Treasure of the Isle

Message in a Bottle #16
Origin: The Isle of Write
Sender: @jrhughes
Recipients: Steemit Creatives

Treasure of the Isle

When we washed up on the Isle of Write we found the peace and tranquility there so refreshing that we just knew we would need to share it with other creative folks like ourselves. A treasure map is our footer because--well--what's a remote island without a mysterious treasure hidden somewhere?

We even discussed having the "X" mark a spot in the forest, so that at some later date we could "unveil" our future plans by clearing away the trees and adding another marker. I still can't tell you what those plans are, but let's just say...the anthologies are just the beginning and merely a drop in the proverbial bucket.

It will... at least a little while longer...

Recently, I did one of the less fun things involved in my particular role at the Isle, and spent a grueling day researching and assembling a budget projection for the 8-Week Curation to Publication. The budget actually goes for twelve weeks because of course we need time to actually publish once we've curated sufficient wonderful stories and poems. And then we will be meting out promotional funds. Later this week I'd like to share some of that in another post, but suffice it to say at this point, the higher our post payout, the better promotion we will be able to swing.

Yeah, I know, duh.

Promotion is going to be a huge factor in how well the Isle does by these fantastic Steemians who will appear in the anthologies beside some talented, generous, and kind published authors, including some already on Steemit like @cheah, @guytmartland, @snowmachine, @yahia, and more. So this morning when @techslut pointed me toward @cryptoctopus's post, 35000 Words is Too Much - Pitch Me Your Project V2, I jumped at the opportunity to plead our case for inclusion in this incredible initiative. I added our hopes to his list and commented on the post.

Then something wonderful happened.

No, we didn't get instant gratification on the @cryptoctopus front. But @authorofthings posted in the server asking that Islanders upvote the comment so it would be seen. And so many of you did.

But that's not even the best part. It's the comments like @ellievallie's and @bennettitalia's, and the many, many others I received by direct message and were posted in the Isle Pub. Messages that say the Isle is a place people feel welcomed, supported, relaxed, inspired, and even...home.

And this takes me back to the beginning: with us washing up on the shore, shipwrecked, displaced, relieved. We worried at first about opening things up the way we eventually decided to do. We tried for the first month to keep things small, intimate. No public posts, just private invites to people we knew we would enjoy having there. We knew groups with just a couple hundred members who had wielded the banhammer daily, under constant assault from trolls, spammers, and time wasters.

And we didn't want to have to do that.

Not really our style

But when we simply could not keep the place to ourselves any longer, and we threw open the port, what arrived was the finest group of creatives ever to grace a single server. With well over 300 members less than a month after our first public invite, there is no drama. There are no trolls. Spam is rare and is almost always quietly whisked away by the greatest host a server could wish for, the incomparable @geekorner (Thunder God).

I make new friends daily, most recently the mind-blowingly sweet @escuetapamela who instantly endeared herself to me by employing the word "oubliette" in her post. This is a community I cherish filled with people whose company I enjoy and whose artistic endeavors I respect. So, do I desperately want @cryptoctopus to support the Isle and enable us to get the curated Steemians the very best possible exposure to the wider reading world? Yes. Do I want very much for this first venture of Steemit creativity out into the real world to be wildly successful and show the world what awesome content this platform has to offer? You bet your sweet ass. Badly enough to invest more time and energy to it than I have to any other thing in my life these past few weeks.

But that might not happen.

And if not, it will be okay. Because today reminded me so powerfully what the real treasure of the Isle is. It is all of you who populate its Pub. Who workshop without wounding. Who light up the cabanas with your laughter. Who fill the Sharing Shores with what I believe to be the finest array of creative output around the Seas of Discord. And who are such good and kind souls that the Isle can be bursting at the seams, and still feel like a small, close-knit community of friends. And tonight, while I'm crossing my fingers and hoping like hell we get what we need financially to do really well by the anthologies, I'll also be counting my blessings.

Because I know that you all are the real Treasure of the Isle.

A little whale love wouldn't hurt any of us though...

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See what else the Isle is up to:
Isle of Write Islander Highlights! Week 2
In-Depth at the Isle: @Vitkolesnik
Isle of Write Curation Announcement!
Isle of Write Poetry Publication Week 2 Roundup
Community, Contest, and Curation, Oh my!
Conversations with Authors - Yahia Lababidi

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Do you believe as we do that Steemit Creatives deserve recognition for their hard work and talent? If so, please help us in our mission to reward this creativity both on and off Steemit. Upvote, resteem, follow!

Are you looking to help a community dedicated to the respect and encouragement of Steemit creativity? Please consider a donation or delegation to Isle of Write. All of our account earnings go back into the Steemit Creative community.

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If you'd like to wash up on our shore,
a click of the map brings you straight to our door!

art and flair courtesy of @PegasusPhysics