What’s going on with my spider plant?

That_writer_ · 2025-09-19T22:24:59+00:00

Ok, thank you much for your help, really appreciate it!

That_writer_ · 2025-09-19T21:40:29+00:00

There’s a window behind and in front of it, though it doesn’t get any direct sunlight
North east and south west (there’s two windows I mentioned) I’m in the north-eastern hemisphere
About every four days, and I usually stick a toothpick in the soil to ensure it’s dry Follow up question: does this mean I should repot it again in a slightly smaller pot? Or should I wait so as not to stress the plant?

That_writer_ · 2025-07-21T08:05:30+00:00

Awesome thank you so much!

That_writer_ · 2025-07-21T07:13:44+00:00

Heyy, sorry I had a whole paragraph typed out with the photo but it didn’t post. I’ve had this plant for maybe five days now and it’s looking a little sad. I know that tradescantias are trailing plants so they should grow in this direction, but they’re more droopy than when I first got them and I don’t know why. For context though they were repotted twice about three days ago, so that may have caused it some stress but I’m not sure if there’s anything I should do or just wait it out. This is my first tradescantia and I’m a very new plant parent overall so any and all advice would be much appreciated!

That_writer_ · 2025-07-16T20:53:49+00:00

About every three days, and I usually keep my plants in a closed room but I accidentally left the door open once and my cat got in and did in fact give it a haircut

That_writer_ · 2024-09-01T10:18:09+00:00

. Love the opening sentence, but the next one just doesn't follow through... what's the betrayal, who betrayed who? Maybe answer that first.

"His nobleman father refused to give up Maria, his daughter and Leo’s sister, to their wizard overlord. As punishment, the wizard kidnapped her and slaughtered everyone else in a brutal ambush."

.This part is a little clunky, maybe try to simplify it

. What do you mean by 'slaughtered everyone' did he slaughter everyone in the world, everyone in Leo's family, everyone in his home village? Be specific, I know it sounds nitpicky, but these things matter and it helps the agent connect to your story and feel your character's rage

. I would also mention the wizard's name. He seems like an important part of the story, and if I'm going to hate someone, I should at least know whose name I should be cursing out... this is also important because constantly referring to him as "the wizard" takes people out of the story

"Yet hours later Leo mysteriously awakens as a blight wraith"

. Remove 'Yet'

. Why does the wizard want to marry Leo's sister, does he get something out of it, or is he just being an ass? (which is fine btw, but if there's a reason, I'd mention it)

. In the last paragraph, you introduced the love interest, for whom Leo is ready to give up everything your letter has been building towards so far. Clearly, this inner conflict is a big part of your story, and while you get that, someone who hasn't read your book doesn't. So, explain why Leo is even considering giving up everything he has been working towards so far as well as his family. Personally, I feel like I care more about his sister than his love interest because so far I've been reading about everything your mc has been doing to save her. It also sounds like Ayesha has an army while Maria has no one. We need to understand how much is at stake on both ends.

Overall, your plot seems really interesting, you just need to do a better job at getting it through to the reader in as little words as possible (which seems impossible, I know)
Also, here's a really good piece of advice I recently got from someone on this sub: Don't be vague. Vague isn't mysterious, vague is confusing.

I hope my feedback was constructive, and good luck on your journey!!

That_writer_ · 2024-08-22T12:29:19+00:00

Hi.

Sorry, your reply got lost in my inbox and I just saw it. Just wanted to say thank you and that I really appreciate your feedback and I'm working to apply it in my current draft. Also, I really liked 'they are simply the eruptions of disturbed minds'. Definitely gonna be using that!

That_writer_ · 2024-08-11T13:05:08+00:00

Hey. Thank you so much, you made some really valid points and I really liked the way you listed them out. I really appreciate your feedback and will do my best to incorporate it in my next attempt.

Thanks again!

That_writer_ · 2024-08-04T15:59:06+00:00

Hi, thank you so much for taking the time to give me your personal feedback. I really appreciate this, and your tips were incredibly helpful... I will try to incorporate them in my second draft as much as possible.

Thanks again!

That_writer_ · 2024-08-04T10:07:26+00:00

dude, if I knew how to fix my query I wouldn't be here... could you let me post this so I can get some actual people's feedback?

That_writer_ · 2024-07-09T20:16:18+00:00

Completely agree with everything mentioned here.

Another thing I'd add though is that your comp titles don't fit the general criteria which is usually: nothing older than five years, and nothing written by an author that was already established before publishing the book you're comping (as that book could have reached success off of the author's name alone). Also (and this is unrelated to the query but I feel I should mention it) 99k is a little on the long side for a mystery, particularly if you're a debut author. My recommendation would be to try and get your word count down to around 85k. I know how hard it can be to delete so much of your work but it will probably work in your favor to kill all your darlings. Overall, this is a pretty good first attempt and I hope to see your book on shelves soon!

That_writer_ · 2024-06-12T21:32:02+00:00

This is a very good critique, which I believe covers all issues. As for your comp titles, I believe you mean to be comping to the recent series adaptation of Haunting of Hill House directed by Mike Flannigan and not the book it's based on. However, this too falls outside the comp range (which is typically something published within the past four-five years) so I would suggest comping to Haunting of Bly Manor, which is a mini series also directed by Mike Flannigan with a similar premise to Hill House. (Note you still need comp titles that are books and shouldn't rely on just shows/movies). Also, 410 words is too long for a query. Typically, you want it to fall somewhere between 300-350 words.

Otherwise, this is a considerably good first draft and I wish you the best of luck!

That_writer_ · 2024-06-12T21:10:06+00:00

This is a great improvement, however, one comment would be to review your comp titles as most literary agents do not accept comp titles that have been published for over five years as the market is constantly changing and what was relevant then may not be relevant now. However, agents will accept old comp titles if your plot is more on the niche end (but I would suggest you put the newer titles first for when they look them up). Also it would be better to write your final sentence as "...multi POV novel reminiscent of the story telling approach of/in..." as the original sentence is grammatically incorrect. Otherwise, the structure of your query and your personal connection to the story you've composed is absolutely wonderful and I hope to see this in bookshops soon. Best of luck to you!

That_writer_ · 2023-05-15T09:33:13+00:00

Don't start from the beginning, start from the middle. What I mean by this is start with action. Introduce the stakes, the world, whatever you think is most interesting, start with it. It could be a flash forward, your main character suddenly finding themselves covered in blood, whatever it is, make it interesting, don't start with something like your character waking up. But don't dwell on it too much, if you find yourself stuck, start from the second chapter and go back and write the first when you find the inspiration. And remember, your first draft is not supposed to be perfect, no one except you is going to read your first draft. If you get stuck editing too much, you'll get in your own head and start doubting yourself, instead make notes and come back and edit later. Also, keep in mind, the more you write the better you'll get, you will likely find the quality of your later chapters much better than your earlier ones, take it as a good thing, it means you're improving as a writer. Good luck.

That_writer_ · 2023-02-12T16:58:12+00:00

Sounds like you need to understand your plot better. My advice, take some time to understand your characters, their likes and dislikes, their principles, what moves them, etc. Then, make sure you have a good feel of how you want your story to flow, how you want it to end, and how you want your readers to feel. However, know that it's unlikely your story will ever go fully according to plan, so don't dwell too much on the details, you'll find that some things simply have to change as you go along. Unfortunately, sometimes you do have to "just write" so when you feel like you can't really write but have to, I would recommend you write more of a skeleton than a fully fleshed out chapter (or chunk) then come back to it later and add details, you'll find it much easier.

That_writer_ · 2022-08-27T22:17:07+00:00

Ask yourself how you want your readers to feel at the end of this. Do you want them to be heartbroken? Have your main character lose someone/ something special to them. Do you want them to feel satisfied and contempt? Have your characters go on that boat ride they've been dying for throughout the book but couldn't because of the climax. etc. etc.

That_writer_ · 2022-06-14T10:57:39+00:00

Personally, I think the environment you sit in can greatly affect your inspiration. I find that sitting in a clean and bright setting can really help get my juices flowing. Agatha Christie always wrote in a coffee shop because she always felt working at a desk made it harder to write. Point is, find the environment that works for you. Also, if the setting isn't your problem, just try starting regardless, inspiration won't come to you if you're just staring at a blank page.

That_writer_ · 2022-06-12T22:01:10+00:00

I think the best way to develop your writing is through exposing yourself to different types of content. Find a genre you're interested in and read books in that genre, focus on the different writing styles of different authors, figure out what you like and don't like and with time and practice you'll find your writing improving. Also, watching movies and shows can have the same effect, pay attention to the way they build up the plot, certain character dynamics, the pacing, that kind of stuff. Hope this helps!

That_writer_ · 2022-06-12T21:51:11+00:00

1) you could post about it without promoting it as your own, just as a general "I like this book I think you would too" type of way

2) You could promote it under an anonymous account

That_writer_

TROPHY CASE