"Second Life's multitude of fascinating locations is a treasure trove of writerly inspiration, no doubt, but it is the sense of community that has helped me the most in my own writing." -- Cygnoir Blanc
Camie Rembrandt (CR): How long have you been using Second Life?
Cygnoir Blanc (CB): I first logged into Second Life in 2004. It was a very different place then, and the friends I made are mostly all gone now. After a while, my RL [real life] intervened, and I lost track of my virtual life. A few years later, I got curious about it and returned, and have been an active resident ever since.
CR: When did Second Life become important to your creative writing? Was it something that happened immediately after starting using this virtual world? Or did you have to wait a few months, maybe even years, before incorporating SL into your writing routine?
CB: It took years for me to find my writing community in SL because I didn't think to go looking for one. SL had been a place for me to wander around and occasionally compete in trivia events with my friends. But shortly after I started volunteering with the Community Virtual Library I heard about Milk Wood and Virtual Writers. One day I showed up for a 500-word writing dash and everyone was so lovely, sharp, and welcoming that I decided to stay.
CR: Tell us a bit about what you do in Second Life, as a writer: do you write in-world, attend events, maybe host some of them, do you mentor other writers?
CB: Due to the timezone difference and my RL schedule, I don't make it to as many events as I'd like, but I try to make it to the daily dashes. When I focus on nothing but writing for thirty minutes straight, I get so much work done!
CR: Is there any SIM/virtual island/region that you find particularly inspirational, the kind of place every writer should visit?
CB: So many places have disappeared into pixel dust now, but I have a few haunts. Pandora Box of Dreams, Kaleidoscope, and Angel Manor Gardens are current favorites because I enjoy losing myself in sumptuous landscapes. But most often I derive my writing inspiration from my cozy home in the Color Sims region of Sansara.
CR: In what ways do you find Second Life helpful for someone interested in writing?
CB: Second Life's multitude of fascinating locations is a treasure trove of writerly inspiration, no doubt, but it is the sense of community that has helped me the most in my own writing. Being a part of a writing group has improved my writing immeasurably. Not only am I motivated to produce more writing, but through critiques of my own and others' work I continue to learn so much more about technique than I would if I were writing alone. There are a number of excellent writing groups based in Second Life, and no matter what motivates you — be it sharing your work with others, discussing the craft, or just plain getting the words onto the page — you can find a group that will help you.
***
About Halsted M. Bernard
When I interviewed Halsted M. Bernard (aka Cygnoir Blanc in Second Life), she was living in Edinburgh. Her stories and poems had appeared in Innsmouth Magazine, Map Literary, and Bewildering Stories, and she was a member of local spoken-word group Writers' Bloc. Since then, she has moved to Oregon (USA), where she continues to use Second Life. You can keep track of her creative writing projects at https://cygnoir.net/
YOU ARE READING
Writing in a Virtual World: A Collection of Interviews
Non-FictionSeveral writers from different countries have discovered that Second Life - a 3D Multi-User Virtual Environment (MUVE) - could have a positive impact on their work. How can this be? What makes the virtual world Second Life such a writer-friendly env...
