--- Over the Transom ---
The Blogostratosphere
By Sandy Raschke
Since Calliope went “global” last
year,
I have received a number of submissions from contributors who
have blogs, web sites, FaceBook accounts and other social
networking presences. At first I thought, having a worldwide
audience is a good thing for a writer; you never know who will
visit—perhaps an agent or film producer, maybe a well-known
magazine or book publisher. And what writer doesn’t want this
kind of attention? As writers, we crave attention, even when we
claim to enjoy working alone. And, most of us do. Yet, many of
us are too timid to submit our work to a publisher, so we look
for diversions and rationalizations, and use up precious time in
workshop or classroom settings, listening to criticism, revising
endlessly, and now perhaps, blogging.
A blog requires maintenance. Even
with a canned template, the layout must be inviting and
navigation simple, or visitors won’t return. I’ve seen
variations in background colors, and in the buttons to press
for “About Me,” “Credits,” or “Projects,” “Contact us,” etc.
Some bloggers invite other writers to comment, or to contribute
poetry or short stories. A few blogs I’ve visited recently read
more like personal journals, revealing the writer’s creative
process, agonizing over craft, acceptances or lack of same, and
the business ramifications of getting published and staying in
the public eye.
Staying in the public eye. It’s not as easy as
it seems. Millions of other internet users also have a distinct
presence of one kind or another—for photo-sharing, communicating
with friends or relatives, or for just plain showing off. Which
means that writers and other professionals are also vying for
the attention of others. Hence—search engines. Type in
“writing,” and thousands of web sites, comments, and topics show
up. The mind boggles at the choices. Start narrowing and
winnowing and time passes. Sometimes, a lot of time.
Okay, so what I’m doing with
this column can be considered a blog, too. Over the
Transom is mostly about me and my surroundings, and
those occasional exciting moments and observations that call for
sharing or explanation. But, aha! I have a captive audience.
(That’s not to say that you can’t turn the page if you aren’t
interested in the topic at hand.) The competition for attention
is minimal—and, thankfully—quarterly. That leaves time in
between to summon the Muse.
And lately, the Muse has been urging me on. Several of
my rhyming country poems have been accepted for a regional event
newsletter, published monthly in Central Oregon. According to
the publisher, she’s received positive comments on the new
poetry section, and suggested an interview regarding my progress
in creating a chapbook of country poems. And I’ve been
compiling another set of free verse poems to submit to a poetry
contest, for which the top prize includes a cash award and 50
copies of a professionally-designed chapbook. What could be more
motivating?
This issue includes the guidelines
for the 17th Annual Calliope Fiction Contest. I hope
the theme will be enticing enough for every one of our readers
to enter (the first entry is free to subscribers). This is a
chance for you to “strut your stuff,” in an embracing, caring,
writer-friendly environment.
The window opens April 1 and closes September 15, plenty
of time to get those creative juices flowing.
I’d like to acknowledge the efforts
of several new member/subscribers to jump right in to the
Calliope community and get involved. Several have taken
advantage of Pen-Pal Critiques to improve their short stories
and novels; and in return, they have volunteered to be Pen-Pal
critics. This project is free to subscribers. Send me an email
or a SASE for the updated volunteer list; in addition to short
stories, novel chapters, and non-fiction work, Jerry Airth, our
poetry editor, has offered to critique your poems.