Week 2:  15 July 1999

    During the past week I had the good fortune to meet and chat with Catherine Byron, who has a poetry attachment and is creating web pages plus a journal.  We agreed about the fact that online writing is a very different animal from all other forms of writing and that mastering the new techniques can be exciting and rewarding.

    I helped myself to a spot of MOOing experience.  Not sure whether I was doing it very well, as I couldn't find anybody to talk to.  Maybe they saw me coming and did a quick bunk.  I read reams about Lambda Moo and Linga Moo - hopefully have remembered a bit of it for future forays.

    The web pages have not grown much this week but a session with Helen Whitehead has given me more insight into the methods used to tame the infernal machine.

    This week I also officially joined the Online Writing Community and hope I have discovered a kindred spirit in member Andy Coote, who is into scriptwriting.  Sent an email and await response.  Incidentally, I took up a couple of free email addresses from Yahoo this week, and you can contact me now on sratrace@yahoo.co.uk (well, I think it's witty even if nobody else does!)

    Had to get more support on how to use the Web Board from Helen, as I couldn't remember what I had been taught earlier.  Having discussed some of my aims, Helen has suggested that under the 'General' heading I start a new discussion on scriptwriting.  Will speak to Sue about this - watch out to see if it happens.

    I did manage to find a few interesting URLs for scriptwriting: a screenwriters' workshop in London (find it on http://www.lsw.org.uk) and one for radio drama (tune in for this on http://www.irdp.co.uk).  From the latter address I ran off a few sheets about 'how to' and some emails of penpals to contact on the writing for radio topic, so hope to have some feedback on this by the end of next week.

    Learning how to use the internet seems to have many layers of usefulness.  First there is simply learning the mechanics and logic of using the machinery, then there is the art of finding paths to the information required, assimilating that information, sending out messages and perhaps the best bit of all - receiving feedback from other people.  At present I am still at the stage of casting out lines.  Hopefully I will soon start reeling something in.

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