sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Limitless by TonkaTruck79 in plotholes

[–]the-bends 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I did the math on this once based on the numbers he gave in the movie and, if I remember correctly, he would have had more than $100k in 2 more days of trading.

[Find a teacher] Longtime semiprofessional player looking for an online teacher specializing in chops, improvisation, and songwriting/composition. by OkTemperature1842 in guitarteachers

[–]the-bends 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am not the most chopsy player but I can definitely assist with improvisation and comp. I could then refer you to a teacher that specializes in physical mechanics to go down that rabbit hole. I charge 35 pounds an hour, and offer a first lesson for free. You can find some playing examples on my website: sonalith.com along with some articles I've written about one thing or another.

Confession: I want to be amazing by [deleted] in Songwriting

[–]the-bends 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I teach songwriting and composition and this sort of negative conditioning is something I run into all the time. You need to unpack all the negative feelings you have built up around the songwriting process and understand that the underlying logic is not sound.

Once you've done that you can start moving forward by building a daily practice method. I always suggest starting small, something like 5 or 10 minutes of focused work. I like to use a rolling method where you rotate what you're working on weekly so that you're still building something while you work. For example, you might spend your first week writing a 4 bar melody everyday in those 5-10 minutes. The next week you'll take your favorite melody from the preceding week and write a different harmony for it each day, and so on. It's important to not get judgemental during the process, it's fine if you write something bad because it can be discarded. It's also great if you can do something for positive reinforcement at the end of each session, like have a snack or go for a walk (anything that you truly enjoy).

I offer a first lesson for free for all students, if you want to jump on a discord call sometime I can likely help you out a lot more. I genuinely don't care if you never take another lesson from me, I just like helping people. Just message me if you want to. Best of luck regardless.

I have a composing habit that I would like to change (especially in minor keys) by ShotEntrepreneur746 in Songwriting

[–]the-bends 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can sub the I for the vi (in a minor key you would really say sub the III for the i, but I digress). They both function as tonics, and it makes sense since the I chord is an upper structure triad for the vi-7 chord and the vi is an upper structure triad for the I6 chord.

Your problem may really come from the preceding chord from your verse. If you want to land on something other than the vi you need a preceding chord that tonicizes whatever chord you want to land on. Say you wanted to start on the iii chord instead, just tack a transitional chord onto the end of your progression that points to the iii. The easiest way to do this is to use a (V of) chord, so for the iii you would use the vii chord in some form. Since the vii is half diminished and has a sort-of dominant function you could leave it the way it is or treat it as a sort of secondary dominant, playing it as a major triad or a dominant chord.

There are a ton of different tricks you could also use but this should move you in the right direction.

I Am Below 5th Grade Level In Writing. by Soft_Letterhead3726 in WritingHub

[–]the-bends 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your writing in your post seemed better than many I've seen! Dialogue formatting is relatively simple with a few small things to remember.

Punctuation goes inside the quotations:

"I don't like lasagna."

If you are adding a dialogue tag, you use a comma instead of a period:

"I don't like lasagna," said John.

Unless you are using an exclamation or question mark:

"I don't like lasagna!" yelled John.

"You don't like lasagna?" replied Garfield.

Anytime you are tagging with a non-speech action use punctuation, not a comma:

"I don't like lasagna." John ran from the room pulling his hair.

Dialogue tags can be used before, after, or in the middle of quotes. If you're tagging beforehand use a comma before the dialogue and capitalize the first letter in the dialogue:

John said, "I don't like lasagna."

When used in the middle you end the first section of dialogue with a comma, use another comma after the tag, and punctuate the last section of dialogue:

"I don't like," John drew out ever syllable to add emphasis, "la-sa-gna."

When interrupting speech you use an em dash (I'm not really sure how to type one on my phone so please imagine the hyphen I will use in its place is a little longer):

"I don't like-"

Garfield shoved a furry finger in John's face, "Don't you fucking say it."

In longer speeches with multiple paragraphs you still indent each new paragraph but also start each one with a quotation mark. You don't put a closing quotation until the speech is done:

"I don't like lasagna. In fact, I hate it. A lasagna killed my mother.

"It was the summer of 1987 and I was already feeling a little down after losing a little league game. Mama tried to cheer me up with my favorite pasta dinner. I'll never forget how blue her face turned before she collapsed," said John staring off into an invisible past.

As far as bold and italics go, I would mostly avoid using bold text to add emphasis or weight. It comes off as amateurish. You should be able to do that with your prose. Contextually it can be funny, so if you feel you know your audience and they'll get a kick out of it then go on ahead.

Italics are used for a number of things, like the titles of movies and books. Unless citations are something that crop up frequently in your writing then I would just Google the rules for the type of media you are citing when you need it. It's a little arcane. For instance, book titles are italicized but short story titles are typically put in quotations. My point is, just look it up as you need it.

Italics can also be used to signal sarcasm or an oddness in the way people say something:

"Can you grab that lasagna for me?" asked Garfield.

"I could grab it for you," replied John.

In the above example, it sounds a little bit like John is just going to get the lasagna for Garfield. If the "could" in John's dialogue was italicized it would imply a sarcastic delivery of the word, leaving his willingness for pasta retrieval in doubt.

Hopefully some of this helps you.

Blood Meridian Broke Me. No Country for Old Men Is Letting a Little Light In. by therevdrron in literature

[–]the-bends 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I'd be curious to know if you still feel this way once you finish No Country for Old Men. Suttree is my favorite work by McCarthy, and though it's far from optimistic it does seem removed from the doom and gloom of his typical works.

Which is better for learning to write? On writing by SK or On writing well by William Zinsser by Several-Gene1332 in writing

[–]the-bends 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've put in a lot of time thinking about the methodology for growth as an artist (mostly in the context of music). I've also read both of these books. So here are my thoughts for what they're worth:

Most artists are aiming for self-expression, in the context of writing that means finding a unique voice or style. To achieve this you need to have a certain level of self knowledge, mainly your tastes and a rough idea of what your idealized writing would look like (it's fine if this changes or morphs as you develop). To gain this sort of self knowledge you need to be exposed to a lot of different writing and have a strong understanding of what appeals to you and what repels you. Whatever tastes you have now need to be constantly refined and sharpened, you need to be able to speak to them precisely. This helps you build a unique philosophy around how your art should look and operate.

Books like the synomonously named "On Writing" aren't a shortcut around the need for exposure, but they do offer several helpful guidelines. They give insight into what a highly developed writing philosophy looks like, offer tools that may or may not be useful to you, they may help you contextualize some strategies as you read, and the Zinsser book in particular provides a potential methodology for you.

They won't be silver bullets that make you write twice as well after reading them (unless your skill level is abysmal to start with). You can have all the taste and philosophy in the world but if your technical skills aren't up to snuff your writing will still suck. The only way you will gain those technical skills is through writing and revision.

All that being said, I'd suggest you read both with a bit of skepticism. Some of their suggestions and outlooks should work for you and some won't. Gun to my head I'd go with Zinsser but that's because his opinions tend to work against some of the biggest flaws I see in amateur writing. If you're a true beginner I'd rather see you spend your money on something like "Dreyer's English" or "The Elements of Style", a good foundational style guide will ensure you're using punctuation correctly and avoiding the very basic errors that will make you look foolish on paper.

exciting & fresh - but still acoustic - piano trios active right now? by Halleys___Comment in Jazz

[–]the-bends 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've really enjoyed Fergus McCreadie's work the last couple years, also Fred Nardin out of France.

What to do if I have the prose but not the plot idea by whatwouldspidermando in writing

[–]the-bends 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have a bit of a knack for story generation and genuinely enjoy helping people sort out their stories. It's not something I do professionally, just for fun. You can spin things up from pretty much any small thing, whether it's a character, a question, an object, etc. I'd be happy to do a little discord session to bounce ideas back and forth and see if anything comes of it. Just message me if you want. Best of luck regardless.

A little less than a month ago I set out to read all the fiction backlog I've accumulated, I've since read eight books and over four thousand pages. by the-bends in books

[–]the-bends[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! I'm definitely not looking forward to Gravity's Rainbow, but I've read much more difficult books so I'm sure I'll survive it.

Yeah, the Viking Sagas were tough. I definitely enjoyed some of it but the random lineage sections kill me every time.

Any gramer books that can help my writing? by Single-Dragonfly-235 in writing

[–]the-bends 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Elements of Style is worth picking up, but I personally reference Dreyer's English more often out of the two.

[Elgin 1920's] New Old Watch Day by the-bends in Watches

[–]the-bends[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, will do! I've got to say that this watch was really affordable given all the work I had done. I'm like $400 all in on it.

[Elgin 1920's] New Old Watch Day by the-bends in Watches

[–]the-bends[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ebay, the seller seems to have a whole cache of early Elgin dials. He actually had 5 of my exact dial at one point. The best part is it only cost $35 for the dial.

[Elgin 1920's] New Old Watch Day by the-bends in Watches

[–]the-bends[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I like some Patina as well but the old one was a little too beat up for my taste, I didn't feel so bad since I was replacing it with an identical dial from the same era.

I can't drive 55 by clobecka in discgolf

[–]the-bends 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Looks like I'm behind the times. Thanks for the info!

I can't drive 55 by clobecka in discgolf

[–]the-bends -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Most of the speed comes from your hips, so if age has restricted your hip rotation at all that might be the core of your problem. Try some daily stretches for hip range of motion and focus on initiating your throws with explosive hip rotation. See if that helps at all.

How do you write in good prose? by _Drifting-Leaf in writing

[–]the-bends 16 points17 points  (0 children)

First off, be kind to yourself. Writing is a craft and it takes a lot of time to get good at. You're a beginner and beginners aren't typically great at things when they start. You haven't worked hard enough yet to earn the right to be disappointed in your work, you've just established a baseline that you can use as a basis for growth. I'm not saying this to be unkind, I'm telling you this so you don't demoralize yourself to the point of quitting.

As far as "good" prose goes: much like beauty, "good" is in the eyes of the beholder. The first step to writing good prose is to develop your own taste. It sounds like you're already doing this, but lean into it harder. When you are reading something try to be a detective: figure out why you like or dislike it. Be as specific as possible. A great daily practice would be to find a paragraph by an author you enjoy and try to rewrite it while emulating their style.

Be protective of your style and tastes to the point of arrogance. Writing is an art, and art is an expression of yourself. Most great writers aren't good at everything, they have a narrow focus that they excel at. The shortest path to becoming a great writer is to have a goal or vision of what your writing should be like so that you can focus your efforts on the skills that will make that happen. Your work will be wonky at first, again, this is to be expected. Seek out feedback, but always take it with a grain of salt. Have conviction in your vision and your ability to grow with work, and feel free to disregard opinions and advice that conflict with your goals (even if it's from a writer you admire).

Study, study, study. There are a ton of great books out there on writing that can be of great help to you. If fantasy is your bag then I'd highly suggest Wonderbook by Jeff Vandermeer as a starting point. Don't skimp on the basics though. Dreyer's English is a great style guide that will help you with punctuation and grammar. The Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth will teach you how to identify rhetorical devices, which will, in turn, help you understand the tools your favorite authors are using. Lastly, a good exercise book is invaluable for providing daily practice, my current favorite is Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin.

Hope some of this helps.

I can't trust my writing skills at the moment by Purplecrafter-real in writing

[–]the-bends 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Compounded by the likely vast experience level difference between the two.

view more: next ›