Cream of My Crop 2025
According to Vocal
How could I have made these butter better?
Butter is solid at room temperature. But cream is typically liquid...it flows. And that is what I want my writing to do. So, I am asking for your help.
Listed below are my Top Stories (and one Runner-Up) recognitions from this year. Like any good recipe, I believe there can always be room for improvement. Will you pick one of these to critique? (Don't worry, I'm salted butter, so even if I do melt a little, I won't get my feelings hurt...I can always jump back into the fridge and re-form.)
Tell me what you might have preferred, what you would have added or subtracted, tossed or blended, or what secret ingredient you might suggest to spice it up a bit. I'd sure appreciate it :)
By the way, it's taken me almost six years to be brave/confident enough to get into the hot kitchen of the Critique community. I can stand the heat, now, so bring it on fellow Chefs!
About the Creator
Shirley Belk
Mother, Nana, Sister, Cousin, & Aunt who recently retired. RN (Nursing Instructor) who loves to write stories to heal herself and reflect on all the silver linings she has been blessed with :)
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More stories from Shirley Belk and writers in Critique and other communities.
Best Cotton Pickin' Behavior
When the Sally Field movie, Places in the Heart. came out via VHS tape in 1984, I was so excited to rent it for my family to watch. So, I gathered my mother and her two sisters together one afternoon and we popped the tape into the VCR. I'm sure we all had a cup of hot coffee (and they had their nasty cigarettes...eewe...but that's what they did in that generation.) I was thirty at the time and my children enjoyed any movie as long as there were snacks available or they busied themselves outside on their bikes. My aunt's husband, Uncle Bill was busy taking a long afternoon nap.
By Shirley Belk3 months ago in Chapters
Cassie and Johnny
I’m the kind of dame you notice. I’m no femme fatale, but you can’t ignore me, at least not until I warn you about what’s coming, then everybody ignores me. Hell, they usually blame me afterwards and give Johnny all the credit for saving the day, but my Johnny couldn’t save a seat at the movies without my help. Sure, he’s brawny, but brainy? Not so much. Like that time I asked him to spot me five bucks, and he said he didn’t see it anywhere on me, and believe you me, he looked but good.
By Harper Lewis14 days ago in Critique
The reason Hulk refused to fight Thanos
The Real Reason Hulk Refused to Fight Thanos 🚨 Most people think that in Avengers: Infinity War, Hulk refused to fight Thanos because he was scared. After all, this was the first time anyone had seen the Green Goliath genuinely overwhelmed in hand-to-hand combat. But the truth might be much deeper than simple fear.
By Literary fusion3 days ago in Critique
Becca
"Everything is so... flat." Denille said stupidly as she looked around her new neighborhood. She looked around at the muted desert where even the smallest sign of life seemed to have given up. The plant life was shrubs that were half cooked by the heat and where there should have been a lawn, a mess of white rocks laid glistening in the sun. Even the sky looked stretched thin, like the sun had ironed it smooth. She’d moved from Riverside, where at least there were hills, but here in Barstow, everything felt baked and brittle.
By Sara Wilson7 days ago in Fiction
Comments (3)
The tone here feels warm and approachable, which is perfect for asking people to critique your work. I especially liked the line about finally being brave enough to enter the hot kitchen. It captures that nervous excitement writers feel when they ask for honest feedback.
I'm so sorry but I'm not comfortable with critiquing or giving constructive criticism for anyone's work. But I hope others may be able to do that for you. Sending you lots of love and hugs ❤️
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