If you can find your muse and want to write. I would love for you to write Chip's story  It would be great to see how you take Oliver Twist and give us your tale based on it.

I hope you can find your muse again and return to writing, it would be a shame to lose a talented author and I'm sure you still have a lot more to offer. Maybe there is something in your local or wider community that could spark your interest, an event or centre of general interest, a person or group of people. It could be something that you disagree with and see a viable alternative that could be adopted. The possibilities are endless but each author's muse is different as are their stories. Have patience with yourself and don't force things, take everything at your pace.

As for me, I write about aspects of homelessness, the people that are homeless and the people who try to help and support them. It is a subject that I am passionate about. There is no shortage of ideas and many possible ways to portray it, if anything I'm spoiled for possible storylines as there are so many. My problem is usually translating it from an idea in my head to the written word on paper. It's too easy to say write about what interests you, but that may not be the best idea for you. An author's stories are as individual as the authors themselves. 

Good luck on your quest to regain your muse, I hope that you find what you want, need and are looking for.

What should a good review contain?

5 minutes ago, lawfulneutralmage said:

What should a good review contain?

This a good question with many different answers. I don't think there is a predetermined definitive answer as different reviewers have their own idea. What I would suggest to you is to read reviews for stories that you are interested in before reading the story. If you enjoyed the story then think about the reviews that drew you to it. When you can determine which review(s) drew you to the story you will then have your answer. Each type of review will attract a different type of reader. As for leaving a review, I would suggest something that reads similar to the reviews that draw you to stories. The more reviews you read, you will develop a better idea and your own style. I hope this answer is useful to you.

1 hour ago, lawfulneutralmage said:

What should a good review contain?

Having written over 350 reviews, that's a difficult question to answer. My reviews are very varied, because of the broad range of stories I read. But they usually contain enough detail to draw a reader in, without giving to much detail of the story away.

On 6/13/2023 at 10:48 AM, lawfulneutralmage said:

What should a good review contain?

I review stories that interest me on GA or for new writers that need the extra incentive to keep going, like myself. However, most of my reviews on GA storeies are short. For published writing like novels and book series, I follow a synopsis and review format that I used to use in my book reaction reports for High School. I find that too be the genuine way of writing a thorough review of a book. Yes, there will be spoilers and there are pointed critiques in there.

On 6/18/2023 at 3:20 PM, W_L said:

I follow a synopsis and review format that I used to use in my book reaction reports for High School. I find that too be the genuine way of writing a thorough review of a book. Yes, there will be spoilers and there are pointed critiques in there.

 

Yes, that is exactly why I asked. we learned that in school, but how much of a plot shall be revealed in a review? I think not much, especially no spoilers.

It seems that a review has two different audiences: the author as feedback and the "usual" readers in the sense of "is this worth it", right?

On 6/13/2023 at 4:48 PM, lawfulneutralmage said:

What should a good review contain?

The truth in a nice way, enough to explain the what the story is about without giving anything away, what you liked and didn't like and why.

Because I've watched enough movies and read books that were so BAD, I know for a fact I could do better. MUCH better.

I'd rather paint, but I have no talent at all for it.

Essentially, if I get an idea in my head, I'll start writing. For instance, my story, "Love Of Family" was written because I wanted to come up with a nickname that a younger sibling would call his older sibling who'd been a parental figure to him. As I was feeding our cockatiels, the word Bropop popped into my head. Then, I saw the most adorable red-haired eleven year old boy jumping into the air, pumping his fist. The boy aged into his twenties, and became Levie. 

I write to fill the world with all the stories I wish were around when I was a kid, for the joy of playing with words and rhythm, and for those moments when the world falls away and I get caught up in the story.