>>> Item number 34613 from WRITERS LOG9408A --- (258 records) ---- <<< Date: Mon, 1 Aug 1994 18:35:02 JST Reply-To: WRITERS Sender: WRITERS From: Mike Barker Subject: FAQ: Glimpses of A Writing Convention Glimpses of A Writing Convention Copyright 1994 Mike Barker "Yuiop!" The cry starts small, then bounces and grows as they rally, and finally roars, echoing from storefronts and mountainsides, spacecraft and kneeling benches, and other curious locales. The writers are in town. And out of town. And all around the town, wherever keyboard taps cyberspace into terminal networked delirium. "Qwerty!" Respond those who feel the earth move, the air flow, the water roll, and the fires glowing. The muses muse, rationales bemuse, and sparkling wits amuse. There is a party going on. And Coven Mint of the party, by the party, and for the party, shall knot poor ice from dessert. Strange knots they be! Words sluice, punctuation taps and scratches, and messages fly in the wilds of the list. Oh say can you read, in the massed confusing messages, that our star is still shining, that lights our writing madness? Those broad metaphors and silly japes, through the parries and frustrations, give proof everyday, that writers like to write... The cheers and jeers of the crowd may seem a bit hard to follow as the poetic brigade lays out its demands, the tale tellers recount their popularity polls, essayists pan for fool's gold and other precious flakes in the midst, and all the folderol fiddles wheee and far. But wait a bit, ask what you will, and lay your best out for the committee of the whole to ponder. You may be surprised at the response. For here there be writers. And in that jungle of words, burning bright, who will bind that fearful symmetry of writers and readers, the clawing need to communicate, to turn inner turmoil into measured prose and poem, ringing with the meat and blood of our humanity, burning in the night as a beacon for you... And when you can, or when you must, put yourself in that arena with a dash of trust--lions and tygers and bears there may appear, but pussycats and teddy bears oft hide behind loud roars and raised claws. The verdict and judgment is--when all the sport is read and done--for life. Welcome to the writers' convention! Our platform is a soapbox waiting for you to rise to the occasion, our smoke-filled backrooms are open for your breath of fresh air to sweep away the smog, and your word is always good here (even when fictional, faked, rhymed, or otherwise prepared for impersonation--we like characters!). Have fun! Have a cigar? How about kissing a few babies? Hear ye, hear ye, the dishonorable Judge Crit is now reading submissions--get yours in soon. And don't forget, every convention needs pros, amateurs, filksingers, balloons, razzle-dazzle peddlers and hawkers in the sales rooms, but mostly, quite especially, they need... You. So support your WRITERS convention. Write!