Hi Malcom: I liked reading your story about 'Enjoying the Small Things.' The writing shows great potential and I hope you continue to express your thoughts and continue to post.

If I may, I would like to suggest you take all criticism with an attitude to improve your skills, and to write about your feelings as a teenager. Tell us about your classmates. Tell us about the issues confronting you and your friends. Tell us about you hopes, desires, triumphs, defeats and disappointments. As an older adult, I am interested in what you have to say.

Above all, write for yourself and not for others. Say what you feel. Being authentic, is what leads to excellent stories.

I would like to invite you to read the first chapter of my Vietnam memoir for free at vietnamjerry.com and to scroll down to MEDIA and listen to the NPR broadcast of the ghost story about Cpl. Cummings. All true events. Let me know what you think. Good luck in your writing. Regards, Jerry