The Wordsmith's Forge

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED. Thank you for your time and attention. Please keep an eye on this page as I am still writing.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "anything goes." 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.

Stuck for ideas? You can find prompts by ...
* browsing planned poems for Aquariana and the Maldives, The Big One, Broken Angels, Calliope and Vagary, Officer Pink and Turq, Pips and Joshua, or Shiv. (Some of these I've already done, so they're not all up to date, but others I haven't done yet.)
* browsing my Serial Poetry page for favorite threads or characters.
* browsing my QUILTBAG list, Romantic Orientations in My Characters, Sexual Orientations in My Characters, Gender Identities in My Characters, or My Characters with Disabilities for favorites.
* naming a poetic form you'd like to see written.
* picking a prompt from my current bingo cards: National Crafting Month Bingo Card 3-1-24
* picking some from the Bingo Generator prompt lists.
* looking up fun tropes on Fanlore.
* choosing an unusual word.
* plugging a favorite topic into your search engine and choosing a picture that looks interesting.
* anything short. I could especially use short poems today as other prompts are likely to run long.
* standalone ideas, if you're a fan of that rather than 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 "anything goes." I invite people to suggest characters, settings, and other things of any type. Then I use those prompts as inspiration for writing poems.

( Read more... )

The 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 "anything goes." 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.

Stuck for ideas? You can find prompts by ...
* browsing planned poems for Aquariana and the Maldives, The Big One, Broken Angels, Calliope and Vagary, Officer Pink and Turq, Pips and Joshua, or Shiv. (Some of these I've already done, so they're not all up to date, but others I haven't done yet.)
* browsing my Serial Poetry page for favorite threads or characters.
* browsing my QUILTBAG list, Romantic Orientations in My Characters, Sexual Orientations in My Characters, Gender Identities in My Characters, or My Characters with Disabilities for favorites.
* naming a poetic form you'd like to see written.
* picking a prompt from my current bingo cards: Pets and Animals 5-1-23
* picking some from the Bingo Generator prompt lists.
* looking up fun tropes on Fanlore.
* choosing an unusual word.
* plugging a favorite topic into your search engine and choosing a picture that looks interesting.
* anything short. I could especially use short poems today as other prompts are likely to run long.


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 "anything goes." I invite people to suggest characters, settings, and other things of any type. 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.


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.


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 "anything goes." 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.) The rest of the poems will go into my archive for future use.

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED. Thank you for your time and attention.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! This is the perk for the Poetry Fishbowl meeting the $250 goal four times. Today's theme is "Eloquent Souls." 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.

This series is fantasy romance about soulmates, soulmarks, and soulbonds. These features don't solve everything, but they do make life more interesting. In this setting, most people have soulmates. They argue over whether everyone has a soulmate, or only some people; and whether each person has only one, or multiple possibilities. A soulbond can take various forms. It is most often sexual/romantic, but it can be platonic, sensual, and so on. The first words a soulmate will say appear on a person's skin, usually but not always in the soulmate's handwriting. These things can be welcome or unwelcome, depending on the context. Most people manage to deal with them, but sometimes things get ... complicated.

There are also some notes for this setting, appearing under "Soul Song". They explain a bit about how soulmarks and soulbonds work in this setting. You can use these as inspiration for your prompts. If you want to keep your poem price toward the lower end, using things I've already researched will save me time so I'm less likely to need extra research fees.

( Read more... )

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED.  Thank you for your time and attention.  Please keep an eye on this page as I am still writing.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "short forms." 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 poetic forms of 60 lines or less, so basically below my epic range rather than only the short-short length of 10 lines or less. Free verse below the length limit is also fine. Here are 15 short forms with descriptions. Among my favorite short forms not listed there: hexaduad, indriso, sestina, villanelle. This list of 100 forms is alphabetical. Poets Garrett has my favorite list of forms, including a list of repeating-interlocking forms. Their main page has links to poetic forms of 3-10 lines. Plus a few of my own: A darrow poem is a short, haiku-like musing by dark elves. A khazal is a Whispering Sands desert poem in couplets. A moose track is a repeating-interlocking form. A tweet wire is a tiny 10-line poem designed for Twitter. Some short forms, like haiku and tanka, work well as verses in a longer poem. I have The New Book of Forms by Lewis Turco so most forms should be in there. You can also prompt with a link to any exotic form you find; I collect these things.

In addition to forms, I also need topical prompts. One-word or short-phrase framing will assist in keeping them small enough to fit within the theme. Here is a huge list of common themes. This page of idioms has alphabetical and topical listings. I love writing poems about an individual word; see The Phrontistery (WARNING! Black hole caliber time sink ahead!) for glossaries or this list of untranslatable words. Have an orientation that is not well represented in literature? Ask for a sexual, romantic, or other orientation! If it's not on any of my lists, just include a description or link to one. Want to help me play with my holiday gifts? :D I just got The Conflict Thesaurus, plus previously The Occupation Thesaurus, The Urban Setting Thesaurus, The Rural Setting Thesaurus, The Emotion Thesaurus, The Positive Trait Thesaurus, The Negative Trait Thesaurus. Simply click "Look Inside" and view the table of contents for a list of cool ideas. You can prompt a sestina with six end words; I usually pick 5 short flexible words and one long exotic word, but I'll work with whatever I get. Favorite characters, threads, series, settings, etc. are also fair game but this is NOT the time for long plotty prompts. Consider combining a name or title with a short form, theme, or idiom. If you like to prompt with photos, this is a great opportunity for that. Just type in a topic (see above for possibilities) and click the Image link in your favorite search engine.

( Read more... )

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED.  Thank you for your time and attention.  Please keep an eye on this page as I am still writing.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "Polyamory in the QUILTBAG." 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 polyfolk, people in the QUILTBAG, queer activists, gender scholars, historic queers, historic polyfamilies, queerplatonic partners, comares, superheroes, supervillains, counselors, other people who involved in QUILTBAG and polyamorous culture, studying the QUILTBAG, exploring your sexuality, creating intimacy, making friends, falling in love (or like), getting to know each other, growing closer, moving in together, formalizing a relationship, fumbling for vocabulary, starting a family, cooking together, discovering things, troubleshooting, improvising, adapting, cooperating, bartering, taking over in an emergency, discovering yourself, studying others, testing boundaries, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, sharing, fixing what's broke, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, sharehouses, intentional communities, other polyhomes, gay bars, feminist bookstores, queer studies departments in schools, QUILTBAG clubs, quiet rooms, queer-friendly workplaces, Utah, Boston, Thalassia, nonhuman environments, gardens, other QUILTBAG hangouts, diverse orientations, pride flags, other symbols of QUILTBAG identity, stores carrying QUILTBAG goods, queer-owned-and-operated businesses, magical aspects of sex/romance, how superpowers can complicate sexuality, queer-friendly and poly-friendly religions, family dynamics, alternative family structures, partnerships not based on sex/romance, layered personal boundaries, emotional closeness, first contact, things other species consider queer that humans don't, alien polyamory, interspecies relationships, trial and error, lab conditions are not field conditions, innovation, skin hunger, loneliness, problems that can't be solved by hitting, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.

I have several posts you may find inspiring:
QUILTBAG Characters
Romantic Orientations in My Characters
Sexual Orientations in My Characters
Genders in My Characters

See also:
The Ace-Aro Spectrum
Nonsexual Intimacies
Five Moments of Intimacy
A previous FMI bingo card from a fest on Allbingo

I encourage folks to prompt for more about polyfamilies I have already written about, because statting up lots of characters at once is really time-consuming. Ask me if you need more details about these. Options include:

POLYCHROME HEROICS

Marriage diversity in Terramagne-America

The Coral Reef

Kallistos family, also Clan Aspen and the Pans

Hefty/Roger-Diamond/Fiddlesticks

Tarnish/Cavalier/Princessa

Molly's polycule

Boston Wives TV show

OTHER SERIES

Feathered Nests families tend toward polyamory.

Frankenstein's Family has Csilla-Dorottya/Dénes the Brewer.

Most of Hart's Farm is poly free love whatever.

If your identity has not yet be represented, or only done badly, then by all means prompt for it and I'll do my best to fill the gap.


Currently eligible bingo card(s) for donors wishing to sponsor a square:

NCIS Bingo Card 11-1-21


Among my more relevant series for the main theme:

The Blueshift Troupers span a range of sexualities, and sometimes shift gender. They have pairings but are sort of all one big family.

Daughters of the Apocalypse has far more women than men, so lesbianism and bisexuality are considered sensible, but gay men may be seen as selfish. Larger families are likely more secure than smaller ones, and they usually have to share a man.

Polychrome Heroics has ordinary humans, supernaries, blue-plate specials, superheroes, supervillains, primal and animal soups all of whom have their own interpersonal expectations. QUILTBAG characters include Antimatter and Stalwart Stan, Pain's Gray, and Hefty in the Shiv thread (and Shiv is acespec).

Schrodinger's Heroes save the world from alternate dimensions, and they're a very diverse group in a very conservative area. Pat belongs to a polyfamily.

Or you can ask for something new.

I have a linkback poem, "Homefree and Clear" (8 verses).

( Read more... )

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED.  Thank  you for your time and attention.  Please keep an eye on this page as I am still writing.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "Leadership and Followship." 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 leaders, followers, world figures, dance partners, beat partners, housemates, communards, comares, superheroes, supervillains, mentors, activists, counselors, other people who provide or seek guidance, building trust, establishing loyalty, creating intimacy, making friends, getting to know each other, growing closer, relying on each other, asking for help and getting it, teaching people, making plans, cooking together, discovering things, troubleshooting, improvising, adapting, cooperating, bartering, taking over in an emergency, discovering yourself, studying others, testing boundaries, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, sharing, fixing what's broke, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, government seats, mentorship organizations, dance halls, sharehouses, schools, clubs, workplaces, laboratories, makerspaces, nonhuman environments, other places where people lead and follow, organizational structures, family dynamics, dominance theory, partnerships, leading/following as an orientation, layered personal boundaries, emotional closeness, first contact, interspecies relationships, trial and error, lab conditions are not field conditions, innovation, loneliness, 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:

Platonic Love Fest Bingo Card 9-1-21


Among my more relevant series for the main theme:

An Army of One is about neurovariant people developing their own society.

The Blueshift Troupers travel in a living ship with a solid group structure.

Clay of Life follows Menachem the blacksmith and his friend Yossele the golem.

Daughters of the Apocalypse is largely run by women, and leaders are often quite young, given the pattern of losses.

Feathered Nests has very different social structure between humans and Fifers.

Frankenstein's Family features two scientists running a valley in historic Romania, plus werewolves, vampires, and a mummy for a wide variety of social dynamics.

Hart's Farm is a free love community generally run by elders.

The Moon Door mixes a women's chronic pain group and lycanthropy, which includes pack dynamics.

Not Quite Kansas has demons and angels quite alert to respective ranks.

The Ocracies all use different systems of government.

One God's Story of Mid-Life Crisis features Shaeth, who keeps attracting more followers than he knows what to do with.

Path of the Paladins has the paladins leading people while following their patron deity.

Polychrome Heroics has ordinary humans, supernaries, blue-plate specials, superheroes, supervillains, primal and animal soups all of whom have their own interpersonal expectations.  Relevant threads include Antimatter and Stalwart Stan, Aquariana, Broken Angels, Cuoio and Chiara, Dr. Infanta, Iron Horses, Officer Pink, Pain's Gray, Rutledge, and Shiv.

Schrodinger's Heroes save the world from alternate dimensions. World without Alex = life expectancy of a glass hammer.

Or you can ask for something new.

I have a linkback poem, "Begin to Understand Ourselves" (8 verses, An Army of One).

( Read more... )

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED.  Thank you for your time and attention. Please keep an eye on this page as I am still writing.


Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "Asexual / Demisexual Intimacy Pr0n." 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 people on the ace-aro spectrum, dance partners, beat partners, leader-follower partners, housemates, communards, comares, superheroes, supervillains, introverts, activists, counselors, practical intimacy therapists, other people who promote nonsexual intimacies, creating intimacy, navigating boundaries, making friends, getting to know each other, growing closer, moving in together, formalizing a relationship, fumbling for vocabulary, starting a family, cooking together, discovering things, troubleshooting, improvising, adapting, cooperating, bartering, taking over in an emergency, discovering yourself, studying others, testing boundaries, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, sharing, fixing what's broke, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, sharehouses, schools, clubs, quiet rooms, workplaces, kitchens, campsites, laboratories, makerspaces, nonhuman environments, gardens, other places where people interact closely, family dynamics, partnerships not based on sex/romance, layered personal boundaries, emotional closeness, first contact, interspecies relationships, trial and error, lab conditions are not field conditions, innovation, skin hunger, loneliness, 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:

Hot Summer Writes Bingo Card 8-1-21

August Intimacies Bingo Card 8-2-21


Among my more relevant series for the main theme:

The Blueshift Troupers travel in a living ship and are a very tight-knit group.

A Conflagration of Dragons has the Six Races (plus the dragons) who all have different cultures regarding relationships. This often poses challenges for the refugees.

Daughters of the Apocalypse has people trying to survive, when they absolutely must depend on each other.

Fledgling Grace involves a lot of spiritual intimacy.

Frankenstein's Family features two scientists running a valley in historic Romania, plus werewolves, vampires, and a mummy for all kinds of atypical intimacy.

Hart's Farm is a free love community with diverse bonding methods.

The Moon Door mixes a women's chronic pain group and lycanthropy, so it's all about sharing.

Not Quite Kansas has out-of-place humans forced to rely on each other, plus a demon for soul intimacy.

Polychrome Heroics has ordinary humans, supernaries, blue-plate specials, superheroes, supervillains, primal and animal soups all of whom have their own interpersonal expectations.  Threads with acespec characters and/or relationships include Antimatter & Stalwart Stan, Aquariana, Calliope, Officer Pink, and Shiv.

Schrodinger's Heroes save the world from alternate dimensions, and they're a very diverse group in a very conservative area.

Find more inspiration in my QUILTBAG characters list and its linked posts.

Or you can ask for something new.

I have a linkback poem, "Begin to Understand Ourselves" (8 verses, An Army of One).

( Read more... )

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED.  Thank you for your time and attention.  Please keep an eye on this page as I am still writing.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! Today's theme is "I never thought I'd have to say that." 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 explorers, partners, housemates, siblings, parents, teachers, clergy, leaders, superheroes, supervillains, teammates, alien or fantasy species, failure analysts, ethicists, activists, rebels, other people who get into odd situations, parenting, teaching, adventuring, leaving your comfort zone, discovering things, conducting experiments, observation changing experiments, troubleshooting, 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, the forest primeval, liminal zones, schools, churches, sharehouses, kitchens, campfires, laboratories, supervillain lairs, makerspaces, nonhuman accommodations and adaptations, stores, farmer's markets, 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, 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:

Cottoncandy Bingo Card 6-1-21

Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card 6-15-20


Among my more relevant series for the main theme:

An Army of One is developing its own neurovariant culture.

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.

Or you can ask for something new.

I have a linkback poem, "The Loving Embrace of Night" (11 verses, standalone).

( Read more... )

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED.  Thank you for your time and attention.  Please keep an eye on this page as I am still writing.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open! This is the perk for the Poetry Fishbowl meeting the $250 goal four times. Today's theme is "Daughters of the Apocalypse." 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.

This is postapocalyptic hopepunk dominated by young female people of color. Older, male, and white people all got hit harder by the Grunge. Fifteen years after the End, people are trying to rebuild society as best they can, but this is where many scavenged supplies are really starting to run out, so they'll need to make more and more of their own stuff -- if they can. Drastic changes in society have yet to settle into a new, stable configuration and there are many different clusters of civilization out there all trying different things.

It doesn't have a series page yet, so here are the poems:

"Rainshadow Road" 2-14-21
Story Date: Cold Moon 2, 15 A.E.
Summary: Maggot joins Clearwater caravan.
1288 lines, Buy It Now = $644

"Laundry, Liturgy, and Women's Work"
Story Date: Cold Moon 29, 15 A.E.

"The Source of All Energy"
Story Date: Cold Moon 31, 15 A.E.
Summary: Lightbringer tends the solar farm in Lind.
83 lines, Buy It Now = $42

Although this differs dramatically from most postapocalyptic settings, some common tropes may apply: Beforetimes, disaster scavengers, Divided States of America, the End, ghost cities, and scavenger world.

More notes and poem ideas appear on the advance announcement page.


Currently eligible bingo card(s) for donors wishing to sponsor a square:

Genderplay Bingo Cards 4-4-21

Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card 6-15-20


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 "Daughters of the Apocalypse." 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.


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.


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 "Daughters of the Apocalypse." I'll be soliciting ideas for armeys, carneys, indeys, muneys, mouneys, naveys, the Foreborn and the Afterborn, groms, muckamucks, school of elders, girl gangs, people of color, disabled people, scavengers, tribal people, other survivors of the End, the bush, Frisco, Hell A, Cadia, Ditchland, the Emerald Triangle, the Blackfeet Nation, Dinneyland, Pueblo Territory, communes, Indian reservations, caravans, crumbling roads, ghost towns or cities, temporary camps, underpasses and other makeshift shelters, wastelands, surprisingly revived habitats, other postapocalyptic locations, surviving, scavenging, repairing, hunting, traveling, improvising, retroengineering, rebuilding, studying, discovering problems, finding creative solutions, asking questions, learning what you can do, Afta (After English), dowry, draft / parker / hitch, housetrucks, mirror poles, signal towers, offsales, large predators, feral animals, exotic animals, sun-cured items scavenged from cities, friendship, teamwork, inspiration, the subconscious, unforseen circumstances, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular. But anything is welcome, really. If you manage to recommend a form that I don't recognize, I will probably pounce on it and ask you for its rules. I do have The New Book of Forms by Lewis Turco which covers most common and many obscure forms.

I'll post at least one of the fishbowl poems here so you-all can enjoy it. (Remember, you get an extra freebie poem if someone new posts a prompt or makes a donation.) The rest of the poems will go into my archive for future use.

The Poetry Fishbowl is now CLOSED.  Thank you all for your time and attention.  Please keep an eye on this page as I am still writing.

Starting now, the Poetry Fishbowl is open!  Today's theme is "Alternate History."  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 fish out of water, historians, famous figures, obscure people who made a big difference, adventurers, diplomats, traders, inventors, families, nomads, loners, hermits, superheroes, supervillains, social engineers, alternate artists as warmongers, college selection personnel have more historic influence than anyone realizes, urban planners, failure analysts, ethicists, activists, rebels, wild young things, other people who make history, building or using a time machine, making a historic discovery, arguing over what history was really like, changing things, missing an opportunity, spotting an opportunity, picking fights, making friends, solving disputes, troubleshooting, improvising, adapting, social engineering, cooperating, bartering, speaking, listening, taking over in an emergency, discovering yourself, studying others, testing boundaries, creating connections, coming of age, learning what you can (and can't) do, sharing, fixing what's broke, upsetting the status quo, changing the world, accomplishing the impossible, recovering from setbacks, returning home, time travel nexus points, Jerusalem, Londinium/London, Cahokia Mounds, lost cities, traditional ethnic structures, alternative building styles, multigenerational homes, apartments and complexes, intentional communities, cohousing, caravans, nonhuman accommodations and adaptations, wilderness, rural areas, supervillain lairs, other places where people live, alternate history main topics, alternate history sitemap, types of timeline, the butterfly effect, linchpins and ripple points, points of divergence list, alternate agriculture, metaphors about time, metaphors of time travel such as time is a stream, fixed points in time (which either can't be altered like a volcanic eruption or shouldn't be altered because it's too dangerous), ethics of time travel, culture gap, culture shock, forgeign languages, language shock, emergency language issues, negotiation, mediation, cooperation, enemies to friends, enemies to lovers, truces in improbable contexts, unexpected bonds, symbiosis, innovation, problems that can't be solved by hitting, teamwork, found family, complementary strengths and weaknesses, independence, interdependence, values conflict, solitude, personal growth, and poetic forms in particular.


Currently eligible bingo card(s) for donors wishing to sponsor a square:

Celtic Bingo Fest Card 3-1-21

Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card 6-15-20


Among my more relevant series for the main theme:

Alternate Artists as Warmongers is a new idea I want to explore, positing how our world's famous artists might be some other world's infamous tyrants.

Beneath the Family Tree is a community of three different hominid species in prehistoric Europe.

Clay of Life is historic Jewish fantasy.

Los Conquistados features mishaps in Spain's attempt to conquer the Americas.

Fiorenza the Wisewoman is historic Italian fantasy.

Frankenstein's Family includes humans, werewolves, vampires, a mummy, and two doctors in historic gothic fluff Romania.

Hart's Farm is a free-love community in historic fantasy Sweden.

Lacquerware is Edopunk about the development of alternate computer technology in historic Japan.

Polychrome Heroics has ordinary humans, supernaries, blue-plate specials, superheroes, supervillains, primal and animals soups trying to live as best they can. This includes many divergences from the timeline of local-Earth.

The Steamsmith is historic British steampunk. The Arc of Joan uses the same setting but an earlier time, in which Joan supports the English instead of the French.

The Time Towers posits that there is no such thing as a fixed point in time, because time works like a Jenga tower: some blocks are loose and easy to move, while others may require many moves to alter the pressure dynamics enough to move the one you really want to move.

Or you can ask for something new.

I have a linkback poem, "Of Gold and Standards" (9 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 "Alternate History."  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.  "Of Gold and Standards" has 9 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 "Alternate History." 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 "Of Gold and Standards."  The rest of the poems will go into my archive for future use.