Virtual Writers, Inc. NEW Website, Blog and Forum

We have much pleasure in announcing the launch of our BRAND NEW website, blog and forum. All created for the virtual writer. In the WEBSITE you will find links to literary magazines, writing competitions, workshops, book reviews as well as general articles on the art of writing.

The BLOG is the inworld wing of Virtual Writers, Inc. called Virtual Writers’ World. Here we learn to experiment with the Second Life® platform to the fullest with the aim of finding new ways of creative expression. You’ll find information on our virtual events, hosts, writers and inworld book tours. You’ll find special features on well-known writers in Second Life® as well as articles from popular columnists such as Flawnt Alchemi, Harpy Convair, Jaen Wirefly, Rosemary Serenity, Dresden Darkwatch, Optrix Xaris and Weyland Sands.

The FORUM is the place to go if you want to share your work and receive a critique. Here you can make announcements of new publications, forthcoming book readings, reviews, news etc. You’ll also find threads on markets and resources pertaining to freelancers.

The Virtual Writers’ Library is a place for you to promote your published work. This can include poems, articles, essays, short stories, greetings cards etc. as well as books.

We have several genre specific forums such as SCI-FI/FANTASY, ROMANCE, EROTICA, HORROR, HUMOUR, HISTORICAL WRITING, ROLE PLAY, MEMOIRS, CRIME/MYSTERY and LITERARY FICTION. As well as general forums such as NON-FICTION, NOVEL WRITING, POETRY, WRITING FOR KIDS and SHORT FICTION. BLOGGING lets you hone your blogging skills as well as spread the word on any good sites you have found.

We hope you find something of interest as we’ve worked hard to bring you a useful online resource. If you have any suggestions we’d love to hear them. Feedback will be gratefully received.

Please note that this will be the last article posted on this blog, all new posts will be found at the following addresses.

http://www.virtualwritersinc.com

http://vww.virtualwritersinc.com

http://www.forum.virtualwritersinc.com

The Path of Digital Morality

“I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”  - Robert Frost

Far within the private places of my soul there lies a well where I make wishes for that which I desire. It is a place where your name echoes often as gilded coins of selfish hope fall into its depths.  I travelled there again tonight, along the well-worn path created by the pilgrimages dedicated to the pursuit of your affection.  When I went to drop my coin I found the well was full from all the other coins I have deposited.  In my vain attempts to possess that which was never available, I left no room for the things I might have had.

How often have you found yourself looking for a place to dig a new well because you misused the one you had? In this installment I wanted to reflect on how some of us may get so lost in our own desires that we don’t take the time to consider if we should be having those desires in the first place. In a virtual environment where finding lonely people is almost as easy as finding sand on a beach, perhaps we end up burying ourselves so deep that we fail to see the rising tide of reality until it is too late.  Is it possible that the lack of consequence could lead some down paths of lower morality and temptation?

Online worlds are wondrous places where every taboo can be explored and where we can forget the failed, damaged, or even worse, overly familiar relationships in our real lives. The question which I recently had to face was; should we do a thing just because we can? I can’t say that I have always made the right choices, but I do know that I carry the results of them with me and for better or worse they make me who I am.  This is where I find the inspiration for much of my writing.

When was it decided that being faithfully alone or neglected was more nobel than being happy and desired? Is it wrong to engage in a virtual touch when you are denied in real life? These are all tough questions that can only be answered by our own standards. As the technology advances and ever more realistic encounters can be had, we will need to consider our actions and where they will lead us.

My challenge this week for myself and for you is to write about a time when you took the road less traveled and fought the desire to give in to something you wanted despite the moral costs you would have had to pay.

~ Dresden Darkwatch ~

As I sit here making myself comfortable on a rezzed chair I wonder of what goodies I might hear today from others and grow nervous of what they will think of my work when I read. Where am I? at an open mic event a perfect place in which to be inspired and nourish my writing skills with the encouragement of others.

So you’ve had the courage to pick up the pen, write that piece of poetry/story you intended to – now what? Well a great way in which to hone your writing skills is to have it read aloud in front of an audience. Often called open mic events these little sessions are great for hearing how your work sounds to others before you unleash it on the general (paying) public in real life.

Second Life® is particularly good at this as it’s set to real time, which means you can hear the piece live and receive live comments on your work. This is something I am sure a lot of places do not do elsewhere on the internet.

Often I find myself on the edge of my seat pondering whether to give reading over a microphone a go, or forward my piece to the host, maybe I should try it another time, or should I seize the moment after all nothing ventured nothing gained.

Then before I have chance to ponder more I find myself forwarding my piece to the host who is more than willing to read it aloud. I wonder what is going through people’s minds as the host winds their way through the path of words I have laid before them on a note card. Then applause erupts it’s all over and I am left to mull over the critique that fellow writers have given me.

Of course, I could have read it aloud myself but hearing another speak gives me a chance to hold back a real life piece of me (my voice) and allows me to hear how it sounds in another voice. Conversely, if I were to read it aloud it would enhance the listener’s experience as they would hear it from the lips of the writer. So do they feel like they are missing out?

So it’s a grey area, whilst some people are more than willing to take on the stream and air their pieces, others prefer the anonymity. Where do I stand? – between the two, seeing good and bad in both.

Rosemary Serenity

Depression.

Many people laugh at that word and I am so glad they do as it means they were lucky to the point of never being confronted by it. Nowadays, not knowing its meaning first hand, not feeling its meaning on your skin is surely a blessing you should all be grateful for.

I think my main problem when it comes to this dark matter was that I grew used to depression. Actually, I grew so used to it that I started looking for ways of using its power to build something that today I am very proud of. I guess what I am trying to say is that I am grateful I fell into this deep hole even though sometimes it seems to drive me insane when my mind finally seems to be at ease.

This is the beginning of my story as an avatar.

18^th December of 2008

I had just returned from college and my stress level had just been profoundly reduced because of the end of the semester. Not having anything to worry about or anything to study, I just stood there, at my parent’s house, the house I once had no problem at calling home.

Reading the signs I was sending out, I knew I had to do something before it was too late, before I lost my faith on the lovely motto: “it will get easier some time”. That was when I decided to google a program’s name I had read something about on a magazine. My research took me nowhere as the program didn’t seem to exist but then something else caught my attention… a tiny blue hand with an eye in its palm.

I joined SecondLife® (SL) on the 24^th December of 2008.

I got myself into as much work as I could so that I could keep myself occupied and not have much time to think about depression, suicide or death.

I met so many extraordinary people that just keep asking for more and more and more and I felt so good with giving all I had got.

But life has it’s about ups and down and I ended up falling yet again.

This time it was around January… I had just gone back to my college house and I was feeling empty for some reason. I had become a helper at Help People Island (HPI) in the meantime and so I kept trying to focus my attention on helping others while I tried to ignore the fact that I needed to be helped.

Someone noticed. Someone called me all the way from the USA. Someone talked to be for ages.

18^th January of 2009

Rosemary Serenity, my second avatar, was born.

The first thing I did as Rosemary was to open the menu search and type “writing”. The first result that appeared there was “INKSTERS” and that was where I first went.

I had been writing in English since 2006 but I had never had the courage to share a word. I wrote them mostly to myself… to understand and deal with my own feelings.

But someone had noticed. But someone had asked to read one. But someone had asked me to read out loud.

That was why I ended up at a reading on my very first day on Second Life® as Rosemary Serenity.

It was at Bookstacks.

The first people I met were Serene Bechir, Leonardo Zimring, Skylar Smythe and House Ragu, the last one being my very first friend. I must confess that I felt at home there… I felt so at home that I read three of my poems and kept going back there every single Sunday.

Being very critical when it came to my own work and thinking it didn’t deserve to be read once and surely not twice, I kept writing and writing and writing. I wanted to have three new poems to read every single week and so I worked as hard as I could so that I didn’t disappoint who was listening… so that I didn’t disappoint myself.

I felt powerful with a pen in my hand… I felt like I could control the world and better… I felt like I could control myself.

For the first time in a long time I felt like I belonged somewhere and it made me feel like… myself. I found my own identity and I felt good both on my Second Life® and my real life skin.

So no, I am not ashamed at all to say that writing and Second Life® saved my life.

Yes, Second Life® was for me an escape… and what a beautiful escape it was.

Rosemary Serenity

The Virtual Heart of Clockwork Inspiration:

Sliding deeply into the comfort of my digital world I move silently through the hedge maze of one reality to another where I find you waiting to take my hand. An unseen muse whose words dance through my mind as I read them through the blazing glow of my monitor as if each one was alight with a holy radiance. I hunger for your encouragement and thirst for your complements. It is in you that I find the inspiration to grow new ideas and harvest them to create verse. You have emancipated me from my fears and doubts. Your friendship is my torch, your kindness its flame. No longer will I lie in the darkness of uninspired thought as the world fades around me.

In an age of virtual detachment and pixilated lust I have lived and in it I have found that the potential for romantic expression and the desire to convey those feelings to others has been the catalyst of most of my work. While contemplating the topic of this post I realized how even now, in this age and all its clockwork efficiency, the basic emotion of love is able to adapt and continue to inspire us. In turn, this made me question whether the love stories and poems written before the virtual age should be treated with more reverence or empathy than their computer age cousins. I mean after all we are talking about romances where most of the time the lovers never see each other’s true face or experience the actual touch and taste of that first passionate kiss. These are relationships in which people say I love you within days of seeing their first text. How then, could they inspire the same level of inspiration as real life relationships when it comes to writing?

To answer these questions I considered my own travels through metaverse romance and tried to relive the feelings and emotions that I felt at those times and compared them to those I felt during real life relationships. I was truly surprised to find that I had devoted more time to writing about my virtual loves and losses than I had about my real life. It was astonishing to think that quite possibly my virtual life allowed me to make deeper and more meaningful connections. Could it be that the foundations of inspiration for future love stories on par with the likes of Romeo and Juliet will be found to have their origins in online virtual worlds one day? Only time will tell.

What I do know is that as the world gets smaller, more opportunities will begin to emerge for us to be loved and hurt. What will it matter which world we are in when it happens? My heart will still beat quicker and my tears will still fall if the passion is there for me to see. So for those of you debating to write about that virtual love that burned itself into your soul, please find encouragement in this and share those moments with us.

History will decide the titles of greatness; the best that we can hope for is the comprehension of our peers and their willingness to feel the beat of the virtual heart of our clockwork inspiration.

~ Dresden Darkwatch ~

From the first moment I picked up the virtual pen (keyboard) my fingers ran across the keys and I learnt in my own little way how to type.

I typed so much on the BBC version of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy website that I soon had fifty entries formed and edited by the powers that be.

Through the good people there I learnt many things on how to write for online publication. I learnt guideml, copy write, the necessity for good grammar and how to write without repetition. And along the way I made many an online acquaintance.

The amount of help I got online in writing and encouragement I received in turn led me to help others and critique their work, which in turn inspired me to write more too.

Now I turn to Second Life® and wonder at all the writing groups before me. I have started trying my hand at poetry, listening to improvisations and am beginning to write my very first mystery.

And I haven’t forgotten my writing roots. Oh no, they are firmly embedded in me. Just like I was inspired by those people online, I am also inspired by the interesting and talented people in the literary arena of Second Life®.

From note cards that I have been asked to give my opinions on to the added bonus of hearing the authors actually speak (a thing that H2G2 never did do) . I am learning increasingly more every time I tune in to peoples words and reflecting on the words that fly around me.

So I encourage you now do something to help others and in turn let yourselves be inspired and invigorated.

Book cover

The Gathering Storm is the first part of the last book of the epic Wheel of Time series. It is a book that fans, including myself, have been greatly anticipating and dreading at the same time. The reason for this is that Robert Jordan passed away due to a heart condition before the saga was complete. Brandon Sanderson was hand-picked by Jordan’s widow to complete the final book in the series; however, fan concerns still lingered (at least among those of us that had never read Sanderson’s work). It is very difficult for a fan base when a different author takes over, as seen when Brain Herbert resumed writing in the Dune universe made classic by his father.

The prologue that Mr. Sanderson wrote brought tears to my eyes. He apparently was inspired to become a writer because of the Wheel of Time books. He is kind enough to the fans, and smart enough, not to attempt to copy Jordan’s writing style.When a new volume of Wheel of Time comes out, I usually reread the whole series (I have not read it 10 or 12 times, I’ve read it 3 times).  I chose not to reread the series this time for two reasons: I do not have the time, and I didn’t want to have Jordan’s writing style fresh in my mind. I admit it, I wanted to enjoy the book. Though I’m sure I will reread the books in there entirety again.

For those of you that are not familiar with Wheel of Time, it is simply put, a story in which the world’s of Frank Herbert’s Dune and Tolkien’s Lord of the Ring are melded together. It is a story that has a very complex set of main characters, there are about 10 core characters, and about two dozen secondary characters that play a pivotal role to the story. You have Rand al’Thor, Mat Cauthon, and Perrin Aybara from a small town, they are dragged into a fight against the Dark One. Rand is the Chosen One, the Messiah figure, yet must have his childhood friends to be successful. This is an extremely simplified version of the premise of the tale. Jordan’s style is very conversational and easy to read, his characters feel as if you could walk around the corner where you live and meet people just like them.

Now, for the actual book. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. All I wanted to do was read the book, I become engrossed in it. The pace was quick, the characterizations true to all the books that came before. Some major plots points from previous books were brought to conclusion, as is to be expected in a book approaching the climax of a series. We discover how the split in the White Tower turns out. Does Egwene get executed or succeed in her bid to become the recognized Amyrlin seat? Does Aviendha become a full Wise One? Can Rand make peace with the Seanchan so he can focus all his attention on the last battle? Some questions were answered, yet I was ready for more. When I finished the book, I was sad that I couldn’t continue the story. I eagerly await the second part of the final book. Happy reading!

“Where does your inspiration come from?”

I have been asked that very same question many times before and I always find myself giving the exact same answer: “I come from a family of artists”.

People who know me well are aware of the fact that my family’s last name signs paintings, essays, theses, poems, sculptures and photographs. I couldn’t be more proud than I am to belong to this wonderful group of people that have seen me grow and have been there every step of the way. Some have departed already but it’s like they never left as they live inside my heart. I wouldn’t be anything without them and I am not afraid of saying so because they are my life and I know they will always be there.

So today I am changing my answer… today I am going to be direct and say: “My inspiration comes from the fantastic and unique artists I call family”. My father’s mother who paints from her heart and who taught me how to draw at my insistance even though she knew how terrible I was; my father’s father who taught me how to write and how to escape from the world by reading; my father who taught me how to be generous and how to give everything, even my life, for those you love; my mother’s mother who taught me how to be humble and kind; my mother’s father who has left this world but not before he taught me the difference between right and wrong and not before telling me how beautiful I was; my mother who taught me how to dream and to carry on even when the world seemed to be falling apart around me; and my sister who taught me how making someone smile is the most important thing in the whole wide world.

Every single person I mentioned above is an artist at living and so are you.

Some might be painters, some might be writers, some might be teachers, some might be builders, some might be photographers, some might be taxi drivers, some might be mathematics geniuses, some might be mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers… but they are all human and they are all artists as sure as blood runs through their veins, as sure as history is written all over their skin, as sure as humanity is tattooed over their heart… they all grab what they have and make the best of it.

Now that is an artist…

And that is…
Inspiring.

Rosemary Serenity

Pixel—a tiny dot of light used to form images on both computer and television screens.

Sweetie…What are you doing?

I ask myself this question each time I log on to Second Life®, (I cannot tell you how many times I have played “installation and removal tag.”) My computer, I’m sure, is dizzy from the process. When I think about the hours I’ve spent “in-world” I can’t help but wonder: How much real life time has this cost me? What else could I have done with the hours I’ve spent buying pretend clothes and adjusting pretend jewelry?

“Avatar” was number one at the box-office this week, which speaks volumes about the growing seduction of virtual worlds.

Flawnt’s previous post does point out some very positive aspects of Second Life®— which I am not discounting. It is fun to swim in such a creative environment which provides many amusements. On another level, I have spoken with many people who have various disabilities, for them leaving the house is not always an option; Second Life® has become their savior. It satisfies their important socialization needs and saves them from a life of isolation. Many individuals come here to explore aspects of themselves they cannot explore in real life and for some; it may be healthy, perhaps, even crucial to their sense of well-being. But for others, this isn’t the case, since all secrets need not be revealed and all stories need not be told.

To ignore Second Life®’s dangers isn’t helpful, since many very able-bodied people sit home, fixated at the computer. They find their virtual life far more intriguing than their first. Sometimes, real life tasks and obligations are carelessly put aside while signs of addiction start “waving hello.” And when Second Life® starts to become unfulfilling, occasionally, the “alt” is developed in order to experience a third life.

Second Life® is the “game that is not a game;” so strange that we play anyway. We type through lag and play with voice settings just trying to connect.  It makes me laugh when I think: Wow, if this happened in REAL LIFE it would take me no time at all to get my point across! Understandably, humans are social creatures and nobody likes to feel lonely. But how much easier would it be to just call someone on the phone?

The future will display the progression of virtual worlds; soon enough, the costs will present themselves— they always do. So I wonder, as time moves forward: How many more people will start “playing with pixels?”

-Jaen Wirefly

A Writer’s Homage to Writers:

The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium.  ~Norbet Platt

I was recently honored by the opportunity to join this community and I have to say that as a novice writer I was a bit terrified and elated at the prospect. My writing has always come from that emotional fountain of creativity within and while I have never been embarrassed to share it, I also never considered that it would be deemed worthy enough to place me in the midst of such talent. It is with all that in mind that I dedicate my first column to you my friends. I wish all of you success and hope that you find the joy that you have brought me through your craft.

There are many arts that can be developed and honed over time to convey artistic creativity, each fully capable of moving the human spirit and connecting us all on deeply personal levels. It is not my goal to take anything away from them by this, for they all enrich our lives to no end. Writing however has always been what I would consider the purest form of expression. Writing possesses the power to change the world; it has many times before and will undoubtedly continue to do so in the future. So it is to you my dear wordsmiths, who have made history what it is, in the telling of it, who have given rise to empires both real and imagined, who have transported us to places no other vehicle could, that I tip my hat and say thank you, for you have given us much more than entertainment, you have given us our humanity through your sacrifices of time and opened portals to our souls with your words.

I began my adventure in writing early in life but somewhere in my twenties the desire drifted away, lost in a sea full of the torrents of life and the rouge waves of self-delusion. It was not until I started to venture into the virtual world that I once again found my way to the sweet waters of inspiration. At first it was a surprise, like that of seeing an old acquaintance from your past that you haven’t thought about in many years. That tingle of unsure recognition that slowly fades to fond memories. The glory of my discovery did not fully hit home until after I had written several short “poems” for lack of better description. It was then, sitting at my desk with the faint glow of my monitor at an hour of the night that many care not to see, that a slow smile crept across my solemn face. At that point I knew that I had found my muse again and have continued to use it as much as possible. If even one person reading these posts (and it could be that one is a hopeful and possibly over zealous goal) is able to find the inspiration to work past the obstacles in life and turn them into stepping stones, I will feel blessed knowing that I have returned what has been given to me in this amazing and captivating place called the internet.

From our earliest days there have always been the storytellers and scribes, they have taught us lessons through their work, sometimes without us even being aware of it. What a noble pursuit and worthwhile cause it is to dedicate yourself to a purpose resulting in the transference of ideas and intelligence to your fellow man. I pray that you find the strength to continue your journey and in the process take us with you, for the worlds that you create may just be the catalyst to save the one we all call home.

Thank you for reading this and I hope that you will join me for my next installment.

~ Dresden Darkwatch ~