Taming the Muse
I just got the notice that Taming the Muse has been gone for a year, and the name is about to go back out on the free market. I turned that over years ago, but I have such fond memories of the community that it hurts to see it disappear forever. At a time when my muse was threatening to go dry, having a weekly challenge forced me to get my ass in gear. It led my muse in new directions... and sometimes that shaped my stories in ways I hadn’t seen coming. I look at stories like Toys and Butterfly Kisses, and I see the influence of that community of writers and readers. It feels like a small spark has died. Sadly, I didn’t even realize Taming the Muse had closed. I hadn’t been part of the community for so long that it escaped my notice. Only now when LiveJournal emailed me the notice did I realize that I’d missed the death of an old friend.