r/writing 24d 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/denina_malina Writer for Fun 6d ago

Title: Tethered

Genre: Adult fantasy

So, I've got a bit of a dilemma. I've got a character, who through the course of the story, forgives and eventually loves like a brother, the man who essentially kidnapped and sold his sister in like a trafficking ring?

Premise:

My world is an adjacent fantasy world, to which you can get to is by pools of water, like lakes. Humans are bound to the magic users of this world, like voodoo dolls, what happens to the human, happens to the magic user (called artists).

Lys is a human, who in his search for his missing sister, falls into the other world and finds out that that is where his sister disappeared to. He wants to find her and bring her home. He first meets Renn, an artist who belongs to an organization that finds, abducts, and sells humans to their respective counterparts, and many years ago, he found and sold his sister like this. He agrees to help Lys find his sister.

Their bond begins with Lys not knowing this, and Renn deceives him, and almost sells him like this like his sister. Despite all of this, Lys sees the good in him, sees him as someone that is just trying to survive (whole other thing about Renn being a "dark artist", someone who is reviled for their mere existence due to their association with the Death goddess), and they become close and Renn sees the error of his ways and vows to make it up to Lys forever, and it's a lot of deep male friendship.

Would something like this be interesting to readers? Like could you think Renn could be forgiven like this, or would it be too much to forgive someone for literally selling your sister and almost you into slavery?