>>> Item number 36170 from WRITERS LOG9409A --- (250 records) ---- <<< Date: Thu, 1 Sep 1994 18:35:02 JST Reply-To: WRITERS Sender: WRITERS From: Mike Barker Subject: FAQ: A Sandcastle for 400 or so Hope you enjoy Labor Day! tink ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Can I borrow your bucket for a minute?" The white sand shimmers under the sunshine here in cyberspace. It's a little bit damp, just perfect for building sandcastles. Or for laying back and enjoying the bright, warm sun. Or for digging moats, covering toes, or running, running, running down the endless summer of our discontent. Matter of fact, it's just perfect for whatever project you have in words. Of course, sometimes your neighbors will have something to say about the shape, the form, the content, the slope of your wall, the holes you forgot to fill, or something else. Sometimes anything else. But oh, what a wonder when the castles rise! Sometimes the towers seem to reach to the sky, with a princess silhouetted against the moonlight, giants and ogres stolidly crunching along, and heroes and heroines too few. Sometimes there is just a sandy puddle, with a few cryptic marks around the edges where a prehistoric relic dragged itself momentarily into the air, then vanished again into the safe salty depths. Most of the time, there is traffic, heavy and light, skidding and throwing plumes of sand this way and that, as the keyboards click and the terminals sweat. The picnic crowd likes to toss dill pickles, ham, and other little treats around while we're working on those major and minor touches of literary delight. Don't worry, they'll pay attention when your castle goes up, but the snacks in the middle do help keep the fingers working and the brain going during those long, hot afternoons. Even the occasional fireworks and sprays of foam help make the sandbox a place for everyone. Just try to keep the sand out of your eyes. If you visit this sandbox from BITNET, the address is WRITERS@NDSUVM1.BITNET. If you're visiting from the internet, the address is WRITERS@vm1.nodak.edu. But either way, the sandbox waits for your architectural touch, so grab a shovel, pack your bucket, and start building your dreams. We're all waiting to see that castle rise here. "Sure! Can I help?" Always room for another sandcastle here. One that only you can write. So start digging. And from the earth arose a great shining castle, hulking in the eldritch light, with stained glass windows glowing... From the water, strange mists and sleek swimming beasts arose and danced in curling spouts, leaping upward from wavetops, skidding toward the land in the surf and spume... From the air, cool breezes, hot dry Chinooks, and transparent figures of clearest invisible form blew through... And from the fire, the sand grew into glass bubbles, domes, great shimmering webs reaching into hearts and minds... As keyboards and terminals joined in the sandbox... of the writers. See you there! ------------------------------------------------------------------------