History of SL Writers 2024

1. Stasis

In the spring of 2024, the SecondLife Writers Project was conceived as a bold initiative to bring together the diverse voices of the virtual world’s writing community. Spearheaded by SnakeAppleTree, the project promised to showcase the creativity of SecondLife writers in a collaborative anthology. Writers from all corners of the platform were invited to contribute Safe For Work (SFW) stories, with a goal of publishing the collection on print-on-demand and Kindle platforms.

2. Trigger

The idea gained traction when introduced to the Milk Wood Writers Group, the most active writing community in SecondLife. Early workshops showed promise, helping participants refine their stories and grow as writers. Adding to the excitement, Draxtor Depres, a well-known figure in the community, agreed to feature the project on his popular SL Book Club YouTube channel. However, just a week before their appearance, Draxtor announced his retirement from the series, abruptly cutting off a significant promotional opportunity.

3. The Quest

Undeterred, the team pushed forward. Workshops continued, and contributions began rolling in. While progress was steady, challenges arose when it's self-appointed co-manageress began asserting control over submissions. Her insistence on personally cherry-picking what was 'acceptable' led to tension, as her selective approach alienated some writers. SnakeAppleTree insisted applying a 'One Rule For All Policy'. He explained the moral principle; on the basis of her rejections of 'potentially offensive' stories, several other of the stories she had already approved would also require rejection due to their content, by that same criteria. SnakeAppleTree did not intend to reject any stories so he proposed a solution: split the anthology into two volumes. One for SFW content and one for mature stories. This compromise aimed to accommodate diverse voices while staying true to the project’s original goals.

4. Surprise

Rather than resolving the conflict, the suggestion escalated tensions. The self-appointed co-manageress resisted the idea and began a public campaign accusing SnakeAppleTree of censorship and changing the project’s ethics, of which he did neither. Several contributors subjected to her allegations withdrew their stories, citing discomfort with the conflict. The project’s momentum faltered, and the anthology faced the risk of collapse.

5. Critical Choice

SnakeAppleTree had to decide whether to abandon the project or rebuild from scratch. Opting for resilience, he refocused on the original mission: reaching out to new writers through the SecondLife media network and resuming workshops to attract fresh talent. The decision to move on without his colleague proved necessary to preserve the integrity of the project.

6. Climax

With renewed energy, the project gained traction once again. New submissions trickled in, and the workshops fostered a sense of community and collaboration. The anthology, while still incomplete, began to take shape. Writers were inspired by the perseverance of the project’s vision and rallied around the idea of sharing their work with the world.

7. Reversal

Though the path had been fraught with setbacks, the project now had a clearer sense of identity. SnakeAppleTree’s commitment to inclusivity and creativity stood in stark contrast to false allegations which had sparked the earlier conflicts. The anthology, though delayed, was on its way to becoming a testament to the strength and talent of SecondLife’s writing community.

8. Resolution

As the publishing deadline was extended, the project continued to grow and evolve. With eight stories already in place, new promotions and more writers joining, the SecondLife Writers Project became a symbol of perseverance and collaboration. Despite its challenges, the anthology promised to celebrate the unique voices of a virtual world and inspire future projects within the community.

9. Conclusion

The ex-manageress has taken her copies of the stories from the collection. She has publicly posted her intention to publish the ones she approves of, independantly. It is unknown whether she has consent from the writers who agreed for the SL Writers community project to publish their work. This situation hastened SnakeAppleTree to make a snap decision.

In order to protect the publication from an attempt at industrial espionage, the collections first edition of 9 stories was published during November of 2024. Both Kindle and Print-On-Demand versions are available. A second edition is in the pipeline to include a growing number of additional writers who asked to be part of the 2024 catalogue of short stories from the writing community of SecondLife.

This has always been a community project, run for the community, by the community, for the good of the community. All proceeds will feed back directly into the community, to the writers involved and to the SecondLife sims who host whe writers workshops.

As always stated: it is open for ALL writers of SecondLife.