The Guardian for this meeting was Zen Arado. The comments are by Zen Arado.

The theme of this meeting was almost entirely about creative writing:

Zen Arado: ..
Zen Arado: Hi Xirana :)
Xirana Oximoxi: hello Zen! :-)
Zen Arado: how are you?
Xirana Oximoxi: I'm fine ty! and you?
Zen Arado: fine thanks
Zen Arado: the website for my creative writing course just opened today
Zen Arado: I feel nervous about it
Xirana Oximoxi: ah! wonderful! :-)
Xirana Oximoxi: I hope you will share your writings with us
Zen Arado: I don't have much imagination
Xirana Oximoxi: I am sure you will be surprised about your own imagination:)
Zen Arado: analysing is easier
Xirana Oximoxi: maybe, is your course oriented to 'fantasy' writing? ñliteratur?
Xirana Oximoxi: literatur*
Zen Arado: fiction, life writing and poetry
Xirana Oximoxi: ok...then no worries about 'imagination'...you can write about anyething
Xirana Oximoxi: feeelings, events and stories that happened to you...
Zen Arado: yeh
Zen Arado: I don't think I could make up a story
Zen Arado: like people write a whole noves
Xirana Oximoxi: anyway...I am absolutly sure that writing well is not easy at all
Zen Arado: novel
Xirana Oximoxi: the best literatur must be so elaborate that the 'reader' will not notice it
Zen Arado: hmmm yes
Xirana Oximoxi: :)
Zen Arado: I wonder how much you can develop these skills
Zen Arado: or how much is natural talent
Zen Arado: but I'm not worried
Zen Arado: I am interested in the process

Xirana Oximoxi: I don't know...but I guess there's also a kind of personal talent involved
Zen Arado: and writing is easier physically
Xirana Oximoxi: and one never will know if don't try it
Xirana Oximoxi: :)
Zen Arado: exactly
Zen Arado: :)
Zen Arado: when you write do you use pen and paper?
Zen Arado: or computer?
Xirana Oximoxi: I don't 'write' :)
Xirana Oximoxi: I use the compuiter for the works of my university and also paper to prepare them
Zen Arado: ah yes...dissertations must be submitted on paper
Xirana Oximoxi: but I have not tried to wrtie in a creative way
Xirana Oximoxi: hello Caledonia
Zen Arado: Hi Caledonia
Caledonia Heron: hi there :)
Zen Arado: have you been here before Cal?
Caledonia Heron: yes, thanks Zen
Zen Arado: so you are ok with what you say being on the Wiki?
Xirana Oximoxi: is it possible to have the link with the information of the courses you are going to do, Zen?
Caledonia Heron: yes, I understand about that
Zen Arado: kk great
Caledonia Heron: just stopped in to say hi
Xirana Oximoxi: wonderful! :)
Zen Arado: it's so tiresome having to ask everyone :)
Zen Arado: sure Xiri
Zen Arado: just a sec
Xirana Oximoxi: yes...but it is important to do so, if not we may have problems publishing names of people that don't want to have it publushed
Zen Arado: http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergr...ourse/a215.htm
Xirana Oximoxi: we are talking about creative writing, Cal
Xirana Oximoxi: Zen is going to do a course
Caledonia Heron: excellent idea
Xirana Oximoxi: have you ever tried to write?
Zen Arado: just starting it and feel nervous
Xirana Oximoxi: or maybe you are a writer?
Caledonia Heron: I'm sure it will be great :)
Caledonia Heron: sure, I write
Xirana Oximoxi: thank you Zen, I'll read it later:)
Zen Arado: what do you write Cal?
Caledonia Heron: ideas, stories, tech stuff, proposals, grants, grocery lists :)
Zen Arado: :)
Xirana Oximoxi: you see Zen!! here you can also find people to help you:)
Xirana Oximoxi: haha...'grocery lists' :))
Zen Arado: I have never even done grocery lists:)
Zen Arado: do it from memory
Caledonia Heron: oh phoeey, at least in your head, that's a writing space too
Xirana Oximoxi: you have good memory then:)..if I don't I always forget something I need:)
Zen Arado: hmmm I guess
Zen Arado: no I forget things
Zen Arado: they tell you to get a notebook
Zen Arado: and use it when you go places
Caledonia Heron: I use the notes function on my iphone to take down ideas....
Zen Arado: was thinging about that
Zen Arado: but typing is slow for me
Caledonia Heron: me too
Zen Arado: a notebook seems so low tech
Caledonia Heron: i keep spiral notebooks, I like the low tech feel of paper
Zen Arado: I tried writing in it outside this morning
Zen Arado: yeh
Zen Arado: but nowadays I read and write mostly on computer
Caledonia Heron: me too
Caledonia Heron: I do sure like the feel of a good pen too .... silly that
Zen Arado: yeh I am a penaholic
Caledonia Heron: the weight, balance, the glide .... :)
Caledonia Heron: kind of an cooperative exercise between writer and tool
Zen Arado: I start buying lots of pens
Zen Arado: and I ordered a moleskin notebook
Zen Arado: I hope they don't actually use moleskins
Xirana Oximoxi: hehe :)) that's good:) it would be terrible if in the middle of inspiration the ink is finish!! (joking) :-)
Zen Arado: from dead moles

Caledonia Heron: better than skin moles... ewwww
Caledonia Heron: or turncoat spies
Zen Arado: :)
Caledonia Heron: mole mouths remind me of anemones
Zen Arado: it's all fun anyway
Caledonia Heron: word play is the best fun
Zen Arado: yeh
Zen Arado: we sure write a lot in SL
Zen Arado: ever think about that?
Xirana Oximoxi: yes:)
Zen Arado: if we knew how many words we have written in SL over the years....
Caledonia Heron: yes, just when you asked if I was a writer I thought, good grief I've written a lot here for sure
Caledonia Heron: countless
Xirana Oximoxi: yes...but it's different way of 'writing'
Zen Arado: it's all communication
Zen Arado: some meetings we take it in turn to speak
Zen Arado: write
Xirana Oximoxi: is like speaking...with the difference that I have more time to process and understand than when I hear people speaking English :)
Zen Arado: I have written poems often like that
Caledonia Heron: ah a poet
Zen Arado: if there is a theme we can write a lot
Zen Arado: not really Cal
Zen Arado: but have found a little poem captured what I wanted to say better than a lot of prose on occasions
Zen Arado: notices that a high proportion of students on course are women
Caledonia Heron: :)
Zen Arado: women seem to like writing better than men
Caledonia Heron: yet more men are well known as writers.... so it goes
Xirana Oximoxi: I've also heard about a lot of women and few men reading when traveling in trains or tube in Spain..not sure if there are studies about it
Zen Arado: wonder what proportion is?
Zen Arado: might have3 changed lately
Zen Arado: women are better with words?
Zen Arado: maybe they talk more ?
Xirana Oximoxi: I don't think so
Zen Arado: heh
Xirana Oximoxi: :)
Caledonia Heron: perhaps they take time to reflect, women also are more apt to ask for medical help, perhaps some internal tuning?
Zen Arado: men tend to bottle things up
Zen Arado: re women novelists :
Caledonia Heron: eau de stuck
Zen Arado: it coud be like women painters
Zen Arado: they were kept down in bygone centuries
Zen Arado: :)
Zen Arado: weren't allowed education
Xirana Oximoxi: yes...it has been always a little difficult for women to show their works ...
Zen Arado: but I don't think there is any societal bias towards men writing nowadays?
Xirana Oximoxi: I think actually is different..at least in our society
Xirana Oximoxi: if you are good, man or woman, you have possibilities in all fields
Zen Arado: yes
Caledonia Heron: Fewer are marginalized now, the digital democratization of publication and all
Zen Arado: I was reading about Somerset Maugham doing little pen portraits of people
Xirana Oximoxi: yes, internet also helps
Zen Arado: reminded me of artists sketching someone
Caledonia Heron: I love small drawings, there is an exquisite permanent gallery of small french paintings in the national gallery, one of my favorites
Zen Arado: I wonder how much you could do of that from SL
Xirana Oximoxi: I would like to take sketches of people...but usually I don't dare...:)
Zen Arado: but you have done Xiri?
Caledonia Heron: that would be an interesting sl project Xiri

Xirana Oximoxi: in rl I have not done...only some of my family...but it's not the same...sometimes you see interesting faces or expressions... I will try to do it in a hidden way when travelling with the train:) with a small notebook
Xirana Oximoxi: what project Cal?
Caledonia Heron: to sketch those you meet in sl, a study in multiverse art :)
Xirana Oximoxi: I have done some drawings of a pair of Pabbers:)...I would prefer to work in their rl faces....
Zen Arado: yes
Zen Arado: more wrinkles :)
Xirana Oximoxi: our image here is so 'plain'...
Caledonia Heron: mmm, more "character features" aka lines, sags, emotion, life :)
Xirana Oximoxi: yes, and also all the lnes and expressions are different
Zen Arado: well what about pen portratisof people in here?
Zen Arado: writing about them
Caledonia Heron: those are wonderful types of short stories :)
Zen Arado: is that as good as in RL?
Xirana Oximoxi: writing may be different:9...we show more of ourselves talking here than maybe we do in rl
Zen Arado: I did one yesterday of a woman I know in SL
Zen Arado: it was amazing how much I know about her character
Caledonia Heron: as you have artistic talent is could be interesting to illustrate your stories
Caledonia Heron: with small sketches of impressions or ideas that occur as you talk
Xirana Oximoxi: yes....it would be very interesting Zen:)...
Zen Arado: you can do that on a blog
Caledonia Heron: yes, any medium
Caledonia Heron: large, extra large
Xirana Oximoxi: I hope you will share your writing Zen!!!...you must start your own blog
Zen Arado: I have one
Xirana Oximoxi: ooops:)
Zen Arado: but haven't written anything for over a year
Zen Arado: same as most people
Xirana Oximoxi: then you must post again:)
Zen Arado: we start and then lose enthusiasm
Caledonia Heron: the sea comes in, the sea goes out ..... time to come in again perhaps
Zen Arado: I have to develop daily writing habit to get through this course
Xirana Oximoxi: if you don't lose enthusism to create...then it is only a matter to publish it time to time... to share with others
Zen Arado: we had a 99 days project here at pab
Xirana Oximoxi: yes:)
Zen Arado: did you ever look at posts Xiri?
Zen Arado: I didn't mind posting something each day
Caledonia Heron: I must go, lovely to chat with you both :)
Xirana Oximoxi: I did the firsts days:)...but it's impossible to follow all the activitites we do in PaB :)
Zen Arado: kk ty for coming Caledonia :)
Xirana Oximoxi: bye bye Cal!! have a nice day
Zen Arado: true
Zen Arado: I don't read posts on Facebook any more
Xirana Oximoxi: you can also publish it in your blog and then make a link to Facebbok
Zen Arado: takes too long
Zen Arado: yeh
Zen Arado: so many just post quotes
Xirana Oximoxi: yes, I've been lazy to go to Facebbok to latelty and read all
Zen Arado: they don't write anything
Zen Arado: maybe I will start doing that
Xirana Oximoxi: that's would be good:)
Xirana Oximoxi: I post my drawings time to time:)
Zen Arado: and they make you watch videos
Zen Arado: yes I see them
Zen Arado: I used to put paintings on
Xirana Oximoxi: you could also do..if you have the pictures it's easy:)
Zen Arado: but haven't so much time for painting nowadays
Xirana Oximoxi: ah ok..I have not seen:) I will have a llok thyen:)
Zen Arado: you have seen them already :)
Xirana Oximoxi: hehe...we are busy people:))
Zen Arado: yes
Zen Arado: too busy I guess
Zen Arado: but I have always been like that
Xirana Oximoxi: that's good..we are never bored:)
Zen Arado: always too many things I want to do
Zen Arado: wonder if I could write about SL?
Zen Arado: totor might find that stranges
Xirana Oximoxi: yes... I also quite active...and need more time to do things I would like, so now I put some priorities
Xirana Oximoxi: 'totor'?
Zen Arado: tutor
Xirana Oximoxi: ahhh lol...
Xirana Oximoxi: :)
Zen Arado: :)

Xirana Oximoxi: well...I think there are a lot of writes here
Xirana Oximoxi: and also sharing their works... do you know this group? http://ozlandbard.blogspot.com.es/20...amon.html#more
Zen Arado: yes but do they write about SL?
Zen Arado: ah interesting
Xirana Oximoxi: welll.this group usually wrtie of a picture or a work of art...they choose one each moth and every one writes what they want
Xirana Oximoxi: the pictue maybe can also be of Sl...not sure
Zen Arado: thanks for that
Zen Arado: maybe I will join
Xirana Oximoxi: they meet wednesdays and read the stories
Xirana Oximoxi: :)
Xirana Oximoxi: it may be good to practice what you will learn in the course and share it:)
Zen Arado: yes
Xirana Oximoxi: yw:)
Zen Arado: can write about experiences in SL too
Xirana Oximoxi: sure:)...
Xirana Oximoxi: sl is part of our lifes..so, why not?
Zen Arado: you don't know what you will write
Zen Arado: it is an exploration...
Zen Arado: like when I started an Arts and Humanities and finished up doing mostly philosophy
Zen Arado: course
Xirana Oximoxi: exactly...if you start writing you will find subjects, and ways to play with words
Zen Arado: and things emerge
Xirana Oximoxi: exploring how to make it sound good...
Xirana Oximoxi: yes...it's like painting...you find the way only if you take the brushes
Zen Arado: exactly
Xirana Oximoxi: I must go now Zen... I'm looking forward to 'read' you:))
Zen Arado: kk thanks for keeping me company Xirana :)
Zen Arado: I better do some work :)
Xirana Oximoxi: thanks to you too:) it have been a wonderful time:)
Zen Arado: byee
Xirana Oximoxi: bye bye...tc!