Press "Enter" to skip to content

How to Write and Publish in SL

Dear All,

I enjoy writing and whenever i roleplay and get into something, i like to do small stories or other contributions to whatever it is i`m focused on. I`m aware that there are magazines and such in game and it occured to me that my writing skills might be put to good use and even paid use, which would be good for my second life standard of living.

However, as a newbie, i`m none too clued up about how to go about this, so i`m interested in any advice as to how one might go about writing a “book”, or other publishable work in game. Links or personal guidance would be appreciated, as to format and distribution, or content.

As an example, i was tempted to put together some sort of “unauthorised biography” of our good mayor, who seems a fascinating man and a bit of an enigma. I`m sure there are other luminaries in the city or in the world itself that people would be interested to learn more of.

Do we have a babbage newspaper or other “thing” whereby one could contribute articles? After all, articles are a lot more practical than books and would be a good place to get to grips with things before embarking on writing proper. Also much quicker to read!

All assistance welcome.

Spread the love

11 Comments

  1. Aeolus Cleanslate Aeolus Cleanslate May 14, 2011

    Madam Cogshine! Your is an eminently respectable pursuit, and one which many of us share. I have a few suggestions:

    • The Reader is an excellent repository for installation-fiction, and many of our Residents publish episodic stories as part of their blog here. These vary in terms of intensity and duration, but it does provide entertaining reading for the rest of us, and after a time the installations can quite easily be aggregated and collected into longer forms.
    • The Burton Library holds an annual Flash Fiction contest (usually around the Holidays) which has been a persistent highlight of Babbage’s literary scene and generated some astounding pieces. The entries are collected and published inworld in book form – copies are available at the Library itself (which is located in the southeastern corner of Babbage Canals, for those who haven’t visited).
    • From time to time, several inworld media outlets provide a forum for creative works. Radio Riel produces audio dramatizations of stories on a  regular basis (contact Gabrielle Riel or Mr Tenk for details there).
    • Treet.tv has done video productions of stories inworld from time to time (I’d point you to Saffia Widdershins on that score).
    • Unfortunately, it appears the PrimGraph (inworld steampunk magazine) has recently ceased operations, closing what had become in many ways the signature publication of the Steamlands.

    I am aware of at least one other opportunity for creative expression in the works, which should see the light of day shortly. (Stay tuned for that!)

  2. Grendel Footman Grendel Footman May 14, 2011

    wait, the Primgraph closed? why am I still getting notices about things then?  

  3. Orpheus Angkarn Orpheus Angkarn May 14, 2011

    Oh no! I just discovered back issues of the Primgraph, and was really enjoying the golden prim webcomic.

    • Jedburgh30 Dagger Jedburgh30 Dagger May 14, 2011

      The Quest will go on as a free-standing publication

  4. Orpheus Angkarn Orpheus Angkarn May 14, 2011

    Oh no! I just discovered back issues of the Primgraph, and was really enjoying the golden prim webcomic.

  5. Lady Chronometria Cogshine Lady Chronometria Cogshine May 14, 2011

    Thankyou for your detailed and helpful reply Mr Cleanslate. I appreciate your suggestions on the competitions as that sort of writing is a social affair and i can take part in that with the community as a whole rather than it being a lonely pursuit.

    As to the fate of the Primgraph, thats an interesting thing indeed and it may be no coincidence that my appearance here and this request is timed as such a publication dies out. Perhaps it will rise again and will require assistance to do so, in which case i will be ably placed to assist. I shall keep a close eye on developments, as the steamlands surely deserve some form of periodical.

    Lady Cogshine.

  6. Ceejay Writer Ceejay Writer May 15, 2011

    Tis nice to meet a fellow writer, Miss Cogshine!   If you’ve read our blog posting regarding the future of the Primgraph, you will see that our Primgraph blog shall continue, and we do welcome contributions there, which will keep the Primgraph alive through this already popular outlet.  We shall also be producing a final issue of The Primgraph later in the summer, so there’s still some fun to look forward to. All issues of the Primgraph will remain available in-world and through calameo.com as well – and I highly encourage all to go back and read any of the amazing stories and articles you may not have had time to get to in the past.  There’s a lot of wonderful writing amassed!  We do not consider The Primgraph to have ‘died out’, but merely to have completed the logical end of a satisfying run.  And we are very proud of what we have accomplished.  

    Maceholder Cleanslate has offered many fine suggestions – and I gather from your response that  you would most enjoy the social and community aspects of writing.  New Babbage is a very creative community and I know will welcome your tales here at the Aetheric Reader, the flash fiction contests, and I do know the thought storytelling nights have sparked new interest lately, too! 

    If you have your heart set on producing a periodical publication, I do of course wish you all the best of luck and success.  It can be a lot of work, but labors of love carry their own rewards.  

  7. Lady Chronometria Cogshine Lady Chronometria Cogshine May 15, 2011

    Thankyou Miss Writer,

    I read with interest of your time at the “her dark materials” window, looking over the city and becoming inspired.

    I`m glad to see that the Primgraph will continue as a blog, though obviously losing anything from the world itself as a physical thing is a sad occasion. Perhaps as a blog, however, it will excel and i hope that such a format will make it more available to those who are not naturally dwelling in second life itself.

    Maybe the Primgraph Blog will become a gateway that attracts new blood. I shall put my thinking hat on and come up with some possible contributions for it.

  8. Ceejay Writer Ceejay Writer May 15, 2011

    Amazingly, in ten days exactly, our Primgraph blog will be two years old!  I was curious, and so I went and checked.  There’s a lot of goodies stuffed into it, including event announcements of course, but also reporter’s recaps of crucial roleplay twists (Miss Bookworm Heinrichs excels at those) and a few creative writing efforts.  (I have personally allowed some writers to have their works published there, as an interim step towards writing for the magazines in the past.) 

    I may have to set aside some time to spin back through the years and enjoy what’s gone before, which should nourish my thoughts for what’s to come in the blog.

    If anyone wishes to know more about contributing to the Primgraph blog, writing for our other magazine (Prim Perfect, covering homes and gardens in virtual worlds), or simply needs an ear for cracking the writers block, bouncing of ideas, or pitching ideas at me for further development, you are welcome to email me at ceejay.writer@gmail.com. I may be able to help recommend various outlets for your writing, once I know what you are up to!  ;) 

     

     

Leave a Reply