Poetry Acceptance

I've sold two poems to Polu Texni.  "Assumptions of Precedence" is science fiction about terraforming an alien planet; it came out of the June 1, 2010 Poetry Fishbowl.  "Rods and Reels" is fantasy about two differently talented people falling in love; it came out of the February 8, 2011 Poetry Fishbowl.

Poetry Acceptance

I've sold two poems to Polu Texni.  "Assumptions of Precedence" is science fiction about terraforming an alien planet; it came out of the June 1, 2010 Poetry Fishbowl.  "Rods and Reels" is fantasy about two differently talented people falling in love; it came out of the February 8, 2011 Poetry Fishbowl.

Poetry Acceptance

I've sold two poems to Polu Texni.  "Assumptions of Precedence" is science fiction about terraforming an alien planet; it came out of the June 1, 2010 Poetry Fishbowl.  "Rods and Reels" is fantasy about two differently talented people falling in love; it came out of the February 8, 2011 Poetry Fishbowl.

Poetry Acceptance

I've sold two poems to Polu Texni.  "Assumptions of Precedence" is science fiction about terraforming an alien planet; it came out of the June 1, 2010 Poetry Fishbowl.  "Rods and Reels" is fantasy about two differently talented people falling in love; it came out of the February 8, 2011 Poetry Fishbowl.

Asexy April

 There's a fanworks challenge over on Tumblr featuring asexual characters.

Poetry Fishbowl Open!

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED.  Thank you all for your support and enthusiasm.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open!  Today's theme is "steampunk and other eras."  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.

All flavors of "erapunk" are eligible (see "cyberpunk derivatives") such as teslapunk, atompunk, clockpunk, dieselpunk, and decopunk.  But hey, there's no need to restrict ourselves to extant subgenres.  If you want me to try writing bronzepunk or claypunk or flintpunk or some other historic period that's okay.  And that "punk" aspect?  It means take the core themes of a technology and its prime culture, and twist them in some way that makes for interesting sociological commentary.  Punk is what you get when straightforward literature looks at things from the underside and maybe applies a monkeywrench somewhere.  If you're not sure how to put all these pieces together, that's fine -- you can just give me a time, or a tech, or a monkeywrench.

Watch for the linkbacks perk to go live.  Click to read "Family Ways" (Monster House, 18 verses) or notify minor_architect of linkbacks to reveal more verses.

WARNING: Our internet connection is buggy today.  I'm going to try to run the fishbowl anyway.  Go ahead and post prompts.  If the connection dies on us, I'll pick up the fishbowl later when I can.  In pursuit of not shorting out reality again, I'm also limiting the amount of writing I'll do for The Steamsmith series.


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 "steampunk and other eras." 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! -- This progress meter shows the amount donated.  There are multiple perks, the top one being a half-price sale on poetry from one series when donations reach $300.

$341 raised, top goal MET

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.  minor_architect has volunteered to post the verses this month, so you'll need to notify her of your linkbacks in a comment to her post, in order for them to count.  "Family Ways" belongs to the Monster House and has 18 verses.


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, you get a half-price sale for one week in one series.  Everyone will get to vote on which series to feature in the sale, out of those with extra poems available.


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 "steampunk and other eras."  I'll be soliciting ideas for  inventors, people affected by technological advances, culture heroes, historic devices, iconic tools associated with certain technology, types of technology, time periods, cultures you'd like me to feature (if I haven't promoted your favorite one to world domination, now's your chance), palaces and other cultural arenas, labs and other places where inventions take shape, turning points in history, events instigated by technology, social issues, 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 first edition of Lewis Turco's The Book of Forms 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 other perks from $100-$300 in donations.  Linkbacks reveal verses of "Family Ways.") The rest of the poems will go into my archive for magazine submission.

Poetry Fishbowl Open!

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED.  Thank you all for your support and enthusiasm.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open!  Today's theme is "steampunk and other eras."  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.

All flavors of "erapunk" are eligible (see "cyberpunk derivatives") such as teslapunk, atompunk, clockpunk, dieselpunk, and decopunk.  But hey, there's no need to restrict ourselves to extant subgenres.  If you want me to try writing bronzepunk or claypunk or flintpunk or some other historic period that's okay.  And that "punk" aspect?  It means take the core themes of a technology and its prime culture, and twist them in some way that makes for interesting sociological commentary.  Punk is what you get when straightforward literature looks at things from the underside and maybe applies a monkeywrench somewhere.  If you're not sure how to put all these pieces together, that's fine -- you can just give me a time, or a tech, or a monkeywrench.

Watch for the linkbacks perk to go live.  Click to read "Family Ways" (Monster House, 18 verses) or notify minor_architect of linkbacks to reveal more verses.

WARNING: Our internet connection is buggy today.  I'm going to try to run the fishbowl anyway.  Go ahead and post prompts.  If the connection dies on us, I'll pick up the fishbowl later when I can.  In pursuit of not shorting out reality again, I'm also limiting the amount of writing I'll do for The Steamsmith series.


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 "steampunk and other eras." 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! -- This progress meter shows the amount donated.  There are multiple perks, the top one being a half-price sale on poetry from one series when donations reach $300.

$414 raised, top goal MET

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.  minor_architect has volunteered to post the verses this month, so you'll need to notify her of your linkbacks in a comment to her post, in order for them to count.  "Family Ways" belongs to the Monster House and has 18 verses.


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, you get a half-price sale for one week in one series.  Everyone will get to vote on which series to feature in the sale, out of those with extra poems available.


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 "steampunk and other eras."  I'll be soliciting ideas for  inventors, people affected by technological advances, culture heroes, historic devices, iconic tools associated with certain technology, types of technology, time periods, cultures you'd like me to feature (if I haven't promoted your favorite one to world domination, now's your chance), palaces and other cultural arenas, labs and other places where inventions take shape, turning points in history, events instigated by technology, social issues, 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 first edition of Lewis Turco's The Book of Forms 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 other perks from $100-$300 in donations.  Linkbacks reveal verses of "Family Ways.") The rest of the poems will go into my archive for magazine submission.

Poetry Fishbowl Open!

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED.  Thank you all for your support and enthusiasm.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open!  Today's theme is "steampunk and other eras."  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.

All flavors of "erapunk" are eligible (see "cyberpunk derivatives") such as teslapunk, atompunk, clockpunk, dieselpunk, and decopunk.  But hey, there's no need to restrict ourselves to extant subgenres.  If you want me to try writing bronzepunk or claypunk or flintpunk or some other historic period that's okay.  And that "punk" aspect?  It means take the core themes of a technology and its prime culture, and twist them in some way that makes for interesting sociological commentary.  Punk is what you get when straightforward literature looks at things from the underside and maybe applies a monkeywrench somewhere.  If you're not sure how to put all these pieces together, that's fine -- you can just give me a time, or a tech, or a monkeywrench.

Watch for the linkbacks perk to go live.  Click to read "Family Ways" (Monster House, 18 verses) or notify minor_architect of linkbacks to reveal more verses.

WARNING: Our internet connection is buggy today.  I'm going to try to run the fishbowl anyway.  Go ahead and post prompts.  If the connection dies on us, I'll pick up the fishbowl later when I can.  In pursuit of not shorting out reality again, I'm also limiting the amount of writing I'll do for The Steamsmith series.


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 "steampunk and other eras." 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! -- This progress meter shows the amount donated.  There are multiple perks, the top one being a half-price sale on poetry from one series when donations reach $300.

$414 raised, top goal MET

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.  minor_architect has volunteered to post the verses this month, so you'll need to notify her of your linkbacks in a comment to her post, in order for them to count.  "Family Ways" belongs to the Monster House and has 18 verses.


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, you get a half-price sale for one week in one series.  Everyone will get to vote on which series to feature in the sale, out of those with extra poems available.


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 "steampunk and other eras."  I'll be soliciting ideas for  inventors, people affected by technological advances, culture heroes, historic devices, iconic tools associated with certain technology, types of technology, time periods, cultures you'd like me to feature (if I haven't promoted your favorite one to world domination, now's your chance), palaces and other cultural arenas, labs and other places where inventions take shape, turning points in history, events instigated by technology, social issues, 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 first edition of Lewis Turco's The Book of Forms 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 other perks from $100-$300 in donations.  Linkbacks reveal verses of "Family Ways.") The rest of the poems will go into my archive for magazine submission.

Poetry Fishbowl Open!

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED.  Thank you all for your support and enthusiasm.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open!  Today's theme is "steampunk and other eras."  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.

All flavors of "erapunk" are eligible (see "cyberpunk derivatives") such as teslapunk, atompunk, clockpunk, dieselpunk, and decopunk.  But hey, there's no need to restrict ourselves to extant subgenres.  If you want me to try writing bronzepunk or claypunk or flintpunk or some other historic period that's okay.  And that "punk" aspect?  It means take the core themes of a technology and its prime culture, and twist them in some way that makes for interesting sociological commentary.  Punk is what you get when straightforward literature looks at things from the underside and maybe applies a monkeywrench somewhere.  If you're not sure how to put all these pieces together, that's fine -- you can just give me a time, or a tech, or a monkeywrench.

Watch for the linkbacks perk to go live.  Click to read "Family Ways" (Monster House, 18 verses) or notify minor_architect of linkbacks to reveal more verses.

WARNING: Our internet connection is buggy today.  I'm going to try to run the fishbowl anyway.  Go ahead and post prompts.  If the connection dies on us, I'll pick up the fishbowl later when I can.  In pursuit of not shorting out reality again, I'm also limiting the amount of writing I'll do for The Steamsmith series.


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 "steampunk and other eras." 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! -- This progress meter shows the amount donated.  There are multiple perks, the top one being a half-price sale on poetry from one series when donations reach $300.

$414 raised, top goal MET

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.  minor_architect has volunteered to post the verses this month, so you'll need to notify her of your linkbacks in a comment to her post, in order for them to count.  "Family Ways" belongs to the Monster House and has 18 verses.


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, you get a half-price sale for one week in one series.  Everyone will get to vote on which series to feature in the sale, out of those with extra poems available.


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 "steampunk and other eras."  I'll be soliciting ideas for  inventors, people affected by technological advances, culture heroes, historic devices, iconic tools associated with certain technology, types of technology, time periods, cultures you'd like me to feature (if I haven't promoted your favorite one to world domination, now's your chance), palaces and other cultural arenas, labs and other places where inventions take shape, turning points in history, events instigated by technology, social issues, 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 first edition of Lewis Turco's The Book of Forms 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 other perks from $100-$300 in donations.  Linkbacks reveal verses of "Family Ways.") The rest of the poems will go into my archive for magazine submission.

Poem: "Going Forward"

This poem was inspired by prompts from baaing_tree and thesilentpoet who have also teamed up to sponsor it.  Among my ulterior inspiration: the farmer/hunter theory and various people's portrayals of Neanderthals as differently civilized.  So I got to wondering what it would be like if these two branches of humanity worked kind of like the tortoise and the hare...

( Read more... )

Poem: "Going Forward"

This poem was inspired by prompts from baaing_tree and thesilentpoet who have also teamed up to sponsor it.  Among my ulterior inspiration: the farmer/hunter theory and various people's portrayals of Neanderthals as differently civilized.  So I got to wondering what it would be like if these two branches of humanity worked kind of like the tortoise and the hare...

( Read more... )

Poem: "Going Forward"

This poem was inspired by prompts from baaing_tree and thesilentpoet who have also teamed up to sponsor it.  Among my ulterior inspiration: the farmer/hunter theory and various people's portrayals of Neanderthals as differently civilized.  So I got to wondering what it would be like if these two branches of humanity worked kind of like the tortoise and the hare...

( Read more... )

Poem: "Going Forward"

This poem was inspired by prompts from baaing_tree and thesilentpoet who have also teamed up to sponsor it.  Among my ulterior inspiration: the farmer/hunter theory and various people's portrayals of Neanderthals as differently civilized.  So I got to wondering what it would be like if these two branches of humanity worked kind of like the tortoise and the hare...

( Read more... )

Poem: "A Stitch in Time"

This poem is today's freebie.  It was inspired by prompts from rowyn and kelkyag.

A Stitch in Time

It was Mrs. Thimble who made the difference.
Half a dozen men had invented the sewing machine,
or more precisely, the idea of one or parts of one
or one that could sew a short seam but nothing of practical use.
Mrs. Thimble gathered the ideas together and
assembled the parts into something that would actually work.

At first it was slow going with a pedal-powered machine.
Then she figured out how to rig up a steam engine
to power dozens of sewing machines at once.
She bought a sweatshop and trained the girls
to be mechanics as well as seamstresses.
They turned out dresses and suits in record time.

Then politics heated up, and there was talk of war.
The airship pirates were causing trouble --
threatening to drop bombs if ransoms were not paid,
ferrying criminals and sometimes members of the military,
strutting around town in their vivid uniforms with fancy buttons.

Mrs. Thimble narrowed her eyes as she watched the pirates
swagger through the narrow cobblestone streets.
She watched the officers who hitched rides with them,
and the leaders of organized crime,
and the gaily befrocked women of negotiable virtue
topped by hats a-flutter with feathers.

She sent her girls all over Europe to commandeer inspiration.
They went to Paris and Berlin and Venice.
They looked at bales of silk and bolts of brocade.
They brought samples of pearl buttons and cut glass beads.
One even saved an airship from wrecking in Scotland,
and fixed the engine, and wrote home suggesting
that tiny golden gears might suit as jewelry.

When the girls returned home, they all set to work.
Fashions were blended from different cultures, taking care
to unite ideas from those most opposed to each other.
The results were stupendous, and they took the world by storm,
for nobody else could match the speed of Mrs. Thimble's factory.
If they wanted to stay in fashion, people would have to keep the peace.

Somehow, they managed.

Poem: "A Stitch in Time"

This poem is today's freebie.  It was inspired by prompts from rowyn and kelkyag.

A Stitch in Time

It was Mrs. Thimble who made the difference.
Half a dozen men had invented the sewing machine,
or more precisely, the idea of one or parts of one
or one that could sew a short seam but nothing of practical use.
Mrs. Thimble gathered the ideas together and
assembled the parts into something that would actually work.

At first it was slow going with a pedal-powered machine.
Then she figured out how to rig up a steam engine
to power dozens of sewing machines at once.
She bought a sweatshop and trained the girls
to be mechanics as well as seamstresses.
They turned out dresses and suits in record time.

Then politics heated up, and there was talk of war.
The airship pirates were causing trouble --
threatening to drop bombs if ransoms were not paid,
ferrying criminals and sometimes members of the military,
strutting around town in their vivid uniforms with fancy buttons.

Mrs. Thimble narrowed her eyes as she watched the pirates
swagger through the narrow cobblestone streets.
She watched the officers who hitched rides with them,
and the leaders of organized crime,
and the gaily befrocked women of negotiable virtue
topped by hats a-flutter with feathers.

She sent her girls all over Europe to commandeer inspiration.
They went to Paris and Berlin and Venice.
They looked at bales of silk and bolts of brocade.
They brought samples of pearl buttons and cut glass beads.
One even saved an airship from wrecking in Scotland,
and fixed the engine, and wrote home suggesting
that tiny golden gears might suit as jewelry.

When the girls returned home, they all set to work.
Fashions were blended from different cultures, taking care
to unite ideas from those most opposed to each other.
The results were stupendous, and they took the world by storm,
for nobody else could match the speed of Mrs. Thimble's factory.
If they wanted to stay in fashion, people would have to keep the peace.

Somehow, they managed.

Poem: "A Stitch in Time"

This poem is today's freebie.  It was inspired by prompts from rowyn and kelkyag.

A Stitch in Time

It was Mrs. Thimble who made the difference.
Half a dozen men had invented the sewing machine,
or more precisely, the idea of one or parts of one
or one that could sew a short seam but nothing of practical use.
Mrs. Thimble gathered the ideas together and
assembled the parts into something that would actually work.

At first it was slow going with a pedal-powered machine.
Then she figured out how to rig up a steam engine
to power dozens of sewing machines at once.
She bought a sweatshop and trained the girls
to be mechanics as well as seamstresses.
They turned out dresses and suits in record time.

Then politics heated up, and there was talk of war.
The airship pirates were causing trouble --
threatening to drop bombs if ransoms were not paid,
ferrying criminals and sometimes members of the military,
strutting around town in their vivid uniforms with fancy buttons.

Mrs. Thimble narrowed her eyes as she watched the pirates
swagger through the narrow cobblestone streets.
She watched the officers who hitched rides with them,
and the leaders of organized crime,
and the gaily befrocked women of negotiable virtue
topped by hats a-flutter with feathers.

She sent her girls all over Europe to commandeer inspiration.
They went to Paris and Berlin and Venice.
They looked at bales of silk and bolts of brocade.
They brought samples of pearl buttons and cut glass beads.
One even saved an airship from wrecking in Scotland,
and fixed the engine, and wrote home suggesting
that tiny golden gears might suit as jewelry.

When the girls returned home, they all set to work.
Fashions were blended from different cultures, taking care
to unite ideas from those most opposed to each other.
The results were stupendous, and they took the world by storm,
for nobody else could match the speed of Mrs. Thimble's factory.
If they wanted to stay in fashion, people would have to keep the peace.

Somehow, they managed.

Poem: "A Stitch in Time"

This poem is today's freebie.  It was inspired by prompts from rowyn and kelkyag.

A Stitch in Time

It was Mrs. Thimble who made the difference.
Half a dozen men had invented the sewing machine,
or more precisely, the idea of one or parts of one
or one that could sew a short seam but nothing of practical use.
Mrs. Thimble gathered the ideas together and
assembled the parts into something that would actually work.

At first it was slow going with a pedal-powered machine.
Then she figured out how to rig up a steam engine
to power dozens of sewing machines at once.
She bought a sweatshop and trained the girls
to be mechanics as well as seamstresses.
They turned out dresses and suits in record time.

Then politics heated up, and there was talk of war.
The airship pirates were causing trouble --
threatening to drop bombs if ransoms were not paid,
ferrying criminals and sometimes members of the military,
strutting around town in their vivid uniforms with fancy buttons.

Mrs. Thimble narrowed her eyes as she watched the pirates
swagger through the narrow cobblestone streets.
She watched the officers who hitched rides with them,
and the leaders of organized crime,
and the gaily befrocked women of negotiable virtue
topped by hats a-flutter with feathers.

She sent her girls all over Europe to commandeer inspiration.
They went to Paris and Berlin and Venice.
They looked at bales of silk and bolts of brocade.
They brought samples of pearl buttons and cut glass beads.
One even saved an airship from wrecking in Scotland,
and fixed the engine, and wrote home suggesting
that tiny golden gears might suit as jewelry.

When the girls returned home, they all set to work.
Fashions were blended from different cultures, taking care
to unite ideas from those most opposed to each other.
The results were stupendous, and they took the world by storm,
for nobody else could match the speed of Mrs. Thimble's factory.
If they wanted to stay in fashion, people would have to keep the peace.

Somehow, they managed.