This webzine was conceived as a collaborative effort by and for artists and writers, to build community and help meet needs that we have as we develop our crafts and move forward in creativity. So I’d love to take a moment to hear from all or any of you, from our contributors and readers and anyone involved with Synchronized Chaos.

Please feel free to leave comments here about anything to do with this webzine. What directions would you like to see the magazine take in the future? How can Synchronized Chaos best assist you with your artistic and/or professional development, with networking, with getting published, with meeting whatever goals you have set for yourself? What interests you, and what would you most like to read or see here? What would be the most informative, or interesting, or worthwhile for you to see and read? What features might we add, or whom should we contact for an interview? And how might you see yourself helping to contribute to Synchronized Chaos, or getting involved to improve the magazine?

Several people have mentioned that they would like to learn more about publishers or other paying markets for their work, and here is one I came across in another writing community:

http://www.sottovocemagazine.com/index.htm – A new and upcoming webzine with a lovely floral background focusing on well-crafted short pieces (poetry, prose, and nonfiction) of any style and topic. Does pay upon publication, not an awful lot but it would put some extra cash in your pocket.

Also I ran into someone last week who’d volunteered at the SF Writers’ Conference and obtained free admission in exchange for helping with timekeeping, recording lectures, etc. The conference features several well-known writers and workshops on improving craft and networking opportunities and volunteers are able to participate in at least half the event. They’re online at http://www.sfwriters.org and I’ve already emailed them offering my services and mentioning that I could potentially bring some friends and colleagues along also 🙂

Here’s someone in the United Kingdom with Asperger’s syndrome (a form of autism where people can find it easier to understand concepts and social norms if they are presented directly and logically, rather than having to rely on being able to pick up social cues) looking for volunteers for a writing project! I personally know a few people with Asperger’s and they are highly sensitive, creative, interesting, and beautiful people – and this project would greatly help at least some of them.

She’s looking for people around the world to join her free online LiveJournal community and write up short step by step guides to handling various social situations (job interviews, public transit etiquette, shopping, business etiquette, when and how much to tip, etc.) There are already some guides posted for ordering coffee, taking yoga classes, etc and she’d love to see more and will compile them into an upcoming freely distributed nonprofit book and credit the authors.

You may access her online community, “aspergers_howto” here: http://community.livejournal.com/aspergers_howto/

If you have any problems logging in or using LiveJournal please comment here and let me know, I’ve become somewhat of a geek/expert over the years 🙂

From Stacey’s introduction to the community:

My name is Stacey, and I am a 19 year old university student from the UK. I have a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome, and have found it difficult to get ahold of helpful literature concerning how to deal with the every day social situations in which I find difficulty. With some encouragement from the people close to me, I have embarked upon a project to write a book to fill in this gap.

The book will be aimed at people who have Aspergers, but will be useful to a range of people who have social difficulties. The format so far is that of a ‘how to’ guide, with a series of stand-alone guides which outline step-by-step many of the tasks which cause people with such difficulties problems.

From how to plan a bus journey to what you should do if a homeless person asks you for some spare change, I hope to compile a decent selection of guides which will be applicable to most people.