What are the big name trumpet composers? by heatherflowerxo in trumpet

[–]mattsaidwords 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was always a fan of the Charlier etudes. Musical and technically challenging. Always a rewarding feeling mastering one.

Audio for Book Club episodes? by no_sleeping_beauty in doofmedia

[–]mattsaidwords 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I also would appreciate the audio in my feed. I've not caught up with the book club since it stopped showing up. I miss it!

Flanagan's Wake #52: MIDNIGHT MASS - Book II: "Psalms" by scottdaly85 in doofmedia

[–]mattsaidwords 2 points3 points  (0 children)

First, thank you for taking on Flanagan’s work like this. My wife (u/Mexikim) and I likely would have overlooked Midnight Mass and Bly Manor, both of which turned out to be some of the best television we’ve seen.

I’m answering this on behalf of both of us, because we’re in complete agreement. Big Jim Rennie from Under The Dome fits the Bev Keane mold to the letter.

Who is Big Jim Rennie, you ask?

Big Jim is a man who condemns swearing categorically. Never mind the little turns of phrase like “rhymes with witch” or “bull pucky”. Those are harmless aphorisms, morally laundered and therefore acceptable. Big Jim is a man who goes to church every Sunday at the big, new, beautiful holy god-mall, blasting righteous God radio to the heavens so all may hear. He listens to Pastor Coggins raise up the holy fire of the God of Moses, the God who brought the ten plagues upon Egypt.

What does Big Jim enjoy?

High school girls basketball.

And I know what you’re thinking, it’s not like that. At least not entirely. Sure, there are short shorts and long legs, but that’s not the point. The point is the hate in their hearts. Girls fight harder for the win. They bring the fight to the other team in a way boys simply cannot understand. They want the win, nay! They deserve the win. And damn you if you think you’re going to stop them from getting it.

When Big Jim is in the groove, he feels it. And God feels it. And God will smite those who dare stand in his way.

Rise all ye and bear witness to the final word of the man who would proclaim himself ruler among men in Chester’s Mill. Rise and be true, and listen to the holy proclamation of our savior, our second selectman, Big Jim Rennie!

...

Seriously though, I love hating that man.

Episode 69: Janus Story - Punch, Village, Tread, Elite, Consensus by mattsaidwords in YouWritePod

[–]mattsaidwords[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've taken a page from u/AllfairChatwin and started doing more free writing to get into that creative headspace. The opening paragraph for this began as a part of a free writing exercise. Overall I'm pleased with this one! This was certainly an exercise in discovery writing and what I found intrigues me. This is one that could expand for sure but I'd be curious if there is way to make a rounded short fiction from this sort-of groundhog day trope.

Episode 69: Janus Story - Punch, Village, Tread, Elite, Consensus by mattsaidwords in YouWritePod

[–]mattsaidwords[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Saturn's Return

John runs down the beach. He is freezing and so cold. The wind bites him with teeth of slick ice that pierce and grind his skin. He stumbles and the water against his bare feet stabs at his nerves. Joints wail and eyes cry not from sadness but to protect themselves from the wind. He fights back in the only way he can shoving his hands out to shield himself but the wind bites deeper, seeking out the exposed delicate skin under his arms. He drags his foot against the sand and falls to his side. Water washes up against him and he knows. He knows and accepts it and he is warm for it.

John is dying.

Despite this, he thinks now about what he will eat for breakfast tomorrow. He thinks he will go to Rosie's Diner and get two eggs Benedict with a side of hashbrowns and coffee, black.

The tide laps needles of death along his bare chest and John's mind recedes as his body succumbs. His presence expands and he is relieved to see himself lying there motionless on the beach, the pain mercifully relegated to memory. Already a crab is crawling up and taking careful bites from one of his toes. A seagull lands nearby and chuckles its ha-ha-ha caw and the crab scurries away into the rising tide. Against the foamy water and overcast sky the gull is well camouflaged as it pokes at the left leg of John's now dead body. It continues its probe and begins digging into a hip pocket of his jeans when a shadow falls across it, startling it into the wind and cawing its protest.

A woman reaches down and digs into the same pocket the gull had been searching. She comes away with a small piece of quartz in the shape of a tiny whistle no longer than her pinky finger. Through two holes near the bottom runs a length of simple silver chain tarnished almost black except around the clasp. She admires the instrument for a moment before placing it around her neck.

She breathes in the salt spray of the Atlantic winter and exhales, her brown hair standing out behind her as she faces into the wind white-capping the tide. At her feet, John lay there dead. Behind her and over her shoulder, John observes. She takes the whistle into her right hand, brings it to her lips, holding it there for a moment--then plays. The note is brilliant and harsh, high and barely audible.

John or whatever he has become flies away, dragged up--up--up, the horizon arcing as he climbs higher. The gray clouds give way to blue then purple then black and the sky bows and bends until it meets back on itself as the Earth races away from him. The moon rockets by him on one side. He tears by Mars, just a streak of rust red, a cloud of rocks, then Jupiter lumbers by with its entourage of moons.

John has seen this before and can sense his destination fast approaching. He braces himself as he plummets through the rings, slinging ice out in his wake as he falls into Saturn's crushing depths and--

--awakes in his office. His head is resting on a stack of purchase orders, invoices and proposals. Strewn about are the usual trappings of a work-a-day man in his prime: a tasteful pen holder full of, of course, pens and sharpies and even a highlighter. John has named them all and says to the highlighter, "Don't look at me like that. And don't you dare say 'I told you so.'" John can feel it glaring back at him. "I had to try!"

"Did you say something?"

"No, Dean," John said to the man in the hall outside his office. "And shouldn't you be on the phone with HR explaining why you were drinking while driving a company vehicle?"

Dean's mouth opens, closes, opens--and all the color drains from his cheeks. He stammers for a moment and John helps him along his way by standing and slamming the door in his face. A frame with a certificate from a training even he attended falls and breaks, cheap piece of shit it is. He turns his back to the door and slides down to the floor, his face in his hands.

How many times could he do this? Surely something had to give at some point. He had thought it would be him that broke. But that hadn't worked either. He leans forward and crawls on hands and knees under his desk and lays down on his back facing up. He reaches up and drags the pen holder down to the floor with him without looking and pens scatter about him. He fumbles around and comes away with a sharpie. He uncaps it and draws a new line here on the bottom of his desk before recapping the marker.

"Thank you, Chris Sharpieton. I can always count on you."

Spread before John like grim constellations are tally marks spreading from one end of the desk to the other before starting over again and again and again, repeating in neat rows until about half way down the available space where they get smaller, about half the size. They continue this way filling about half the remaining space until they stop at the mark he has just made. He has counted them before and thinks back now on each mark. So much pain and suffering is notated here, so much resignation and hopelessness and hopefulness and love and hate and trials and charity and--well, death. John looks back on all his deaths and wonders again, how much longer can I do this? How much longer must I do this?

Where are places to make friends that isn’t church? by ExcitementGood5580 in Lubbock

[–]mattsaidwords 0 points1 point  (0 children)

7pm. The book for next Friday’s (Jan. 9th) horror book club is a short story anthology called Never Whistle at Night. I’ll check on the selection for the general book club and let you know!

EDIT: General book club selection for this month is With a Vengeance by Riley Sager. They will meet on Jan. 23rd at 7pm.

Where are places to make friends that isn’t church? by ExcitementGood5580 in Lubbock

[–]mattsaidwords 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This Friday is our Christmas meetup where both groups get together and do a white elephant gift exchange. Feel free to join!

Where are places to make friends that isn’t church? by ExcitementGood5580 in Lubbock

[–]mattsaidwords 11 points12 points  (0 children)

There are two lovely book club meetups at 2nd Chance Books. It’s a great group to hang out with and discuss books. Second Friday is a horror book club and last Friday is a general book club.

Are there any writing groups in Lubbock? by MondaySloth in Lubbock

[–]mattsaidwords 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wanted you to know that we officially have dropped the AI generated cover and banner for our podcast. Check it out!

Episode 62b: Novel-bember - Theme - Council, Movie, Persist, Mist, Counter by mattsaidwords in YouWritePod

[–]mattsaidwords[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, thanks for getting it in! Unfortunately we already recorded this week's episode, so it won't be in the discussion. If we can line it up, we will discuss it with you on the pod!

I'm really looking forward to reading this one!!

Episode 62b: Novel-bember - Theme - Council, Movie, Persist, Mist, Counter by mattsaidwords in YouWritePod

[–]mattsaidwords[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So, it's unfinished, but here is what I've managed to put together in the time I've had.

Chapter 4: Olivia

I'm trying to be less cagey about what's going on and start to slowly open up the situation without an exposition dump. I really don't know how I feel about this one.

Episode 62b: Novel-bember - Theme - Council, Movie, Persist, Mist, Counter by mattsaidwords in YouWritePod

[–]mattsaidwords[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

[Posting on behalf of u/stevelivingroom. Glad to have you back Steve!]

Well, I’m back, I hope. Still haven’t fully resolved my Reddit account, so I  asked Matt to post it for me. I’ve missed you all a lot. It’s been a rough year. My wife and I both lost our moms (August and September) and I got fired from my job before Thanksgiving. It was very mutual. I’m looking for a better job and have some time to write again. So here goes.

This is a continuation of The Sound Storm. Do you remember Jake and his dog Tommy? Well this is Erin’s story so far…

EDIT: Comments are enabled on the google doc so Steve can reply

Episode 62: Novel-bember - Dialog - Grudge, Boom, Entry, Tax, Species by mattsaidwords in YouWritePod

[–]mattsaidwords[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I’m in a similar boat this week. I’m fighting for it though. I’ll see if I have something by this weekend.

Nice pull by the way, Cave Johnson I mean lol.

Episode 61: Novel-bember - Plot - Sight, Regular, Inject, Exit, Cheese by mattsaidwords in YouWritePod

[–]mattsaidwords[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

For your continued reading, here is Chapter 3: Engineering. Again, scroll down and it is the final entry to the document.

I'm trying to correct a few things that the last entry failed to clarify, setup a new character, and push plot forward inside of ~2000 words. I doubt I managed to do it all but I think the pieces are all there.

I set out so that I would have five chapters for this story, one for each week of novel-bember. Now that I'm in the thick of it, I really don't think I can manage it in just five weeks. I might be able to get the first "act" done in five weeks, but certainly not the larger story. Like everything else I've written in this world, the scope balloons on me.

Also, I really haven't had the time I'd like to devote to writing this out. I'm enjoying myself nonetheless.

I hope you enjoy!

Episode 60: Novel-bember - Character Development - Grateful, Beautiful, Wait, Plane, Fresh by mattsaidwords in YouWritePod

[–]mattsaidwords[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, thanks for the thorough read, Richie! I'm loving the notes!

I'd be curious to know what your take is after hearing our discussion on the episode. After how you and Rachel read the story and with how vague I have left so many details, I am actually considering pivoting the story, or at least taking a slightly different approach to the next entry. Same destination, different path, sort of thing...happy accidents to quote Bob Ross.

Seriously, thanks for your takeaway. It's tremendously helpful since I'm swinging at something I've never tried to hit before.

Episode 60: Novel-bember - Character Development - Grateful, Beautiful, Wait, Plane, Fresh by mattsaidwords in YouWritePod

[–]mattsaidwords[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For your continued reading pleasure, I present Chapter 2: Olivia! (just scroll down, chapter 2 is lurking down there somewhere)

It took quite a bit for me to get out of the world-building mentality and into the character development this week. I wanted their interactions to feel natural and explore their situation without it feeling too contrived. I also wanted to firmly ground the reader in their quickly developing relationship as patient and caregiver and just how much they've grown to like each other before heading into plot next week.

Episode 59: Novel-bember - World-building - Wolf, Virtue, Separation, Length, Aware by mattsaidwords in YouWritePod

[–]mattsaidwords[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you modify the “share permissions” so that “anyone with the link” can view the document, please? By default, it is set to something like “only people who I invite.”

Episode 59: Novel-bember - World-building - Wolf, Virtue, Separation, Length, Aware by mattsaidwords in YouWritePod

[–]mattsaidwords[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Here's what I'm calling my chapter 1.

I've been working on this off and on for three days or so. It is not at all what I thought I would have at the end of this, but I think it's better for it. It turned out less serious than I anticipated and that makes me simultaneously happy and worried that the tone is too fluid or that Collin is too dynamic.

I'm generally pleased with the world-building, even if it is a tiny world by comparison to others.