Critique of Gabrielle’s “How to Make Friends”

“How to Make Friends” is exactly what the title makes it out to be: a step by step instructional manual for how to gain a companion.  The piece is more technical than the average self-help book and is experimental in its use of diagrams and the overall format of a manual.  I like the thorough breakdown of every aspect of friendship and the unexpected use of casual terms such as “stalkerish”.  While it is an interesting piece, it lacks any elements of a story.  Perhaps the relation of two characters, whether conflicted or successful, could be interspersed throughout the text as a recurring example.  This would provide an underlying narrative in the piece and make it read more like a piece of experimental fiction.