The Official Writing Challenge
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A touching and well-written tribute. The scene is set beautifully in the beginning pulling the reader into the writer's frame of mind. The flow is wonderful, words well chosen, glimpses of both writer and 'grandfather' reveal the godliness, as well as the humanity, of each. Absolutely excellent. It brought tears to my eyes.
So real...the pride, the flaws, the emotions. Excellent portrayal.
04/12/08
Fabulous characterization - you made him so real. Wonderful.
04/12/08
This is so realistic, yet not many could make it as interesting as you have. Your descriptions and expressions of thoughts and feelings were flawless. "Imperfect Papa" was a perfect piece.
You wrote a lot of truth in not so many words. This was sweet, sad, and redeeming, all in one piece. Well done.
04/12/08
You have excellent story telling skills. I was engaged from the beginning, and had a tear in my eye at the end. Wonderful job.
04/12/08
Loved this piece. Wonderful writing, as always.
Laury
04/13/08
Absolutely loved the ending. There we go, thinking that we know someone and judge them accordingly, but then at the last moment, learn some precious secret that reveals their actual heart.
Wonderful, wonderful story Kristen. So many different emotions winding through this. You certainly know how to weave a story. Well done!
I too love this article; we can certainly grieve for people who are less than perfect- like us all; I am a bit bemused because I thought these entries were anonymous, yet judging by comments others know who has written the article??
04/13/08
Just a taste of a complex character here; I like that there's an open-ended feel to this as the granddaughter reflects on who her grandfather was.
04/13/08
We never fully know the people in our lives; they're always capable of surprising us with their deeds or words. Well-written and touching entry!
04/14/08
Kristen, that little bit of redemption at the end made this wonderful story even more wonderful-er. I love the fact that the grandfather was flawed, as we all are, and the granddaughter's anguish over how to mourn him.

One little nitpick, from the first paragraph: instead of telling us there was a contrast between the flowers and the sorrow, describe the flowers and the sorrow and let your readers see the contrast.

I love little moody pieces like this one--it definitely stands out in my mind for this week.

Hmmm, there's plenty to think about in this piece. The ending though-I'm so happy for it. I'm glad that it 'turned out all right'. I could feel and see everything as it played out here. Great job. ^_^
04/16/08
I liked how you resolved the inner conflict you felt at the end--this story reads like a chapter from a book--maybe a biography about your grandpa. Racist vs. Hero. Sound like a good subtitle!
Wow. The ending surprised me. I'm so glad that God allowed that man to come to the funeral, because that helped you be able to come to terms with who your grandfather truly was.

It sounds to me like he was a wonderful man that was maybe just misunderstood. Or maybe he had a change of heart later in life. Either way, it sounds like many people were blessed because of him.

I loved this story. Thank you for sharing it.
04/17/08
You drew me in right away. Great job showing the emotional conflict to build the conflict within the story.
04/17/08
I absolutely, positively LOVED this! My favorite line: "Get that garter off that baby’s head," he’d growl. "You’re gonna give her brain damage." I smiled at the memory.
What a great character...established in so few words. Awesome.
Sounds much like my grandpa! Thanks for bringing back good memories of a hard working man with 'different' views on life.
04/18/08
Congratulations, Kristen, on placing 26th overall with this piece. Great work!