Poetry Fishbowl Open!
Jan. 3rd, 2017 12:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThe Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED. Thank you for your support. Keep an eye on this page, as I'm still writing.
Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "a glitch in the matrix." I will be checking this page periodically throughout the day. When people make suggestions, I'll pick some and weave them together into a poem ... and then another ... and so on. I'm hoping to get a lot of ideas and a lot of poems.
Click to read the linkback poem "An Unprecedented Duel with Nature" (17 verses, standalone).
What Is a Poetry Fishbowl?
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 classes sometimes 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.
In this online version of a Poetry Fishbowl, I begin by setting a theme; today's theme is "a glitch in the matrix." I invite people to suggest characters, settings, and other things relating to that theme. Then I use those prompts as inspiration for writing poems.
Cyberfunded Creativity
I'm practicing cyberfunded creativity. If you enjoy what I'm doing and want to see more of it, please feed the Bard. The following options are currently available:
1) Sponsor the Fishbowl -- Here is a PayPal button for donations. There is no specific requirement, but $1 is the minimum recommended size for PayPal transactions since they take a cut from every one. You can also donate via check or money order sent by postal mail. If you make a donation and tell me about it, I promise to use one of your prompts. Anonymous donations are perfectly welcome, just won't get that perk. General donations will be tallied, and at the end of the fishbowl I’ll post a list of eligible poems based on the total funding; then the audience can vote on which they want to see posted.
2) Swim, Fishie, Swim! -- A feature in conjunction with fishbowl sponsorship is this progress meter showing the amount donated. There are multiple perks, the top one being a half-price poetry sale on one series when donations reach $300.
3) Buy It Now! -- Gakked from various e-auction sites, this feature allows you to sponsor a specific poem. If you don't want to wait for some editor to buy and publish my poem so you can read it, well, now you don't have to. Sponsoring a poem means that I will immediately post it on my blog for everyone to see, with the name of the sponsor (or another dedicate) if you wish; plus you get a nonexclusive publication right, so you can post it on your own blog or elsewhere as long as you keep the credits intact. You'll need to tell me the title of the poem you want to sponsor. I'm basing the prices on length, and they're comparable to what I typically make selling poetry to magazines (semi-pro rates according to Duotrope's Digest).
0-10 lines: $5
11-25 lines: $10
26-40 lines: $15
41-60 lines: $20
Poems over 60 lines, or with very intricate structure, fall into custom pricing.
4) Commission a scrapbook page. I can render a chosen poem in hardcopy format, on colorful paper, using archival materials for background and any embellishments. This will be suitable for framing or for adding to a scrapbook. Commission details are here. See latest photos of sample scrapbooked poems: "Sample Scrapbooked Poems 1-24-11"
5) Spread the word. Echo or link to this post on your LiveJournal, other blog, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Digg, StumbleUpon, or any other social network. Useful Twitter hashtags include #poetryfishbowl and #promptcall. Encourage people to come here and participate in the fishbowl. If you have room for it, including your own prompt will give your readers an idea of what the prompts should look like; ideally, update later to include the thumbnail of the poem I write, and a link to the poem if it gets published. If there is at least one new prompter or donor, I will post an extra freebie poem.
Linkback perk: I have a spare series poem available, and each linkback will reveal a verse of the poem. One person can do multiple links if they're on different services, like Dreamwidth or Twitter, rather than all on LiveJournal. Comment with a link to where you posted. "An Unprecedented Duel with Nature" has 17 verses available and stands alone.
Additional Notes
1) I customarily post replies to prompt posts telling people which of their prompts I'm using, with a brief description of the resulting poem(s). If you want to know what's available, watch for those "thumbnails."
2) You don't have to pay me to see a poem based on a prompt that you gave me. I try to send copies of poems to people, mostly using the LJ message function. (Anonymous prompters will miss this perk unless you give me your eddress.) These are for-your-eyes-only, though, not for sharing.
3) Sponsors of the Poetry Fishbowl in general, or of specific poems, will gain access to an extra post in appreciation of their generosity. While you're on the Donors list, you can view all of the custom-locked posts in that category. Click the "donors" tag to read the archive of those. I've also posted a list of other donor perks there. I customarily leave donor names on the list for two months, so you'll get to see the perk-post from this month and next.
4) After the Poetry Fishbowl concludes, I will post a list of unsold poems and their prices, to make it easier for folks to see what they might want to sponsor.
5) If donations total $100 by Friday evening then you get a free $15 poem; $150 gets you a free $20 poem; and $200 gets you a free epic, posted after the Poetry Fishbowl. These will usually be series poems if I have them; otherwise I may offer non-series poems or series poems in a different size. If donations reach $250, you get one step toward a bonus fishbowl; three of these activates the perk, and they don't have to be three months in a row. Everyone will get to vote on which series, and give prompts during the extra fishbowl, although it may be a half-day rather than a whole day. If donations reach $300, there will be a bonus piece in one series.
Feed the Fish!
Now's your chance to participate in the creative process by posting ideas for me to write about. Today's theme is "a glitch in the matrix." I'll be soliciting ideas for computer programmers, artificial intelligence, time travelers, the misunderstood, fish out of water, outcasts, The Man, troubled relationships, expecting the unexpected, seeing things, fleeing in terror, resisting oppression, facing your demons, spotting patterns, debugging the system, computers, virtual reality, lairs, alleys, liminal zones, the system, government buildings, déjà vu, outliers, computer virus issues, bugs, no it's not a bug it's a feature, disruptions, expectations, unusual vulnerabilities, radical transformation, the inescapable, the indestructable, hubris, humility, humiliation, snags, and poetic forms in particular. But anything is welcome, really. If you manage to recommend a form that I don't recognize, I will probably pounce on it and ask you for its rules. I do have The New Book of Forms by Lewis Turco which covers most common and many obscure forms.
I'll post at least one of the fishbowl poems here so you-all can enjoy it. (Remember, you get an extra freebie poem if someone new posts a prompt or makes a donation, and additional perks at $100-$300 in donations. Linkbacks reveal verses of "An Unprecedented Duel with Nature." The rest of the poems will go into my archive for magazine submission.
Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "a glitch in the matrix." I will be checking this page periodically throughout the day. When people make suggestions, I'll pick some and weave them together into a poem ... and then another ... and so on. I'm hoping to get a lot of ideas and a lot of poems.
Click to read the linkback poem "An Unprecedented Duel with Nature" (17 verses, standalone).
What Is a Poetry Fishbowl?
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 classes sometimes 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.
In this online version of a Poetry Fishbowl, I begin by setting a theme; today's theme is "a glitch in the matrix." I invite people to suggest characters, settings, and other things relating to that theme. Then I use those prompts as inspiration for writing poems.
Cyberfunded Creativity
I'm practicing cyberfunded creativity. If you enjoy what I'm doing and want to see more of it, please feed the Bard. The following options are currently available:
1) Sponsor the Fishbowl -- Here is a PayPal button for donations. There is no specific requirement, but $1 is the minimum recommended size for PayPal transactions since they take a cut from every one. You can also donate via check or money order sent by postal mail. If you make a donation and tell me about it, I promise to use one of your prompts. Anonymous donations are perfectly welcome, just won't get that perk. General donations will be tallied, and at the end of the fishbowl I’ll post a list of eligible poems based on the total funding; then the audience can vote on which they want to see posted.
2) Swim, Fishie, Swim! -- A feature in conjunction with fishbowl sponsorship is this progress meter showing the amount donated. There are multiple perks, the top one being a half-price poetry sale on one series when donations reach $300.
3) Buy It Now! -- Gakked from various e-auction sites, this feature allows you to sponsor a specific poem. If you don't want to wait for some editor to buy and publish my poem so you can read it, well, now you don't have to. Sponsoring a poem means that I will immediately post it on my blog for everyone to see, with the name of the sponsor (or another dedicate) if you wish; plus you get a nonexclusive publication right, so you can post it on your own blog or elsewhere as long as you keep the credits intact. You'll need to tell me the title of the poem you want to sponsor. I'm basing the prices on length, and they're comparable to what I typically make selling poetry to magazines (semi-pro rates according to Duotrope's Digest).
0-10 lines: $5
11-25 lines: $10
26-40 lines: $15
41-60 lines: $20
Poems over 60 lines, or with very intricate structure, fall into custom pricing.
4) Commission a scrapbook page. I can render a chosen poem in hardcopy format, on colorful paper, using archival materials for background and any embellishments. This will be suitable for framing or for adding to a scrapbook. Commission details are here. See latest photos of sample scrapbooked poems: "Sample Scrapbooked Poems 1-24-11"
5) Spread the word. Echo or link to this post on your LiveJournal, other blog, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Digg, StumbleUpon, or any other social network. Useful Twitter hashtags include #poetryfishbowl and #promptcall. Encourage people to come here and participate in the fishbowl. If you have room for it, including your own prompt will give your readers an idea of what the prompts should look like; ideally, update later to include the thumbnail of the poem I write, and a link to the poem if it gets published. If there is at least one new prompter or donor, I will post an extra freebie poem.
Linkback perk: I have a spare series poem available, and each linkback will reveal a verse of the poem. One person can do multiple links if they're on different services, like Dreamwidth or Twitter, rather than all on LiveJournal. Comment with a link to where you posted. "An Unprecedented Duel with Nature" has 17 verses available and stands alone.
Additional Notes
1) I customarily post replies to prompt posts telling people which of their prompts I'm using, with a brief description of the resulting poem(s). If you want to know what's available, watch for those "thumbnails."
2) You don't have to pay me to see a poem based on a prompt that you gave me. I try to send copies of poems to people, mostly using the LJ message function. (Anonymous prompters will miss this perk unless you give me your eddress.) These are for-your-eyes-only, though, not for sharing.
3) Sponsors of the Poetry Fishbowl in general, or of specific poems, will gain access to an extra post in appreciation of their generosity. While you're on the Donors list, you can view all of the custom-locked posts in that category. Click the "donors" tag to read the archive of those. I've also posted a list of other donor perks there. I customarily leave donor names on the list for two months, so you'll get to see the perk-post from this month and next.
4) After the Poetry Fishbowl concludes, I will post a list of unsold poems and their prices, to make it easier for folks to see what they might want to sponsor.
5) If donations total $100 by Friday evening then you get a free $15 poem; $150 gets you a free $20 poem; and $200 gets you a free epic, posted after the Poetry Fishbowl. These will usually be series poems if I have them; otherwise I may offer non-series poems or series poems in a different size. If donations reach $250, you get one step toward a bonus fishbowl; three of these activates the perk, and they don't have to be three months in a row. Everyone will get to vote on which series, and give prompts during the extra fishbowl, although it may be a half-day rather than a whole day. If donations reach $300, there will be a bonus piece in one series.
Feed the Fish!
Now's your chance to participate in the creative process by posting ideas for me to write about. Today's theme is "a glitch in the matrix." I'll be soliciting ideas for computer programmers, artificial intelligence, time travelers, the misunderstood, fish out of water, outcasts, The Man, troubled relationships, expecting the unexpected, seeing things, fleeing in terror, resisting oppression, facing your demons, spotting patterns, debugging the system, computers, virtual reality, lairs, alleys, liminal zones, the system, government buildings, déjà vu, outliers, computer virus issues, bugs, no it's not a bug it's a feature, disruptions, expectations, unusual vulnerabilities, radical transformation, the inescapable, the indestructable, hubris, humility, humiliation, snags, and poetic forms in particular. But anything is welcome, really. If you manage to recommend a form that I don't recognize, I will probably pounce on it and ask you for its rules. I do have The New Book of Forms by Lewis Turco which covers most common and many obscure forms.
I'll post at least one of the fishbowl poems here so you-all can enjoy it. (Remember, you get an extra freebie poem if someone new posts a prompt or makes a donation, and additional perks at $100-$300 in donations. Linkbacks reveal verses of "An Unprecedented Duel with Nature." The rest of the poems will go into my archive for magazine submission.
(no subject)
Date: 2017-01-04 01:18 am (UTC)-skin hunger and touch aversion flaring up at the same time
-programmers, geeks, and matrix fans first getting wings (Fledgling Grace)
-oh oh oh! Haboob and (Buraq?), everyone flailing over Allah wanting to help /that/ dude (glitch in personal beliefs) and Buraq eventually "insh'allah", (mentioned in comments in Bluff and Show)
-Path of the Paladins: Gorrien gains a saint who would give of themself and confusion ensues
-Stan's dad finding bad tape he thought he'd gotten rid of
-Damask finds themselves unable to switch for a while, with someone other than Maze stuck in front
-A sudden change in identity: person who only liked one gender trying to figure out how liking this one person fits with that, a telepath accidentally getting some of someone else's personality stuck to them and it integrated before they noticed, someone somehow getting stuck in a different shape (proper or improper)
-A super (disem?)power: a field effect that won't turn of that undoes/negates ANY shielding
-The Steamsmith "It's working fine, I can't figure out what has Farasat so worried!"
-JARVIS faced with concrete proof that HE is valuable to the team, not only what he does
-Dvork and Qwerty "What sort of world is it where my nemesis always makes more sense to me than anyone on my side of the cape?" -humanity doesn't have a proper rule/guidebook
-Virtual reality: "isn't it supposed to feel real?"
-A (however) long drive on a single road, how did it just take an impossibly shorter amount of time?
-body dysphoria: looking down and "but this isn't mine"
-I don't think he would, so it would have to be an AU or something, but Junket gets to tired of Granny Whammy insisting that blue plates can't exist, and since the black side of the cape tends to treat him better anyway, he decides to show everyone what it would be like if he actually did take a side
-someone who's known Aiden for a while but not a long time (long enough to feel him to be completely trustworthy and see him always try to be kind) seeing how ruthless he can be and not being able to understand how it can fit in with what they know of him
-some unprepared scientist tripping into magic, that science has no explanation for, with enough personal ethics that they can't just ignore this new data, but "can I even trust science anymore?"
-At this point, I think this might be more a story than a prompt, but here.
Someone somehow pulling Qwerty away from Dvork because she's so outclassed. Dvork suddenly causing a huge deal more trouble, because /of course/ she would never have slowed down for Qwerty, but, she was her nemesis and it just wouldn't have been polite for them to never even meet because Dvork was so far ahead, that just wouldn't do. And Qwerty ending up on BlackSheep or something, because she may have been pulled away, but she can't just /leave/, Dvork was /hers/. So Qwerty maybe gains some new knowledge and Dvork terrorizes all of the new people who try to come at her (they aren't her nemisis, why should she listen to them?) and everyone realizes that MAYBE breaking up a partnership without the consent of the people in it is a bad idea, no matter how mismatched it seems. Possible amusing scene: the first hero/a to come instead of Qwerty gets really confused when Dvork basically ignores them and doesn't engage past making sure they aren't a threat to her or her plans
Poem
Date: 2017-01-05 03:44 am (UTC)209 lines, Buy It Now = $105
Poem
Date: 2017-02-01 05:13 am (UTC)"Insha'Allah" features Buraq receiving a mission from Allah to deliver a miracle to Haboob.
249 lines, Buy It Now = $125
"Uncertain Miracles" follows Buraq and his companions as they track down Haboob and deliver the miracle.
595 lines, Buy It Now = $298