Oh, Figment is going Pop now.

Well, I get out doing creative writing by talking about the demise of another creative writing site. Figment. It relinking to site that's does have the actual same function as it, unlike when when it merged InkPop into it.

The only reason I tried Figment was due InkPop's death. It was never as good and can't exactly why. InkPop had the promise of being seen by a professional Editor and the chance to be published but the voting system also meant something. It was something to strive for and you could find the best because everyone was ranked. Feedback was given because we all wanted to be published even if were mostly underage. Also InkPop also had a better colour scheme.

Here is one my favourite reviews:

over 6 years ago K.J. McLelland said:

swap action!

so poetry is my thing, i live it and breath it soooo if i sound harsh i truely dont mean too, *cough* now onward! i like the pitch, imagination and the abilty to dream up the future or alternate ways the past could have played out is a great ability, especially since you dont just write poetry and are branching out in order to write a book in prose form. the concept of the ribbions past life that is mentuioned in the pitch however, seems not to be the true focus of the poem, its like you structeured it loosely round it, i cant find the rhyming scheme and i cant put it to any particular rhythm which is to me one of the key elements to writing good poetry. but i do like your word choice throughout the piece! especially going back to the old english spelling of the word "color" the reption is good driving the poem most of the way

but thats about all i have to say, i enjoyed the poem and the fact that you wrote it on a whim, ut other that keep on doin whatcha do -KJM

I say favourite,  I mean one the most pretentious thing ever said to me on the internet while being igoant as hell. This was written on a poem I wrote without rhyming scheme, it wasn't meant to have one. It was repetition thing I was doing (Waste Material, it's still somewhere on the internet). He probably hadn't got to a poem without a scheme but a lot poetry is without it. Poetry doesn't have rules (well, specific poems do have rules). The reply I wanted to tell him was that "I wasn't branching out, I was whole damn tree". I don't really write poetry but lot of good writing comes from a poetic place (though don't go overboard). I can't see my reply as that died with InkPop but I know I did tell him that I was British, therefore I wrote in Commonwealth English a.k.a. not the weird spelling that the USA alone finds acceptable. I'm dyslexic, but the lack of "u"s is baffling to even me. I guess Accents or something. Waste Material is still something I'm proud I wrote, I know not a lot people can say that about something they wrote when they were 15. Fuck, that was almost ten year ago.

It doesn't help that I've been in writing stump since forever. I love writing and creating stories but I can't put them on paper anymore. Back to InkPop, I mean Figment.

It's death is not the emotional blow that InkPop was, mainly because I'm not all surprised. Figment with all it group features, doesn't seem to have a community attached to it. One of the writers I followed in the day is active, but no one else is. I just didn't understand why kill InkPop completely. But Figment makes sense. I have never heard about Figment from anywhere other than the death of InkPop.

Mibba is still a thing. Movella is thing, with link to a major publisher. Figment.com goes goodbye on the 31st of January, enjoy till then. I'm going to read the threads of InkPoppers bitching before they're gone forever. Just found out that Sweet Evil is a InkPop book, though it was released after InkPop ended.

They were stories I liked but they gone now...probably. I have no way to find them. There was this art one that got to the top five and the main character had magical powers due to art. The ending was depressing.

Now I leave you with this gem of time before.

Profile on it as it ends (which contains some straight up lies. guess.):
Location: CD, Scotland, Great Britain, Europe
About me: I'm Rachel Verna, former Inkpopper. I'm currently in my second year of 6th year (it's complicated) of High School. I'm dyslexic and as much I would love to say it doesn't define me. However, in many ways it does. I'm Scottish and proud. I would love to be added to long lists of great Scots. I do like to experiment in writing in Scots but I ain't no Robert Burns. I also enjoy art and it was the first way I told stories. I've always wanted to be a writer from a young age. I'm currently thinking of pursuing Illustration or English. Either, way I need a B in English. My loves in life are in following orders: 1. Writing/Reading (I adore Books) 2. Art 3. Music (it third because I have no hope of doing as a job) 4.Vampires (young loves last the longest) 5. Batman (Also a young love, I had a Battricycle, okay it had batmirror on it from MacDonalds) 6. Biology(I like science as a whole) 7. My Best Friend Rose (who would be higher if she didn't constantly annoys me about her weird crushes, that and she refuses to use this site;) 8. Shep, my beloved Stalker/Dog 9. Werewolves (I love all supernatural stuff) 10. ART/WRITING/MUSIC!!! A.k.a being creative 11. My Kitten Glasgow Smile (Glasgow for short). Born in October 2011, I kinda named him after the Joker. Ask me how or just look it up. Yeah, I'm weird, but he's just as strangle.

My favorite place to read is: In my bed, at my desk, in buses, on trampolines or the floor. I like to move about while I read.
I can't live without: Paper and Pencils. I need to be able to doodle and randomly write nonsense. I would have said books; However, I lived without reading them for 8 years. It was torture, but I could do again and survive.
If I could be any literary character, I would be: Cleolen Scienten. What? You didn't say they had to be from published works. I really don't know, all my favourite characters ain't that happy. I suppose Hermione Granger, she the only character I can think of that doesn't have any major faults.
Favorite authors: J.K. Rowling, Rachel Vincent, Cat Clarke, Robert Louse Stevenson, Grant Morrison(in my opinion he counts as an author).

The Writer's Version of Camping

Yesterday was the start of June, the Scottish weather is back to normal with the sun hiding; the midges have awoken and once more have began to slowly eat the Scottish population; Oh and the sun burn remains. So basically itching all the time and still being woke up from being too hot still.

Most importantly though, yesterday also meant the start of the first session of Camp NaNoWriMo (of the year); I'm just one of the many attempting this challenge. I've been wanting to do NaNoWriMo since I heard about it, which was about this time last year. I read about it creeping about the late Inkpop's forms. I didn't know about the Camp that year and sadly I was too busy to do it last November because I was basically failing an important subject which will remain nameless and failed.

In case, you're unaware of the concept of NaNoWriMo (if not skipped to the next paragraph ;]); it basically where you try to write 50000 words in 30 days or a month as 30 days is sometimes known. NaNoWriMo is officially in November and Camp NaNoWriMo just means you do it in the summer during June or August 

(or if you're like me; both).

I debated what idea to use for my month novel for the past few months before finally centrally on using idea that had been playing on my mind for years, since I was 15 to be precise. I had actually started writing this idea, but looking over it, it an example of how bad my writing used to be. The whole thing need to be rewritten and I've reshaped some vital points as well so far, such as when one of the important characters is
introduced. I actually first got the idea from a English Stand Grade Personal writing past paper. The idea was to write a short story to go with the Title "The Stranger". This will play an important part in novel, my original idea might even be expanded. We just see how it goes.

As for August book, will be a completely undone idea. I might use one of my old plans that never actually got around to using or my most recent ideas of a sort of Queen (the band) inspired novel or finally let that horror theme park of my dreams have full ran of my conscious mind. Still have two months to decided. I'm semi worried about this one, as I'll be starting College at the end of August *Gulps*.

So far I'm doing well and have a clear idea where "The Stranger" is going. I obviously need to write at least to write 1667 words a day to keep the goal, but my personal goal is at least 2000 words a day. In the one day, I've kept this goal. Obviously, I can't just go and abandoned my other goals and commitments.

Speaking of which, I have to finish this week's book and take care of a family book case that badly needs organising (something I've decided to do unprovoked).

 Wish me luck.
P.S. Heres my profile encase you're interested:  http://campnanowrimo.org/campers/phoenixangel

Bonus Blog (BB); Inkpop went Pop! (My heart break over a website)

On Monday, 27^th Feburay I came home from school tired from not finding sleep the previous night due to one of my random periods of insomnia. I had intended to go straight to sleep, but my body decided it no longer demanded rest now my bed was there to occupy. So I was checking my Twitter (hm...@RachelVerna) to see if anything remotely interesting had happen. I saw one of Inkpop's rare important twits. So I click on it and its link. Then my heart broke a little bit.

My favourite writing site was going to disappear in 3 days time, on the same day I was most likely going to be failing my Higher English Prelim, 5 days before I would be getting my new laptop which I promised to write on. Crap!

HarperColin had sold Inkpop's community to Figment.com (or in their words: http://harpercollins.com/footer/release.aspx?id=990&b=&year=2012 ) All of the Inkpop accounts would be getting transferred to Figment on 1^st of March. Of learning of its doomed my first emotions were of shock and angry. Frankly, I told Inkpop to Fuck themselves on Twiter. Not my proudest moment.

I couldn't believe their would throw away Inkpop like that. The website had only been completely re-hauled less than a year ago. It had taken them a great deal of effect and time to do since they had encountered several problems with the update. This all equal money that HarperColins had spent on the website. While I could understand that HC didn't want to continue with the concept of Inkpop, it did seems as though they had wasted a lot.

The rough just of Inkpop that it is a writing site for teen writers and writers that write for them, but with the actual chance to have ones work read and critique by an Actual Editor of HarperColins. They could decided to publish it. Though, only those who reach the Top 5 rank, being picked by their fellow Inkpopers, get this reward. It is likely that HC have realise the benefit of reviewing hundreds(Well, 5 novels, 5 short-stories, and 5 poems) is not giving that many potential publishable projects as their hoped, only one book had been published from being discovered on Inkpop: Carrier of the Mark, by Leigh Fallon. Also the time scale which the Top Fiction authors were getting their Critiques, could be used as evidence they simply don't have the time to do them.

My angry mainly stemmed from my sleep deprivation and lack of warning. It takes time to organised the merger of two sites, they must have knew this was coming for a awhile. Less than a week, 3 days of warning was that all Inkpop was worth. A site that many had found a online home and made connections. I guess in a way lifeline. It was home of escapists, but now its escaping from them. Gone would be swap forms, random societies. .PiXiE. would be the last Inkpopper of the Week. How can there be a Inkpop sisterhood without an Inkpop. While I was never a member of any of these societies, I couldn't but notice their lovely banners on their members pages. These societies will most likely rebuild on Figment.com, doubt it will be the same strength. A lot of Inkpoppers will not be moving. So like the forced moves of the Council housing in the 70s (and before that), communities that have been made will not remained in track.

Okay, maybe I'm being a bit silly comparing the Inkpop-Figment merger to people being forced to move their homes, but I'm a writer and actress (amateur obviously); I have a knack for dramatising things. And I am truly going to miss Inkpop.

On the 28^th I couldn't get on Inkpop for one last look, I thought I would have had the chance two days before its destruction. Even if it came back on (which it did), I wouldn't have had time to do it again as I needed, still need to revise for my Prelims that had been declare months before for this week.

I was PhoenixAngel, I never in the Top 5 Picks, or a Trendsetter, but briefly I was in the top 10 short story critics and you will find me on Figment.com because I have no where better to go.

Farewell, Inkpop and her Inkpoppers.