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jolantru.livejournal.comAnd for folks who are on Twitter, a great venue to have your fiction reviewed: here.
jolantru.livejournal.com
Wave Seven is up.
Jul. 20th, 2009 11:33 amjolantru.livejournal.comWave Seven: Homesickness is up on Of Oysters, Pearls And Magic.
Excerpt:
"...So we leave our homes and make new ones in other places. Our bodies, our memories, are tied to the land we are born on – and we get homesick.
In times like these, I remember the folk song my Grandmother has taught me. The title roughly translates to “The Sky Is Dark”. It comforts me in times of loneliness and I recall it being sung in a sincere quavering voice while the memories of boiling broth and quiet chatter gently cradle me to sleep..."
Excerpt:
"...So we leave our homes and make new ones in other places. Our bodies, our memories, are tied to the land we are born on – and we get homesick.
In times like these, I remember the folk song my Grandmother has taught me. The title roughly translates to “The Sky Is Dark”. It comforts me in times of loneliness and I recall it being sung in a sincere quavering voice while the memories of boiling broth and quiet chatter gently cradle me to sleep..."
Added another picture...
Jul. 17th, 2009 10:34 amjolantru.livejournal.com... of the Sea of Dead Ships: Cathedrals of Dead Ships.
Now I go puree my carrots and orange for soup.
Now I go puree my carrots and orange for soup.
Updated and added...
Jul. 16th, 2009 08:38 pmjolantru.livejournal.commaterial (words and artwork) to:
Flora and Fauna.
Crafting Ideas.
Gallery.
A peek at the Gallery: Sketched (and added color) The Sea of Dead Ships. I am a sucker for abandoned ships or hulks, like this site most vividly shows. I always imagine the Sea of Dead Ships as grand in a sad and tragic way, hollow and empty of life, but not truly empty as life (in the form of ferns) starts to colonize the nooks and crannies of the ship frames.
And if you look very carefully at the ships, you will see ship names "Aurum", "Sif" and "Or".
And if you like, please do donate. ;) (link's here)
Flora and Fauna.
Crafting Ideas.
Gallery.
A peek at the Gallery: Sketched (and added color) The Sea of Dead Ships. I am a sucker for abandoned ships or hulks, like this site most vividly shows. I always imagine the Sea of Dead Ships as grand in a sad and tragic way, hollow and empty of life, but not truly empty as life (in the form of ferns) starts to colonize the nooks and crannies of the ship frames.
And if you look very carefully at the ships, you will see ship names "Aurum", "Sif" and "Or".
And if you like, please do donate. ;) (link's here)
Mirra's world fleshed out.
Jul. 11th, 2009 11:02 pmjolantru.livejournal.comI have added new pages to Of Oysters, Pearls and Magic, namely:
1. Map.
2. Flora and Fauna.
3. Characters.
4. World Building.
Added information and a map to Flora and Fauna, Characters and Map respectively. Still need some work on World Building. Warning: The map is only a rough sketch - I ain't good and I am not a mapmaker by trade. ;)
1. Map.
2. Flora and Fauna.
3. Characters.
4. World Building.
Added information and a map to Flora and Fauna, Characters and Map respectively. Still need some work on World Building. Warning: The map is only a rough sketch - I ain't good and I am not a mapmaker by trade. ;)
How to Boost Your Audience
Jul. 11th, 2009 01:08 pmysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
puffbird pointed out that something I said in a comment really needed a post of its own, so people could find it. Here are my tips for improving the activity and size of your audience, useful for cyberfunded creativity and for blogging in general.To make an audience more lively:
- Invite comments by asking questions.
- Praise people when they comment.
- Track your most active members using the LJ Comments Stats Wizard.
- Track your main topics: go to your Profile page, select "Journal" and then "Manage Tags." Look under "Your Tags" and sort by "Usage." Click each tag topic to display its number of posts and other data.
- Ask your audience if they like the topics you are posting about most frequently and what topics they would like more (or less) of.
- Post polls.
- Watch for active people who interest you, and Friend them.
To make an audience bigger:
- Post on other blogs that have a big, active audience and are related to your topic.
- Join some Friending communities and watch for people whose interests match yours, and Friend them.
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add_a_writer and addme_creative are good choices. - Join communities related to your topic and post frequently there.
- Scan the membership lists of communities you frequent, visit other members' journals, and Friend the ones that appeal to you.
- Encourage your current readers to link to your blog and tell their friends about it.
- Announce that you will release new material when a target number of new Friends join. (Idea courtesy of avepasifika.)
More and better content will, of course, help with both of these goals:
- Post frequently. Once a week is the minimum for an effective blog, several times a week is better, and daily is best.
- If you cannot post frequently, post regularly. Pick a day of the week or several days in the month when your blog always updates, and tell people when.
- Post good material. If it is dull, ugly, or difficult to decipher then people will probably not pay much attention to it.
- Posting experiments, failures, and/or works-in-progress can draw attention if you discuss your goals and what is going right or wrong. This attracts other people who are trying to learn similar skills.
- Post original material. If they can't get it anywhere else, people are more likely to hang around your blog to get the goodies.
- Relay interesting material. If there is news related to your blog topic(s), post an excerpt and link to the original article, then add some personal comments. When people find a good source for news that interests them, they tend to check it often.
jolantru.livejournal.comI have added new material (recipes, photographs, icon!) to the Oysters, Pearls And Magic site. Check out Crafting Ideas, Recipes and Gallery.
Thanks!
Thanks!
ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.comI made these icons with El Jay Icon Maker and some stock bases. If anyone wants to use them, they are available. One says "crowdfunding" and the other says "cyberfunded creativity" so take your pick.
Welcome Our New Maintainers!
Jun. 29th, 2009 11:09 amysabetwordsmith.livejournal.comSince I launched this community quite some time ago, I have been the sole maintainer. It has taken a while to build up enough activity to need more maintainers and offer suitable candidates. I am pleased to announce that haikujaguar and talkswithwolves have joined as maintainers. Special thanks to them for their service.
Also, for those of you who don't read on weekends, there is an important poll considering whether to keep the community's current name or change to a new one. Please vote in that if you have not already done so. My inclination is to leave this poll open for a week, closing it on Sunday, July 5 so that everyone will have a chance to participate.
haikujaguar and talkswithwolves have joined as maintainers. Special thanks to them for their service.Also, for those of you who don't read on weekends, there is an important poll considering whether to keep the community's current name or change to a new one. Please vote in that if you have not already done so. My inclination is to leave this poll open for a week, closing it on Sunday, July 5 so that everyone will have a chance to participate.
Fairyland Icons
Jun. 28th, 2009 03:51 pmysabetwordsmith.livejournal.comtalkstowolves has posted a set of icons inspired by the cyberfunded creativity project The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by yuki_onna. These are beautiful icons that really capture the magic and power of the story. Girls can have grand adventures too!My Dreamwidth page.
Jun. 24th, 2009 10:33 amjolantru.livejournal.comJust to tell you know that I have some fiction posted on my Dreamwidth journal as well: In Between Worlds.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Poetry Fishbowl on Tuesday, June 9
Jun. 3rd, 2009 01:15 amysabetwordsmith.livejournal.comPoetry Fishbowl on Tuesday, June 9  | |
| This is an advance announcement for the June Poetry Fishbowl (gods and weather willing). This time the theme will be "the magic in everyday things."I'll be soliciting ideas for ordinary people, commonplace miracles, ordinary but important events, everyday objects or creatures, things we take for granted, folklore or superstitions about everyday things, and poetic forms in particular. If you're interested, mark the date on your calendar, and please hold actual prompts until the "Poetry Fishbowl Open" post next week. Meanwhile, if you want to help with promotion, please feel free to link back here or repost this on your blog. Writing is usually considered a solitary pursuit. One exception to this is a fascinating exercise called a "fishbowl." This has various forms, but all of them basically involve some kind of writing in public, usually with interaction between author and audience. A famous example is Harlan Ellison's series of "stories under glass" in which he sits in a bookstore window and writes a new story based on an idea that someone gives him. Writing classessometimes include a version where students watch each other write, often with students calling out suggestions which are chalked up on the blackboard for those writing to use as inspiration. I'm going to host a Poetry Fishbowl on my blog on Tuesday, June 9. I'll be soliciting ideas for enigmatic characters, secrets, mysterious events, lost cities, miniscule objects or creatures, obscurities, and poetic forms in particular. Chances are I'll spend a good chunk of the day, from afternoon to evening or more, alternating between this site and doing stuff offline so my back doesn't weld itself to the chair. I will post at least one of the resulting fishbowl poems on the blog for everyone to enjoy. The rest will be available for audience members to buy, and whatever's left over will go into my archive for magazine submission. If you enjoy my poetry -- or if you just love poetry in general, or want to promote awareness of everyday life -- please mark the fishbowl date on your calendar. Drop by and give me some ideas, comment on the posted poetry, encourage people to come look, whatever tickles your fancy. I hope to see you then! |
Poetry Blog Rankings
Jan. 28th, 2009 10:37 pmysabetwordsmith.livejournal.comToday I discovered a new blog directory with a specialized focus that should appeal to a lot of you folks: Poetry Blog Rankings. This site aims to list all the blogs in the world that feature poetry and/or poets, connecting readers and writers of poetry in the process. For readers, the site provides tools for finding new poetry blogs, rating them, and bookmarking your favorites. For writers, the site provides a way to introduce your poetry to new readers and compare your blog's popularity against others.
Membership in Poetry Blog Rankings is free for poetry readers and writers. There is a link for donations, if you wish to support the site; that page also lists their ideas for future expansion and features. Poets may make a $12 donation to earn permanent "Gold Member" status, which offers extra perks. If you practice cyberfunded creativity, this may be useful.
The more members who rate a poetry blog, the more solid its score becomes. (They don't want one or two people skewing the numbers.) It takes a minimum of 6 votes to qualify for the Top 100 Poetry Blogs list. A blog's ranking within the directory thus depends on how members rate it.
If you already belong to Poetry Blog Rankings -- or if you decide to join -- please consider rating The Wordsmith's Forge according to your taste. The directory recommends that members read at least three of a writer's poems before ranking that blog; click here to view some of mine. If you have a poetry blog of your own listed, please reply here with a link to your Poetry Blog Rankings profile page so that other folks can rate it.
Membership in Poetry Blog Rankings is free for poetry readers and writers. There is a link for donations, if you wish to support the site; that page also lists their ideas for future expansion and features. Poets may make a $12 donation to earn permanent "Gold Member" status, which offers extra perks. If you practice cyberfunded creativity, this may be useful.
The more members who rate a poetry blog, the more solid its score becomes. (They don't want one or two people skewing the numbers.) It takes a minimum of 6 votes to qualify for the Top 100 Poetry Blogs list. A blog's ranking within the directory thus depends on how members rate it.
If you already belong to Poetry Blog Rankings -- or if you decide to join -- please consider rating The Wordsmith's Forge according to your taste. The directory recommends that members read at least three of a writer's poems before ranking that blog; click here to view some of mine. If you have a poetry blog of your own listed, please reply here with a link to your Poetry Blog Rankings profile page so that other folks can rate it.
ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.comI'm pleased to announce my new blog, Gaiatribe: Ideas for a Thinking Planet. It belongs to a network of blogs called Geek Universalis. Several blogs, each with their own area of expertise, feed into the main blog, rather the way columns combine in a magazine. It's another approach to cyberfunded creativity, combining multiple revenue streams to be shared among the authors.
Gaiatribe supports the premise that humanity is the part of the biosphere that can think, which gives us the responsibility to care for life and the Earth. Here you'll find discussions of renewable energy, sustainable development, intentional community, nature religions, environmental awareness, and related topics. If you have enjoyed my writing on those topics in other venues, please visit Gaiatribe -- I think you'll love it too. So far there are 12 posts across many categories.
Helps
If you want to help support this project, here are some things you can do:
Thank you for all your support of my various projects. You folks are a terrific audience and I really appreciate you!
Gaiatribe supports the premise that humanity is the part of the biosphere that can think, which gives us the responsibility to care for life and the Earth. Here you'll find discussions of renewable energy, sustainable development, intentional community, nature religions, environmental awareness, and related topics. If you have enjoyed my writing on those topics in other venues, please visit Gaiatribe -- I think you'll love it too. So far there are 12 posts across many categories.
Helps
If you want to help support this project, here are some things you can do:
- Join the Gaiatribe community on MyBlogLog. If you're on that service but haven't added me to your Contacts, here's my profile page.
- Watch for some Gaiatribe posts on Digg and help promote them. Here is the first one on blog metaphors. If you're on Digg but haven't already added me to your Friends list, here's my profile page. My main interests on Digg include environment, space, general science, and politics; I've blocked out sports and health categories as outside my interest range.
- Leave comments! Feedback is candy. I'm hoping to build up a lively audience on Gaiatribe, people who will join conversations and share exciting ideas.
- Mention Gaiatribe on your blog, or anywhere else you think would be appropriate. Word of mouth helps spread beyond the audience within immediate reach.
- Links: If you want to put a link to Gaiatribe on your page, go right ahead. Do you have a blog or other website that deals with the environment, community, activism, Paganism, or other related topics? If so, perhaps we can exchange links. (Check the link list first. I've already linked to several folks I know.)
- If you can think of anything else that might be helpful, go for it, or ask me if you're not sure how to make it work.
Thank you for all your support of my various projects. You folks are a terrific audience and I really appreciate you!
What we've been blogging about
Nov. 25th, 2008 11:49 amysabetwordsmith.livejournal.comHere's a collage that shows what we've been discussing here.
( What I've been journaling about )
How accurate do you think it is?
( What I've been journaling about )
How accurate do you think it is?
Free Icon from Ninjahijinx
May. 18th, 2008 09:50 amysabetwordsmith.livejournal.comninjahijinx is holding a free icon day today and tomorrow. Drop by the blog and request an icon. No payment is required. However, there is a tip jar out and if you donate at least a dollar, you're guaranteed to get an icon even if oodles and oodles of people ask for them. Otherwise the artist reserves the right to go "ZOMG what have I done?!" and quit early, in case of deluge. On the third hoof, if at least $100 in donations comes in, all requested icons will be drawn ... eventually. I've already put in my request. The sample icons look cool. This artist is good at drawing animals and anthropomorphic characters, but is willing to do other things. Go take a look!
Content Strike
Mar. 20th, 2008 04:39 pmysabetwordsmith.livejournal.comPosting to cyberfund_creat is temporarily suspended until after the content strike. I'm pleasantly surprised to see that LJ owners are already making some steps in the right direction after much outcry over recent changes. Hopefully a healthy arrangement can be achieved.
For more details, see:
ljspeaks
beckyzoole
cyberfund_creat is temporarily suspended until after the content strike. I'm pleasantly surprised to see that LJ owners are already making some steps in the right direction after much outcry over recent changes. Hopefully a healthy arrangement can be achieved.For more details, see:
ljspeaksbeckyzooleContent Strike
Mar. 17th, 2008 12:46 amysabetwordsmith.livejournal.comI picked this up from beckyzoole. Personally, I'm less than pleased about the deletion of free, adless Basic accounts -- but I am seriously displeased with the rapidly growing censorship of sensitive topics. Meanwhile, LJ seems perfectly content to let people perpetrate abuse against people of nonstandard genders. So I'm in a mood to pour a bucket of cold water over the goat's head.
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The 24-hour strike will begin at the following times for the following locations:
Thursday, March 20, 2:00 PM -- Honolulu
Thursday, March 20, 4:00 PM -- Anchorage
Thursday, March 20, 5:00 PM -- San Francisco
Thursday, March 20, 6:00 PM -- Mexico City
Thursday, March 20, 7:00 PM -- Chicago
Thursday, March 20, 8:00 PM -- Montreal
Thursday, March 20, 9:00 PM -- Buenos Aires
Midnight -- London
Friday, March 21, 1:00 AM -- Paris
Friday, March 21, 2:00 AM -- Istanbul
Friday, March 21, 3:00 AM -- Moscow
Friday, March 21, 4:00 AM -- Dubai
Friday, March 21, 5:00 AM -- Islamabad
Friday, March 21, 6:00 AM -- Bangladesh
Friday, March 21, 7:00 AM -- Bangkok
Friday, March 21, 8:00 AM -- Singapore
Friday, March 21, 9:00 AM -- Tokyo
Friday, March 21, 10:00 AM -- Brisbane
Friday, March 21, 11:00 AM -- Sydney
Friday, March 21, 12 Noon -- Suva
beckyzoole. Personally, I'm less than pleased about the deletion of free, adless Basic accounts -- but I am seriously displeased with the rapidly growing censorship of sensitive topics. Meanwhile, LJ seems perfectly content to let people perpetrate abuse against people of nonstandard genders. So I'm in a mood to pour a bucket of cold water over the goat's head.<tr><td class="entry">
Content Strike: Friday March 21
</td></tr><tr><td class="medLine" width="1"></td><td class="entry">The one-day content strike is on for this Friday, March 21, from midnight GMT to midnight GMT.
For 24 hours, we will not post or comment to LJ. Not in our own journals, not in communities. Not publicly, privately, or under friends-lock.
This is a protest that will have long-lasting effects, showing up forever in the daily posting statistics.
This is a protest that will not harm LJ in the long run, as leaving LJ might do.
This is a protest that will demonstrate the power of community, as all users unite to support Basic users and the concept of adfree space.
This is a protest that will educate the new owners that LJ is driven by user-created content.
How Can I Help?
DO post about this in your own LJ.
DO post and comment about it in appropriate communities.
DO remember that it's based on Greenwich Mean Time, which may not be your local time.
DO turn off LoudTwitter and your RSS feeds for 24 hours.
DO feel free to friend me for updates, and defriend when the strike is over.
DON'T forget to get permission from community mods before making an off-topic post or comment about the strike.
DON'T be spammy with your posts or comments about the strike.
DON'T forget to turn your LoudTwitter and RSS feeds back on when the strike is over.
</td></tr>For 24 hours, we will not post or comment to LJ. Not in our own journals, not in communities. Not publicly, privately, or under friends-lock.
This is a protest that will have long-lasting effects, showing up forever in the daily posting statistics.
This is a protest that will not harm LJ in the long run, as leaving LJ might do.
This is a protest that will demonstrate the power of community, as all users unite to support Basic users and the concept of adfree space.
This is a protest that will educate the new owners that LJ is driven by user-created content.
How Can I Help?
DO post about this in your own LJ.
DO post and comment about it in appropriate communities.
DO remember that it's based on Greenwich Mean Time, which may not be your local time.
DO turn off LoudTwitter and your RSS feeds for 24 hours.
DO feel free to friend me for updates, and defriend when the strike is over.
DON'T forget to get permission from community mods before making an off-topic post or comment about the strike.
DON'T be spammy with your posts or comments about the strike.
DON'T forget to turn your LoudTwitter and RSS feeds back on when the strike is over.
The 24-hour strike will begin at the following times for the following locations:
Thursday, March 20, 2:00 PM -- Honolulu
Thursday, March 20, 4:00 PM -- Anchorage
Thursday, March 20, 5:00 PM -- San Francisco
Thursday, March 20, 6:00 PM -- Mexico City
Thursday, March 20, 7:00 PM -- Chicago
Thursday, March 20, 8:00 PM -- Montreal
Thursday, March 20, 9:00 PM -- Buenos Aires
Midnight -- London
Friday, March 21, 1:00 AM -- Paris
Friday, March 21, 2:00 AM -- Istanbul
Friday, March 21, 3:00 AM -- Moscow
Friday, March 21, 4:00 AM -- Dubai
Friday, March 21, 5:00 AM -- Islamabad
Friday, March 21, 6:00 AM -- Bangladesh
Friday, March 21, 7:00 AM -- Bangkok
Friday, March 21, 8:00 AM -- Singapore
Friday, March 21, 9:00 AM -- Tokyo
Friday, March 21, 10:00 AM -- Brisbane
Friday, March 21, 11:00 AM -- Sydney
Friday, March 21, 12 Noon -- Suva
ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.comPlease answer any of these questions that apply to you:
- What cyberfunded creativity projects did you view and/or donate to during the past month? What did you like about them? Would you recommend them to other patrons?
- What cyberfunded creativity projects did you complete during the past month? What made them special? How successful were they?
- Have you written about cyberfunded creativity theory or practice elsewhere? Where can we go to read that?
- What cyberfunded creativity projects are you currently working on? What are your plans for them? Who is your intended audience?
- What cyberfunded creativity projects do you plan to launch this month? When and where should we watch for them to appear?
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