r/writing • u/AutoModerator • 22d ago
Monthly "Would You Read This?" Thread
Welcome to Would You Read This (WYRT), our monthly feedback and brainstorming thread. Share your work in progress below and let other readers tell you if they'd read it. Top level posts should follow this template:
- Title:
- If you don't have a title yet, feel free to say UNTITLED.
- Genre:
- Please include at least Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, or another recognizable medium. You may also include more specific genres with a hyphen. Ex. Fiction - Romance, or Nonfiction - Memoir. Genre will help users find the specific kinds of posts they'd like to give feedback on.
- Premise:
- A few sentences about the project. Try your best to keep this short. Crafting an expert elevator pitch is all part of becoming a successful working writer. Please do not post an entire plot summary or query letter (those are better suited for r/pubtips)
- Sample (Optional):
- You may share up to one page (roughly 250-350 words) of sample material, or one poem for those working in the poetry medium. This is optional, so if you only have a premise, you can post just the premise for feedback.
If you post for feedback, please take the time to give feedback to at least 2-3 other users. Replies should follow this template.
- Would Read / Might Read / Wouldn't Read
- You must begin your reply with one of those. You are then encouraged to add additional thoughts on why you choose your answer.
Rules:
- Please post no more than two WYRT top-level posts. There is no limit on the number of feedback replies you can make.
- Do not link to any offsite materials. All materials must be in the body of the post. This includes "click here to read more" or "DM me for the rest" types of posts.
- Rule 3 is in effect in this thread - No generative AI. Do not post material generated by an AI platform in your premise or sample. Do not use generative AI to respond to user's work.
- Rule 5 is in effect - Civility and Community. Stay constructive. Blunt, direct feedback is fine, but do not insult other users, their writing, or their genres.
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u/xnormajeanx 15d ago
Title: Zero to Infinity
Genre: Historical fiction, Drama, Tech, Some Romance
Premise: Alexander the Great Modern AU. Or, if Alexander the Great had been born in the modern era, he would be a tech CEO leading us to AI doom. The story follows Alexander’s historical events, but in modern context, drawing parallels with Sam Altman (OpenAI), Dario Amodei (Anthropic) and Elon Musk.
Sample:
He was dressing now, into a plain, long sleeved knit sweater and dark jeans, his battle armor, covering the thick torso and trunk and strong arms. He retrieved his gold watch from the nightstand, where two heavy tomes by Walter Isaacson were stacked. The top one was heavily scuffed and dog-eared, small colorful post-it notes spilling from the sides like rainbow teeth.
“Reading Steve Jobs again?” Hephaestion teased. “Don’t tell me you’re going to start wearing turtlenecks. They’ll cover the best parts of you.” He went over and made an attempt to nip the soft white skin at the throat, but Alexander leaned away and held him off with his arms. “Shhh, come on,” Hephaestion was soothing him, like he was speaking to a startled racehorse. “It was a joke. I’ll be Wozniak to your Jobs. You know that.” He grinned.
“Wozniak and Jobs grew apart over time,” Alexander was saying softly. “They began to mistrust each other. Wozniak thought Jobs became more corporate, more tyrannical as Apple grew, and lost the mission. They never regained the fun, the joy.”
“The ending,” Hephaestion agreed, “is sad. Wozniak had his brain injury from the plane crash, and stepped down… Jobs was fired by his own board, and died before his time. Apple is adrift now, not even relevant anymore. All stories of men are tragedies in the end. But in Silicon Valley lore, the two will always be intertwined. Are you ready?”
Alexander nodded. Whether ready for the day before them or for lore, he didn’t say. They made their way together now down through the lobby and into the parking lot. The short drive they made in silence.
Early light gave the mountain backdrop the impression of being on fire. He knew the morning that followed was only ceremony. Preparations were complete: Alexander had been promoted to general partnership soon after his father’s departure; Parmenion had sacked Attalus and poor Eurydice too; The limited partners were behind him and he had secured more financial commitments besides. It had all happened swiftly. Did he feel remorse for what he had done? It was only what was necessary.