Sunday, January 26, 2025

A Blond!

 

Milk Wood


"I don't want to know what you do with those humans. All I know is that when you come back, you can hardly function. You keep yelling Die! Die! Die! and you want to have a plant-based diet for weeks. And there's no point in coming up with excuses. It was the trip. It was the pollution, it was the weather. There's always something. This time, you had a drawing of a blond. A blond! So, I want a divorce."
"A divorce?! Have you been reading the books I brought back with me again? We don't even have marriages here!"

Sunday, January 19, 2025

Postal Bomb

Milk Wood

 

Buy the explosives. Don't tell anyone.
Buy the explosives online. Don't tell anyone.
Buy the explosives on the dark web. Don't tell...
OK, how do I get on the dark web?
I could ask that crazy guy who smokes pot all day. No, better not. Perhaps that other one who buys bread on Wednesdays, the one who only wears black. No... The neighbor down the street? Oh, no, not that one, his brother is a cop. Abort, abort. Bad, bad idea.
This is not going well. Think.
OK, easy steps.
Buy envelope. Don't tell anyone. Avoid Wednesdays, just in case.

Sunday, January 12, 2025

Clinic

Goblins Knob 2024



The toy clinic was closed. What now? The child looked at her mother with anguish. The mother knocked at the door feverishly until a light came on. What is it, we're closed. They knew, but... and the mother pointed at her child, a broken toy cradled in her arms. OK, let's do this. And the toy was put back together, slowly, with care. Years later, the child, now an adult, heard someone knocking feverishly. She turned the light on and opened the door. Let's do this. Everything will be OK. And another mother, another child, another toy could breathe again.

Sunday, January 5, 2025

It's me

Milk Wood

It's me. I'm the one who wrote that. When you look at me, you'll know what it's like to be me. But you don't look. You don't. You're inside yourself in a world of fantasy that exists only in your head. A chosen blindness that makes everything collapse. But you're not worried. No. You prefer it this way. You are you, and everyone else is not real. So, when you look in the mirror, you will pretend to find out what it's like to be me, and I'll say "that is me". But you won't know, and you won't care.

Sunday, December 29, 2024

Silly Hats and Smiles

Whispering Wind

 Hot chocolate for 25 cents. Silly hats get an extra free cup. And everyone made an effort. There were hats with books, hats with colorful feathers, hats with numbers, hats with beautiful flowers. But hers was the winning hat. It had happy chirping birds. At first, people thought the birds were tied to the hat. But they weren't! They were just sitting on it. And they weren't afraid either. How did you do it, people asked, mesmerized. She just walked around, sipping her extra cup of chocolate slowly and smiling. Animals know. They just know. A smile can do wonders!

Sunday, December 22, 2024

Thousand

 

Calas

Santa was furious. He had finished his route and there were still a thousand gifts in his sleigh. Who messed up? Santa paced left and right, as red as his outfit, throwing his hands in the air. What are the kids going to say? And the parents? They relied on him to deliver the right gifts to the right addresses. The ranting continued on and on until one of the elves whispered "They are for you from us all." Santa was speechless. He was used to cookies and milk, not real gifts and so beautifully wrapped too! So, he smiled.

Sunday, December 15, 2024

Gift Card

Milk Wood

She loved adventure! She hated books. But the damn gift card said "Books". At the bookstore, she looked lost. So, the bookseller said, "We have some mystery packs." Well, OK... "A mystery pack, it is." When she opened the pack, it was... let's just say a surprising pack. You had to call a series of phone numbers to get the pick-up locations. The first one was called "Whispers Among the Gravestones" and the pick-up point was the local abandoned cemetery. Who would've thought that books could be so interesting after all? She would take some pepper spray, just in case.

Friday, December 13, 2024

Moxie Madness November

 



As a community, the Virtual Writers moved on from the writing event we sponsored for so many years and started our own Moxie Madness.
I'm proud to say that we've kept the same enthusiasm and perseverance. We've managed to achieve our goals, and those of us who didn't are now much closer. We met daily to work hard on our work in progress at our in-world home, Milk Wood, in Second LifeHarri, our fearless leader, once again, organized an amazing series of workshops to keep us motivated. It worked! And there was even a pep talk *cough cough* posted in the Virtual Writers blog.

See you in April for more Moxie Madness!

Sunday, December 8, 2024

Mr. Right

 

Silver Sea



Mr. Right lived in the lighthouse across the street. The place was hideous and no one ever visited it. Mr. Right was the typical know-it-all. When proven wrong, he'd blatantly lie. Everyone hated him, everyone except his neighbor who'd often ask to see the gallery because, as he said, "he enjoyed the fresh air". And he tried, he tried many times. Mr. Right knew the neighbor wanted the lighthouse. Some plan to increase the flow of tourists and become the mayor. It turned out, Mr. Right wasn't Mr. Stupid so he never stood alone on that balcony with Mr. Ambitious.

Sunday, December 1, 2024

Arrested

 

Avydia


"He was arrested for playing awful music on the freaking harp."
"What's that?"
"Crappy music?"
"No. That word..."
"Harp?"
"Yes."
"It's that musical instrument!"
"Ah. What happened to the harp?"
"What do you mean?"
"He was arrested. And the harp?"
"How do I know what happened to the harp?!"
"Was it a big harp or a small harp?"
"It was an I-don't-care-harp." "
"Testy, just asking."
"I'll have to bond him out."
"Why?"
"OMG, have you been paying attention to anything at all? The gold is in the harp."
"Now I'm confused, how can that be an I-don't-care-harp then?"
"OK, bye."

Sunday, November 24, 2024

The Scorpion

Tatti Soup

It was on the news. They had finally killed him. A candle was lit in a memorial of sorts by the people, just in case. The Scorpion wasn't happy. When he blew out the candle, no one reacted. It was the wind, they thought. But when he kicked the memorial setup, everyone scattered. Respect, he thought, respect. He was THE Scorpion after all. The kicking seemed to work. So, he kicked a trashcan nearby but the damn thing hit him on the face. A few kids started laughing. The nerve. Being a ghost is such a difficult thing these days.

Thursday, November 21, 2024

Blood Test

 

Misali

She was in the tub. Went for a swim, someone joked. The blood test was inconclusive. Are you sure it was a person? He nodded. Melted in that tub, someone joked. It wasn't funny. Where did he get the blood from then? The wall. Plenty of it. The acid took care of the rest. And now? Now, it was in their hands. That's why you're cops, he said, I'm just the coroner. Well, the blood wasn't hers. It was his. That damn pocket knife he used to slit her throat first. Good thing no one noticed that he kept saying she.

Sunday, November 3, 2024

Safe

Apassionata

You'll be safe, he said. But nothing was further from the truth. I wasn't safe at all. The irony, the sarcasm, the criticism, the mockery. Day after day. I was not safe. When I left, I left for good. I walked away and became invisible. I changed my name. I hid myself among strangers. My looks, my job. Everything changed. The day he knocked on my door, I just had to get rid of him. The strangers understood. The cops are still looking for him. He's in the Madden's crypt, in Mrs. Madden's coffin. He'll be safe there... or not!
100 Word Stories

Sunday, October 27, 2024

Get Me Out of Here!

Slaughterhouse

 The very moment the Ferris wheel started rotating, there was this weird grumbling sound, followed by a sharp metallic groan. He yelled "get me out of here" to no avail. His blood pressure hit the roof when he heard a snapping sound. That was it, he was going to die. The wheel tilted to one side and crashed against the rocks. Yes, "thank you, god, I just broke my back, my legs and an arm, but I'll be fine". Why, you may ask. Well, insurance. A fortune. He never told anyone about that wrench he had stuck in the engine.
100 Word Stories

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Moxie Madness Workshops

 

Milk Wood


All scheduled events take place at the Forest Coffee Bar (unless otherwise stated) or in the writing room at Book Island (Sundays at 12 noon PT). Please be aware that the clocks go back in the US on the 3rd November and on the 27th October in the UK, and we go by Pacific Time (PT), also known as SLT in Second Life®.


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*Write What Haunts You - Hosted by Robinette Waterson
Friday 1st November, 2024
8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm GMT

People have themes that fascinate them, which they come back to again and again. These themes influence what books they read, movies they watch, topics of conversations with friends, the kinds of vacations they take, the artwork they are drawn to, their daydreams, and their nightmares. In this workshop, Robinette will show you how you can access these ideas so you stay excited and motivated for 30 days and 50,000 words.

About Robinette: Robinette Waterson is a writer of Victorian steampunk erotica, historical novels, and assorted ephemera. In Second Life®, Robinette role plays in historical sims, generally playing a strong-minded woman with a zest for life.

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*Memoir: Interrogating the Past - Hosted by Keykey Underwood
Tuesday 5th November, 2024
8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm GMT

Although memoir tells stories in the first person through the lens of the author’s personal experience, it’s not really about the writer. Find out what memoir is really about. This workshop will discuss types of memoir, why we write memoir, character and time in memoir, and perhaps, some legal and ethical considerations.

About Keykey - Keykey, a native Clevelander, is the former director of The Chautauqua Writers Center in Chautauqua, New York. Her debut novel, Painting Bridges, (Bottom Dog Press, 2013) was praised by Michelle Ross, book critic for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, as “an introspective, intelligent and moving novel.” Her second novel, Resurrecting Rain (Golden Antelope Press, 2020) won a Royal Palm Literary Award from the Florida Writers Association and was a semi-finalist for a Tucson Festival of Books Literary Award under the title New Moon Rising. Her poetry chapbook, Missing Persons, (Ward Wood Publishing, 2013) won the London based Lumen/Camden prize and was cited by Times of London Literary Supplement (November, 2014) as one of the best small collections of the year.

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*Do I know you? - Hosted by Wolfie Wolfgang
Thursday 7th November, 2024
8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm GMT

Do I know you? Do I really?
Join novelist Colin Bell as he leads a creative workshop encouraging writers to experiment and play with characterisation. During the session he will consider some of the characters in his own work. Would he recognise them at a party, down a dark alley, or as a stranger on a train? We will also do some writing exercises to see how these ideas could work for us. Whatever your level, you can improve how you present your characters. If I know you then I might remember you too!

About Wolfie - Television producer-director Colin Bell’s poetry collection, Remembering Blue (2019) and his novels, Stephen Dearsley’s Summer of Love (2013) and Blue Notes, Still Frames (2016) are published by Ward Wood Publishing. His third novel, Over the Hills is a Long Way Off, will also be published by Ward Wood. His poetry has been published by Acumen, Cinnamon Press, Frogmore Press, Shot Glass Journal, Soaring Penguin Press, The Fib Review, and a number of anthologies in the US and UK. Several of his fibs have been set to music as the song cycle, Fibonacci Poems (2017) for tenor voice and piano by American composer Tim Risher. In 2020 he was made Musepie Press’ Featured International Poet and his Fibonacci poetry has been twice nominated for the Pushcart Prize. A Producer-director of arts documentaries and then Executive Producer, Music and Arts, he has made arts programmes for ITV, BBC, Channel Four, and for broadcasters in the USA (WNET and Disney), in Japan (NHK) and Germany (WDR). Colin Bell’s website: https://wolfiewolfgang.com/

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*Finding Your Historical Fiction Voice - Hosted by Finn Bookmite
Friday 8th November, 2024
8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm GMT

Finding your historical fiction voice
• Are you a “wouldst thou” or a “would you”?
• Do you feel that writing the fourteenth century in modern vernacular is justifiable?
• Should someone have told Shakespeare that Ancient Rome didn’t have striking clocks?
• Is it important that the reader finds out the complete process of making a toga from shearing the sheep to the exact type of seashell needed to make the dye?

In this not-totally-serious talk, we shall look at what readers want from a good historical novel, and what jars their senses. We shall examine things like vocabulary pitfalls and the eternal conundrum of pleasing the history buff while not overloading the story with our research!
We shall do this in a spirit of kindness – especially towards me – and collaboration by looking at all the things I got wrong! Our one aim is to open up a way forward for anyone who wants to write historical fiction.

About Finn - Finn has loved the ancient world since reading her first Greek myth, Theseus and the Minotaur. After reading Classics at Oxford, she taught at a British boys’ school for twenty-five years, but then her family moved to Qatar. There wasn’t much call for Latin teachers, so she became a prison visitor, animal rescuer and writer of historical novels and poetry. Now she is back in the UK, and a full-time author.

══════════════════════════


*Discovering Your Characters - Hosted by Ercila Robbins
Saturday 23rd November, 2024
8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm GMT

Did you ever want to start your novel with a full description of your character? Where did he come from? What does he look like? What is motivating him? What is his goal? What are his strengths and weaknesses? How does he treat his mother? Well, don’t. Don’t ever begin a novel that way. Writing a character should be like meeting someone on a street corner and then working up to becoming friends. Developing a character takes time, pages, and chapters. Let’s talk about character building, from the ground up, one scene at a time. You don’t know anything about this person until they tell you or you watch them engage with others. Neither should your reader.

About Ercila - Retired criminal attorney and author of six crime novels – and more in the works. Ercila is also a former journalist and newspaper editor, and a published poet. She is a mother, grandmother, and veteran.

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*POSTPONED
Maintaining a #WritersLife like a boss, even when life takes a detour - Hosted by Emz Maizie
Sunday 24th November, 2024
8am PT / 11am ET / 4pm GMT
Keeping your writer’s life active even when your personal life spins out of control. How to maintain a healthy work-life-writing balance without burning out.

About Emz - Author, artist, voice actress, and editor, Emerian Rich is best known for being the Horror Hostess of HorrorAddicts.net, an internationally acclaimed podcast, now in its 19th season. She runs HorrorAddicts.net Press and has major roles in two non-fiction magazines. She is the author of the Night’s Knights vampire series, has been published in over 40 fiction anthologies, has 90+ nonfiction credits, and writes romance under the name Emmy Z. Madrigal. Find out more at http://emzbox.com.

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See you at Milk Wood!

Monday, October 21, 2024

Moxie Madness in November!

 


Moxie Madness is a month of extra inspiration & effort at Milk Wood, the Virtual Writers home. And this is our new challenge!

Due to the recent controversy over the use of AI and last year's child safeguarding issue, we felt we could no longer (in all conscience) continue to promote NaNoWriMo, their forums, or website.

So, this will start a new event called Moxie Madness where we'll attempt to write a novel in 30 days. 

We've been running these events for over fifteen years and know how challenging they can be, but over the years we've developed a supportive and fun program to help get you over the hurdle. It won't be easy, but you won't regret it; we'll be right beside you, offering support and encouragement to help you reach the finish line. 

The challenge begins on 1st November and ends at midnight on 30th November.  Our Second Life® Moxie word meter will be up and working on the 1st at our virtual writing area. You will need to join the Virtual Writers, Inc. group in order to use our participant titler. This allows you to keep track of your word count through the meter.

So, how does this work?

1. Join our Virtual Writers, Inc. group (found in search), and our Discord server: https://discord.com/invite/6hzEBJw4NR. As mentioned, we're working on creating our own forum especially for the challenge. We'll let you know when it's ready to be launched via our site. Make sure to subscribe: http://www.virtualwriters.org

2. Then, grab our gift box (the wooden one on top of the shelving unit) at the Forest Coffee Bar (and at our Camp Moxie information hut). It’s packed full of resources and special goodies for writers. Plus, you’ll find our all-important event schedule. Be sure to add the write-in dates and workshops to your calendar so you don’t miss anything.

3. Next, sign up for the TrackBear app https://trackbear.app/ and join our Moxie Madness Leaderboard (sign up code is: 2b85a6dc-e424-4868-a904-988bc0e06def).

4. Next, wear our Moxie titler (found in the gift box), activate the Virtual Writers, Inc. group so you are also wearing the group tag, touch the word meter (the old school computer), wait for the instructions then type your new word count into the chat box. Remember to update your word count daily.

5. If you're a Plotter (vs a Pantser), open up the box containing the Prep Worksheets and look for the plot storyboard, and character development notecards. Moxie Madness is a demanding challenge and preparedness is key. Use your time wisely and join us for our daily write-ins as we get ready for the challenge. If you need some inspiration, click on one of our plot bunnies (they're scattered about the sim). Or, try our prompt dice game. You'll find it on the counter at the Forest Coffee Bar.

6. On 1st November you can begin the challenge proper. Try to write at least 1,667 words every day. If you'd prefer to create your own writing goal, then that's perfectly fine. Being a Moxie Maverick is okay with us. This is your challenge. Just keep a note of your goal so we can cheer you on like the others. You might want to try the spreadsheets on the resource list, in addition to TrackBear. They're a great way to keep track and they're rather handsome looking, too. Lastly, remember to update your daily word count at our meter in Milk Wood as well as on the TrackBear leaderboard, this is important for the group, so we can see how well we're doing as a whole. For regular pep talks and advice, check out our website http://www.virtualwriters.org. 

We have hot chocolate and muffins, laptops, notebooks, pencils, and some of the most supportive writers in Second Life®!


Sunday, October 20, 2024

Classical Music

 

Goatswood


She couldn't find her violin. She shuffled through the pile of bags waiting to be placed in the train. Where's the violin? Where is it? She ran around like a lunatic, grabbing people's arms and repeating the question over and over again. In the distance, a man walked away with a violin case. Why not? She had rejected him. She had mocked him, saying she had played him like a fiddle. Really? So, he was taking the fiddle. No more fiddling with people's feelings. She would have to face the music, and it wouldn't be the classical version of it.
100 Word Stories

Sunday, October 13, 2024

Banana Split

 

Milk Wood

"A banana split, please."
The two witches looked at each other, puzzled.
"We don't have banana splits."
"What do you have?"
"We have the Death Cap."
The customer laughed."Autumn Skullcap."
The customer laughed again.
"And the Destroying Angels special."
"Fascinating! OK, let's have the special then."
"Are you sure?"
The customer nodded.
"I feel adventurous!"
They prepared the potion and watched him trot off, sipping from his bottle of Destroying Angels.
"Did we tell him the mushrooms were poisonous?"
"I don't think we did and I don't think he read the sign."
"We can't fight stupid, can we?"
"Nope."
100 Word Stories

Sunday, October 6, 2024

Finding

 

Goatswood


The man in the cave wanted to be left alone. However, when they spotted him wandering about, they thought it was a great finding. A real caveman. Alive. Yes! Interviews, a book, a TV series, a movie, the money stacking up in their bank accounts. Did they think about the man in the cave? Nope. So, the man in the cave decided to treat them as he would any other animal. No, he didn't eat them. He just hung them upside down from a tree and watched. It was highly entertaining. Well, what a shame they didn't last long.
100 Word Stories