroline and Cristina were going to make it intact so relief washed true his muddled mind. His family was safe! He was feeling tired, So he can rest now.

Tom was not stupid. Feeling dizzy and sleepy and losing tons of blood:

”I won’t make it” Tom felt the cold reality of his situation

-“Cristina come closer, sunshine” Tom whispered.

-“Papa, what is wrong? Mommy, papa doesn’t look OK!" Cristina said with a horrified face watching at the blood soaked clothes of her father.

-“Listen Cristina, I am so happy to had you, to watch you growing up from the little bundle of joy to the fine young lady you have become. I want you remember to keep going forward and never give up no matter what...". Tom coughed blood that cut his speech short

“Papa!”

“Honey! Oh dear Lord!”

Both of his beloved girls were shaking, crying rivers of tears.

"Shhh. Carol, the insurance will settle for several million. Then the savings...You won’t have money issues”. Tom made a deep pause, as he lost his sight, but at least the pain began to fade away.

“- I love you! I love…” Tom couldn’t finish as he drew his last breath in this cold January night, laying in the snow in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by his grieving family, in a distant foreign country. He was unfortunate indeed, but his early death triggered a chain of events affecting fates of billions.

----end of revised prologue----

  • I have replaced past continuous tense with past simple JayDirex recommended "was=bad"
  • I have tried to avoid shorter sentences as Sensei had advised
  • I also tried to avoid "he said.. she said.... as another one suggested..

SO how did I do? Any progress comparing to the original???
 

T.K._Paradox

Was Divided By Zero: Looking for Glovebox Jesus
Joined
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Messages
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All right now using the tips in this post I have edited the prologue. If you compare it to the original and tell me how did I manage?

---January Late Evening---
Tom Tailor drove his luxury company car on a winding highway in Bulgaria. The darkening, sky filling with heavy snowfall, made it hard to see the road. Getting worried, Tom wondered if he’d reach the construction site before roads closing. He scrunched his eyes behind the glasses trying to locate the path.

“This is some blizzard,” he muttered while navigating the white-out. Tom’s wife, Caroline, sat next to him pouting.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, glancing at her.
“Hah, you’re sorry? I was supposed to hit the mall with Tracy and Stephany today. Since everything's on sale after the holidays,” she replied while her voice raised to high pitch shouting.
"I am so-” Tom failed to finish.
"You are dragging Cristina and me over those dumpsters of construction sites all year round. Once! At least one time of the year me and my daughter expect, hope to relax back in the FAKIN civilization". Caroline screamed with a face full of disappointment.
“Hey don’t mix me in the argument BECAUSE I do not care!” Cristina intervened from the back seat. She sounded bored, scrolling her phone and listening her favorite songs with the headphones.

Tom glanced in the mirror at his one and only child. Warmth spread in his mind looking at her.
"What a fine lady she has grown up" A very conservative and traditional family man, Tom loved and cherished his precious wife and daughter.

The car slid left a little bit feeling very much unstable, which made him focus back on driving.
"It was an urgent call, so I have to be present for the testing of the auxiliary cooling systems. The Bulgarian government is pushing for an early completion of the nuclear plant than the arranged deadline" Tom explained.

“I don’t care. The worst holidays ever!” grumbled Caroline.

Tom turned his head right towards his wife to continue the argument. Right this moment, both his wife and daughter screamed in horror.
He immediately looked back at the road ahead and his eyes went wide as saucers. He didn't have time to scream as a 40-ton truck flew over the crash barrier from the opposite line to hit them with a massive force frontal- sideways. The Airbags blew up, inflating while the heavy car spun violently outside the road.

Tom's vision went blank, as only the horrible tire screeches and sounds of metal grinding remaining at the background.
Everything just happened in an instant.
Moments later, sharp pain in Tom's abdomen woke him from his blackout. He cried in shock, seeing a metal bar piercing him.

"Caroline, Cristina," Tom panicked remembering about his family. The pain immediately shut in the back of his mind, so he managed to drew his hand and shook up Caroline.
"Honey. Honey! Look at me, please!"
"What? What happened?" mumbled Caroline dazed but conscious.
"We had an accident! We crashed," Tom turned his gaze back to to check on Cristina who appeared to be fine.

The airbags deflated with a hiss and a horrid smell of gas rose from below the seats.
Shortly after, Caroline's eyes focused on him and her eyes shot wide open with tears already rolling down her face.
"Cristina! Oh, my daughter" she panicked.
-"Honey!! She is fine so please...! I don't like the smell so we must get out of here now!" Tom pressed Caroline to focus and move.
"Hurry up and open the door!" ordered Tom
"I can't. It is stuck!" replied the frightened woman
Tom pushed the driver's door open and removed the seat belt. He looked with horror at the metal piece still stuck in his body. The adrenaline pumped up throughout the bloodstream and he mastered all his will to pull it out.

"Aaaagh, Damn it, it hurts like hell"

The pain was suffocating!

Shortly after he managed to exit out of the vehicle. The world spun around him and his vision blurred. But Tom had a family to save no matter the cost so he forced himself go. Slumping badly he arrived at the other side of the car or what was left of it.

The middle of the car was badly damaged by several metal rods blocking Caroline's exit from the driver's side. So Tom elbowed the already cracked window of the passenger seat using every ounce of strength he managed to master and quickly cleared the residual glass. He grabbed Caroline's shaking hands and pulled her out. The pain in his abdomen flared, making him stumble for a bit. Tom gritted his teeth and moved to the back door where Cristina still struggled with the seat belt.

"Something is wrong with that damn belt" he thought and and briefly analyzed the situation. The top of the car was bent making the back windows unapproachable so there was impossible for Cristina to escape that way. Unfortunately the door refused to open and he began to panic. He could smell the gas leak from the tank and Tom judged that they have little time to spare.

“Cristina, come through your mom’s seat window! Hurry up!” shouted Tom
"I can't. I cant ! The seat belt won't come out. Daddy help me! Woaah" Cristina cried weakly and pulled her seat belt in a futile effort to free herself of her prison.

Tom’s trained engineer's mind went to overdrive working as a machine:
"->Seat belt problem-> A possible jammed mechanism-> The belt must be cut out-> time is running out". He slumped around back to the driver seat and opened the door’s pocket where he found his multi tool. A gadget every respected engineer must have. He enabled the knife function and while still seating in the driver's seat turned around and faced his teenage daughter.

"Here, Cris cut the belt!”

“It won't open daddy. It…” Cristina sobbed and couldn't finish as she burst in tears.

“Hey, sunshine look at daddy. Look at me, please!” Tom tried to sound calm and collected. It took some to for Cristina to look at him with some semblance of reason.
"Cristina dear, now you are gonna take this knife and cut that belt!"
"Yes, that’s my girl”
"Careful now..."
“There!!!” shouted Tom smiling as the girl finally managed to cut the stupid seat belt. It looked like eternity to him, but the process took less than 2 minutes.
“Quickly, out through the window, hurry!” ordered Tom
Cristina crawled swiftly to her mother's seat, and then throughout the window with Caroline's helping hands. Both mother and daughter fast retreated some distance from the already burning car.

Tom took a deep breath and mastered his strength, exited the vehicle and slowly arrived at the place where both his family were hugging and crying. He dropped next to his wife on the ground and inspected them carefully with his hazing sights:
"There! They are not injured"
It seemed like both Caroline and Cristina were going to make it intact so relief washed true his muddled mind. His family was safe! He was feeling tired, So he can rest now.

Tom was not stupid. Feeling dizzy and sleepy and losing tons of blood:

”I won’t make it” Tom felt the cold reality of his situation

-“Cristina come closer, sunshine” Tom whispered.

-“Papa, what is wrong? Mommy, papa doesn’t look OK!" Cristina said with a horrified face watching at the blood soaked clothes of her father.

-“Listen Cristina, I am so happy to had you, to watch you growing up from the little bundle of joy to the fine young lady you have become. I want you remember to keep going forward and never give up no matter what...". Tom coughed blood that cut his speech short

“Papa!”

“Honey! Oh dear Lord!”

Both of his beloved girls were shaking, crying rivers of tears.

"Shhh. Carol, the insurance will settle for several million. Then the savings...You won’t have money issues”. Tom made a deep pause, as he lost his sight, but at least the pain began to fade away.

“- I love you! I love…” Tom couldn’t finish as he drew his last breath in this cold January night, laying in the snow in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by his grieving family, in a distant foreign country. He was unfortunate indeed, but his early death triggered a chain of events affecting fates of billions.

----end of revised prologue----

  • I have replaced past continuous tense with past simple JayDirex recommended "was=bad"
  • I have tried to avoid shorter sentences as Sensei had advised
  • I also tried to avoid "he said.. she said.... as another one suggested..

SO how did I do? Any progress comparing to the original???
This reads like a journal entry turned into a story. The problem with beginning the story with " January Late Evening", is that it comes off as it is going to transition into a first person perspective.

However it goes into third person, for instance it would be a lot less jarring by saying:

"On a late, and cold January evening Tom was on a drive with his wife and daughter..."

Or you could swap to a first person perspective as it would allow the readers to have more emotional attachment if the story is told from the eyes of Tom.

Regardless of the perspective however I would put more detail into the how the crash happened, yes in reality it seems Luke an instant from an outside perspective but if you have ever been in one of these sort of accidents you may realize that when it is currently happening it feels like everything is moving in slow motion.
 

mitkopom

Not mikoporn or mitpopcorn!
Joined
Jan 31, 2021
Messages
124
Points
83

T.K._Paradox,​

Thank you for your advise, I will take it in consideration! The entire story is written with 3rd Person POV as a reliable narrator. But my question remains: Is the revised version better or worse than original? (the original is posted at the beginning of this forum thread)
Meaning am I getting better at this shit or I should start working on tomatoes farming instead?
PS: the editing sucks!!! It took me 3 hours to edit 1,3k words and I remember I wrote the prologue for less than an hour.
 
Last edited:
D

Deleted member 54065

Guest
All right now using the tips in this post I have edited the prologue. If you compare it to the original and tell me how did I manage?

---January Late Evening---
Tom Tailor drove his luxury company car on a winding highway in Bulgaria. The darkening, sky filling with heavy snowfall, made it hard to see the road. Getting worried, Tom wondered if he’d reach the construction site before roads closing. He scrunched his eyes behind the glasses trying to locate the path.

“This is some blizzard,” he muttered while navigating the white-out. Tom’s wife, Caroline, sat next to him pouting.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, glancing at her.
“Hah, you’re sorry? I was supposed to hit the mall with Tracy and Stephany today. Since everything's on sale after the holidays,” she replied while her voice raised to high pitch shouting.
"I am so-” Tom failed to finish.
"You are dragging Cristina and me over those dumpsters of construction sites all year round. Once! At least one time of the year me and my daughter expect, hope to relax back in the FAKIN civilization". Caroline screamed with a face full of disappointment.
“Hey don’t mix me in the argument BECAUSE I do not care!” Cristina intervened from the back seat. She sounded bored, scrolling her phone and listening her favorite songs with the headphones.

Tom glanced in the mirror at his one and only child. Warmth spread in his mind looking at her.
"What a fine lady she has grown up" A very conservative and traditional family man, Tom loved and cherished his precious wife and daughter.

The car slid left a little bit feeling very much unstable, which made him focus back on driving.
"It was an urgent call, so I have to be present for the testing of the auxiliary cooling systems. The Bulgarian government is pushing for an early completion of the nuclear plant than the arranged deadline" Tom explained.

“I don’t care. The worst holidays ever!” grumbled Caroline.

Tom turned his head right towards his wife to continue the argument. Right this moment, both his wife and daughter screamed in horror.
He immediately looked back at the road ahead and his eyes went wide as saucers. He didn't have time to scream as a 40-ton truck flew over the crash barrier from the opposite line to hit them with a massive force frontal- sideways. The Airbags blew up, inflating while the heavy car spun violently outside the road.

Tom's vision went blank, as only the horrible tire screeches and sounds of metal grinding remaining at the background.
Everything just happened in an instant.
Moments later, sharp pain in Tom's abdomen woke him from his blackout. He cried in shock, seeing a metal bar piercing him.

"Caroline, Cristina," Tom panicked remembering about his family. The pain immediately shut in the back of his mind, so he managed to drew his hand and shook up Caroline.
"Honey. Honey! Look at me, please!"
"What? What happened?" mumbled Caroline dazed but conscious.
"We had an accident! We crashed," Tom turned his gaze back to to check on Cristina who appeared to be fine.

The airbags deflated with a hiss and a horrid smell of gas rose from below the seats.
Shortly after, Caroline's eyes focused on him and her eyes shot wide open with tears already rolling down her face.
"Cristina! Oh, my daughter" she panicked.
-"Honey!! She is fine so please...! I don't like the smell so we must get out of here now!" Tom pressed Caroline to focus and move.
"Hurry up and open the door!" ordered Tom
"I can't. It is stuck!" replied the frightened woman
Tom pushed the driver's door open and removed the seat belt. He looked with horror at the metal piece still stuck in his body. The adrenaline pumped up throughout the bloodstream and he mastered all his will to pull it out.

"Aaaagh, Damn it, it hurts like hell"

The pain was suffocating!

Shortly after he managed to exit out of the vehicle. The world spun around him and his vision blurred. But Tom had a family to save no matter the cost so he forced himself go. Slumping badly he arrived at the other side of the car or what was left of it.

The middle of the car was badly damaged by several metal rods blocking Caroline's exit from the driver's side. So Tom elbowed the already cracked window of the passenger seat using every ounce of strength he managed to master and quickly cleared the residual glass. He grabbed Caroline's shaking hands and pulled her out. The pain in his abdomen flared, making him stumble for a bit. Tom gritted his teeth and moved to the back door where Cristina still struggled with the seat belt.

"Something is wrong with that damn belt" he thought and and briefly analyzed the situation. The top of the car was bent making the back windows unapproachable so there was impossible for Cristina to escape that way. Unfortunately the door refused to open and he began to panic. He could smell the gas leak from the tank and Tom judged that they have little time to spare.

“Cristina, come through your mom’s seat window! Hurry up!” shouted Tom
"I can't. I cant ! The seat belt won't come out. Daddy help me! Woaah" Cristina cried weakly and pulled her seat belt in a futile effort to free herself of her prison.

Tom’s trained engineer's mind went to overdrive working as a machine:
"->Seat belt problem-> A possible jammed mechanism-> The belt must be cut out-> time is running out". He slumped around back to the driver seat and opened the door’s pocket where he found his multi tool. A gadget every respected engineer must have. He enabled the knife function and while still seating in the driver's seat turned around and faced his teenage daughter.

"Here, Cris cut the belt!”

“It won't open daddy. It…” Cristina sobbed and couldn't finish as she burst in tears.

“Hey, sunshine look at daddy. Look at me, please!” Tom tried to sound calm and collected. It took some to for Cristina to look at him with some semblance of reason.
"Cristina dear, now you are gonna take this knife and cut that belt!"
"Yes, that’s my girl”
"Careful now..."
“There!!!” shouted Tom smiling as the girl finally managed to cut the stupid seat belt. It looked like eternity to him, but the process took less than 2 minutes.
“Quickly, out through the window, hurry!” ordered Tom
Cristina crawled swiftly to her mother's seat, and then throughout the window with Caroline's helping hands. Both mother and daughter fast retreated some distance from the already burning car.

Tom took a deep breath and mastered his strength, exited the vehicle and slowly arrived at the place where both his family were hugging and crying. He dropped next to his wife on the ground and inspected them carefully with his hazing sights:
"There! They are not injured"
It seemed like both Caroline and Cristina were going to make it intact so relief washed true his muddled mind. His family was safe! He was feeling tired, So he can rest now.

Tom was not stupid. Feeling dizzy and sleepy and losing tons of blood:

”I won’t make it” Tom felt the cold reality of his situation

-“Cristina come closer, sunshine” Tom whispered.

-“Papa, what is wrong? Mommy, papa doesn’t look OK!" Cristina said with a horrified face watching at the blood soaked clothes of her father.

-“Listen Cristina, I am so happy to had you, to watch you growing up from the little bundle of joy to the fine young lady you have become. I want you remember to keep going forward and never give up no matter what...". Tom coughed blood that cut his speech short

“Papa!”

“Honey! Oh dear Lord!”

Both of his beloved girls were shaking, crying rivers of tears.

"Shhh. Carol, the insurance will settle for several million. Then the savings...You won’t have money issues”. Tom made a deep pause, as he lost his sight, but at least the pain began to fade away.

“- I love you! I love…” Tom couldn’t finish as he drew his last breath in this cold January night, laying in the snow in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by his grieving family, in a distant foreign country. He was unfortunate indeed, but his early death triggered a chain of events affecting fates of billions.

----end of revised prologue----

  • I have replaced past continuous tense with past simple JayDirex recommended "was=bad"
  • I have tried to avoid shorter sentences as Sensei had advised
  • I also tried to avoid "he said.. she said.... as another one suggested..

SO how did I do? Any progress comparing to the original???
I've read the new version of your chapter, and I'd say, it's a lot of improvement! Good job!

Well, there are still a few hiccups, mostly on some words you used (and missed some punctuations, too) and the flow of the narration (this one takes time to develop, but your narration has improved much than the first). Keep on writing, and you'll eventually master it.

Try not to mind the 'active' and 'passive' voices for the meantime, and just write down your ideas.
 

T.K._Paradox

Was Divided By Zero: Looking for Glovebox Jesus
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T.K._Paradox,​

Thank you for your advise, I will take it in consideration! The entire story is written with 3rd Person POV as a reliable narrator. But my question remains: Is the revised version better or worse than original? (the original is posted at the beginning of this forum thread)
Meaning am I getting better at this shit or I should start working on tomatoes farming instead?
PS: the editing sucks!!! It took me 3 hours to edit 1,3k words and I remember I wrote the prologue for less than an hour.
Your prose and skill has certainly got better.
 
D

Deleted member 54065

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PS: the editing sucks!!! It took me 3 hours to edit 1,3k words and I remember I wrote the prologue for less than an hour.
Fun fact: Editing is harder than actual writing (or drawing). :blob_teary:

But well, we can't avoid it without affecting the quality of our works.
 
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