Okay… I am 11 and I need some feedback on my story. I think i will call it willow. Sorry about any grammar mistakes, this is just a rough copy:
Tenrek stared at her in amazement. “You are quite a puzzle to me. Let’s get going before Tliko or someone comes after us.” Before they could take a step, both of them stopped. Aklika’s striking green eyes got wide and she became very pale, making her green clan tattoos very obvious. She moved her hand to her brother’s amulet quickly. Tenrek’s hand also moved to his shark tooth necklace. His skin went very pale, and his blue green eyes very wide and scared. Both of them stood frozen in their places, their bare feet glued to the sand.
It sat on the large rock they had used for the offering. It’s sickly ashen, wrinkled, skin was paper thin. It’s large bloodshot eyes were fixed on both of them. It’s lips curled up into a snarl, revealing sharp fangs that had turned green. It curled it’s talons around a small stone, and scurried off.
Aklika closed her eyes, wanting this nightmare to be over. Tenrek didn’t move. She wanted to cry. She wanted to tell Tenrek everything, but Tliko had forbidden her.
“Tenrek? Are you alright?” She moved over to him and found he was shaking with fear. “A-a-a demon. On the beach. On the shark island. It cannot be!” His eyes were distant. He didn’t seem himself. She stroked his clan tattoos, and put her arm around him. “It’s alright. It will not hurt you.” Her voice sounded more shaken than she would have liked. “It’s gone. It will not hurt you.”
He turned to face her. They stared at each other for a long time. Then, once Tenrek had stopped shaking, they went back to the village. Aklika had already been contemplating something as she was comforting him. She was endangering everyone. She was only trouble. There was no other option. She had to leave. And she had to find the Spirit Hunters soon.
That meant leaving Tenrek, and Tliko, and Sheshki, and Denrai. It meant leaving the life she was beginning to rebuild. It didn’t matter. She couldn’t endanger them any farther. If the demons were after her, they would follow her, and leave the shark island. It was the only way.
After she had lead Tenrek to his shelter and swearing him to secrecy, she left for her shelter. She no longer shared one with Sheshki, for they had now accepted her into the clan. Her decision pained her.
Aklika got everything in her pack ready. She had to have some way of letting Tenrek know what she was doing, to say goodbye. If she told him in person, he was sure to stop her by calling Tliko over. No. I should leave him something, something he can remember me by. She searched through her pack, until she found a few willow switches and feathers for arrow making.
She wove the switches together to make a bracelet. Next she wove the feathers in so that they dangled from the switches. She put it aside, then found a stone that was a bright green, like her eyes, and used some of the powder Magia had given her to paint her clan tattoo on it. He would know it was her who left it. She was almost crying the whole time she was preparing to leave.
She emerged from her shelter. It wasn’t quite evening yet. Aklika looked around for Tenrek. She saw him arguing with Denrai. She went over to them. “Tenrek, give it back!” Denrai shouted. “I told you for the last time, I didn’t take your boat! It must’ve floated away or something. I don’t know what happened to it!” Aklika felt a pang of guilt. She had taken a skin boat from the shore for her plan. It was too late to say anything.
“Tenrek, I heard there are supposed to be a lot of lichens washed up on the far shore. Wanna go try and catch some?” Tenrek loved roasted lichens. They were his favorite thing to snack on. He couldn’t say no.
They walked together down the beach. They talked a little, and Aklika tried to hide her regret and sadness. The sun was slowly hunkering down for a quiet sleep. They found the far side of the beach, and there were no lichens. Aklika had lied, she just needed an excuse to spend time with him before she left. “Oh well,” she said. “I guess they got swept away with the tide.” Tenrek could sense the sadness in her heart, and the regret in her eyes.
“Is something wrong?” he asked her. “I’m fine.” she lied. Tenrek knew she was lying, but he said nothing. They found a few pieces of driftwood and started a small fire. The fire blazed a pale green. The sun was setting and the sky was ablaze with color. Aklika had seen nothing like it before. She would miss this place.
It was beginning to get late, and time was racing toward Aklika till it was time to leave. She looked at Tenrek one last time. “It’s getting late.” she said in a sad voice. She looked his face over. She would always remember his bright blue green eyes that reminded her of the ocean, that made it impossible for him to lie. She would remember his face, the soft handsome features. She would remember his laugh, that held the happin
happiness of the world. But most of all, she would remember the kindness he had showed her that first time she had met him. She had nearly drowned, and he rescued her. He had made sure she was okay before giving her off to Tliko. He was a true friend.
Aklika had to look away for fear of crying. He was like a brother to her. “Goodnight,” she whispered. “Goodnight,” he replied. He wanted her to stay. He reached his hand out to her, but she kept moving. “Aklika, wait-” he called. She was gone. He sighed, and puts the fire out.
She moved quickly. Hurrying to Tenrek’s shelter, she left her gifts and went back to get her things and a skin boat. She had stolen a gutskin parka from Tenrek, but he hadn’t noticed. She quickly changed into it, and dragged Denrai’s boat and paddle out to the sea, and paddled. She paddled faster than she had ever done.
She took one last long look back, dried her tears, and went forward, without another glance back.
Okay, just for clarification, this is at the end of the 7th chapter, it is just my favorite part so far. It is not the beginning, so I’m sorry for any confusion.
I wish I could have written a story this well when I was your age.
I like the fact that you don’t have your characters and setting "well-defined" when you open your story.
Your writing style allows yours reader to raise questions in their minds about the characters, and reflects how real human relationships occur. We don’t know people when we first meet them.
This could easily be expanded into a series of related short stories that could be threaded together into a novel, or simply expanded into a novel without any form of break in the storyline.
If you’re interested in having your writing published I recommend going to www.ralan.com. The site maintains an active list of what publishers are looking for now; including an a through z listed of book publishers.
Please keep writing.
powered by Yahoo Answers
