The Cottage Creatives Corner (Discussion and Help)
Tucked away in a cozy corner of the Cottage of Lost Play, there are a cluster of pillowed sofas, rocking chairs, and floor cushions. On a roaring fireplace, a tea kettle is always hot and ready for a cuppa coffee or a tea infusion of any flavor. Sunlight streams in through the lush garden outside growing thick with herbs and wildflowers in dappled shade and sun spots.
Pick a comfy seat and stay a while or write a message on the chalkboard for your fellow creatives. All types of creative arts are welcome to discuss here: writing, poetry, music, drawing, painting, digital art, photography, fiber arts and crafts, pottery, miniature making and painting, etc. Your imagination is the only limit!
The corner has plenty of supplies for creative pursuits - parchment, quills, and ink pots, paints and drawing pencils, clay and pottery wheels, needle and thread, beads, sequins, yarn, and knitting needles, musical instruments, cameras and lenses, and more.
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What is this thread?
The Cottage Creatives Corner serves as a friendly space to ask questions, get advice, or collaborate with your fellow creatives. Need help with a photography technique? Wondering about watercolors? Stuck on a story? Any type of creativity is welcome here. Just go ahead and ask your question! If you feel you can help someone, offer an answer!
Please be kind and supportive to your fellow creatives in giving help and feedback. We're all at different stages and experience levels of our creative journeys. Take a look at the following blog post for advice about feedback for creative projects: https://creativitychronicles.com/giving ... -feedback/
RP is not necessary for this thread - I simply wanted to set a cozy little scene for the discussions.
It is my wish that I, the ThreadRunner, am not "in charge" of this thread - nor is anyone else - but rather, it should serve as an open discussion space for everyone to participate in.
The Cottage Creatives Corner (Discussion and Help)
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Istari Sage
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One thing I consistently seem to struggle with in my miniature painting hobby is photography. I constantly feel like the images never pick up the level of detail that I'm actually looking for. For example the yellow "gem" in this photo is very glossy IRL (it literally has gloss varnish on it) but it doesn't show up at all in the photos. I do play around with post-processing in the camera app in my iPhone. My guess is I'm not getting enough light on the minis? Or the background is too noisy?
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Ent Ancient
Posts: 1875
Joined: Sat May 23, 2020 11:34 pm
First of all - wow your miniatures are amazing!!! I can't believe what tiny details you are painting! I love the Ents :D
Second - I am definitely not an expert on mobile photography or miniature photography...but I am thinking back to when I worked in an archaeology lab and we took photos of artifacts in a little lightbox. What is your current photo set up? Could you make a little DIY cardboard lightbox and put a couple of small-ish lamps to light the miniature from the top, and both sides? I wonder if that would help capture the detail better.
Does your iphone have a macro photo function? That would be my other thought would be using a macro lens but not sure if an iphone has that functionality.
also, are you shooting the photos free-hand with the iPhone or do you have like something to set it down on like a phone tripod to minimize blur?
Second - I am definitely not an expert on mobile photography or miniature photography...but I am thinking back to when I worked in an archaeology lab and we took photos of artifacts in a little lightbox. What is your current photo set up? Could you make a little DIY cardboard lightbox and put a couple of small-ish lamps to light the miniature from the top, and both sides? I wonder if that would help capture the detail better.
Does your iphone have a macro photo function? That would be my other thought would be using a macro lens but not sure if an iphone has that functionality.
also, are you shooting the photos free-hand with the iPhone or do you have like something to set it down on like a phone tripod to minimize blur?
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High Lord of Imladris
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Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2020 7:53 am
There are two things that can be happening here -
1. Lighting isn't hitting the gloss enough to make it read. Especially since with the clear stand at the bottom that may be an overwhelming amount of lighting required and might make that burn out as well. If you have a small flash light you can focus and hit just the gem with that may help.
2. Most phones actually use an ungodly amount of AI to take the photos now (it's actually something I've been looking into as I am on the cusp of needing a new phone and I'm looking at the differences between the Samsung S23 and S24 Ultra as well as the Google Pixel 8 Pro simply because I hate how Iphones ai edits images. (Admittedly for what your'e doing all phones will likely do it most drop out high points and autofill so you don't have burn spots where it's just white. I know I need to mess around horrifically with my Pixel 4 to get it to stop that nonsense. If you can find a way to do manual setting on your Iphone that might be your best bet but honestly if something is glossy 90% of the time the easiest way to make it look glossy is a post photo edit where you bring up the white point in JUST that area which can be tricky outside of a computer.
1. Lighting isn't hitting the gloss enough to make it read. Especially since with the clear stand at the bottom that may be an overwhelming amount of lighting required and might make that burn out as well. If you have a small flash light you can focus and hit just the gem with that may help.
2. Most phones actually use an ungodly amount of AI to take the photos now (it's actually something I've been looking into as I am on the cusp of needing a new phone and I'm looking at the differences between the Samsung S23 and S24 Ultra as well as the Google Pixel 8 Pro simply because I hate how Iphones ai edits images. (Admittedly for what your'e doing all phones will likely do it most drop out high points and autofill so you don't have burn spots where it's just white. I know I need to mess around horrifically with my Pixel 4 to get it to stop that nonsense. If you can find a way to do manual setting on your Iphone that might be your best bet but honestly if something is glossy 90% of the time the easiest way to make it look glossy is a post photo edit where you bring up the white point in JUST that area which can be tricky outside of a computer.
Sereg a Dîn
- Points: 565
Knight of The Mark
Posts: 271
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 2:40 am
Well met, friends. :)
I would like to make some "poetry videos" (like a music video but with spoken word audio) but I don't know how to video edit. I used to edit photos but videos editing software seems to be so much more complicated for me to figure out and I get really frustrated with it. I've yet to find one that's user friendly and straightforward for me to figure out. They don't seem to come with instruction manuals either so I find it very difficult to do a simple thing like cut clips of a video file and put them where I want it.
I need to find something free or inexpensive. A monthly subscription that's cheap would be okay because then I could work on the video and cancel the subs after I'm done to save money. But I also need something that's user friendly and simple. I get really overwhelmed by programs that have way too many functions and no instructions. I don't need anything complex or high quality either.
Ideally, I'd like to film outdoor scenes mostly. I'll be using my phone as that's the only camera I have. The first video I'll be filming at the beach, getting shots of the waves, birds, scenery, etc. All I really need to be able to do is edit the footage together and add my audio track to the video. Might be cool to keep some sounds of the waves and birds in the background at certain parts if that's not too difficult to figure out.
Can anyone offer their advice or experience?
Thanks
Mel
I would like to make some "poetry videos" (like a music video but with spoken word audio) but I don't know how to video edit. I used to edit photos but videos editing software seems to be so much more complicated for me to figure out and I get really frustrated with it. I've yet to find one that's user friendly and straightforward for me to figure out. They don't seem to come with instruction manuals either so I find it very difficult to do a simple thing like cut clips of a video file and put them where I want it.
I need to find something free or inexpensive. A monthly subscription that's cheap would be okay because then I could work on the video and cancel the subs after I'm done to save money. But I also need something that's user friendly and simple. I get really overwhelmed by programs that have way too many functions and no instructions. I don't need anything complex or high quality either.
Ideally, I'd like to film outdoor scenes mostly. I'll be using my phone as that's the only camera I have. The first video I'll be filming at the beach, getting shots of the waves, birds, scenery, etc. All I really need to be able to do is edit the footage together and add my audio track to the video. Might be cool to keep some sounds of the waves and birds in the background at certain parts if that's not too difficult to figure out.
Can anyone offer their advice or experience?
Thanks
Mel
And whither then? I cannot say...
- Points: 1 986
Istari Sage
Posts: 960
Joined: Fri Jan 21, 2022 5:02 pm
Thanks! I shouldn't be surprised you like the Ents
As you may have noticed my 'setup' is not consistent. Most of the photos I take are directly on my painting desk (hence all the paints in the background of a lot of the pictures). The desk has a pretty big light which I use for painting and provides the light source for the photos. Sometimes I try put up some paper towel (usually what I'm using to catch back spray on my airbrushLail wrote: ↑Sat Mar 23, 2024 1:03 am Second - I am definitely not an expert on mobile photography or miniature photography...but I am thinking back to when I worked in an archaeology lab and we took photos of artifacts in a little lightbox. What is your current photo set up? Could you make a little DIY cardboard lightbox and put a couple of small-ish lamps to light the miniature from the top, and both sides? I wonder if that would help capture the detail better.
) or a piece of paper if I'm feelin' fancy. Often I just leave the background as-is. I bought a lightbox one time but didn't have much luck with it and then it got dusty which made it hard to use... but I think that it is like to have have been a combination of a bad lightbox and user error. I think getting more light and having a consistently plain white background is probably optimal. I should give it another shot. Maybe one that I can affix multiple lights to.
I have no idea, nor any idea what that means
I can certainly check. Free-hand. Maybe I should try a tripod? I haven't thought of that.
Thanks for the thoughts @Lail I appreciate it and will see about trying some of them.
Yeah I think lack of good lighting is a recurring issue.Fuin Elda wrote: ↑Sun Mar 24, 2024 6:30 pm There are two things that can be happening here -
1. Lighting isn't hitting the gloss enough to make it read. Especially since with the clear stand at the bottom that may be an overwhelming amount of lighting required and might make that burn out as well. If you have a small flash light you can focus and hit just the gem with that may help.
Well you're going quite a bit over my head lol, I'm a photography noob. What do you mean by burn spots? The bright white part? I'm less concerned with the glossy gems coming through (although they are one thing I find consistently looks better in person than in picture) more in general with improving the quality of the photos that I take. Another thing that I think don't come across very well are more subtle gradients of color (e.g. from the base to the darkest parts) -- obviously as a painter I can greatly improve here but I still find it more noticeable in person than in picture. The highest highlights consequently don't always come across unless they're very starkly contrasting with a base color.Fuin Elda wrote: ↑Sun Mar 24, 2024 6:30 pm 2. Most phones actually use an ungodly amount of AI to take the photos now (it's actually something I've been looking into as I am on the cusp of needing a new phone and I'm looking at the differences between the Samsung S23 and S24 Ultra as well as the Google Pixel 8 Pro simply because I hate how Iphones ai edits images. (Admittedly for what your'e doing all phones will likely do it most drop out high points and autofill so you don't have burn spots where it's just white. I know I need to mess around horrifically with my Pixel 4 to get it to stop that nonsense. If you can find a way to do manual setting on your Iphone that might be your best bet but honestly if something is glossy 90% of the time the easiest way to make it look glossy is a post photo edit where you bring up the white point in JUST that area which can be tricky outside of a computer.
Thanks for all the advice and great idea for a thread!
- Points: 2 817
New Soul
Posts: 3091
Joined: Thu Sep 02, 2021 6:24 am
Romeran: I'll be certainly curious to your new photos of what you feel are better quality. I never had much of a problem, but hey the screen I see them on is a graphical monitor in fact. So in colour and intensity the screen does do a lot.
Melahny: I am pondering over your question as it was just the thing my dad did years ago with movies and music. The software he used came with the Canon camera he had bought back in the early 2000's. But sorry I cannot advice the right program. I use my phone to ring with only, not to shoot pictures although I can do it. I use a camera, which is much stronger and lots more options to choose from. For editing photos I use Photofiltre mainly, it is free to use and quite simple, yet has a wide range of tools, as Photoshop would have. But it doesn't work with videos. I have a Video Editor on my PC, but I never used the program this far. It came with Windows Pro.
Lailyn: Thanks for opening this advisory thread. It is worthy addition. Something that was definite missing.
Melahny: I am pondering over your question as it was just the thing my dad did years ago with movies and music. The software he used came with the Canon camera he had bought back in the early 2000's. But sorry I cannot advice the right program. I use my phone to ring with only, not to shoot pictures although I can do it. I use a camera, which is much stronger and lots more options to choose from. For editing photos I use Photofiltre mainly, it is free to use and quite simple, yet has a wide range of tools, as Photoshop would have. But it doesn't work with videos. I have a Video Editor on my PC, but I never used the program this far. It came with Windows Pro.
Lailyn: Thanks for opening this advisory thread. It is worthy addition. Something that was definite missing.
Just call me Aiks or Aikári. Notify is off.
Find me stuff in Gondolin.
And let us embark to Valinor!
Find me stuff in Gondolin.
And let us embark to Valinor!
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Knight of The Mark
Posts: 271
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 2:40 am
@Aikári Salmarinian Thanks Aiks :) I may check out Photofiltre as I like to edit photos too and would need cover art for some poems and books & things. Maybe you are thinking of Windows Movie Maker from your PC? I should have mentioned I have a Chromebook so options are more limited. Although I do have a Windows PC in storage, though it's not very good and I have no where currently to set it up to work. I will try it out if I can't find anything on Chromebook.
And whither then? I cannot say...
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High Lord of Imladris
Posts: 2781
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2020 7:53 am
You could try Capcut? It's free (it does have a paid variant that allows for better captioning. The other option if you don't care is TikTok. It's actually got a decently easy to use UI for making poetry videos and captioning them.
I"ll admit I do a fair amount of editing in Tiktok and then save it before uploading it because you can do that and have it watermark free but with the captions.
Yeah lighting is the biggest part.Romeran wrote: ↑Tue Mar 26, 2024 3:50 am
Well you're going quite a bit over my head lol, I'm a photography noob. What do you mean by burn spots? The bright white part? I'm less concerned with the glossy gems coming through (although they are one thing I find consistently looks better in person than in picture) more in general with improving the quality of the photos that I take. Another thing that I think don't come across very well are more subtle gradients of color (e.g. from the base to the darkest parts) -- obviously as a painter I can greatly improve here but I still find it more noticeable in person than in picture. The highest highlights consequently don't always come across unless they're very starkly contrasting with a base color.
Thanks for all the advice and great idea for a thread!
Burn spots in film is yeah your bright whites (in film processing you burn out an image it goes white because its burned all the information out of that area its gone so white.) Honestly yeah it's quite likely the AI leveling a lot of the contrast in that regard which as a noob can be tricky and I'm useless for helping with Apple products I find them overly expensive for technology that they boast. My biggest suggestion would be to do something along the lines of playing with contrast in post editing if Apple will allow it was well as saturation highlights and low lights. YOu can also try playing with the settings while taking the photos. (As someone suggested a macro setting would be good)
Basically the trick is Phones AI all your photos. They have for the last 7 years. and their AI is getting better less prone to wiping out data but it still does a lot of alterations because.... Phones are meant for social media which is all a lie as I like to put it.
Sereg a Dîn
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Ent Ancient
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Joined: Sat May 23, 2020 11:34 pm
@Romeran you could definitely try a tripod or even just any sort of less fancy smart-phone holder thing. not holding it by hand will really reduce blur/minute shaking that you might not notice but will impact the photo. it makes a big difference!
and macro just means close up :)
I'm guessing having more than one light on the figure will help, but I'm not an expert. I hope your mini painting and photographing is going well!
and macro just means close up :)
I'm guessing having more than one light on the figure will help, but I'm not an expert. I hope your mini painting and photographing is going well!
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Ent Ancient
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@Melahny_oftheWoods I do not know a ton about this - the last video editing I did was > 10 years ago using Windows Video Editor - but it looks like ClipChamp is the new Windows app for video editing? It may have a webapp version you could try.
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Tree
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Hoi @Melahny_oftheWoods, about five years ago I did some Hobbit videos with my family (I am a bit embarassed of them). We used the free version of DaVinci Resolve. This was excellent, simple to use on the basics but with endless things to learn if you wish to explore video making. The one thing to note is that videos are large files and rendering them can take hours and hours if your computer is not powerful enough.
Eat earth. Dig deep. Drink water.
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Knight of The Mark
Posts: 271
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Oooh there's a free version of DaVinci Resolve? Awesome, I will try it out-- thanks for the recommendation. I really do just need something basic and easy to figure out. Especially since these programs don't usually come with a proper user manual... so then I'm left endlessly googling videos on how to do simple stuff or just find the right button for this or that. My videos should only be like 2 to 3 minutes at most so hopefully that won't take hours to download?
Oh it doesn't work with chromebook though? I'll have to wait until I can buy a Windows laptop I guess.
Oh it doesn't work with chromebook though? I'll have to wait until I can buy a Windows laptop I guess.
And whither then? I cannot say...
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Tree
Posts: 3136
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When we made the videos I discovered something. My eldest son is one of those people who watch youtube tutorials. It is astonishing to me. He downloads DaVinci Resolve or such, watches some tutorials, and then starts to use the program.
I absolutely cannot replicate this. I can go through the motions. But after about 1 minute of the tutorial I am thinking about this, that, or the other and when the youtube ends I discover that I am as unable to work the program as I was when I began.
There are some who do tutorials, and the rest of us who do not.
I absolutely cannot replicate this. I can go through the motions. But after about 1 minute of the tutorial I am thinking about this, that, or the other and when the youtube ends I discover that I am as unable to work the program as I was when I began.
There are some who do tutorials, and the rest of us who do not.
Eat earth. Dig deep. Drink water.
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Knight of The Mark
Posts: 271
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 2:40 am
Would anyone be able to help me with my website on WordPress, for getting started with how to make a pages and link them from the homepage? I read all the help guides and stuff but it's not working.
I'm trying to make a simple poetry publication. Should have a button at top that says All Poems, click on that to take you to an alphabetical list of all poems published on the site. Each title you should click to take you to the poem. Sounds simple but I'm finding it impossible to set up.
I wish it would come with a whole website template and then I just add text where I need... but no. It wants me to make all these pages and then link them here and there and I can't figure it out. I thought I made a page with a poem on it and now it's just gone... I definitely saved it. But it just says post not found. Same on my Contact and About page. I published them, they weren't drafts. The template for pages I was using before is gone from templates list too.
Anyone have experience with WordPress?
I'm trying to make a simple poetry publication. Should have a button at top that says All Poems, click on that to take you to an alphabetical list of all poems published on the site. Each title you should click to take you to the poem. Sounds simple but I'm finding it impossible to set up.
I wish it would come with a whole website template and then I just add text where I need... but no. It wants me to make all these pages and then link them here and there and I can't figure it out. I thought I made a page with a poem on it and now it's just gone... I definitely saved it. But it just says post not found. Same on my Contact and About page. I published them, they weren't drafts. The template for pages I was using before is gone from templates list too.
Anyone have experience with WordPress?
And whither then? I cannot say...
- Points: 2 761
Ent Ancient
Posts: 1875
Joined: Sat May 23, 2020 11:34 pm
@Melahny_oftheWoods - terribly sorry this didn't get a response. Did you manage to work it out and/or get some help?
I had a WordPress site some years ago but I began to find the user interface and everything about it quite finnicky and annoying, so I closed it (among other reasons) and moved on. I consider myself fairly competent with tech (but no expert by any means) and I found it incredibly frustrating to use, especially with every change they continue to release, which in my opinion tends to over complicate what should be a simple process. So I guess what I am saying is it is not just you. I hope you managed to navigate it or find an suitable alternative.
I had a WordPress site some years ago but I began to find the user interface and everything about it quite finnicky and annoying, so I closed it (among other reasons) and moved on. I consider myself fairly competent with tech (but no expert by any means) and I found it incredibly frustrating to use, especially with every change they continue to release, which in my opinion tends to over complicate what should be a simple process. So I guess what I am saying is it is not just you. I hope you managed to navigate it or find an suitable alternative.
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Knight of The Mark
Posts: 271
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 2:40 am
@Lailthanks but no I just gave up on it. I'm not good with coding or advanced computer stuff... although setting up a website shouldn't have to be advanced hahah. Why not make it user friendly?
Same, I also found it so frustrating to use... but most of the other site builders I looked at were geared towards businesses selling things... like merch or coffee mugs or something. That doesn't work for me. I wanted to self publish writing on my own site... free for anyone to read. But too difficult... I'll just go old fashioned and do another book, though I'm sure no one will read it haha. No one wants to buy poetry books, it seems. I thought the site might get more readers interested. And then I was going to add links to download ebooks or order paper as well on the site.
Same, I also found it so frustrating to use... but most of the other site builders I looked at were geared towards businesses selling things... like merch or coffee mugs or something. That doesn't work for me. I wanted to self publish writing on my own site... free for anyone to read. But too difficult... I'll just go old fashioned and do another book, though I'm sure no one will read it haha. No one wants to buy poetry books, it seems. I thought the site might get more readers interested. And then I was going to add links to download ebooks or order paper as well on the site.
And whither then? I cannot say...
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Newborn of Imladris
Posts: 312
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I too gave up on WordPress though it seemed OK for a while. I've never had a website of my own; does this make me a feeble person?
Remembering halfir by learning something new each day
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Ent Ancient
Posts: 1875
Joined: Sat May 23, 2020 11:34 pm
@Melahny_oftheWoods For what it's worth, I think its very cool you published your own poetry book!
Some other ideas that may be easier than setting up a WordPress (or other) site might be something like posting on Wattpad, Medium, Substack, or Patreon? I am not actually familiar with any of these sites beyond occasionally reading an article or two, so I don't actually know if they are easier than WP or quite what you're looking for. Maybe another member will have experience with one of these (or similar) and have some helpful input. I know Patreon is set up as a paid subscription-based site which gives me the sense subscribers want frequent content and as a creator, I find that off-putting.
I have heard of Royal Roads primarily for short stories, but have never used it myself to read or or write anything, so can't say more.
Submitting poems to magazines or literary journals might be another avenue to publish and share your work! I only have experience with short story submissions to the speculative fiction market, but I know there are plenty out there looking for poems, too.
@Saranna Doesn't have had a WordPress count as having a website of your own? in any case, no, I don't think that makes you feeble at all!
Some other ideas that may be easier than setting up a WordPress (or other) site might be something like posting on Wattpad, Medium, Substack, or Patreon? I am not actually familiar with any of these sites beyond occasionally reading an article or two, so I don't actually know if they are easier than WP or quite what you're looking for. Maybe another member will have experience with one of these (or similar) and have some helpful input. I know Patreon is set up as a paid subscription-based site which gives me the sense subscribers want frequent content and as a creator, I find that off-putting.
I have heard of Royal Roads primarily for short stories, but have never used it myself to read or or write anything, so can't say more.
Submitting poems to magazines or literary journals might be another avenue to publish and share your work! I only have experience with short story submissions to the speculative fiction market, but I know there are plenty out there looking for poems, too.
@Saranna Doesn't have had a WordPress count as having a website of your own? in any case, no, I don't think that makes you feeble at all!
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Knight of The Mark
Posts: 271
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 2:40 am
@LailI will look into those. I don't really want to submit my work to other publications. I can't afford to pay $5 for every submission, and it's unlikely they will pick my poems as an unknown author so it's just throwing money that I can't afford to lose out the window. Not a great system.
It would be cheaper to self publish another book. That cost me nothing but my time and effort, except for the editing service, of course. Problem is getting the book to reach poetry readers as I can't afford advertising.
It would be cheaper to self publish another book. That cost me nothing but my time and effort, except for the editing service, of course. Problem is getting the book to reach poetry readers as I can't afford advertising.
And whither then? I cannot say...
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Ent Ancient
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Joined: Sat May 23, 2020 11:34 pm
@Melahny_oftheWoods oh I see, totally understand that!
Is that standard practice for poetry publications? I agree that's not a good system. I would never (and have never and will never) pay to submit a piece to be considered for publication. While I wouldn't judge anyone who does choose to submit to such pubs, I do not think it is right for publishers to do that. I don't know much about poetry but I feel there should be places you can submit for free.
I am sure you could get published as an unknown. Everyone starts somewhere I would encourage to try free submissions if it is something you want. A rejection isn't a reflection of the quality of your work. At the end of the day, it's all subjective whether your piece resonates with the 1 or 2 people who receive it. It doesn't mean it won't find a home somewhere. I think it often takes time to find the right place and person for the right piece.
One of my fav resources for finding places open for submissions is https://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/p ... sions.html
It updates monthly with openings and there looks to be at least a couple that do poetry.
That said, this process definitely isn't for everyone. You have to do what's right/best for you and what you want. If you choose to self-publish, I think that's a huge accomplishment! Your work is out there and available and you've done it ALL yourself.
I have no advice on marketing, unfortunately. It's not something I've ever touched or attempted, I'm afraid.
Is that standard practice for poetry publications? I agree that's not a good system. I would never (and have never and will never) pay to submit a piece to be considered for publication. While I wouldn't judge anyone who does choose to submit to such pubs, I do not think it is right for publishers to do that. I don't know much about poetry but I feel there should be places you can submit for free.
I am sure you could get published as an unknown. Everyone starts somewhere
I would encourage to try free submissions if it is something you want. A rejection isn't a reflection of the quality of your work. At the end of the day, it's all subjective whether your piece resonates with the 1 or 2 people who receive it. It doesn't mean it won't find a home somewhere. I think it often takes time to find the right place and person for the right piece.One of my fav resources for finding places open for submissions is https://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/p ... sions.html
It updates monthly with openings and there looks to be at least a couple that do poetry.
That said, this process definitely isn't for everyone. You have to do what's right/best for you and what you want. If you choose to self-publish, I think that's a huge accomplishment! Your work is out there and available and you've done it ALL yourself.
I have no advice on marketing, unfortunately. It's not something I've ever touched or attempted, I'm afraid.
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Knight of The Mark
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Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 2:40 am
@Lail Thanks for your help and comments :)
Yes, I believe so. Every submission process I've encountered has a paywall, typically $5 for each submission. It's like that for submitting short stories, fiction, etc as well as poetry. Writing contests always have a fee as well. There may be some that are free to submit, but I haven't seen many of them. Even in Reedsy's weekly contest, you can't be entered to win the contest unless you pay to submit. Unfortunately, not many people will see or read your story unless you are the winner or in the top 10 or whatever. It is strange that you have to pay when it's not a contest. The contest I understand, because they need to give away prize money to the winners. But for regular submissions, it doesn't make sense. Who can afford to do that? You have to submit work to hundreds of publications for even a chance at getting one--and I feel like that chance is pretty slim if you don't have a literary agent or pre-established audience (Youtubers, bloggers, famous people, previously published authors, etc). I don't know... I can't afford it so I've never bothered much outside of Uni. In Uni they had student-run publications you could submit to for free, and I was published in several of those.
For sure, I understand that completely. The publishing industry is pretty messed up right now. Self publishing is not great unless you're already famous or have a lot of followers on Youtube or something. Or if you have tons of money to throw away on advertising & distribution. You can publish the book and all but it won't see the light of day if you can't distribute it and get it to reach people. That's what traditional publishing is great for. But they won't even read your book without an agent. Even then, I think the publishers have too much control... they might tell you to change your book in some way or the deal is off... and they own the rights to your book to some extent. I don't like that. It's my book and I want to do whatever I want with it. I couldn't stand having some stupid company act like they own my work or they have a right to tell me what I can/can't do with it. I understand they need to collect their royalties, and of course that's totally fair as they cover the up front costs of editing, design, advertising, distribution, etc.
I'm not actively trying to "make money off it" though. I just want to share my writing with poetry fans who might appreciate it. I don't agree that art should be a "business." If you end up making a lot of money off it, then great, that's a bonus. But it's like a tip. I'm not expecting it. It would simply be a bonus or added benefit.
The way I see it, if you're purely interested in making profits and that's it, then you should go into business. Open a book store and sell books, or some other shop. xD
Yes, I believe so. Every submission process I've encountered has a paywall, typically $5 for each submission. It's like that for submitting short stories, fiction, etc as well as poetry. Writing contests always have a fee as well. There may be some that are free to submit, but I haven't seen many of them. Even in Reedsy's weekly contest, you can't be entered to win the contest unless you pay to submit. Unfortunately, not many people will see or read your story unless you are the winner or in the top 10 or whatever. It is strange that you have to pay when it's not a contest. The contest I understand, because they need to give away prize money to the winners. But for regular submissions, it doesn't make sense. Who can afford to do that? You have to submit work to hundreds of publications for even a chance at getting one--and I feel like that chance is pretty slim if you don't have a literary agent or pre-established audience (Youtubers, bloggers, famous people, previously published authors, etc). I don't know... I can't afford it so I've never bothered much outside of Uni. In Uni they had student-run publications you could submit to for free, and I was published in several of those.
For sure, I understand that completely. The publishing industry is pretty messed up right now. Self publishing is not great unless you're already famous or have a lot of followers on Youtube or something. Or if you have tons of money to throw away on advertising & distribution. You can publish the book and all but it won't see the light of day if you can't distribute it and get it to reach people. That's what traditional publishing is great for. But they won't even read your book without an agent. Even then, I think the publishers have too much control... they might tell you to change your book in some way or the deal is off... and they own the rights to your book to some extent. I don't like that. It's my book and I want to do whatever I want with it. I couldn't stand having some stupid company act like they own my work or they have a right to tell me what I can/can't do with it. I understand they need to collect their royalties, and of course that's totally fair as they cover the up front costs of editing, design, advertising, distribution, etc.
I'm not actively trying to "make money off it" though. I just want to share my writing with poetry fans who might appreciate it. I don't agree that art should be a "business." If you end up making a lot of money off it, then great, that's a bonus. But it's like a tip. I'm not expecting it. It would simply be a bonus or added benefit.
The way I see it, if you're purely interested in making profits and that's it, then you should go into business. Open a book store and sell books, or some other shop. xD
And whither then? I cannot say...
- Points: 792
Newborn of Imladris
Posts: 312
Joined: Sun May 17, 2020 10:25 am
@Lail It's kind of you to say so! Thank you. I have never really grasped what is so important about having your own website; my output of books is not massive and the Print-on-Demand company I use gets them out OK. And as for articles I 'publish' them on Academia. It's nice to be able to see that people are reading your things, and hopefully enjoying them.
Remembering halfir by learning something new each day
- Points: 2 417
Arien
Posts: 1982
Joined: Thu May 07, 2020 8:56 pm
Slightly left field but you could also share your work by reading it aloud on social media sites such as TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. There are lots of spoken word artists on there who gain quite a following, and poetry aloud is a distinct experience from words on a page - I enjoy them both but in a very different way.
cave anserem
- Points: 565
Knight of The Mark
Posts: 271
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 2:40 am
@Silky Gooseness Me too, I like reading and listening to poetry... depending on the mood, I guess. Some poems sound better aloud, some are good both ways, some are better on the page. I was thinking of doing a Youtube page. I used Soundcloud before but they are very limiting in how many songs you can post. I didn't know there were lots of spoken word artists online. I only know of a handful of contemporary ones. Rap style poems seem to be more popular, or songs that have some spoken parts in them.
And whither then? I cannot say...
- Points: 2 417
Arien
Posts: 1982
Joined: Thu May 07, 2020 8:56 pm
I think it depends on what the algorithm gives you! I’ve been finding a few poetry readings live on Instagram which is great but of course now I can’t recollect the pages they came from. Possibly literary festivals and the like! And of course, rap as you say, although for me the difference is that rap is primarily designed to be listened to and is often accompanied by other musical elements whilst spoken word poetry also works well on the page and is just the human voice.
cave anserem
- Points: 565
Knight of The Mark
Posts: 271
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 2:40 am
Nice! I used to attend some live poetry readings and they were fun, back in the day. Yes they're very different and I like how verse can create so many different genres and sub genres. It's great. I also like how spoken word is so versatile. You can accompany it with music or sound effects, beat, or just the voice as you said. :D
I also used to listen someone who did covers of traditional poems and gave them a melody and made them into songs. Really nice.
I also used to listen someone who did covers of traditional poems and gave them a melody and made them into songs. Really nice.
And whither then? I cannot say...
- Points: 2 761
Ent Ancient
Posts: 1875
Joined: Sat May 23, 2020 11:34 pm
I love the idea of doing audio poetry readings!
Question for photographers. I am looking for a desktop software (ideally FOSS, no apps, no online websites) that will allow me to organize my photo archive and edit and search by IPTC metadata. basically - I want to be able to:;
1) search my archive of photos for all of my "canada goose" photos
2) batch enter IPTC metadata keywords into any new image files
I was using IrfanView Thumbnails but it was really clunky and I decided to look for something else, however I haven't found a good replacement yet...I tried and rejected the following for various reasons: digiKam, Tonfotos. Last one I tried is XnView MP, which is ok. Anyone have recommendations?
This can be done using Windows Explorer file properties but it is a REAL nightmare doing so and can't really be batched.
Question for photographers. I am looking for a desktop software (ideally FOSS, no apps, no online websites) that will allow me to organize my photo archive and edit and search by IPTC metadata. basically - I want to be able to:;
1) search my archive of photos for all of my "canada goose" photos
2) batch enter IPTC metadata keywords into any new image files
I was using IrfanView Thumbnails but it was really clunky and I decided to look for something else, however I haven't found a good replacement yet...I tried and rejected the following for various reasons: digiKam, Tonfotos. Last one I tried is XnView MP, which is ok. Anyone have recommendations?
This can be done using Windows Explorer file properties but it is a REAL nightmare doing so and can't really be batched.
