Photo by Tania Melnyczuk on Unsplash, Edited by Me using GIMP
The Ghost of Steemians Past
Many moons ago, around the end of 2017, my active follower list looked a lot different than it does now. A large, active community of creative writers, poets and fiction writers attracted some high quality authors in those subjects. Partly due to the bull market, and the potential rewards of a $90 - $150 curie curation, steem flowed with a cascade of creativity. A lot of these people have left, and you know what... I don't really blame them.
It simply isn't tenable to write long form fiction on steem anymore, but this may change with an increase in steem price. When you consider how much time goes into producing professional level fiction - usually 4-5 hours writing and the same again in editing the story - even if you're lucky enough to make $30/$40 post payout ($15/$20 after curation rewards are taken into account) it is a bleak choice in regards to how much you value your time. Even at a conservative estimate it is like working for $2.50/hour.
There are many other options that have the potential to pay better for the professional writer. At the end of the day it comes down to a choice! Keep writing on steem with possible future gains in mind as the amount of steem earned is much higher with lower steem price, or spend that time focused on traditional routes to gain recognition for your work.
Anyway, rather than harp on about these realities I would like to honor the amazing creative writers of the past. People who I follow and was sad to see go. These are all steemians who produced a high level of content that I would love to see return to steem some day.
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Guy T Martland is a published novelist and sci-fi writer. I first noticed him when I stumbled across his page after seeing @carolkean mention that she had introduced him to steem in early 2017. I immediately put him on my watch list as I was much more active as a curie curator at the time. When ginabot ping-ed me that he had posted, I was blown away by his series of short stories from the perspective of his cat. These were sublime in their simplicity and formidable in the use of literary technique.
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@negativer wrote fantastic short stories with a twist! His flare for atmospheric moody prose was matched by a dark scene of humor that never failed to balance the often storm tossed environs of his fictions. He was also a fantastic travel writer and if you visit his blog, his most recent posts are all in the travel category.
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@jrhughes had a wonderful economy of words in her writing, and was always reigning me in for my flamboyant image-heavy poetic short stories. She was one of the people who headed up the @isleofwrite community and gave massively of her time helping to proofread the many manuscripts submitted to that community. I miss her humor and sharp wit, and also her pithy and well written short fiction.
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@carmalain7's poetry was really something else. Their verse never failed to make me think, and the level of sophistication in the various techniques employed was sublime.
I had buried the sun into the earth,
the moon, nestled tight in clouded dream,
my cat left curled before the hearth
next to a displaced pot of cooling tea.
From carmalain7's poem Paint Me the Singing Wilderness
Carmalain was another author I watched for potential submission to @curie, and along with another poet, was one of the first poetry posts to receive a curie vote. If you visit their blog you will immediately see why this poets verse stood above many on steem. It is poignant without resorting to cliche and expresses the unknowable heart of soul. I miss them and their writing!
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@hartfloe's poetry is inspiration bottled! I remember listening to one of his performances when I was in a very dark place with depression and it made me cry. Not tears of sadness, but those cathartic tears of hope when you're staring up at the light from the bottom of a well. If you read this post hartfloe, thank you brother for that moment of catharsis!
He left shortly after completing @d-pend's 100 days of poetry challenge, and the blockchain lost one of its great performance poets.
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@dbooster is the master of Haiku. I learned so much from David in regards to aesthetics of this famous Japanese form of poetry. His photography posts about life in Japan were also fascinating and stylish. When I wrote the short story The Albatross, which was set in Japan, he proofread the first draft and advised me on how I had represented the Japanese social protocols.
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@geekorner is the master of the epic. As can be seen in The Retired Prophet, his poetry is thick with allegory and religious symbolism, as well as subtle and effective uses of poetic technique. Guy is the second poet that I submitted to curie for curation on more than one occasion, and all of his submitted poems were accepted for an award.
Although I found him somewhat prickly to deal with at times, he added so much to my journey as a writer in providing astute critique on poems I submitted for review in the @isleofwrite community. He was a tireless moderator there and always willing to just chat about whatever was swimming around in the collective discord unconscious.
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@whoshim is another great poet who is sadly departed from steem. His poems were a perfect example of how less is more. When a poem encapsulates something unique through metaphor and simile in perfectly formed images, you know you've hit gold.
A quiet grove stands,
dappled in sunlight,
surrounded by a loop
of broken road.
From whoshim's poem Forgotten Places
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Calluna is a compassionate and sweet young woman from the Lake district in the UK. Both her poetry and fiction explored themes of mythology and also she wrote great Sci-Fi! We connected over this love of approaching mythical archetypes, as well as writing Sci-Fi, and got to know each other while responding to the fantastic writers prompt finish the story competitions run by the @bananafish account.
The reasons for her leaving steem are perhaps the saddest tale I've seen on here to be honest. As far as I can tell, she was bullied off the network by a group of large accounts, but I only found out about this after the fact when visiting her blog a few months ago. I've known @calluna for over two years on steem and I'm certain that she was an innocent victim caught in the crossfire between whale wars.
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Finally, @f3nix... my Italian brother from another mother. What can I say! I have had more conversations on discord with him than all but one other steemian.
Founder of the finish the story competition and the @bananafish account, he has given so much to steem in the way of engaging the creative writers on here.
I first stumbled across his blog when reading a poem he had written in response to one of @mariannewest's 5 minute freewrites and he invited me to check out the finish the story competition. Ever since then I've been hooked, and the FTS comp is one of the things I used to most look forward to on steem.
@f3nix is a great writer of horror fiction and master of unsettling metaphor. His stories intrigue and sometimes send a shudder down the spine. I will always be grateful to him and the finish the story competition, for awakening the horror writer in me.
I have reached out to some of these steemians in the past to see if they would considering returning to steem. But to be honest, I don't think the time is quite right for a mass return of authors to steem.
If I get over my chronic illness, I would personally like to build a community and SMT focused on the fields of creative writing, and maybe supported by curie, to onboard some or all of these authors back to steem with a more qualitative reward structure.
This is my dream for steem. To bring mainstream publishers eyes to steem by empowering indie authors to shine and show the best that they have to offer.
The Ghost of Steemians Present
If the opening paragraphs of this blog seemed a little negative this is because that is the nature of this blockchain beast that we call steem. Everything has up's and down's, ebbs and flows that color the experience of life. It is no different with steem. If I was to write only about the people who are impacting me positively now, without mentioning those gone before... this post would be an empty lie. A shadow of a much more interesting truth.
Although I miss the abundance of poetry and fiction communities that once thrived here, there really are so many people I can list that I enjoy reading now. I shall try to nail it down to less than twenty steem peeps who I actively read at least once every fortnight.
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@buttcoins is my oldest friend on steem. I've known him since the first month I joined this platform and I can honestly say that every interaction I've had with Brian has been positive. From our first comment conversations, where he was considering leaving steem and I encouraged him to stay with my honest feedback on his blogs/poetry, to meeting him in person when he visited me in Liverpool while in the UK for Christmas. This Guatemalan American Ex-Pat has a big heart and a creative soul. There are innumerable times I would have left steem if it hadn't have been for Brian's leveling influence.
Also, his video content is the dogs bollocks! I'm not really a vlog kinda person, it takes a special personality to keep me interested watching a talking head. But this ain't a problem with Brian's video creations. They always tell a story, and are very action orientated, with some crazy creative video editing. I highly recommend checking out his blog!
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I consider @josediccus a true friend. We share so much in common, from dealing with the daily struggles of chronic illness, to creating poetic storms of image laden experimentation in the form of verse. It is these commonalities that forge true bonds on steem, and I still count it as one of the biggest strengths of this community that people from very different societies can connect like this! With the global drive toward the rhetoric of hate and separation, communities like steem remind us that we are fundamentally the same deep down.
Jose also creates some very interesting psychological/philosophical vlogs that I find fascinating. They provide a unique insight into life on another continent. Keep steeming on brother!
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@agmoore is one of the oldschool of fiction writers who has remained stalwart throughout this bear market on steem. I first met her years ago in the @isleofwrite community and later solidified the relationship through mutual feedback on entries in the finish the story competition. Her fiction in particular is concise and homely, while expressing something more than the sum of its parts. Often it engenders a nostalgic feel that draws you in! She also writes very well researched science articles on her second blog, @agmoore2. I highly recommend checking her out!
On a personal note, agmoore's encouragement and insightful comments on my short stories has kept me sane on more than one occasion when comments were thin on the ground. Thank you agmoore.
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@carolkean is a great writer and commentator. Her reviews are so well written and insightful. If you are looking for something good to read I recommend backtracking through her blog to find her book reviews and you will not be disappointed. She is also one of the only people I know who can turn a 5 minute freewrite into a full-on short story that is interesting and flows like wine in a stream-of-consciousness kinda way.
I can't count the amount of times that Carol helped me in the early days with proofreads of my short stories in the @isleofwrite community editing room. She is another one of these special steemians who has been with me on my journey right from the start, and has also never given up on writing here on steem.
Thanks for being a good friend, and a fellow shun-er of drama Carol 😉
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@jayna is a great writer and friend who I met at steemfest. I knew jayna from before my jaunt to Krakow from the @thewritersblock and @isleofwrite communities. This made it even more special to meet her in Poland where we got on like a house on fire.
Jayna used to run a flash fiction initiative called the 50 word short story completion, but has more recently become an actifit addict. Even her actifit posts always express a snippet of her life in a creative way, showing the born writer in her. She also heads up the (off-chain) writers group 'Write Club'.
This ties in to what I was saying at the beginning of this blog about how steem simply isn't the right environment for serious creative writers at the moment. By posting your work here you are limiting your chances at the mainstream notice and acclaim that placement in a literary journal brings. Maybe one day steem will find a way to create mutual value for mainstream publishing and indie authors.
What Is Write Club?
We are a small group of fiction writers who are committed to writing and polishing stories for publication in mainstream publishing outlets. We write on a cadence — one story each month — and do peer reviews and revisions to prepare our work for submission to the publisher of our choice.
Quote from February Writing Prompt from Write Club
P.s. thank you for bringing me out of a shell-shocked state of mind after visiting Auschwitz in Poland!
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I only discovered @meesterboom about a year ago and boyeee... I didn't know what I had been missing out on.
'Fun on a bun' would be the scouse expression I'd use for boomy's writing. Always funny, his fictionalized recounting of his life is nothing short of hilarious. Reading a post from this witty Scot never fails to bring me out of a slump... although at the moment I'm having to be careful to stay away from his beersaturday reviews for risk of falling off the wagon 😉
The main thing that boomy has added to my steem experience is an abundance of smiles... and a bit of perspective about the some of the more loopy shenanigans that happen on this blockchain.
Cheers boomy 🍻
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@revisesociology is another person I met at steemfest 3 in Poland and got on with straight away. Although we didn't hang out that much, his levelheadedness came across immediately. Also, he's probably the only person on steem other than myself who I've seen writing about socialist ideals in a positive slant lol
I find his steem earnings analytic posts fascinating, which is saying a lot as I usually find steem-centric content bores me to tears. I think it's the way that he approaches this with a clinical eye, avoiding the slightly hysterical 'believe in steem' rhetoric that I often see on here.
Thanks for being my socialist brother in arms Karl, and at least helping to provide an alternative and 🖕 to some of the right wing insanity that proliferates on steem.
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@riverflows is someone I admire for what she has build with the @naturalmedicine community, as well as for her creative writing on steem. I'm not sure that she knows just how good a poet she is!
I'm here to tell you that you're a natural poet riverflows!
I first met her about a 18 months ago when I started to actively meditate again and post about mindfulness on steem. After joining the @naturalmedicine community I was encouraged to share stories about the treatments I've undertaken for my chronic condition, SIBO.
@riverflows, and the NatMedicine community, have definitely been a positive influence on me in opening up about my illness. Through this sharing, and attending meditation sessions in discord, I've finally been able to move away from the mindset that I will never find a way to heal from my SIBO.
Thank you @riverflows, you are one in a million!
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I actually started following @slobberchops nearly 2 years ago when I noticed the short stories he was writing in consideration for curie. I remember submitting one of his stories that got a @curie back in the distant past of my steem journey. I also remember reading his Kwik Save chronicles (Kwik Save is a budget shop back in the 1990's in the UK) way back when and thinking that he had a unique writing voice.
More recently I connected with him properly over his 'true stories' initiative which inspire some fantastic true stories to be shared on steem. Also, his urban exploring adventures are well worth a look! What I most appreciate on steem content-wise, are creativity and a unique perspective. Slobberchops has this in spades, I highly recommend you check out his blog!
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As I mentioned above, the things I most appreciate on steem content-wise, are creativity and a unique perspective. Aishlinn (@trucklife-family) shares her travels and life on the road with such authenticity. That unique perspective I spoke about is very much evident in her blogs and her poetry is straight from the heart.
There are few people who encourage me more with comments on my creative writing posts than Aishlinn which I really appreciate at this time when a lot of the poets and fiction writers have fled the blockchain. Thank you for all your support and friendship 🙂
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@warpedpoetic is one of the best writers on steem bar none. Both his poetry and short stories show a flair that always have me hooked from the minute I start reading. Simile and metaphor flit from the tip-tap of his keyboard like a swallow on the wing. I love the way he approaches imagery, and similar to myself, weaves poetic form into fiction (hopefully seamlessly).
I will always remember hosting him on a show I ran called Literary Corner on the Whaleshares discord server prior to WS forking from steem. Oskilo was a little shy but eventually read out a poem he'd written which sent shivers down my spine. I am so glad that he is one of the handful of creative writers who I knew from 2017 who have remained writing on steem.
Keep on keeping on mate, and if the bull takes hold... we will see the writing community thrive again!
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Last, but not least, is @sunravelme.
Sun, as I call her, helped me so much at the beginning of my time here on steem. It was her feedback in the @thewritersblock and @isleofwrite communities that reminded me of the importance of distilling poetry to its essence. I knew this from studying writing in university in 2007, but had forgotten a lot of the basics of editing due to an extended period of writers block. Sun helped me unplug the proverbial bottle of creativity allowing for a return of the muse.
I can't thank you enough @sunravelme, I miss your poetry but still drop by every now and then to check out the MSP Creative Writing Curation you run.
The Ghost of Steem Future is still to be written!
That is by no means a comprehensive list of all the people I follow who have helped and encouraged me on steem over the years. Some I have fallen out of touch with, and others I still visit on occasion. I think this is fine! Steem is strange and wonderful experiment in merging reward with community. There are bound to be some pretty big buckets of fuckery in this situation where money/value is intrinsically linked to the relationships we cultivate.
I want to give a big shout out to some more people who have enriched my steem journey no end. Please know that if I had another 3 hours spare I would write a piece about all of you as well... but I've got to go and make dinner now 😂
@mariannewest, @jaynie, @yahialababidi, @tibfox, @tezmel, @nickyhavey, @kaerpediem, @theycallmedan, @nathanmars, @geke, @wandrnrose7, @dante31, @warpedpoetic, @anomadsoul, @abh12345, @soyrosa, @misterakpan, @shanibeer, @vincentnijman, @eco-alex, @owasco, @byn, @sndbox, @voronoi, @nanzo-scoop, @daan, @hansikhouse, @anouk.nox, @priyanarc, @nonsowrites and @porters
Thank you all for inspiring me at some point in my steem journey 🙂
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What a thoughtful and comprehensive tribute, Raj, and poignant - I didn't expect a mention of @GuyTMartland here, much less of me, the fellow shunner of drama and politics and mean, mean, mean machinations behind the scenes. You are a remarkable Steemian, an extraordinary human being, and if I had written one of these "Who do I follow" posts, you'd be up there with @Mariannewest for your talent at keeping your feet out of the muck, keeping your boat afloat in these turbulent waters of Steemit. (Do I hafta go write a post now? Didn't I miss the deadline?) - THANK YOU for all your kind words and your recognition of the contributions of others, Raj. You humbly pass over the quality of your own poetry and fantasy novels. You are a born writer, and you needed very little editing, and I for one happen to be a champion of the much-maligned purple prose (not to mention Omniscient narration). I love your writing, your characters (the torture scenes, the deaths, not so much - LOL), and the heart, the great big heart, the spirit, and your open-minded world view. We need more people like you - at Steemit, and in all the world. Thank you again for this tribute to so many who've come and gone from Steemit. And to those who stay - where's that beer token thing? Beer! CHEERS!
Hi Carol :)
Thanks for all your encouragement over the years... it has meant a lot! And these wonderful, inspiring words that are encouraging me to get back to fiction writing as it has been a while since I've sat down to weave a story short or long. Illness has been really kicking my ass recently, even so much that I can't write torture scenes!!! 😂
No there doesn't seem to be a deadline, and it's hosted by one of the most active (curating) whales on steem @theycallmedan. You should definetly give it a go Carol! I for one would be interested to read your peeps I follow post.
Here is a link to the post which has instructions etc to make sure that your post will be considered for mega/moderate vote-age ;-)
https://steemit.com/steemimpact/@theycallmedan/who-do-i-follow-on-steem-and-why-initiative
To summarize, the rules are pretty simple -
P.s. thanks again for always being a constant in my steem journey. I've got some beer tokens already, but I'm on the wagon at the moment so I'll just share a beer emoji instead 🍻
Raj, if you feel too ill to channel it into writing torture scenes, we've got to get you a better way to restore you to good health! You've tried the keto diet (and survived the keto hangover thing)--you're already living in Europe, not the toxic food-additives/processed, GMO-food USA. There's Intermittent Fasting. There's all these new books on deep diaphramatic breathing. Do you need a cat, a dog, a come to Jesus miracle? I'm not being a smart alec here; I'm genuinely frustrated and perplexed and wishing I could find cures, wishing that prayer or "beaming positive intentions" could show some efficacy. I wish you well! Sincerely, earnestly, and with great determination - and not just because I selfishly want to read more of your fiction.
I wonder about @geekorner too - some of his poetry so beautifully and poignantly expressed his battle with depression. And I miss the fiction of @techslut. Where is Mistress Morgan? Where have so many writers gone when they sailed away from Steemit? Technically, @techslut is still here, but the posts are few and far between.
Thank you all for being here. Whenever I see myself as a recluse holed up on seven acres in the middle of nowhere in the Midwest, I consider the people I've met from all over the globe via Steemit (and other social media), and I wear, I get around - I know SO MANY GOOD PEOPLE!!!!
We both have to pass on the beer (gluten intolerance, for me) - but CHEERS, Raj!! You have brightened my days so many times. How about a sun-shining-through-the-clouds token?
I know you're not. I stay positive.
To be honest the keto flu hasn't abated yet, it has just got a little less intense... and I've been on the diet for 6 weeks. None of this seems right, and through my research it sounds like my body is either taking a mega long time to adapt to using ketones to burn fat for energy rather than glucose, or it just isn't adapting at all!
Whatever the case may be, I'm giving it another two weeks to make it an even 2 months and then if things haven't improved going the doctor and potentially transitioning off the keto doet. After all, if it's not working, there is no point.
Silver lining... I've lost 1.5 stone (9.52544 kilos) in 6 weeks lol
Keto flu.... somewhere, I've read that keto is not meant to be a long-term thing. Two weeks tops, and then it's time to move on to some less intense diet. The high-fat, low-carb thing isn't for everyone. But what do I know? I read. I know nothing. And I wish you well!
Thanks, @raj808, for that extremely generous critique of my writing. You know you were one of my earliest contacts here. So encouraging and uplifting. If not for that early encouragement, I probably would not have stayed.
Your talent, of course, is extraordinary. You have the kind of spark that cannot be manufactured. It's a gift. But you have refined that gift. I wish for you in the future the wider audience your talent deserves. And of course, material rewards commensurate with your talent.
I'll be more diligent in checking you posts.
With great affection,
Your friend, Ag
It's easy when it's the truth :)
That is really gratifying to hear. I feel the same way about most of the people I've written about in this post, including yourself. There have many times when your feedback kept me from chucking in the towel, especially during the crazy times of the proliferation of bidbots, when it straight up looked like this platform simply didn't care about the content of peoples posts.
Anyway, I must beat myself round the head a little to make sure I'm more active checking out your posts also.
Much love!
Raj, we just can't keep up with all the good content at Steemit and still get a healthy dose of sleep at night. (Which reminds me: how well do you sleep, and have you tried the diaphragm breathing thing that's all the rage now?)
I love seeing friendships flourish here at Steem, like you and Agmoore, and I wish we could all get along like this. Making enemies is not my goal, and I have apologized to whoever I unintentionally offended, and my loyalty is not limited to one hive, one community, one hashtag. Some may seek revenge on those who allegedly didn't offer unconditional support no matter what (like these downvoters and trolls who invade our wallets with threats of a downvote if we don't unvote some witness). I'm here for the writing, the community, the encouragement and support--and I've found it with people like you, Raj and Agmoore. Thank you for being here. I sense you will never have to do 'damage control' or seek forgiveness and mercy as I've been called to do. And off I go now, Putting out fires, bringing rain to the scorched ruins, doing what I can to herald an era of peace and good will....
Thanks Raj, for the mention.. Amazing post as usual.
Hey Pri.
You're welcome. You were one of the people I watched when I was experimenting with trying to produce vlogs. I remember watching your 'walking with Pri' vlog... it was called something like that, to try and work out how to get up the confidence to do piece to camera while in public. Lol, I never managed to find that confidence to be honest. It doesn't come natural, where as writing does... so I thought why not stick to my strengths. I'm ok if I'm filming myself in private, as with some of the comedy character sketches I did, but if I'm out in public... forget about it ;-)
I really miss my walk with my series, winter is ruining my all plans. You are really a great and unique author, keep it up...
A mammoth post! I didn't know you read those Kwiksave posts, It seems an eternity ago now.. and thanks, I remember the @curie!
Kind of wish I had saved those tales for later, they were truly dire times..., only the home computer boom kept me going!
Perhaps you could revive the Kwiksave Chronicles in the Sunday Showcase. They're worth a second outing.
Like a special edition with uncut extras added? I'm sure I could spice it up some!
I'd like that and it would be a lot of fun!
Is it allowed? Content is not supposed to be-rehashed..., I wrote it all so early when my following was small. Before there I worked at Asda, there are some tales there but not as outlandish as Kwiksave.
#showcasesunday is about bringing back posts from earlier - have a look at @tarazkp's blog.
Yeah man, I didn't read them all, but quite a few of them! This was the curse of being a curie curator during that bull market in 2017. There was so much content out there, and so many scammer/plagiarists, that all I had time for was writing my own posts, hunting for curie-able posts and then doing exhaustive plagiarism checks on them.
This resulted in me burning out pretty hard, but also in just reading a lot of posts without commenting. Not the best tactic on a blogging platform where networking is king lol
Haha, yeah the mammoth-est post I've written in a long while ;)
They are still tough to find, how do you find it now compared to when there was much more to choose from?
Lol, if I'm honest I don't.
I've not submitted in over 3 months now. I need to get on it to find my bi-monthly post. At the moment I don't have the time for proper curie hunting.
My tactic has been to find a (dead cert) gem of a post every few months just to make sure I don't get kicked out of the guild. If/when steem enters bull phase, and if my illness gets better, I want to have the option to go all out curating again.
Back in the day I used to use steemlookup and just hammer it every day 3-4 times a day. Even then it was a race to submit the real decent posts. I can't tell ya how may times I wrote up a fantastic recommendation supporting comment, only to hit submit in becemel and see that some other curator had beat me to it 😆
Even though there were more posts back then, it was cutthroat as the finders fee amounted to about $10 value! Unfortunately, I cashed out very little of my finders fees... but there were weeks where I made $80 - $90 worth of steem... When steem was at like $5 😆
In retrospect I made the wrong decision.
I think I have been beaten to it just once, I use steemlookup but have found other tactics. This week I'm on just 2 which is a bit crap. Another one would be good.
2 is ok. At my peak I was submitting 14 or 15 with an average of 10 accepted/week.
That was hard to maintain though and I burnt out pretty fast 😂😳
Your hard work did not go unnoticed or unappreciated, Raj!
Even when the value of @curie fell from 100 SBD to maybe 10, that message and logo under a writer's work brings more joy than money can.
Wow, what a list! It's so hard picking a few on the spot, you did a great job here taking the time to mention that many people. I wasn't at my best this week (flu in the house lol) so I only wrote about 3 people, it didn't even occur to me to tag a bunch of others (oops). If I would have, you'd be there!
It's pretty insane thinking about how many people have inspired me during the Steem journey, and as far as I can tell reading this post, the same goes for you! It's so cool, isn't it? Many people we never met in real life but still they made an impression. I love it!
Oh and @buttcoins has a heart of gold, I love the guy as well :) Crawling back in my bed now sorry, have a great weekend!
Yeah, it is amazing when you think about it how many people have inspired me, and many others on steem. It's the greatest value of this platform to be honest!
I hope you feel better soon anouk. At least being in bed means you're missing all the BS and drama. Get well soon Hun 🤗
This was a good read.
Thank you for showing me some good writers both current and missing
Glad you enjoyed the writing... it sure was a long one lol 🙂
You're welcome. There are, and have been, some very talented writers on steem. I hope that one day we will return to the levels of activity we saw here in 2017/18 🙂👍
such a great write up, and a great tribute to some of the fine writers on have been and still are on here. I would love to see some of those writers return. I have been in contact with @hartfloe in the past but he is super busy offline at the moment, I did love his poetry/spoken word. Thank you for your kind words about me my friend, it has been a pleasure connecting with you on here and as you know I am a huge fan of your writing in whatever form you present it. Much love to you xxxx
Awww bless you... I love you and miss you all! I miss reading all of your stuff... I guess after @d-pend's poetry competition (is that the right tag?) I just lost touch with Steemit... but I want to get connected again... I'm thinking about starting a new post right now! Thanks for remembering me @trucklife-family!
And @raj808 thank you for reading my post about the prison experience... that was a labour of great difficulty to get that out !!!
And love you @buttcoins... glad I got to play a couple of gigs eventually ;)
Love to all... I hope to stay engaged with this amazing community once more!
With Love Always
In All Ways
Hart Floe
Nice to see you back... you showed up on a funny day for the steem community... the whole blockchain is being seized it seems....i have a great deal of faith in the actual community....but our whole little home is under threat... we see how it all ends up
Oh wow... what does that actually mean?! Sounds crazy!
Do you know about Uptrennd? A guy I met at the lake my first time round, huge crypto enthusiast, built a website very much like Steemit... and until yesterday it was solely for crypto related stuff... But as of yesterday.. it's open to all topics...
Check it out.. it's really cool... and with it just opening up yesterday... I'm currently literally one of the first few content creators in the poetry community there...
Check out my profile and sign up for one if you're not there already!
https://www.uptrennd.com/user/NjU5OTY
It top crypto news currently. Just type in steem Justin sun takeover into a search engine... dozens of things will pop up. The gist is that Justin sun took over the top 20 witnesses that democratically are voted there. Now there are 20 fake witnesses all the same person... Justin sun/Tron
Nobody really knows what they are doing.... but they have complete control of the steem blockchain
Cool... ill check that uptrend out
Hey there my poetic brother from another mother @hartfloe
Thanks for responding to this post, it was my fondest wish that some of the people I mentioned in the first 'The Ghost of Steemians Past' section might see it possibly return to steem with some of their amazing writing.
A lot has happened on steem in the last year with developments like hive communities that are actually dedicated community pages on steemit, or steempeak which is my preferred site to access steem.
And guess what? I've started a community called The Ink Well for poetry and fiction! We are supported by curie which means most people see a dollar or more for their writing which is nice to be able to give back, but the main thing is it is a place where you can see creative writing only. In that way it kinda allows people who's hearts pulse with creativity like us, to find writing we like easier, and be inspired by other creative writers.
Check it out here: The Ink Well
and maybe drop a poem or two if you decide to start posting again on steem :)
To use the community function, you basically click the 'write a post' button at the top left of the community page, then write as normal and publish it. Then you have to resteem your own post to get it to show up on your main steem blog.
Hope t o see you soon m8 :)
Oh wow... that sounds epic! Would love to check that out... thanks for filling me in... lots has changed since I left!
My friend made a website like steemit called uptrennd.com - and until yesterday it was solely for crypto related stuff... but now it's open to all topics!
Come get involved if you fancy it... it feels really cool to be one of the first few content creators for the poetry section!
Hope to see you over there and over at the ink well too!
With love always
<3
Hi m8 @hartfloe
I looked at uptrend a while ago but saw it was only crypto related content and didn't look again. I shall go sign up now. Is there anything you can recommend me to get going on there and potentially get seen (as well as making decent rewards I ain't gonna lie lol)
I am trying my best to branch out to give my writing a chance to actually sustain me properly. I've done well on steem, mainly by being one of the stalwarts who stuck it out through the bear market, but I'm always looking for new opportunities.
Message me on discord or facebook buddy. Perhaps we can get some type of poetic collaboration on the go.
Which reminds me... The Ink Well's first poetry prompt challenge will be out tomorrow. One that I think could be your cuppa tea ;-)
Hey!
For sure, would love to collab. I've only just got on uptrennd myself... for now I'd say just join any communities you would like to contribute to and follow a similar procedure that you did getting started on Steemit - following people, upvoting, leaving meaningful comments, and posting good content!
I have started a 22 day poetry writing contest - there's no monetary prize, just the glory of being recognised haha and the joy of creating 22 new poetry pieces... check it out! Would love to have you contribute... I'm just trying to get things going a little there and get some new content creation in the poetry community, which is literally brand new! We are amongst the very first content creators there!
The post is here -
https://www.uptrennd.com/post-detail/22-day-poetry-creation-collaboration-calling-all-poets-of-the-uptrennd-poetry-community-let-s-get-creative~MjE5MTE1
And cool I will check it out for sure! Though everything I'm reading is giving me the impression that Steemit is kinda coming to an end after what's happened recently, which is a shame!
I'll join later today after I've finished writing this fantasy short story for the first fiction prompt we put up in the ink well on Monday.
Yeah, there is a lot of panic and fear going around right now m8. I wouldn't believe the majority of the doomsayers. I'm not saying things aren't fucked up, but they're actually getting resolved quicker than you might think. Already 7 of the tron witnesses have been ousted by community action voting all the previous witnesses that we had back in before 'Tron Justin Sun' pulled his cheeky little maneuver.
I'm not saying cash in your savings and buy steem right now lol, but I am saying that anything you've read saying it's dead is not an objective article but something that has been written for sensationalist purposes. That type of writing sells as we're so aware of coming from the UK where the Sun announces that the whole of Britain is going to be hit with -45 temperatures and blizzard conditions every winter only to find that... four days later it hasn't snowed and the daffodils are starting to bloom lol
That 21 day poetry thing looks awesome @hartfloe.
Unfortunately the rules about no old poems ain't gonna work for me. I'm sure you're aware how much work it takes running an initiative.
With a steem community imagine that tripled. I'm writing pretty much daily for both my @raj808 account and The Ink Well community. On top of that I have to proofread a lot of work at times, on top of that I've several mainstream writing jobs that have deadlines and finally a chronic illness to manage.
These aren't excuses, they're circumstances that mean I am just about at my full stretch already in regards to potential burnout. I was hoping I could share some of the hundreds of high quality poems I've already written on uptrend with the mind to getting new eyes on my work and maybe a little crypto as a bonus.
I guess it will be ok to share them generally in the poetry categories, but just not through your imitative right?
Thanks @trucklife-family
There are so many great writers passed and present. I read hartfloe off steem occasionally and read his epic blog about being arrested in Guatemala.
Thanks so much for all your support. I'm so glad to have met you on here.
P.s. I heard you talking on the witness show tonight. I never realized you were Irish!
Hartfloe was actually arrested the day of his gig at Hostel Del Lago. Me and friends tried hard to get a lawyer to get him out before being officially charged... but them pigs were not having it.
Lovely compendium of writers to explore and thank you for the mention 😎
You're welcome shanibeer. I tried to make this post a compendium of great writers for anyone who happened along it to go explore interesting peeps on steem :)
Congratulations @raj808!
Your post was mentioned in the Steem Hit Parade in the following category:
Awesome. Cheers @arcange :)
This is a wonderful compilation of steemians, both former and current. It makes me want to follow them all. I was shocked to find my name among them! Thank you for that.
And thank you too for all the support you give to the creative writers on steem. Since I've never made a dime USD on my writings, I am thrilled if a post of mine hits 10stu. That's a major haul for me. The non-monetary rewards for writing on steem have been huge for me - I am a writer now! And that is a major prize.
I am so pleased to have come across you. I think I may have read one of your poems and got hooked.
Again, thank you so much for including me in this collection of Steem Stars.
Hi @owasco
Of course you were mentioned. You are a great writer and I particularly enjoy your poetry :)
Yes, being read is the main reward for sure. I can't ignore the financials though anymore as I'm just about scraping by as a freelance writer. But I'm not going anywhere and will continue posting to steem :)
M8!!😍🔥. so much time and thought into so many amazing folks. your are a thoughtful champion!
dude, i dont remember if i realized you knew heartflow. We met here in Guatemala years ago and he was volunteering at hostel. This year he was back and hosted a theatre night and was multiple times DJing!
you really are the reason i stayed.... and what a fucking journey.
my world is just easing up... i actually have a 5 day break starting tomorrow.
im gonna peek around and see if i catch you on line for a chat!
Cheers m8.
Yeah, you put me onto him when he first joined steem and I watched his blog with my curie spy glass until I saw a poetry post of his that would get accepted.
I knew he stayed at Lago but didn't know that he was arrested at your gaff! I read his blog about it and it seemed completely insane. Chucked in jail for 10 days for a bag of weed! Man... it kinda makes me happy that I quit smoking years ago If I ever make it over to visit Guatemala. They'll have nothing on me because it's all clean living and yoga for me these days lol
Awesome, I'll even log on to facebook to check if messages have appeared ;-) I haven't been on the Zuckerfuckbook in more than two months. Speak soon bro!
I'm totally sorry to have missed this one, in truth you follow some of the most amazing people on the platform. The truth is that like you said sharing common ground has been one of the biggest strength here and we have even forged some of the best relationships ever and in all honesty I have been grateful to steem for this. I consider you as a true friend as well and I wish us many more years ahead and also that one day we could sit down to share drinks talking about things like the flag war and the things like whale's competition. I do believe that this can be possible someday and I look at your journey so far and how you have impacted what I consider as qualitative content and I must say I have been proud to have learnt from you as well. Cheers brother. I'm grateful to @theycallmedan for this challenge.
Hey, no worries brother!
Ha ha, wouldn't that be a wonderful tale of fin-tech fantastic-ness. I hope for that circumstance too m8... maybe while watching Liverpool beat Chelsea 😁 🍻
I've only met up with one steemian so far, apart from at steemfest 3. I do think that the greatest success of steem as a whole has been to bring people from all over the world together in the spirit of mutual support.
I don't want to be a giant hippie here... except I do because I am 😉
But steem has already achieved magnificent things to my mind, even if it were to die tomorrow!