Poetry Fishbowl Open!
Jun. 6th, 2023 12:55 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 "Surprise Solutions from Unexpected Sources." 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 troubleshooters, explorers, first responders, partners, housemates, siblings, parents, teachers, clergy, leaders, superheroes, supervillains, teammates, drifters, alien or fantasy species, failure analysts, ethicists, activists, rebels, other people who get into unusual situations, surprising people, troubleshooting, parenting, teaching, adventuring, leaving your comfort zone, discovering things, conducting experiments, observation changing experiments, improvising, adapting, cleaning up messes, cooperating, bartering, taking over in an emergency, saving the day, discovering yourself, studying others, testing boundaries, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, sharing, preparing for the worst, expecting the unexpected, fixing what's broke, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, returning home, cities, schools, churches, sharehouses, kitchens, laboratories, supervillain lairs, makerspaces, stores, farmer's markets, liminal zones, the forest primeval, campfires, nonhuman accommodations and adaptations, starships, alien planets, magical lands, foreign dimensions, other places where the unexpected happens, sudden surprises, travel mishaps, the buck stops here, trial and error, weird food, secret ingredients, supplements that turn out to be metagenic, intercultural entanglements, asking for help and getting it, enemies to friends/lovers, interdimensional travel, nose for trouble, Get a Life Program, lab conditions are not field conditions, superpower manifestation, the end of where your framework actually applies, ethics, innovation, problems that can't be solved by hitting, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.
Currently eligible bingo card(s) for donors wishing to sponsor a square:
Kinky and Unusual Situations Bingo Card 6-1-23
Among my more relevant series for the main theme:
An Army of One is developing its own neurovariant culture.
Arts and Crafts America is good at creative solutions to unexpected problems.
The Bear Tunnels introduces modern principles to people in the past.
A Conflagration of Dragons has the Six Races (plus the dragons) who all have different cultures and climates. This often poses challenges for the refugees.
The Daughters of the Apocalypse has people trying to find enough resources to survive, when former cities are unsafe.
Eloquent Souls presents a setting where soulmarks are common, leading to many odd expressions as people try to make their Words distinctive.
Feathered Nests is about humans interacting with birdlike aliens, and their cross-cultural dynamics.
Frankenstein's Family features two scientists running a valley in historic Romania, along with a pack of werewolves, a couple of vampires, and a mummy.
Hart's Farm is a free love community with lots of interesting relationships.
Monster House is suburban fantasy with a diverse household.
The Moon Door explores a women's chronic pain group and lycanthropy.
The Ocracies has a wide variety of countries crammed together, each with a totally different government.
One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis follows Shaeth as he works on becoming the God of Drunks.
Polychrome Heroics has ordinary humans, supernaries, blue-plate specials, superheroes, supervillains, primal and animal soups all trying to get along and figure out how to make a functional society.
Quixotic Ideas is a fantasy world with a positive tone, where magic integrates with moder life. That creates challenges as different people and cultures try to get along.
Or you can ask for something new.
I have a linkback poem, "Where We All Meet" (standalone, 5 verses).
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 "Surprise Solutions from Unexpected Sources." 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. "Where We All Meet" has 5 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. If donations reach $300, there will be a half-price sale 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 "Surprise Solutions from Unexpected Sources." 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 "Where We All Meet." The rest of the poems will go into my archive for future use.
Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "Surprise Solutions from Unexpected Sources." 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 troubleshooters, explorers, first responders, partners, housemates, siblings, parents, teachers, clergy, leaders, superheroes, supervillains, teammates, drifters, alien or fantasy species, failure analysts, ethicists, activists, rebels, other people who get into unusual situations, surprising people, troubleshooting, parenting, teaching, adventuring, leaving your comfort zone, discovering things, conducting experiments, observation changing experiments, improvising, adapting, cleaning up messes, cooperating, bartering, taking over in an emergency, saving the day, discovering yourself, studying others, testing boundaries, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, sharing, preparing for the worst, expecting the unexpected, fixing what's broke, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, returning home, cities, schools, churches, sharehouses, kitchens, laboratories, supervillain lairs, makerspaces, stores, farmer's markets, liminal zones, the forest primeval, campfires, nonhuman accommodations and adaptations, starships, alien planets, magical lands, foreign dimensions, other places where the unexpected happens, sudden surprises, travel mishaps, the buck stops here, trial and error, weird food, secret ingredients, supplements that turn out to be metagenic, intercultural entanglements, asking for help and getting it, enemies to friends/lovers, interdimensional travel, nose for trouble, Get a Life Program, lab conditions are not field conditions, superpower manifestation, the end of where your framework actually applies, ethics, innovation, problems that can't be solved by hitting, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.
Currently eligible bingo card(s) for donors wishing to sponsor a square:
Kinky and Unusual Situations Bingo Card 6-1-23
Among my more relevant series for the main theme:
An Army of One is developing its own neurovariant culture.
Arts and Crafts America is good at creative solutions to unexpected problems.
The Bear Tunnels introduces modern principles to people in the past.
A Conflagration of Dragons has the Six Races (plus the dragons) who all have different cultures and climates. This often poses challenges for the refugees.
The Daughters of the Apocalypse has people trying to find enough resources to survive, when former cities are unsafe.
Eloquent Souls presents a setting where soulmarks are common, leading to many odd expressions as people try to make their Words distinctive.
Feathered Nests is about humans interacting with birdlike aliens, and their cross-cultural dynamics.
Frankenstein's Family features two scientists running a valley in historic Romania, along with a pack of werewolves, a couple of vampires, and a mummy.
Hart's Farm is a free love community with lots of interesting relationships.
Monster House is suburban fantasy with a diverse household.
The Moon Door explores a women's chronic pain group and lycanthropy.
The Ocracies has a wide variety of countries crammed together, each with a totally different government.
One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis follows Shaeth as he works on becoming the God of Drunks.
Polychrome Heroics has ordinary humans, supernaries, blue-plate specials, superheroes, supervillains, primal and animal soups all trying to get along and figure out how to make a functional society.
Quixotic Ideas is a fantasy world with a positive tone, where magic integrates with moder life. That creates challenges as different people and cultures try to get along.
Or you can ask for something new.
I have a linkback poem, "Where We All Meet" (standalone, 5 verses).
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 "Surprise Solutions from Unexpected Sources." 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. "Where We All Meet" has 5 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. If donations reach $300, there will be a half-price sale 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 "Surprise Solutions from Unexpected Sources." 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 "Where We All Meet." The rest of the poems will go into my archive for future use.
Poem
Date: 2023-06-06 06:12 pm (UTC)Hold for original prompter.
Prompt
Date: 2023-06-06 06:45 pm (UTC)James Blish, "Earthman, Come Home"
Cultures that make extensive use of servants very often exhibit this blind spot. But "The Help" are the folks who get the work done on a regular basis, and often understand better than their supposed superiors where the obstacles are, and how to improve matters.
Re: Prompt
Date: 2023-06-06 09:10 pm (UTC)"Yeah, they're a [group x-er], but they're /our/ [group x-er]."
Re: Prompt
From:Re: Prompt
From:Re: Prompt
From:Re: Prompt
From:Re: Prompt
Date: 2023-06-10 03:58 am (UTC)637 lines, Buy It Now = $319
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-06 09:14 pm (UTC)"Why does everyone force introverts to be talkative and leave their comfort zone, but no one forces the extroverts to shut up, even for a minute, to make the zone comfortable?"
https://themindsjournal.com/quotes/everyone-force-introverts-to-be-talkative/
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-06 09:58 pm (UTC)Thanks =]
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:Poem
From:Poem
Date: 2023-06-17 08:17 am (UTC)619 lines, Buy It Now = $310
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-06 10:23 pm (UTC)"Paging Messrs. Anderson and Dickson!"
Date: 2023-06-06 11:58 pm (UTC)Poem
Date: 2023-06-10 03:59 am (UTC)637 lines, Buy It Now = $319
back-channel prompt
Date: 2023-06-06 11:53 pm (UTC)Re: back-channel prompt
Date: 2023-06-06 11:56 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-07 12:35 am (UTC)There's this old wives' tale that talks about the problem when you really listen to the story...
Poem
Date: 2023-06-14 09:14 am (UTC)275 lines, Buy It Now = $138
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-07 12:55 am (UTC)Shiv making unusual yarn colours, as per discussion with D&G..
Although I also thought that given he likes experimenting with culinary stuff, accidentally inventing some unusual dyes for yarn thanks to a kitchen accident could be interesting too..
Poem
Date: 2023-06-23 08:25 am (UTC)1021 lines, Buy It Now = $511
Re: Poem
From:Re: Poem
From:(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-07 01:05 am (UTC)Separate prompt for An Army of One 'verse ... An autonomous medivac ship with a damaged A.I. Unable to be repaired/reprogrammed, it draws upon the experiences of the NV individuals to figure out work-arounds for it's glitches.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-07 01:26 am (UTC)So does Monster House -- perhaps the under-bed monster helps someone with insomnia?
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-07 01:32 am (UTC)I wonder what the chronic pain ladies from the moon door series could solve that other wolves wouldn't be able to solve.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-07 02:48 pm (UTC)(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:Poem
From:(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-07 04:15 am (UTC)True story: 5 months old, not yet sitting up reliably. Baby's grandma was fishing in her purse, and had both hands full. Baby looked at the situation for a second, took the powder compact out of grandma's hand and held it until grandma got what she was after, then dropped the compact into the open purse.
Alternate: a non- verbal person who can navigate back to anywhere they've been. The difficulty isn't in knowing where to go, it's in conveying that they have that knowledge to the person operating the conveyance.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-07 12:04 pm (UTC)However not all languague is spoken. At five months I was able to use a modified version if tactile signing to communicate my needs. I also expecteded that my needs would be met enough that I would stop crying and smile once I had communicated what I wanted.
>>The difficulty isn't in knowing where to go, it's in conveying that they have that knowledge to the person operating the conveyance.<<
Not a conveyance, but I have seen people try to 'lead' others by grabbing valuable items and walking off.
One funny story example had the two sensible people get fed up with varying with the guy with no navigational skill, so they just started leading the pack animals away from the danger...and then everyone else they couldn't drag off just followed the rest of the party willingly.
Well ...
From:Re: Well ...
From:Re: Well ...
From:Re: Well ...
From:Re: Well ...
From:Poem
From:(no subject)
Date: 2023-06-07 05:02 am (UTC)-T/Jay^SPC
Poem
Date: 2023-06-13 08:08 am (UTC)96 lines, Buy It Now = $48
Poem
Date: 2023-06-07 05:40 am (UTC)300 lines, Buy It Now = $150
Re: Poem
Date: 2023-06-08 05:13 am (UTC)Re: Poem
From:Re: Poem
From:Re: Poem
From:Re: Poem
From:Re: Poem
From:I almost missed it!
Date: 2023-06-07 06:33 am (UTC)Shiv and the Iron Horses have recently started patching things up. Have they made any more progress toward better relations, maybe with help from an unexpected source?
I'm not quite sure if this one fits, but you wrote a poem for LIFC about Loki and the dangers of coffee, and Tony's reaction to Natasha bringing in Starbucks. I imagine Tony could whip up some truly amazing cold coffe drinks, with his taste for fine things, if he is only opposed to Starbucks as a company, and not cold/sugary coffee in general.
Re: I almost missed it!
Date: 2023-06-07 09:25 am (UTC)Done for the night!
Date: 2023-06-07 10:50 am (UTC)