Today’s morning prompt is “splinter“. Come join us in Second Life® or work from home at 6am PDT for 15 minutes of writing inspired by the word.
Friday is now our dedicated dash and drabble (100-word story) day, inspired and encouraged by our good friend Crap Mariner. Crap’s weekly challenge this week is ‘rain’. Try using both prompts to create a drabble. Once you have your 100-word story feel free to add it to the comments section of this blog post as well as Crap’s site.
FAQs
I found #dailydash/#writersdash on Twitter, what is it?
The Writers’ Dash (#writersdash or #dailydash on Twitter) is a 15-minute free writing exercise held on Twitter, Facebook and Second Life® every weekday. At 5:30am & 5:30pm PDT we share the word prompt on our social media channels; the live event begins in Second Life® at 6am & 6pm PDT. Write whatever comes to you. Don’t fixate too heavily on what you are writing and disengage your inner editor – the key is for you to get the words on the page first; you can worry about editing later. If you are attending the live event in Second Life® there will be an opportunity for you to show your work to the other participants after the 15 minutes are up. If you are unable to attend the live event you can share your work on our blog. Just look out for the prompt post and leave your dash piece as a comment.
Do I have to do the Writers’ Dash in Second Life®?
No, you can do it at home, if you prefer. We share the prompt word at 5:30am & 5:30pm PDT on Twitter and Facebook and start the timer in Second Life® at 6am/6pm PDT every weekday.
How do I join the live event in Second Life®?
You will first need to join Second Life® through the Second Life® website. Go to http://www.secondlife.com to start the process. It’s free to join.
Click on the JOIN NOW button and this will take you to the Registration screen. Here you simply fill in your personal details and choose a name and look for your avatar. Don’t worry too much about your avatar’s appearance as there will be plenty of opportunity to tweak it once you are inworld.
Once you have completed your Registration, you’ll be asked to download and install the Second Life® viewer to your computer. You will then be taken to a screen that allows you to choose which community gateway to enter. This is important as we want you to go through as smooth a transition as possible. Please choose the Caledon (Victorian Steampunk) Community Gateway. Once you have chosen the gateway you will find yourself appearing inworld at the University of Oxbridge in Caledon. Now begins your brief induction.
Follow the signs and read the information boards as you come to them. There is also a brief Second Life® tutorial provided on screen. Try and absorb as much information as possible but be mindful that you can always return to Caledon at a later date if there is something you feel you missed. At the very least try and understand the most important concepts such as how to move, how to talk and your camera controls.
Once you have completed the Orientation Tutorial you will need to find your way to Milk Wood. This is the sim that is home to Virtual Writers, Inc. At the bottom of your screen you will see a search tab. Click on this and look for Milk Wood. Now the teleporting fun begins. Click on ‘Teleport’ and you will be moved from your present location to our welcome area. Make sure you save the landmark so that you can easily return there.
We look forward to meeting you at one of our various daily writing events. Don’t forget to click on one of the group joiners so you can stay abreast of happenings in the writing community. You can also join Virtual Writers, Inc. through the search facility. Simply put Virtual Writers, Inc. under group search, click on the group name to bring up the profile screen. Then click ‘View Full Profile’ followed by ‘Join’.
About Virtual Writers, Inc.
Virtual Writers, Inc. is a free online writers’ community first established in 2007 and committed to showcasing established and emerging writers in a range of interactive and immersive environments. Here we learn to experiment with digital, social and virtual world platforms to push the creative envelope and develop a strong, unique voice.
We provide a wealth of opportunities for writers to meet other writers, share resources, access new markets, attend online writing events, workshops and interactive readings, and discover the best writers’ conferences, competitions, colonies and literary organisations.
If you want to become involved in an active writing community then visit us on Second Life® , our writers’ network, or our social media channels (Twitter, Facebook and Google+) and get interactive. To learn more about our services please contact us through our online contact form.
Whether you are dashing in Second Life®, on Twitter or Facebook we welcome your dashes in the comments section below.
I am Splinter
hewn from the firmer
tighter wood
which built the classic yesterday
and from which
our own ephemeral
generations
loosed and junked
spawn to waste its nurture
bespoil the Character
which once was Duty to impart
to make us all stand straight
be True
claim our rewards from EFFORT
and look Life in the eye
healthy and secure in lot
free of debt to all but ties
of blood
of nation
of Mankind
But I am Splinter
who bears within
that grain
which tight close
about my core
shall yet maintain
the Happy Heartwood
gifted by my own
on love of Duty
to pass on
those POINTS
of building
CHARACTER.
© Queen Bluestar July 2012
“Ouch,” Max complained dryly. “Ouch, ouch, ouch…” He continued a bit more anxiously.
“Just stay still, ok? I have to find it,” said his brother.
Trusting your brother when you’re a kid is a double edged option. It could go very well or it could go terribly wrong and end up dreadfully.
“You’re not doing it right.” Disgusted, Max took short glimpses at his finger being poked at with a needle by his brother. “Look what you’re doing!”
“Calm down, calm down, what a wuss…” His brother had a strange glazed look on his face. It seemed he was enjoying the whole procedure a lot more than Max would have like him to.
“Mike! Oh, look, look, look, blood!” yelled Max.
“Stay still!”
Mike had stuck the needle in the wound and was twisting it left and right making the hole bigger.
“What are you doing?!”
“I’m fishing for it.”
“Twisting the needle left and right?! That’s not fishing!”
“No? Ok. I’m out of here,” and Mike walked away leaving Max with a bloody needle stuck in his finger and a splinter laughing at all of them.
Gently, Max pulled the needle out and for days tried to forget about the splinter.
The finger seemed to gain a life of its own as time went by. It looked like it didn’t belong to his hand. When he finally decided to tell his mother about it, he was rushed to hospital. The splinter came out alright. And it brought a friend.
“Next time you get a splinter…” started the doctor.
“… I’ll make sure to help my brother like he helped me. After all, we are twins. And twins must look alike, right?”
©2012 Lizzie Gudkov