July 2007 Info and Topics

The following information and topics for July was written by INK and is also available in notecard form in-world.

INKsters Daily Writing Competition:

I run this competition to make ME do more writing and hopefully to inspire YOU to do more writing. We're developing a vibrant new writer's community here in Second Life, so please join us and be a pioneer in recording what it is to be here in this world.

Most importantly: Please search the group tab and join the INKsters. This is how I communicate with you.

Sorry for all the rules that follow, but it makes it easier for all of us in the long run. Please read and follow them carefully. Daily topics are on the bottom of this notecard.

TOPICS and DUE DATES:

You have until 11:59 p.m. Second Life time on each day to write one entry in English.

PRIZES:

I award L$25 to the best entry as judged by me (ItsNaughtKnotty Cannned) after consultation with my secret inner circle. If I decide none of the entries are a winner, I reserve the right not to award a prize on a given day.

I am occasionally asked, "What are you looking for?" Short answer: Quality writing. I don't care if it's poetry, prose, fiction, essays, journalism, or alleged non-fiction. If your writing is the best today, you'll win.

RULES:

1. Your notecard must be submitted on or before the due date to be eligible. I reserve the right in my sole discretion to grant a wee bit of wiggle room when necessary.

2. Your entry must be no more than 500 words. If it's a little over, I won't disqualify you; if it's a lot over, I will.

3. An illustration, photo or texture usable in Second Life to accompany the story is strongly encouraged, but not required. Please drop your illustration onto your notecard (make sure the properties are set to full permissions -- see below).

HOW TO ENTER:

1. From your Inventory, select the Create menu and then begin a New Note. Write your entry onto the notecard. Your entry should have your name at the bottom. Rename the description on the notecard to be the same as the competition name and date. Save your notecard in your inventory and PLEASE rename the notecard with your name first, then the title of the competition, then the due date.

2. Create an image to illustrate your writing and load it into your inventory. (Not required, but way more fun!)

3. MOST IMPORTANT STEP: Click on both the image and the notecard one at a time and select Properties. Make sure the toggle boxes are checked to allow future owners to modify, copy, AND give/transfer. In order to appear in our anthologies we must have full permissions from you.

4. When you have everything named correctly, and full permissions granted, open your notecard and drag-and-drop your photo (if you have one) onto your notecard. Now you're ready to submit!

5. Stop by the INKsters Lounge and drag and drop your finished notecard into our mailbox. Then send me an IM to let me know you've completed your entry. If you have any technical difficulties, please let me know and I will help you.

PROCEDURAL MUMBO JUMBO:

I publish the writing prompts monthly. William Shakespeare in the INKsters Lounge will always know what's what. Touch him, like he's touched you.

There is no fee to compete. All times are Second Life time. By entering, you grant me the permanent right to use your story in our Second Life anthologies and on our blog related to Second Life on the internet. You retain all other rights. I will not publish anything outside of Second Life. I encourage you to submit your writing to other people and places in the real world and in Second Life.

We have occasional parties to release the anthologies and celebrate winners. All announcements are made through the INKsters group.

We're moving the lounge this month! The INKsters Lounge will now be located next to the Globe Theatre on Cookie Island in the SLiterary Writers Playground.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Cookie/86/114/35/

This month's topics are:

July 1, 2007: Canada Day
You spin the globe, you point your finger, and something inside of you says, "Yes! I will live where it's really really really cold almost all of the time." What makes the maple leaf crowd just so darn loveable?

July 2, 2007: Amelia Earhart Disappears
Where did she go and what is she up to?

July 3, 2007: Riddler
If you were an animal, vegetable, plant, tool, building, element, mineral, weather phenomenon, or something else, what would you be? Without giving it away completely, describe yourself and let's see if we can guess!

July 4, 2007: Unites States Independence Day
Frankly I'm still mad at England for that whole tax on tea thing. Just kidding. Let's make this a global topic and make it a little more serious. What does freedom and independence mean to you?

July 5, 2007: P.T. Barnum’s Birthday
The circus. Good? Bad? What is life like in a circus? Why should you run off and join the circus? Ever had a fantasy about the bearded lady? How about tossing in some of your most colorful characters ever?

July 6, 2007: The Door
You are standing in a void; there is emptiness all around. The only thing clearly visible to you is a door. You reach for the know, it slowly creeks open, and ....

July 7, 2007: Children
Children, love 'em, hate 'em. Isn't it time we went Sparta and nationalize all children at six months old? Wean 'em, send 'em off to "It Takes A Village" boarding schools, and raise them all up the right way. Good idea?

July 8, 2007: School Memoirs
Remember the girl you were too afraid to talk to; the boy who hurt your feelings; the nasty gash on your head from the bungled jungle gym stunt? Release the pain and suffering and give us the details.

July 9, 2007: Treasured Moments
This is the first day of our three day series on your personal treasures. What is your most treasured moment and why?

July 10, 2007: Treasured Things
What is your most treasured thing and why?

July 11, 2007: Treasured People
Who is your most treasured person and why?

July 12, 2007: OMG, I'm ME
The alarm goes off. You stumble into the bathroom. Bleary-eyed, you look into the mirror and discover you have been transformed into your avatar! Will anyone recognize you? Your day just became a whole lot more interesting. Whatever in the world will you do now?

July 13, 2007: Chocolate
I want to eat it, drink it, bathe in it, and use a bottle of it in my intimate encounters of the naughtiest kind. I've never met a bon-bon I couldn't think of as a friend. You know your secret chocolate moment that defines who the real inner you is. Do tell.

July 14, 2007: Bastille Day
The French way to get out of jail free! How about murdering a few thousand nobles in the process? If you were going to plot a revolution, where would you start?

July 15, 2007: Billy the Kid Shot
Your life has turned bad and you find yourself wearing a black cowboy hat. What will you do now?

July 16, 2007: HOT!
It's the middle of July. In the northern hemisphere, you should have had plenty of time at the beach, the pool, drinking iced drinks. How about a steamy report on the hot things going on in your underdressed life. If you're in the southern hemisphere, give us a freezy breezy report.

July 17, 2007: Your Hue
I think orange is the new black. I wear a lot of green. I've always wanted a bedroom with pinks and reds. People who wear all black often seem to be trying to hide a hole in their hearts. What color are you today?

July 18, 2007: Your Future Self
You log into Second Life, you have a plan. You're going to move into a whole new direction with your presence in-world. What are you going to do today, tomorrow, and in the future to make your experience here fantastic?

July 19, 2007: First Womens Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY
One hundred and fifty years later, there still may be room for improvement. How are girl-boy relations going in your world?

July 20, 2007: Neil Armstrong on the Moon
No month would ever be complete without an astronaut topic! Write something spaced out today.

July 21, 2007: Hemingway's Birthday
Going to the grocery store, picking up the kids from soccer, watching American Idol, life is full of grand adventures. In very short matter of fact sentences, report one of your bold expeditions in life.

July 22, 2007: Virtual Worlds
CNN included Second Life in a report on Virtual Worlds. "Will you be able to tell the difference?" Are you using Second Life to change your First Life? Or, are you keeping this place your own dirty little secret?

July 23, 2007: Dance Your Pixels Off
What is it with the popularity of dance clubs in Second Life? Where do you go? What do you do there? Why is it your favorite place to be? Oh, and don't forget to report the drama.

July 24, 2007: Summer (or Winter) Daydreams
In the summertime, yard work is as inevitable as shoveling snow in the winter (for those in snowy climates). You're outside with your shovel doing that move-it-over-there thing. Where do your thoughts drift?

July 25, 2007: Life in a Sandbox
It used to be a good place to try kissing. It was also a pretty good place to hit somebody with a plastic rake. Around these parts, it's a good place to build a giant wooden floppy penis that changes colors and sings the Banana Phone song when you touch it. What's your sandbox story?

July 26, 2007: Partner Repair
Good news, in Second Life version 1.19, they'll have a tool whereby you can repair the faults and foibles of your lover. What things do you need to fix first on your partner?

July 27, 2007: Pets
The longer I'm in Second Life, dogs, bears and dragons keep accumulating in my inventory. Tell us about your real, imagined, or virtual menagerie. Extra credit for using the word menagerie!

July 28, 2007: Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Birthday
She set the style for a generation. What's your style?

July 29, 2007: Park Benches
Ice cream in hand, your little avatar finds a nice park bench under a shady tree in a pretty virtual garden. What do you see? hear? taste? feel? smell? imagine?

July 30, 2007: Henry Ford Birthday
His little idea to make a car worked out pretty well. Tell us about your best (or worst) car ever.

July 31, 2007: Grandma's House
What was your grandma's house like?

Thanks to Oboe Riederer, CeAire Decosta, Skye Soderstrom, Deeter Decosta, Lizybeth Henley, and probably a couple others I've forgotten who contributed to the topic list this month.