The Pen Factor Reviewer of the Month: Andrea Peck

The Transformation of Seth Riley - Andrea Peck
April 2016

The Pen Factor is delighted to announce our first official Reviewer of the Month, Californian-based writer, Andrea Peck. Andrea joined The Pen Factor in November last year and came to our attention through her beautifully crafted, considerate and well-balanced review. Andrea is a fan of the ‘hamburger method’ - one suggestion wedged between two positive feedback buns.
“When writing a review … I like to point out aspects of the story that I find compelling. Everyone grows from constructive criticism, but it cannot be overwhelming.”

In terms of receiving feedback on her own work, Andrea favours specific suggestions that focus on a particular aspect of her writing, right down to the organization of a sentence or even the choice of word. “Feedback that does not include suggestions for improvement in a specific area makes me wonder if the person doing the critique is holding back”. Andrea is delighted with the thorough feedback she has received via The Pen Factor.

“I love the whole idea of The Pen Factor—the notion that we can all work and struggle together and, at the same time, support each other.”

It has been reassuring to Andrea to know that her writing is understandable and accessible to readers. Andrea’s powerful coming of age story, The Transformation of Seth Riley, is subtly moving and has been well received by other writers at The Pen Factor. It was inspired by her husband, a fisherman - “I feel that fishermen in general are very interesting people. They are not of this world.” Predominantly a non-fiction writer, Andrea hopes to continue to branch out into broader non-fiction markets and gradually delve into fiction. She already has a novel and a children’s book in the works. We can’t wait to read more from this
great writer and reviewer. Keep up the good work Andrea!

Read The Transformation of Seth Riley here.

The Pen Factor Writer of the Month: Rosie Ortega

Searching - Rosie Ortega
April 2016

Our Feature Writer for April is aspiring novelist, Rosie Ortega, with her action/adventure first chapter submission, Searching. Originally from Southern California, Rosie now lives in Northern Utah near Salt Lake City. Searching is an exciting, fast-paced opening to the book that Rosie plans to turn into a series. She has been working and reworking this story since she was 10 years old and this is the first time it has been placed in the spotlight.

Like most of our writers, Rosie’s favourite part about The Pen Factor is the feedback. “I always love getting an outside opinion on my writings … I have always felt that people who knew me well would be afraid to give honest feedback so as not to hurt my feelings."

Rosie also enjoys reading the stories of other writers and finds it interesting to see the different techniques used. Rosie hopes that her writing can make people feel something new and different and evoke deep thought.

Read Searching here.

The Pen Factor Writer of the Month: Nancy Bachana

Twenty-Three Hundred - Nancy Bachana
December 2015

Our current feature story is the grittily realistic tale of a young girl’s experience while interning at the downtown sheriff’s office. Danielle, a well-intended but inexperienced sixteen year-old, finds herself way out of her depth on the wrong side of town. Through her probing, restless narrative, Nancy Bachana takes us deep into her character’s lives, leaving the reader with an uneasy sense of pity and foreboding.

Nancy started writing fiction in 2009, as a creative outlet from a creatively stifling job. Originally from North Florida, Nancy now lives in New York City with her family. The inspiration for Twenty Three Hundred came from a real-life interaction with a co-worker at McDonalds, when Nancy worked there during high school. When Nancy announced her intentions to go to college the following year, her co-worker’s rueful response was “I envy you”; a quote used to great effect in Nancy’s short story.

Nancy found out about The Pen Factor while searching for writing contests online. She was interested in the competitive aspect of the writer’s forum – “critiques can be more honest when they are anonymous and competitive … less likely to go soft on fellow writers”. Nancy found the 1,500 word limit incredibly helpful for her writing, resulting in more polished, stronger stories.

“Crafting my submissions for The Pen Factor has given me a new approach to writing – if I can't craft each scene to be as strong and necessary as a gripping short story, cut it!"

At the moment, Nancy is revising her young adult novel. She dreams of being a published writer who can inspire girls and young women to “take action, explore and accomplish things they can be proud of and not get side-lined by boys or sexy vampires!”. Nancy would be ecstatic to write ‘good reads’ that readers will treasure and share long after they’ve been read.

Read Nancy's short story here: Twenty-Three Hundred.

The Pen Factor Writer of the Month: Rachel Bryan

The Unexpected Serial Killer - Rachel Bryan
November 2015

The Unlikely Serial Killer is a first-person narrative story that delves into the mind of a most unexpected murderer. Intriguing, witty and dark, Rachel Bryan's comedy-thriller is a compelling read from first line to last.

Rachel is based in the Columbia Gorge in Washington State. Strongly encouraged by her grandma, she has been writing fiction since she was 12. After an early encounter with a Stephen King novel ("I was too young to be reading those kinds of things..."), Rachel started delving into darker subject matter which gradually morphed into dark comedy as she matured. The inspiration for The Unlikely Serial Killer came from a lightbulb moment at Baja Fresh when Rachel knocked over a stack of salsa containers she had filled up.

"A lightbulb went off and my first sentence just played out in my head and the story wrote itself from there". The entire story was subsequently finished in under six hours!
Prior to submitting The Unlikely Serial Killer to The Pen Factor, Rachel had never shared her writing with anyone other than her grandma and friends. After receiving such great responses from fellow writers at The Pen Factor, Rachel gained the courage to apply for a freelance job and now writes sports articles for the local newspaper.

"That's what appealed to me so much about The Pen Factor - the feedback. I am always wanting to grow more as a writer and you can't do that without good feedback."

Rachel has started a writing group in her area in an effort to create a writing community. Her writing dream is to eventually publish a book and help others get published as well. 

Read Rachel's story here!