When’s the last time you wandered through a fair-like exhibition full of writers and writing resources?  For many of us, the answer’s “a loooong time ago.”

When’s the last time you rode a magic carpet over that exhibition? If your answer is anything BUT “never,” I know you’ve been to one of the year’s best events in Second Life: The Autumn Writers Exhibition (AWE) in Second Life.

A bird’s-eye view of one section of the Autumn Writers Exhibition (AWE) in Second Life

Thanks to the great folks at the Written Word community in SL, more than 100 writers, songwriters, comedians, magazines, newspapers, writing groups and other resources are gathered in a jumble of colorful tents and displays on Cookie Island in SL until November 2, 2008. It’s completely free (to both exhibitors and visitors) and requires no First Life travel!

What’s this got to do with magic carpets? you might be wondering.

Written Word co-owner Hastings Bournemouth is also a building/scripting wizard who created a way to fly over the entire exhibition, from one tower to the other, while seated on a carpet.  Not only is the ride great fun, but it puts the whole exhibit—and the island it’s on—in perspective.

One or two avatars at a time can ride the magic carpet over AWE

In addition to such fun (and free!) experiences as taking the tower elevator and the carpet rides, here’s a sampling of what you can find among AWE’s displays:

• Published and unpublished writers to chat with
• Samples of original writing (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, songwriting, scriptwriting) from some of the best writers in Second Life
• Second Life publications that buy freelance material
• Venues—from coffeeshops to the West of Ireland Cultural Center and Library—that offer a range of opportunities to writers
• SL groups and venues for playwrights and actors, musicians, and storytellers

Just a few of the more than 100 booths at AWE in Second Life

“The exhibition is similar to a literary festival that I’d like to go in RL,” the other owner of Written Word, Jilly Kidd, said in the Second Life Newspaper’s report on the event.  Jilly and Hastings organized the first AWE last year, and it was so successful, they decided to do it again this year.

Cash Prizes for Writing & Exhibiting

This year’s AWE is proving to be even bigger and more exciting—and potentially profitable for authors and exhibitors both!  Jilly and Hastings are offering three prizes of L$5,000 each for:

• The best display by an exhibitor
• The best original poem or song submitted
• The best original fiction or nonfiction story submitted

The writing competition is open to anyone.  Here’s a summary of the guidelines:

• All entries must be original writing, on the theme of Autumn.
• The prose can be fiction or non-fiction up to 2,000 words, and the poetry can be a poem or song lyric with no limit in length “but don’t make it a whole book-length poem!”
• Entries must be received by October 31, 2008.

Jilly adds, “Entries that have appeared on other websites and in other publications will be considered because you can’t see too much of a good thing and we believe setting limitations on writers and artists is unfair.”  Visit AWE for more details.

Occasional poetry/short prose “slams” will also be held during AWE. Just “turn up and enter, and the audience decides—winner gets L$2,000!” according to the AWE web page.

Starting Oct. 26: A Week of Special Events

The final week of AWE, beginning October 26, is the “Main Events Week” and includes readings by published poets and novelists, interviews with publishers, and music, comedy, and fireworks.

The best way to get all the details on these events is to join the Written Word group in Second Life.

To teleport to the marvelous 2008 Autumn Writing Exhibition, use this SLURL:  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Cookie/40/175/21.

And be sure to take a ride on the Sheherazade magic carpet!

(At left, my avatar, Alas Zerbino, enjoys a ride on the magic carpet as it passes a row of AWE booths.)

Methinks it used to be far easier to be an introverted writer.  And since 95 percent of writers are introverted (according to Ursula LeGuin), me-double-thinks it used to be a whole lot easier to be a writer, period!

Writers today have to be almost as expert at the extraverted skills of marketing and sales as they are at the craft of writing.

So what’s an introverted writer to do (other than surrender to despair)?

There’s advice all over the Internet, of course.  One of my favorites is a blog called Shrinking Violet Promotions, although just about every writing-related site (including this fascinating article from Atlantic.com) says something on the topic.  But I know from my work as an instructional designer that just reading about a skill does not produce mastery; you must also practice it in realistic situations.

What does that have to do with Second Life?  Simple: Second Life lets us introverts practice being extraverted without making complete fools of ourselves!

Seriously, Second Life is being used by all kinds of individuals and organizations to learn and practice life-skills. Here are just a few (really neat) examples:

• Avatars Help People with Disabilities
• Real-Life Fears Faced in Online World
• ‘Naughty Auties’ battle autism with virtual interaction
• Interview With the Agoraphobic: Fighting the Fear in Second Life
• CBS Second Life Show on how SL can help people with health challenges

Likewise, Second Life can help us introverted writers practice the extravert skills required of 21st Century writers.  Especially those of us who live long distances from First Life opportunities for practice.

“Hardly anybody ever writes anything nice about introverts. Extroverts rule. This is rather odd when you realise that about nineteen writers out of twenty are introverts. We are being taught to be ashamed of not being ‘outgoing’. But a writer’s job is ingoing.” ~ Ursula LeGuin

“How in the world can that be?” I can hear some of you thinking.  Well, here are two areas where I’ve made major improvements — and all from the safety of my home office:

1. Reading/speaking to an audience

One of the most common ways writers market themselves is by giving public readings.  Not a skill we are born with — especially introverts!  When I read my first story to an audience in SL, it was a disaster.

(Part of the problem was that I didn’t know how to use a PC mic to speak in SL, so my delivery most closely resembled Roseanne Roseannadanna shouting a speech into the depths of Mammoth Cave.  Hence, I highly recommend first learning the basic techniques of SL voice chat; these videos by Torley Linden are fabulous for that!)

But the beauty of it is that no one could see the abject fear and humiliation on my face or the fetal position I assumed when I realized the extent of the disaster!  Instead, I just apologized in text chat, said I was having microphone problems.  And the next time I was called up to read before this group, no one left, or even hissed or booed!

Since then, each time I’ve read a story or poem in SL, I’ve worked to improve some aspect of public reading, one skill at a time — first the technical intricacies, then voice modulation, then performance reading, and so on — all from the safety of hiding behind an avatar who always looks composed!

I’ve even managed to win a “Circle Slam” reading contest in SL (though I have to admit there was not a lot of competition).

By the time I face my next First Life audience, both my confidence level and reading skill will be about a thousand percent higher than before SL.

2.  Networking with other writers

This one relates to an astonishing discovery I made.

First, understand that as an introvert, I prefer to listen than to talk — which means I have only the teensiest bit of experience carrying on a spontaneous, witty conversation with someone I just met.  Now, assume that person is an agent or an author I’m in awe of, well, needless to say the term “shrinking violet” becomes the understatement of the year! So when I meet writers or agents or publishers in First Life, my tongue usually ties up in knots, and I transform myself into as close an approximation as possible of the wallpaper.

But, in Second Life, most communication is done via text chat, which is — well, writing, of course! My best skill!  Many writers talk about how they learn what they think by writing it down.  I’m the same way.  So in the virtual world, instead of responding to someone with bumbling “ah’s” and “ummm’s” and keeping my voice as low as possible so I can swallow a word if it sounds too stupid when it comes out, I can write my conversation!  Even review it and edit it before anyone sees it! In the world of text chat, no one hears my pauses, my stutters, my faux pas.  They only “hear” the actual words I want them to hear; my self-edited statements.

As a result, I’ve developed more confidence in my ability to come up with relevant, even witty responses to others — even to authors way “up there.”  A skill that’s spread into First Life!

Now when I meet someone, I have more trust that I’ll make the right response, which means I have less of the anxiety that prevents me from even thinking of something halfway intelligent to say and more belief in the worth of my contribution.  I no longer pray for the floor to swallow me; instead I open up to the other person, get to know him or her, share a little of myself — in essence forge another link in that network that’s so critical to a successful writing career.

And best of all, I sometimes make a new friend!

These are only two of the infinite ways to improve the skills needed to be a writer in the 21st Century, but you get the idea!  I’ll bet a lot of writers have discovered this awesome aspect of Second Life — if you’re one of them, how have you seen your skills grow?  We’d all love to hear about it, so please share in a comment!