All Comments on 'A Dear John Letter'

good start. will read part 2 when should we expect it? Thanks Mike from Texas

Excellent story.

start. Screams for a part two. I can't wait to find out how Julie and Jerry fell so far away from the Barbie and Ken tree.

First he discovered the real Julie and Jerry and second he discovered Ally. I really enjoyed the story.

Patrick handled the situation with Julie and Jerry with dignity and maturity. There is no need for a second part since there is no connection with Julie and Jerry. They deserve each other and the best revenge is to live well. Good Riddance!

Enough said!

Nicely written story, but doesn't seem complete. Are you planning a chapter 2 ?

the Ct. Yankee

I loved the way Patrick handled the suituation with Julie and Jerry throughout the story. Very well mannered and colder then an Iceburg!

Kill them with Kindness!

Perfect!

I would love to see where the future takes Ally and Patrick, is there a next chapter? Hope so!

Starts off with so much about Julie and the Dear John letter, but no strong connection to the end other than the fact that the letter caused him to not get married. So what!! 50 for well written.

Was this part one or what?

Looking forward to next chapter.

As always a good read.

The Dear John letter did not have a strong connection to the ending.... except -- well, it didn't work with this person, and it now is with this other person, and I am glad because the first person did not turn out to be such a great human being... ho hum.

....which would only need another chapter to fulfill an agenda not of the authors making.Liked this one even more than the Victoria's Secret one.This was about his life,not Julie's.

All of that detailed background that led up to....nothing. anon jerry

Your whole story reads like an introduction, leading in to a possible new relationship and then nothing....

Please please, go somewhere with this

Good story but a unfinished ending?

we certainly hope you will continue this.

i actually really like this as it is..

LW is full of stories about best friend doing the wife/girl friend. It's way too predictable. Your story did have an interesting and intelligent twist for the ending though. For that I thank you.

Nicely done and well writen. A good solid storyline and strong characters to make the story believable.

Thanks for the read.

Wish it was longer.

good read but not finished

Great story as far as it went. Left too much hanging.

Hello Jerry. TK U MLJ LV NV

shore nuff left a hanging,you know like life. Well done. There has to be a wiseass remark about revenge and cold cause he was up in the cold north, it sllps me at the moment

Well done as usual

Another fine story without an ending. sick, sick, sick. come on woodmanone

FINISH IT

Until this is finished. Come on Woodmanome!!!!!!!

If this is chapter 1, it's excellent. If this is the whole story, it needs a lot of work and a much better ending.

I was planning to read all your "stuff" from the top of the page down but am not happy with being left hanging. What happened to the revenge he planned (or did I just remember wrong, I thought he wanted revenge?). My apologies if you plan to write another chapter although if you leave another story without an ending I will switch back to 'revenge' stories and leave the rest of your writing along. I have already read several of your other stories and liked them so I thought I would just start at the top today. Thank you for writing.

Good stories need endings, regardless of what some of the authors on this site seem to feel. I agree with most commentary regarding stories like this. PLEASE FINISH YOUR STORIES! I liked this one , as far as you got.

Finish your fucking story, I am so tired with so called authors on this site NOT FINISHING THEIR STORIES, what happened? Did you get bored?

Indicates a less than competent author.

failure to launch really. Did the characters stop talking to you?

I normally don't comment on my stories or on the comments about my work; but this is an exception. I also don't know if anyone goes back and reads comments on a story they have already commented on. But here goes.

Several of the comments say that the reader didn't feel that I finished the story. I guess I can see your point. Many stories on this site, and I enjoy them too, are BTB type. However my intent wasn't to write the normal BTB type story.

I felt and still do that Patrick took the high road by not wasting his time going after revenge on two people who didn't deserve his attention. At least he found out before more damage was done, what kind of people Julie and Jerry are. Besides they are stuck with each other, maybe that's revenge enough.

I felt, and still do, that the obvious decline of Jerry and Julie was sweet justice all by itself.

So far all of you that still think a Chapter 2 is needed, I'm sorry I didn't meet your needs and wishes. Please don't give up on me or my work.

One last thing, an Anonymous Andy wrote that quote "he was so tired with so called authors on this site NOT FINISHING THEIR STORIES" end quote.

If this person will send me his address I will refund the money he spent for reading my story. Oh wait, the site is free.

Another AA said not finishing a story Indicates a less than competent author. I would like very much to read something this person wrote so they could help me become a more competent author.

For all of those that commented thank you. I appreciate you reading my work and taking the time to comment on them.

Please keep reading and I'll keep writing until y'all get tired of my rants.

Thanks

Woodmanone

I loved the story. He told them exactly how he felt but couldn't beat anyones ass from Canada. When they tried to say hello after his return, he basically blew them off. I think everyone wanted a part two because they enjoyed part one. I concur.

I was surprised and disappointed at the rapid ending to this story. I would have preferred that there was a more concrete conclusion. But then, I'm not a writer, and the story isn't mine to finish. I enjoyed what there was of the story.

life doesn't remain stagnant, TK U MLJ LV NV

so the story ended the way it should have...leaves the rest to our imagination instead of the author giving us his interpretation...liked it!!

This a great story to put it blunt. And personally would like another chapter mainly because the main protagonist is a level headed constructive individual with a flair I guess you could say. Very relatable in a way as well. By the way the response letters were awesome. Thank you for the enjoyable story and please consider a part two if only to show more of this lovely character and his settling back in to his home town.

He lived learned moved on and found good -

Julie found fail and it showed - he was not taking her back -

Sometimes I love it when deserving people get burned.....this guy seemed to get past it just fine. Just think, he could have been stuck with her.

living well might just be the best revenge, sometimes. This case didn't call for much in the way of revenge, looked like time and excess were going to get the revenge on the two perps for him. She should have been up front with him about what was going on. He had enough pride that he would have let her go without her cheating on him with Jerry.

Damn, I missed the romance part of this story, well didn't I?

Too bad the author didn't see the necessity of "Finishing the Damn Story"!

on my own work but I just couldn't resist a rebuttal to Anon (Just a lazy fuck).

I feel the story is finished. If you don't agree I invite you to not read my works again. Also

If you will please send me you Lit name so I can check out all your stories, I would appreciate it. I'm sure I can learn something from an author of such renown.

Woodmanone

When you look at such a letter there is one thing allways present or should i say more than one : the writer is a coward and is ashamed and allso scared of the consequences ,the same words allways come back "i'm so sorry","i couldn't help myself"; you will allways have a place in my heart" and more of the same BS

For the recipient it is hell,emotional hell, in most cases the feeling of being powerless and helpless is overpowering

Yet hunderds of these letters are sent every year to some poor kid who wonders what he did do to deserve this,doesn't that say a lot of the weman who write those ??

woodmanone you wrote a story with a happy ending ,in there allone there is romance i guess,pitty it isn't allways like this.......

I would have found more backstory on the diamond mine interesting. I like Son House, the blues singer. He had a phrase, "If you don't want to be with me, why the hell would I want to be with you?" So if she decided she wanted Jerry, go for it girl, you saved me from a miserable marriage! No point in beating up Jerry, Ok if he fucked her and pushed her cheating ass back to you to marry, but here he did a good thing. He cheated with her and then married her cheating ass. That's different.

On the other hand, after all or that, there's no reason to put up with either of them, so pushing off was what I would have done.

You could expand the story, but as is, it has a decent and logical conclusion. Personally in part to avoid too short a story, I do a double, really two complete stories, in which case the second story would be about the protagonist and his new girl friend.

Chilley

It felt like you ran out of ideas with this story. Boy gets girl, girl dumps boy, boy moves on to ???? Yes he's going out with another girl. No he doesn't want to talk to his ex-girlfriend or ex-best friend. And then - nothing. I'm going to agree with the majority of other commentators, both Anon and named Anon's. This was well written, but unfinished. And I had to laugh at the author's comment. So what if anyone commenting hasn't written a story and posted it? Doesn't mean they don't have an opinion about what you wrote and posted. If you don't want anonymous comments, don't allow them. Otherwise suck it up, ignore them and move on. Arguing with commentators is like pissing into the wind. Useless. And it makes you a mess.

not bad, but I was hoping for a bit more.

this story feels incomplete. A common problem on Lit.

throughout their lifes. TK U MLJ LV NV

Read some of your earlier westerns years ago. Just finished your "Cold Steele" series,great as usual. This time added you to a list I have.

given 5* but it was too good to be so short dammit!!

To end it!

so?

Extremely well done. I was also impressed that you did not need to be grafic about sexual situations. I think I will enjoy reading you.

Ed Grocott

edgrocott@gmail.com

I am back to read you again. I see that my 1st comment is at the top of the list. same comment but I am sorry that there are no others they do not know what they are missing.

Ed Grocott

edgrocott@gmail.com

Really needed another page to tie up Patrick and Ally's relationship.

Just my thoughts, YMMV

Morgan DeWolfe

The writing stopped about a page before the story ended.

Needs a second chapter

FTDS

You know I love you to death. And as the author, you are free to write any damned way you want.

But in the story, you built up the emotional tension to a fervent pitch with the very first meeting between these three...and then you just let all the air out of the balloon, not with a POP, but with a quick fart. I LOVE the way you introduced the characters and built up the relationship, but if essentially everyone is wondering about the ending...do you think we are all wrong?

Granted, a lot of folks could be a lot more respectful in how they approach the issue.

I did understand the message you were trying to send: He was now over her. His finding that zen spot was a bit quick, but that is a quibble. Better than 80% of the stuff out here.

But WTF happened here? He gets fucked over (be glad he wasn't married before it happened), finds someone else (that's good), meets her again and snubs her. Big deal. Not worth the time taken to read it.

Ended with a resounding thud.

I liked the ending because I recognize the reality of getting over something you thought that you'd never get over. FD45's comment was right in regard to the plot pacing, you had us waiting for the hammer to fall, and when it turn out differently it could have used a bit more flesh on the bones. Still, great.

let alone expect a welcome and invitation to sit with him/them.

They must not have read his response to her Dear John.

... in general if a story starts with a dramatic event then flips into back story the reader (me) skips the back story.

Guess his good friend was afraid of and ass whipping and that is why he let his wife do all the talking besides what old times needed to be talked about. He stole his best friends wife to be. The getting up and leaving was truly a slap in the face to his ex girl and ex friend it was worse than a physical slap in the face.

Ron

cowboyridecc@yahoo.com

I wouldn't mind an epilogue. However, the story is complete as is and Woodmanone has done a fine job.

Maybe in his spare time WMO could take the two neat characters, Patrick and Ally, and give us a story about them, I'd hate to think that they would be left to pass into oblivion after such a great start. The little pixie seems to be lovable enough to make a fine life for her and Patrick. This is after all, 'Loving Wives'.

very bad ending to a pretty lame story

great story

you didn't do your research

Being very familiar with Diavik and the mines in Canada

I work at Snap Lake. a DeBeers property

the only mistake you made was that as an american he would and could not have been hired by Diavik mine. BHP the parent company has a policy that only Canadian citizens can be hired at the Diavik mine. he could have been hired s a contractor

also. they work a 2 and 2 rotation, 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off. it is actually against he law in the NWT to spend more than 6 weeks at a remote site without 14n days off

keep up the good work

Almost 2/3's of a story here. I was hoping for a entertaining ending but the author seemed to get tired of writing and just let the story piss itself away.

3*'s for most of a story.

Sorry Charlie...

Great begining but would love for you to continue still i gave it a four star rating because it was good writing

What the hell happens to some writers that can't go beyond the first chapter? Can you explain what the hell is this? What make you thing that this "first chapter" was worth to show without the rest of the story? This is not even a flash story, Truly dissappointing.

I read some of the comments on this story and most complained that the story wasn't complete. What more do you want? Detailsl of their first sex session? How he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him? The real point of the story is how resiliant a guy could be and after a tough blow (The Dear John Letter of the title) he licked his wounds and was open to something good when it came his way. I'd say the woodman gave us a compact tale with a good message and did it in a workmanlike manner. Good characters, good dialog, good plot. 4*

The story started ok then the middle got even better the you stopped and didn't finish sorry but only 3 stars and that's only because i like some of your stories

You stopped in the middle I need more chapters.

He still should have kicked Jerry in the balls just once. He wouldn't go to jail for one hit!

I liked the story, but the ending fell flat. All of the build up and backstory and a very anti-climatic ending.

the rest of the story?

Obviously there is no ending to the story. No drama in the story or any reason for the story. Author hasn’t posted in 3 years. Total waste of my time.

a second story hall with a door that opens to nothing. Damn good start but WTF?

It just leaves you hanging. Also, is there anyone out there that would want to treat the back stabbing duo with any kindness or respect? There are all different levels of possible revenge, some more realistic than others but how could you even be polite to these assholes?

I don't usually comment on my own stories but there are a few comments I wish to address.

This story is finished. Patrick moved on and has a promising relationship with Ally blooming. Why lower himself to get "revenge" on Julie & Jerry. Life is getting its own revenge on the couple. The shine has gone off their star and now they are stuck with each other.

It has been said that the best revenge is living well. Patrick is doing just that.

I could have written a scenario where Patrick had all kinds of ideas to burn his ex-fiance and ex-best friend. But why go that route. In the end he wouldn't have anymore than he did by shining them on.

So I think the story is finished.

Woodmanone

3*

It really is a bit incomplete Woody. I don't mean the part about his ex but his relationship with Ally. Yeah, it is enough but most people like more definite endings. I do have a Lit account but I use it sparingly.

I do appreciate you writing stories though. Thanks.

LW is rampant with hordes BTB people slavering and brandishing torches and pitch forks. I'm not one of them but I still found this story incredibly unsatisfying. 7/8 of this story was about Patrick's relationship with Jerry and Julie yet nothing happened after the betrayal except he wrote her a stern email. Once again, this is not about vengeance, physical or financial or what have you. It's about a lack of satisfaction for us, the readers. When Patrick's reply to Julie's Dear John email wasn't written out for we, the readers to read for ourselves it left an expectation of some kind of future confrontation to make up for the lack. Yet, when that face to face confrontation finally occurs... nothing happens.

It basically comes down to what kind of a story you wanted to tell here, woodmanone. By the tone and general bulk of the storyline one would rightly assume that it's about a man's personal reaction to a betrayal. The longer the story goes the more his affection for his friend and fiancee is made clear and the deeper the sense of his hurt and anger becomes. With all of this build up one would expect there to be something dramatic at the end of it to satisfy the expansion of emotions the readers feel along side Patrick. To have the confrontation occur yet have nothing happen is a huge let down. it doesn't have to be an ass whipping or a revenge plot but at least having him sneer at the disgusting pair and put them down in some way, some kind of verbal ranting, maybe a comparison between Julie and Ally where Ally shines through as a much better woman for him, an indication of regret on Julie's part, SOMEthing, would have made this at least a little fulfilling. Instead we get a whimper of a reaction as he calmly wanders off with his girl friend whom he's becoming closer with but probably isn't in love with yet and they fondly go home together with a hopeful feeling that blah, blah, blah, BORING. Incredibly unsatisfying.

If, on the other hand, the story you meant to tell was one of the successful culmination of a relationship for Patrick, you also missed the mark. After spending so much time describing the blossoming relationship with Julie then the destruction of it by the betrayal of her and his best friend, to make this a successful story about Patrick's relationships you'd have to spend as much effort selling Ally to us as a superior replacement for her. That didn't happen. If anything, Ally felt almost like she was tacked on at the last minute and her relationship with Patrick is half-heartedly dialed in. Sure, her introduction was kinda-sorta cute but not mind blowing and even Patrick admits that he only thinks he MAY be falling in love with her. It's all very dull and placid and gives the impression that you simply didn't want Patrick to be alone the next time he bumped into Back Stabber and Skank so you conjured up someone attractive yet different than Julie and be there, i.e. a plot device. Also incredibly unsatisfying.

The result of all of this is that I can't tell what kind of story you meant to tell and, consequently, why you wrote it in the first place. The story basically has no climax. OK, so he's probably going to marry Ally. Eventually. That's nice but honestly who cares? Ally hasn't been described enough to make any kind of impression on us, so we have no emotional reaction to their relationship. She's described in her introduction as having a hell of a temper and a fiery personality, yet after that introduction we see no sign of any passion at all from either of them. Patrick moved on emotionally and that's nice for him but, once again, incredibly unsatisfying for the reader. So, with no emotional confrontation between him and the assholes, and no really dynamic or engaging interaction between him and Ally... The story just... ended. And that's fucking boring.

Hopefully you don't take this too much to heart. You're a good writer and this story has some really excellent moments at the start and it's well written technically overall but it just fell flat at the end and left me wanting. That's really the kiss of death for me with a story.

But story does it in a lackadaisical way

...abrupt, empty endings. Would have been expected to go into a little deeper detail of the new romance. Two stars

Other comments were harsh but i got what you were trying to bring forth, which was the emotional turmoil and process of healing after being backstabbed. Perhaps more detail into the thinking process (arguing with himself about how to think/feel —> the evolving from angry and vengeful to letting go and moving on and making the decision to be cordial), but all in all v relatable :) shows a lot of emotional maturity as well. Ah well life be like that

Wheres the rest of it?

Absence doesn't make the heart grow fonder! Away you must communicate very often and in as many ways as you know. Email, snail mail, packages and whatever else you can think of.

Look at divorce rate among the military.

This story had great potential but half way through it just fizzled into nothingness. By the end of the story I really had absolutely no interest in Patrick or anyone else in the story.

what happened? Did you hit publish by mistake?

1 star for 1/2 of a story with no end.

Sorry. this story had great potential . It has the wrong ending. Chapter 2 would be good. AAA++

Good but ended short of the whole story. Another page would have done it.

Poor ending

Where's the rest? Another lazy writer

You ended it toooooo abruptly!