Critique Me: Prompt Response: Enter

Genre challenge: Cashier Memoir + Solar Punk mash-up.

I host the To Live & Write lit nights, Alameda Shorts and Screen Shorts, which means I don’t have to submit to a panel of judges to have my work included in the event. To keep me humble, I have two of my own challenges to meet. They stretch my skill set and practically guarantee my work is going to be on the rough side.

This is me inviting you to critique my story. Tell me what works, tell me what doesn’t work. Let me know when I lose you, move you, confuse you.

Reasons I know my work needs work:

1. I can’t start writing until the day of the event. My typical Thursday schedule gives me about three hours to write my piece, 30 minutes to edit, and 30 minutes to practice. Everyone else gets 30 days.

2. Good friend and core member Erica chooses my genre, and it’s usually a brain twister. Often, I have to spend a little time researching the elements of the genre in the morning and then cross my fingers that I get it right. My favorite so far is Barbarian Noir, but this one - Cashier Memoir + Solar Punk - was a lot of fun to write as well.

I do cheat a little; I give myself more than five minutes to read my piece. I justify this by remembering that I don’t always have time to edit down and it’s my lit night, so I can break the rules if I wanna. Feel free to tell me where I can cut words to save time.