Test the Water!

Explore these new features in Open Water:

• 5 star rating system for Open Water stories
• Email notification when someone comments on your story
• Recent Activity list
• Ability to sort stories by ratings
• See stories by opening a category or by rolling cursor over the category name

I’m very excited about the new features and think they will greatly improve your experience in Open Water. Thank you for joining in the fun—and please invite your friends too. Jump in – the water’s better than ever!

Prize Winners

Congratulations to the latest $50 prize winners Skyking and Boardpres! Catch Skyking's story, No Sweat for Frank, in Open Water. And read the installments to Hooks & Storylines added by Boardpres. Great bait, Anglers!

Angler News

Catch one of Ivory’s stories on Open Water – “Soccer with the Birds.”

I like the story, but I’m not sure how I feel about the ending. Is it happy or sad? I don’t think it really matters which emotion the story evokes. Perhaps it’s a sign of a story’s complexity when we are left wondering rather than walloped with one idea. What do you think? You’re invited to give Ivory a comment.

Also check out Ivory’s new blog, Becoming a Novelist.

Kick Start Your Creativity

Good writing balances control and creativity. I admit control often overtakes my writing process. I tend to prefer editing to originating text, probably because it’s safer. Polishing prose rewards me with a sense of satisfaction when a sentence finally sings. Yeah, I’m a sucker for alliteration too. And it's that self awareness about my writing that triggers my inner control queen. It also kills creativity.

Creativity is scary. I have to give myself permission to be silly, senseless, or shocking to get to the free-flowing ease of spontaneity and ingenuity. Permission to slip over the edge of acceptability in private is one thing, but sharing those semi-psycho fragments in public is another matter, especially if I hope to sell the piece to an employer, client, or publisher.

Headlines for marketing materials are where I can go off the deep end. Hey, it’s got to get attention, right? I’ve seen those looks: “Wow, you’ve gone too far.” “I don’t get it.” “That’s dumb.” “How’d you come up with that?” I’ve learned to self-edit before sharing every thought.

So how can we channel creativity and test the waters? TaleBait provides a safe harbor for spawning creativity.Writers can play (and work) together to spark one another’s imaginations. You can choose to sign on with your real name if you want to be recognized, or use an alias to explore new styles.

When you contribute to the collaborative, continuous stories on Hooks & Storylines, you absolutely cannot control the outcome, no matter how hard you try. On one hand, the lack of control may seem frustrating; on the other, it’s freeing. You write for the simple joy of creating without constraint (other than keeping the characters consistent and the story compelling, please). I can tell you from personal experience that the exercise of posting multiple alternative outcomes has improved my skills for writing fiction.

Open Water gives you a venue to control and share your writing, from silly to serious. You decide what to post and ask for the type of feedback or collaboration you want.

TaleBait helps you explore the depths of your imagination.

Cross Training for Writers

Some writers limit themselves to one genre. They may prefer one category or style. And it’s certainly comfortable to stay within the area that’s rewarded us with the most success. But in my experience, limiting myself to one area gets boring, and my writing can feel stale, formulaic, more boring.

The refereed, continuous storylines on TaleBait allow me to stretch different writing muscles and make fresh mental connections. It’s cross training for the brain.