August 1, 2007: Diet Disasters

There are saboteurs everywhere! Tell us about someone, something, or sometime when your "diet" turns from vegetables and chicken to cheese burgers and fries.

August 2, 2007: It Is Alive

At first you were just a bunch of pixels looking for better shoes, but now your Second Life avatar looks a wee-bit different because the computers have finally taken over and your little basket of ones and zeros is suddenly developing a soul. Take a deep breath and tell us how your own avatar became a sentient being and what it will do now that it no longer needs you. What will you do without your avatar?

August 3, 2007: It's So Hard

What is the most difficult thing you've ever learned to do? Why was it tough? What made you persevere? Did you master it?

August 4, 2007: Rental Blues

You're the tenant and things aren't going so well, right? OR, you're the landlord and things REALLY aren't going so well. You, your best friend, your favorite character, or your avatar, have all been through this thing we call life. How is the roof-for-money program working?

August 5, 2007: Beaches

They're pretty good in Second Life, they're even better in real life. Lying on the nice white sand sipping an umbrella drink while on vacation and watching the waves, the birds, the kids, and those bronzed bodies ain't a bad way to spend a day. Been to any nice beaches lately? Walking with your significant other hand in hand on a moonlit night?

August 6, 2007: The Big Bang

In 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and ushered in the Cold War and the modern world. You take this topic anywhere you think it will go.

August 7, 2007: Smokey Bear

Smokey Bear's birthday is this month, and he still maintains only you can prevent forest fires. What do you smoke? Why are you such a bear? Couldn't God stop a few forest fires too?

August 8, 2007: Hotdogs

In the United States, when you attend a baseball game, you eat a hotdog. At the cinema, it's popcorn. In the bedroom, it's chocolates and strawberries or Cheese Nips depending on where you are on the romantic continuum. Pick a venue and pick a food and pick a narrative voice you haven't used before to tell the tale of your belly in space and time.

August 9, 2007: One for the Un-Indigenous

Today is International Day of the World's Indigenous People. Grab your didgeridoo and compose a song about being from the outback.

August 10, 2007: Rose Are ...

Against my better judgment, today's topic is about roses. Sure you could go Shakespearean and call them by another name, but isn't the phrase, "Roses are Red..." almost begging you to start there? Use the short form here and give us lots of "Roses are Red" takes.

August 11, 2007: Elvis Week

Elvis Week (and what week ISN'T Elvis week?) begins today at Graceland. What makes your suede shoes blue?

August 12, 2007: Science Fiction and Fantasy

For the next six days, try to investigate some of the major fictional genres. We start today (fittingly) with science fiction and fantasy. Create a short piece using characters, settings and story lines that rely on science or fantasy to make the story come alive.

August 13, 2007: Romance

We continue our six day investigation into literary genre with a romance story. Create a short piece using characters, settings and story lines that rely on romance to make the story come alive.

August 14, 2007: Horror

We continue our six day investigation into literary genre with a horror story. Create a short piece using characters, settings and story lines that rely on horror to make the story come alive.

August 15, 2007: Action Suspense Thriller

We continue our six day investigation into literary genre with an action suspense thriller. Create a short piece using characters, settings and story lines that rely on pure excitement to make the story come alive.

August 16, 2007: Western

We continue our six day investigation into literary genre with a cowboy story. Create a short piece using characters, settings and story lines that rely on the Marlboro man (or woman) to make the story come alive.

August 17, 2007: Sports

We continue our six day investigation into literary genre with the Johnny Come Lately genre of sports writing. Create a short piece using characters, settings and story lines that rely on some type of sporting event to make the story come alive.

August 18, 2007: Two Wheels

"The best (worst) experience I've ever had on two wheels was..."

August 19, 2007: Month of the Lefties

What do you do with your left hand? Are left handed people more creative? Should lefties be left behind for the wolves?

August 20, 2007: Ants in your Pants

Okay, so you've survived the Linden laboratories idea of metaverse maintenance, so we know you're tough, but a snake on a plane, ants in your pants, moths in your hair, a grasshopper in your mouth, or a spider in your sink turns you to a quivering bowl of jelly. What silly thing do you fear?

August 21, 2007: Tourists

What I did for my summer vacation.

August 22, 2007: Vacation from Hell

What I did for my WORST summer vacation ever.

August 23, 2007: Clouds

Soft billowy white ones drift by as you lie on the grass and stare up at them on a bright summer day with your best buddy in the whole world. Recreate your conversation. What do you see? What are you thinking?

August 24, 2007: Magic Bus

Where does it go? Why is it magic?

August 25, 2007: Beauty and the Beast

The dusty radio drones out another song from the 1970s while your hair dresser fusses with your mop. What's your beauty salon or barber shop story? Is your hair dresser or barber worthy of a first person narrative in their own voice?

August 26, 2007: Farmers

Last month you were Billy the Kid. This month you've settled down in a rural county to raise crops. How about a composition about a day in the life down on your farm? Or, how about the true life story of how you escaped the world of animal husbandry to wear those stylish shoes in your fancy downtown loft?

August 27, 2007: Office Supplies

I used to love going to work with my mom on Saturdays to her office supply store so I could play with all the gadgets we didn’t have at home or school. What are your favorite office supplies? Write about a day in the life of your favorite office gadget. A nice little opera would be fun to read.

August 28, 2007: The Lesson

What is the most important lesson you learned in an academic setting that had absolutely nothing to do with school?

August 29, 2007: Apologies

Saying you're sorry doesn't cut it anymore. Politicians these days are happy to apologize as long as there are no real consequences to doing so, and as long as they can restate their original position in the process. What are some of your worst (best) apologies you've given or received? Are you still sorry? Are they?

August 30, 2007: The Gambler

Nope, you can't do it in Second Life because it's against God or something. The federal police are standing outside of your door with a battering ram right now. They're going to begin enforcement in your local neighborhood against all your vices. How are you going to explain your arrest for all of your naughty habits to your mom?

August 31, 2007: The Piano

What is your "instrument" and why?

Thanks to Nebbisk Oh, ToryLynn Writer, Skye Soderstrom, Calliope Delgado, Deeter Decosta and a couple others who thought up inspirational topics but then I neglected to write down their names.