Poetry Fishbowl Open!
Aug. 4th, 2020 12:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThe Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED. Thank you for your time and attention. Please keep an eye on this space, as I am still writing.
Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "Unconventional Problem-solving." 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.
I'll be soliciting ideas for outcasts, rebels, revolutionaries, protesters, neurovariant people, tyrants, saboteurs, supervillains, superheroes, social engineers, failure analysts, intelligent nonhumans, ethicists, activists, diverse teams, inventors, other people who think outside the box, troubleshooting, adapting, editing, rebelling, social engineering, making changes, cooperating, bartering, speaking, listening, reading, writing, taking over in an emergency, discovering yourself, testing boundaries, creating connections, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, shocking people, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, returning home, workshops, laboratories, classrooms, meeting halls, rebel bases, back rooms, wilderness, rural areas, supervillain lairs, alien planets, fantasy worlds, other places that require creativity, scientific discoveries, innovation, just messing around with things, old tools in new applications, logic vs. intuition, civil unrest, sea change, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, confusion, independence, cooperation, values conflict, loyalty, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.
Currently eligible bingo card(s) for donors wishing to sponsor a square:
Ladiesbingo Card 9-2-19
Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card 6-15-20
Five Moments of Intimacy Bingo Card 8-1-20
(Note that this card is designed to cram all the prompts of a row into one fill.)
Among my more relevant series for the main theme:
An Army of One is all about neurovariant people.
Arts and Crafts America uses art in creative ways.
A Conflagration of Dragons requires new approaches after the fall of civilizaton.
Frankenstein's Family shows what happens when the scientists teach the villagers.
Hart's Farm features unconventional relationships.
Monster House is pretty much all unconventional.
The Moon Door centers around a chronic pain support group, necessitating many novel solutions.
The Ocracies is about all different types of government.
One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis features the God of Drunks and his followers.
Polychrome Heroics has many different organizations and groups, and quite a lot of unconventional problem-solving. In particular, check out the Maldives adopting soups.
Seeing Hearts is all about upsetting expectations.
The Steamsmith engineers a lot of changes.
The Time Towers is about subtle alterations or examinations of history.
Or you can ask for something new.
I have a linkback poem, "In the Shade of the Mighty Oak" (8 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 "Unconventional Problem-solving." 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 Dreamwidth, other blog, Twitter, Facebook, 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. "In the Shade of the Mighty Oak" has 8 verses 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; four of these activates the perk, and they don't have to be four 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.
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 "Unconventional Problem-solving." See above for details. 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 "In the Shade of the Mighty Oak." The rest of the poems will go into my archive for future use.
Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "Unconventional Problem-solving." 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.
I'll be soliciting ideas for outcasts, rebels, revolutionaries, protesters, neurovariant people, tyrants, saboteurs, supervillains, superheroes, social engineers, failure analysts, intelligent nonhumans, ethicists, activists, diverse teams, inventors, other people who think outside the box, troubleshooting, adapting, editing, rebelling, social engineering, making changes, cooperating, bartering, speaking, listening, reading, writing, taking over in an emergency, discovering yourself, testing boundaries, creating connections, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, shocking people, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, returning home, workshops, laboratories, classrooms, meeting halls, rebel bases, back rooms, wilderness, rural areas, supervillain lairs, alien planets, fantasy worlds, other places that require creativity, scientific discoveries, innovation, just messing around with things, old tools in new applications, logic vs. intuition, civil unrest, sea change, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, confusion, independence, cooperation, values conflict, loyalty, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.
Currently eligible bingo card(s) for donors wishing to sponsor a square:
Ladiesbingo Card 9-2-19
Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card 6-15-20
Five Moments of Intimacy Bingo Card 8-1-20
(Note that this card is designed to cram all the prompts of a row into one fill.)
Among my more relevant series for the main theme:
An Army of One is all about neurovariant people.
Arts and Crafts America uses art in creative ways.
A Conflagration of Dragons requires new approaches after the fall of civilizaton.
Frankenstein's Family shows what happens when the scientists teach the villagers.
Hart's Farm features unconventional relationships.
Monster House is pretty much all unconventional.
The Moon Door centers around a chronic pain support group, necessitating many novel solutions.
The Ocracies is about all different types of government.
One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis features the God of Drunks and his followers.
Polychrome Heroics has many different organizations and groups, and quite a lot of unconventional problem-solving. In particular, check out the Maldives adopting soups.
Seeing Hearts is all about upsetting expectations.
The Steamsmith engineers a lot of changes.
The Time Towers is about subtle alterations or examinations of history.
Or you can ask for something new.
I have a linkback poem, "In the Shade of the Mighty Oak" (8 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 "Unconventional Problem-solving." 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 Dreamwidth, other blog, Twitter, Facebook, 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. "In the Shade of the Mighty Oak" has 8 verses 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; four of these activates the perk, and they don't have to be four 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.
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 "Unconventional Problem-solving." See above for details. 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 "In the Shade of the Mighty Oak." The rest of the poems will go into my archive for future use.
prompt
Date: 2020-08-04 05:39 pm (UTC)Re: prompt
From:Re: prompt
From:Re: prompt
From:Re: prompt
From:Re: prompt
From:(no subject)
Date: 2020-08-04 05:56 pm (UTC)My Life Partner works for a company that does QA testing, and they almost exclusively hire NV people because their brains being wired that way make them objectively better at the job. One of his specific services (which companies pay HUGE amounts for) is pixel-perfect UI testing, because he actually can spot a single pixel out of place. He also does things like follow all the directions on a fill out form literally, to see if they work or not. He's well paid to break things in new and creative ways, so that the problems can be solved. (He likes to say "If you build it to be idiot proof, they'll build a better idiot. I am the better idiot.")
Extra-legal or vigilante justice, but ACTUAL justice, not just beating up petty thieves.
LIFC: Tony fixing a problem WITHOUT using his suit, machines, or inventions. (specifically thinking of that meme about Bruce Wayne could have saved Gotham way more effectively without being Batman, because he had the money to solve the issues making all the villains happen.)
Poem
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2020-08-08 06:17 pm (UTC) - Expand(no subject)
Date: 2020-08-04 05:57 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:Poem
From:(no subject)
From:Poem
From:Poem
From:Prompt
Date: 2020-08-04 05:59 pm (UTC)LIFC: An outside POV - maybe Stark staff - of how Steve's and Bucky's upbringing in regards to recycling can translate to "unconventional problem-solving" in our throw-away society? Like someone needs some kind of material for a project or to stop a workplace accident getting worse and Steve or Bucky happen to have something that fits the need but no one thought of it because of how society has become?
Or something with Turq and Ansel?
~Angel
Re: Prompt
From:Re: Prompt
From:(no subject)
Date: 2020-08-04 06:02 pm (UTC)I wonder if the Steamsmith can apply alchemical engineering to the problems of veterinary medicine, specifically prosthetic limbs perhaps, given that pseudo-victorian England was sadly lacking in that.
I'd love to see a coalition of super-villains decide to do something very definite and creative about one of the bottom 10 countries for good.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:Thoughts
From:Re: Thoughts
From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2020-08-05 01:29 am (UTC) - ExpandRe: Thoughts
From:Re: Thoughts
From:Poem
From:Prompts
Date: 2020-08-04 06:22 pm (UTC)The ship is undoubtedly well stocked with spare parts and tools, but putting something together with what one has when something inevitably breaks is a tradition in this context. And then there will be the hassles of forming a crew out of NT and NV people who are still getting to know each other.
Also, row one of your "Five Moments of Intimacy" bingo card looks like a good fit for Calliope and Vagary. After all, aren't they doing some of this already? Maybe Cal is part of the unconventional solution.
Re: Prompts
From:(no subject)
Date: 2020-08-04 06:30 pm (UTC)"The master's tools will never take down the master's house" (Audre Lord, I think).
"You can't take three from two, two is less than three, so you look at the four in the eights place" (Tom Lehrer).
[Note: above three were provided back-channel already]
“How do you solve a problem like Maria?” (_Sound of Music_)
“If there's no cheese in the maze, blow up the maze. What the hell did the maze ever do for you?” (Ancient Kung Foole proverb by DLynn)
Using humor to de-escalate a tense situation.
Wearing your shirt inside out to fool the fae.
There’s already been a movie about hiding a lounge singer in a convent (_Sister Act_). What if the witness was a nun in a non-enclosed convent – would the police hide her in a strip club? (Or some other un-convent-ional location?)
Piecework / peace-work
Pretty much anything involving Maryam or Fiorenza
Building bricks without straw
Building houses out of straw bales
Solving a puzzle by removing pieces, rather than adding them
Accessibility challenges and workarounds
Peanut butter gets chewing gum out of hair
Poem
From:(no subject)
Date: 2020-08-04 06:51 pm (UTC)Artur Schnabel — 'The sonatas of Mozart are unique; they are too easy for children, and too difficult for artists.'
The less-common dominant senses being nonetheless extremely useful.
Poem
From:(no subject)
Date: 2020-08-04 07:05 pm (UTC)It would be nice to see dr infanta or someone else reach out to him for help solving a problem. I know they had a deal once before for healing skills for metal work. Why not again?
(no subject)
From:Relayed from LibraryGeek
Date: 2020-08-04 07:51 pm (UTC)Clergy in Polychrome Heroics
Also, she says more please about the The Hetaerocracy of Tizou.
Re: Relayed from LibraryGeek
From:Re: Relayed from LibraryGeek
From:Re: Relayed from LibraryGeek
From:And for me:
Date: 2020-08-04 08:00 pm (UTC)I'm thinking the Werewolves present an unconventional solution to a thorny problem Victor and Igor are wrestling with...
(Maryam is probably set a bit too early for there to be Chinese takeout? ah, well.)
Wait, the restaurant is still in operation... Somebody's gonna want emergency beef chow mien... and somebody *else* is gonna see that restaurant name on the side of the inevitable bunnyrabbit bag when the teleporter arrives with it, and just HOWL.... :D
Re: And for me:
From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2020-08-04 09:35 pm (UTC) - Expand(no subject)
Date: 2020-08-04 10:02 pm (UTC)Clothing for nonhumanoid persons. Improvised or otherwise.
Language barrier, no translator. (Translation chain, pictures, etc).
Crazy-prepared meets Properly Paranoid, for a mundane purpose. ("Why are you planning our shopping trip like it's the Norman Invasion?" -> "Oh, that's why.")
First Contact. (Incidentally, how are the Antarctica aliens getting along?)
The immortals using antiquity-skills to solve a modern problem.
Unconventional problem-solving, for an Interspecies Adoption or Mage Raised By Muggles.
Fantastic Religious Weirdness.
Mundane Utility.
Something that subverts the expectation of a genre. A scifi with a Scavenger World ship fleet, an action movie emphasizing teamwork and training, a medical show that emphasizes _basic_ caretaking, etc.
Maybe Shaeth's followers recyle a lot? It used to be fairly common in 1800s England, for poor people to scavenge and trade what we would today think of as trash in order to make a living.
Improvised tools/armour/weapons/anything else.
The person who lived thru something terrible can help others when it happens again. (Inspired by something I read recently.)
Using your enemies' biases against them.
Does Terramagne have a talk-and-build-a-fire rule? If not, will they make one?
Closest Thing We've Got to a solution / professional person / protocol.
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From: (Anonymous) - Date: 2020-08-05 01:35 am (UTC) - ExpandPoem
From:(no subject)
Date: 2020-08-04 11:12 pm (UTC)- Anything in A Conflagration of Dragons since there is no “conventional” anymore. Especially if it shows the 6 races all coming at a similar problem in different manners
- Fifers helping the humans who are studying them with some sort of unconventional problem their planet encounters that the crew weren’t prepared to deal with
- Ansel’s been very good at coming up with unconventional solutions to help out Turq - I bet Turq will get better at thinking up some on his own, or even turning the tables so to speak and finding a solution to one of Ansel’s problems (extra wonderful if it’s somehow the ferret that makes all the difference!)
Poem
From:prompt
Date: 2020-08-05 03:26 am (UTC)coulson, loki, healing (or thor. both of those boys are messed up (thanks for nothing odin) and it's gonna take some work (possibly that of several human lifetimes) for them to be able to recover in a meaningful way)
Re: prompt
From:(no subject)
Date: 2020-08-05 05:06 am (UTC)Rube-Goldberg device
Freeform yarn craft
Visible mending
Non-cash farmer's market/swap-meet/fleamarket (some mix of barter/sing for your tomatoes/and giveaway?)
Upcycled clothes
Done for the night!
Date: 2020-08-05 11:38 am (UTC)Poem
Date: 2020-08-09 11:32 pm (UTC)1129 lines, Buy It Now = $565