Writers and artists love to get feedback, especially when it's thoughtful and constructive. Please take a moment to share your thoughts, and help keep the Fantastic Horror community alive!
If you haven't read the story yet, STOP RIGHT HERE and go read it!! This discussion may contain spoilers. At the end of the text, you'll find a link back to this thread.
Re: "The Plague Saints" by Matthew Ewald « Reply #1 on Apr 18, 2009, 8:42am »
I thought * Stolen Innocence * was scary but this is more scary than everything and it done by my favourite horror writer.
Matthew this is so fantastic and I completely love it. It so fantastic and amazing and now i'm gonna read it again, I love it too much it great that the grimwalkers are back.
Re: "The Plague Saints" by Matthew Ewald « Reply #2 on Apr 22, 2009, 8:33am »
Were loving The Plague Saints so much Matthew. It's Brilliant and Famtastic just like you and We love your new audio production, It's so scary and horrifying.
The Plague Saints is the best Horror story on in this issue
Joined: Oct 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 14 Location: Virginia
Re: "The Plague Saints" by Matthew Ewald « Reply #5 on Apr 23, 2009, 7:12pm »
Haha, but those from the 9th Circle are the best.
...
Matthew, I must say that this is the most interesting short story you've come up with yet. However, it felt a little rushed. It left me asking such questions as, "What are the real origins of the Grimwalkers?" and "Does Michael have any memories of his mother, and if so, were the Grimwalkers able to use the emotions associated with them to draw Michael in?" I also found minor spelling and punctuation errors, but you have to take into account that I seek out these kinds of things compulsively. But aside from that, you're working with an amazing concept. The juxtapositioning of religion with horrors (for lack of a better word) isn't easy to pull off, especially with elements of the supernatural - but you are definitely getting there.
Joined: Apr 2008 Gender: Male Posts: 252 Location: Colorado
Re: "The Plague Saints" by Matthew Ewald « Reply #7 on Apr 23, 2009, 9:21pm »
Thanks everyone for taking the time to comment and for the kind words. Means a great deal to me.
As far as the story leaving you with questions -- well, that was the hope. I (personally) enjoy stories and tales that make us question the origins of evil. And how the innocent perceive such evil. How that evil can exist in the worlds we strive to bring to life upon the page. "The Plague Saints" was my attempt at bringing a world to life that felt alive and... well, "lived in." These lives and horrors already in progress. Like we, the reader, stumbled upon an ancient world where superstition and the supernatural fought for dominance.
I didn't want the answers there for us to find upon the surface, I thought that would be too easy. I thought it would be more fun to simply have those answers buried beneath the surface for us to find on our own. To create those answers on our own and in a way we so desired.
"WHO or WHAT are the Grimwalkers?" -- "Why would a promise of a pure soul such as Michael give them entry into the world of The Plague Saints?" -- all of these questions that hopefully, in turn, make US question is my reason for writing it in such a way...
I find that the older I get, the more people I meet seem to believe that the magic and mysticism of our world is slipping farther and farther away... people forget what it is like to not only chase our stars, to dream, but what it is like to just lose oneself in a story... With "The Plague Saints" I wanted to (hopefully) reach the level of uncertainty and fear, questions and doubt left by the unknown that that kind of world and age held so strongly. Hopefully I've achieved that. Even if only a little.
Thanks again to everyone who took the time to read my tale. I really appreciate it.
Respectfully,
-- Matthew --
« Last Edit: Apr 23, 2009, 9:24pm by MRJunctionE »
Joined: Oct 2008 Gender: Female Posts: 14 Location: Virginia
Re: "The Plague Saints" by Matthew Ewald « Reply #8 on Apr 24, 2009, 9:13am »
Of course! I understand what you mean – just putting everything out there would make for lazy, uninspired reading. I just felt that some of those questions could have been answered without detriment. I know that you're pulling us into this with people whose lives are already in progress, but I can't really get a sense of the characters' histories or defining traits. It would have been an excellent source of exposition, letting the reader know a little more about the characters; giving the reader a little more to draw his/her conclusions from. The reader should be left questioning because something unexpected happened, an action or motive had more than one level of meaning, and for all the reasons you stated above, but…I entered the story not knowing anything and I left it with not much more than that.
But it's not hopeless! I'm not trying to press you with negativity, and I'm certainly not saying that your writing is bad. Your delivery just needs a little tweaking. (Read: Please don't hate me now. )
Joined: Nov 2008 Gender: Male Posts: 214 Location: Massachusetts
Re: "The Plague Saints" by Matthew Ewald « Reply #10 on Apr 24, 2009, 11:53am »
I like mystery in a story, especially when supernatural elements are involved. Not everything in the world can be understood or explained, especially when it comes to any sort of religious beliefs. I don't know, sometimes its just nice to wonder.
Joined: Feb 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 3,236 Location: Southern California
Re: "The Plague Saints" by Matthew Ewald « Reply #11 on Apr 24, 2009, 4:43pm »
this story is a sort of pinhole glimpse into a wider and more cultivated world, more of which was visible in the initial draft. i persuaded matthew to zoom in on this particular scenario and forgo some of the explanation that AG might have preferred to see in the finished product. the immediacy of the child's ordeal is what i found most compelling about this text. good call/bad call? that's for every reader to decide independently.
thanks for the thoughtful feedback AG. you might consider participating in our workshop...
Joined: Sept 2009 Gender: Female Posts: 5 Location: England
Re: "The Plague Saints" by Matthew Ewald « Reply #14 on Aug 31, 2009, 11:58pm »
The Plague Saint... umm what can we say for this horror story. Matthew it is Amazing, Great, Fantastic, Brilliant and so so scary ok we reading this one again as we love it and it might give us nightmares
![[Home]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/menu/home.gif)
![[Help]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/menu/help.gif)
![[Search]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/menu/search.gif)
![[Calendar]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/menu/calendar.gif)
![[Login]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/menu/login.gif)
![[Register]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/menu/register.gif)
![[Search This Thread]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/search2.gif)
![[Reply]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/buttons/reply.gif)
![[Send Topic To Friend]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/buttons/sendtopic.gif)
![[Print]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/buttons/print.gif)
Author![[image]](http://www.fantastichorror.com/images/key-custodian.png)
![[avatar]](http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d183/hodgson1/longlegs2.jpg)
![[Quote]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/buttons/quote.gif)
Logged![[avatar]](http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w107/EdGein_2007/faq.jpg)
![[avatar]](http://i38.tinypic.com/10zbxqx.png)
![[avatar]](http://www.entity.cc/central/psycho/chair3.gif)
)
![[avatar]](http://homepage.mac.com/johnrrodriguez/avatars/hunger.jpg)
![[homepage]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/buttons/www_sm.gif)
![[avatar]](http://web.mac.com/j_joe_b/watersunbear.png)
![[avatar]](http://www.fantastichorror.com/images/forum/avatars/vampire1.jpg)
