Draft

Trust The Process
When I start writing, I usually try to write in a journal. A first draft always seems to be better when I’m writing in a journal. That way I can separate different stories from each other. And mostly because I absolutely love journals. Some of my favorite ones are the ones that I got for Valentine’s Day.
By Raphael Fontenelle12 months ago in Critique
beginning-endings. Runner-Up in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge. Top Story - March 2025.
The following is an excerpt of a draft of the opening of a novel which I hope to someday write. This piece is being submitted for Vocal's "Self-Editing Epiphany" Challenge, and will therefore include my analysis and reflections following the conclusion of the excerpt. Cheers, friends!
By Gabriel Huizenga12 months ago in Critique
Are Ukrainians prepared for concessions and a ceasefire? What the polls say is as follows:
The idea of a negotiated end to the three-year war has been put on the agenda and in the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin thanks to an agreement between the United States and Ukraine on a ceasefire proposal. However, the parties' positions are pretty clear even before Moscow responds.
By Md Mirajul Islam12 months ago in Critique
Trump’s Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum Go Into Effect
President Trump’s sweeping tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum went into effect on Wednesday, escalating America’s trade spats with global competitors, including close allies already reeling from his on-and-off approach to trade penalties.
By Md Mirajul Islam12 months ago in Critique
Canada’s most consequential election is on the horizon
The contest that resulted in Mark Carney becoming the leader of the Liberal Party and the next prime minister of Canada has turned out to be a dull fait accompli. Chrystia Freeland, the once-reliable confidante and trusted deputy prime minister of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, played the role of Judas in the drama that appeared to inevitably result in Carney's persuasive coronation on Sunday evening.
By Md Mirajul Islam12 months ago in Critique
Editing Like a Daredevil: How to Take Creative Risks Without Crashing
Are You Editing, or Just Playing It Safe? Ever feel like your writing is missing something? You tweak a sentence, polish a paragraph, and yet, the spark isn’t there. Maybe the problem isn’t your writing—it’s your editing. Too often, we treat editing like a cleanup job instead of what it truly is: an opportunity for risk-taking. What if you stopped seeing revision as a process of smoothing things out and instead, as a chance to push your creative boundaries? Welcome to the world of fearless editing, where breaking the rules, defying conventions, and making bold choices transform good writing into unforgettable storytelling.
By Alain SUPPINI12 months ago in Critique
C.I.A. Begins Firing Recently Hired Officers
The government cuts ordered by the Trump administration have hit the C.I.A. Some officers hired in the last two years have been summoned to a location away from the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Va., and asked to surrender their credentials to security personnel, according to three people briefed on the firings.
By Md Mirajul Islam12 months ago in Critique
Backroom Cat Nap
THE 1ST DRAFT Warehouse Backroom Cat Nap “This is the stockroom warehouse where we keep our surplus. The most common items are stored up front. The whole place is basically a twisting tunnel of eclectic furniture. Most of the floor displays are directly for sale, but we keep extra stock in here. It’s primarily mattresses.”
By Amos Glade12 months ago in Critique
Judge reduces Adnan Syed’s sentence, allowing him to stay out of prison
Adnan Syed, the subject of the “Serial” podcast, will be allowed to remain free after a Baltimore judge on Thursday agreed to effectively reduce his sentence to the time he had already spent in prison.
By Md Mirajul Islam12 months ago in Critique
Trump Ramps Up Attacks on Law Firms With Order Targeting Perkins Coie
President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday seeking to severely punish the law firm Perkins Coie by stripping its lawyers of security clearances and access to government buildings and officials — a form of payback for its legal work for Democrats during the 2016 presidential campaign.
By Md Mirajul Islam12 months ago in Critique
Can I whip it into shape?. Top Story - March 2025.
How hard could it be, to write an absurd story? After all, life is one constant struggle reigning in absurd behaviour and thinking. Strolling alongside the creek with my daughter and beloved dog, I shared my ‘brilliant’ story ideas. Then I hustled home to record them before they fell out of my sieve of a brain.
By Angie the Archivist 📚🪶12 months ago in Critique
Dissection: Letter to the Past
When I first wrote this piece, I was trying to capture memory, grief, and the way the past lingers—how it resurrects itself in recollection, and how, in doing so, it leaves the one who remembers stranded. There’s a kind of desolation in being the one left to remember. In the first draft, I took a safer approach. I knew I had to take risks, but I hesitated—afraid of sounding too emotional, too juvenile. And yet, I was drawn to that desperation, the need to keep someone alive through memory. That tension—between restraint and urgency—was something I wanted to explore more deeply.
By Monica Theresa12 months ago in Critique