Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Critique.
Locker Days
It's that time of year again. Those days of lockers that seemed to fail you one way or another. For me it never seems to fail when I had to ride the bus, and it was running late for that meant you will be running late, and that meant for some reason the darn locker would not open for you remembered your combination, nothing was stuck that stopped it from opening. The warning bell went off and you try a few more times maybe you went a tad too far in clicks, but the final bell rang, and you give it one good kick, and it opens. You practically had to run to homeroom before the classroom door shuts, and you are marked absent for no fault of your own. How many of you remember such things happen to you in those halcyon days of yore, come on be honest.
By Mark Graham5 months ago in Critique
The "Trauma Plot": Have We Over-Therapized Our Stories?
THE "TRAUMA PLOT": HAVE WE OVER-THERAPIZED OUR STORIES? WRITTEN BY: LEGANCY WORDS I love a good character arc. I love seeing someone overcome their past, face their demons, and emerge stronger. But lately, I’ve noticed a pattern—one that’s become so common it’s almost a requirement for any story wanting to be taken seriously.
By LegacyWords6 months ago in Critique
Overcoming Writer's Block
Bruce Springsteen was frustrated and exhausted when his manager, Jon Landau, insisted he write a preeminent single for his 1984 album “Born in the U.S.A.” By that point, Springsteen had already written over 80 songs for the album, yet a standout single still eluded him. Returning to his hotel later that evening, Springsteen poured all of his pent-up angst and frustration into the song “Dancing in the Dark”, wherein he grapples with the “joke[s]” that are writer’s block and self-doubt, as well as how the external pressures of the music industry and his own audience can stifle creativity and personal growth.
By Strange Overtones6 months ago in Critique
So I watched Wednesday ...again. . Content Warning.
So I watched Wednesday again on Netflix. Following the release of the second half of season two on Wednesday, September 3, 2025; I was inspired to start again at Season One. A whole new world started to re-weave itself around me. In this little part two of So I watched..., I wanted to discuss what in my weed-enduced psychosis I found in the underlining story that writer Tim Burton shares with us.
By Parsley Rose 6 months ago in Critique
The "Anti-Hustle" Culture: Are We Glorifying Laziness or Finally Living?
TITLE: THE "ANTI-HUSTLE" CULTURE: ARE WE GLORIFYING LAZINESS OR FINALLY LIVING? WRITTEN BY: LEGANCY WORDS My burnout didn’t arrive with a dramatic crash. It seeped in slowly, like cold through a window pane. For years, I wore my exhaustion like a badge of honor. “Rise and grind,” my phone lock screen cheered me on at 5 a.m. “Hustle harder,” I’d whisper, cancelling another dinner with friends to get ahead on a project.
By LegacyWords6 months ago in Critique
My Favorite Dead Writer
Oh, what is this Facebook thing I keep hearing about. Is it like radio for I believe it is for there are programs one can listen. I am Maragret Mitchell that wrote a Civil War epic entitled 'Gone with the Wind' in the year of our Lord 1939. We are on the brink of another war to end all wars, and my book is one the shows how war affects the one's left at home to deal with the many challenges of just being able to survive. 'Gone with the Wind' is a story of a family The O'Hara's who believed in a system that seemed right for them, but not for society in general that had many right and wrong ideas of how to see 'others' as this guy Hitler that I keep hearing about in Germany.
By Mark Graham6 months ago in Critique
Back to School Again
Another school year is upon us now and memories abound for all ages. Do you remember that first day of elementary, middle school, high school even or college. The thoughts you had or for some still have. You see old friends and maybe even make some new. Wondering what you heard was true or false of the teachers you will be learning. Another year of questions and answers that will maybe leave you pondering with your own thoughts on how to achieve what you need to achieve and understand how everything may or may not fit into our daily lives.
By Mark Graham6 months ago in Critique
