A kid in a candy store! Yeah, I know it’s a cliche, but sometimes those are the only ways to describe something. And I’d never felt more like a kid surrounded by all the free candy I wanted — or like Alice in only the best parts of Wonderland — than I did when I first stepped foot on Second Life’s Orientation Island as Alas Zerbino, newbie avatar.
Not only could I combine my fascination with technology, my love of computer graphic design, and my addiction to learning and information-gathering in this magical 3D world, but I also, quite accidentally, discovered a vast wealth of resources for writers, available 24/7, at no cost, and as easy as opening a computer app!
I was quite head over heels in love with my brave new “world.”
Peggy Hicks of Second Life Cable Network TV interviews best-selling novelist Kristin Hannah during her twice-monthly Authors in Your Pocket! show, where SL avatars can interact directly with the author. I’ve met more published authors in SL through this and other events than I have in all my years in First Life!
In only the first month in Second Life, I:
- Took writing workshops from published authors
- Entered (and won) writing contests
- Discovered a ton of new nonfiction markets
- Chatted face-to-face (or avatar-to-avatar) with well-known authors from around the world.
And that’s just the beginning!
I tried to describe this incredible virtual world to friends and family, but found it impossible to do it justice. A few of my attempts:
- Parallel universe
- Nearly infinite playground
- Mind-blower
- The Matrix run by the good guys
But the best part for a writer like me, living in a small town in a rural part of the physical world, it gave me a mainline injection of ideas, inspiration, and markets for my writing.
The funny thing is, I first meandered into Second Life for a totally different reason (a story I’ll share another time), never dreaming it would completely revamp and exponentially expand my writing life.
I decided to start this blog to share my findings on the many ways that Second Life (and other virtual worlds) can help writers of every genre improve their writing, increase their publishing opportunities, and expand their writing community to truly “meta-physical” levels!
If you have questions you want answered or ideas for me to write about, please send me an email! I look forward to expanding our collective understanding of this new writers’ world!
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Alice in Wonderland is an upcoming fantasy-adventure film directed by Tim Burton. It is an extension to the Lewis Carroll novels Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. watch alice in wonderland online. The film will use a technique combining live action and animation. Mia Wasikowska plays the role of Alice, alongside Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as The White Queen, and Crispin Glover as The Knave of Hearts.