Excellence in Speedwriting #1 - The Fairest of Them All · 8:02pm Feb 4th, 2020
So, to anyone who's been following the steady flow of garbage I've been writing, you're probably aware I've been active in the Quills and Sofas Speedwriting Group over the last few months.
The amount of work that goes into the stories produced there often far exceeds the value of the hour they're written in. I've spent weeks on pieces and outdone them in that hour, as have many of the authors there. However, often when published onto fimfic, these pieces can slip by the wayside without the attention and acclaim they deserve.
So to try to rectify that, I've decided to start this little review series on my blog for pieces produced in the server. I hope you enjoy it. Today, for our inaugural piece, we have Anon Y Mousse's The Fairest Of Them All.
Please be aware that this review should be treated as containing spoilers, so please read the story first and then come back here.
Brush brush brush
There are many things Mousse excels at in writing, and mood is a big one. TFOTA is a story that is quite startling in its conveyance of dread. From the first line, something is wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong. This feeling only sharpens as you continue to read. There's a lot to be said for a story that could be any child's diary entry, but still makes your stomach crawl. Thought not tagged as such, make no mistake, this story is a horror.
Clues are lain throughout the piece as to the true nature of what's occurring, but Mousse does a fantastic job of spacing these. The breadcrumb trail isn't something you ever lose sight of, but neither does it ever feel like its dominating the prose itself. This combines into a piece which effortlessly utilises its style and mood to get in your head. And once its in, it doesn't leave.
Said style is simple, but this is a very conscious and effective choice given the age of the narrator. It's a wonderful work of crests and waves of tension. The seemingly random asides about teeth hurting from too many sweets, or when the narrator directly tells the reader a joke, disguise needles. The mention of a mother's abuse, the pining for a sister long dead. When put in the plain, scattershot speech of a character so young it works to create an at once hurtfully blunt and emotionally devastating story.
When it comes to the end, it could in some ways be called a twist, but I don't really like this way of categorising it myself. I think implicit in a twist is the notion of intentional and practised obscurity before the end. A twist would show you something you never knew was there in a big reveal. Mousse, and her character, don't do that.
Instead, the ending is simply putting a spotlight on something you never realised was with you the whole time. For it to be a genuine shock, coupled with the impression that not once was Mousse ever trying to make you think anything else, is simply stunning. The naivety and earnest narration only serves to make the unhidden lurch more effective. Because, after all, why would the character hide it? They love their mum, and they love their hair, it's the prettiest thing in the world. They aren't trying to scare or upset you, this is simply an honest account of a life and your emotions are your own.
And by the time you reach this end you'll feel the true terror of having read a story told to you with an unwavering smile. And it'll get in your head just like it got in mine.
- Seer
Oh man. Thank you so much for reviewing my story b. It means a lot to me. I can’t stop smiling!!!
series, huh?
5335783
Someone just got themself moved to the end of the queue >:(
5335821
>implying there's a queue
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😡