Ink Raindrops is unique from most other serial fiction blogs on the Internet, because it allows readers to take a major role in what kind of content gets published next.
The basic format of this blog is the same as most others. You will find a website containing posts, all labeled into specialized categories, such as a particular story title, or news. You can view these posts in chronological order if you don’t have a focus in mind. For a little more streamlined approach, however, you can select a category from the drop-down list at the right-hand side of the page to limit yourself to posts within that category. The tags list beneath it is also a good way to do this. These are the best ways to focus on a particular story and all its chapters, or a particular feature.
On the first of every month, new story content will be added to Ink Raindrops. This content will add a new chapter to one or more of the existing stories available. The fun part, however, comes in deciding which stories get new chapters. The method by which this new content is determined is in the hands of the readers; that’s you, folks!
The website’s voting system allows readers to give feedback each month on which story they would like to see more of. Voting takes place between the first and twentieth of each month. The result of voting during this time will be written during the final days of the month, and posted on the first of the following month. Additional chapters may be added at my discretion, but at minimum, the story that received the most votes will be continued.
In the event of a tie between two or more results, I will proceed to http://www.random.org/dice/ and roll a die: the resulting number will determine which tied story wins. Numbers are assigned to results based on the order they appear in the poll listing; if I roll a number that does not correspond with a result, I will re-roll until I get a number that does.
Active updates will occur every month except for January and December. These two months will still receive updates, but they will be written ahead of schedule and posted automatically; readers will not be able to vote on them. Why? November is National Novel Writing Month, and I would rather not have to stress myself to death trying to complete both a novel and an IR chapter to be ready by December first. December itself ends with some very high-profile holidays that include extended vacations, during which I would prefer to visit with family and friends rather than fussing over my job.
You are not required to vote in order to read stories. However, be aware that votes control the flow of the site. Without votes, the system cannot function at its best, and everyone suffers for it. Votes are anonymous, and only serve to tell me what you would like to see next. They do not reflect anything about you aside from your personal interest in my blog.
If you would like to make comments outside of your vote, you may do so by posting comments via the blog posts. All comments are welcome, regardless of positive or negative feedback; constructive criticism is preferred but not mandated. Comments will be deleted if they contain spam or personal information, for your own enjoyment and safety.
A simple rating method has been implemented for alerting you to stories that contain adult material. You can find more information on how this works by visiting the About Color Ratings page. Be advised that I write what I feel is interesting and fun, and that complaints in regard to adult material will only be addressed if there is a mistake in my rating system. I have done my part to be responsible; please do the same.
I am not interested in placing ads on the site at this time. However, there are two sets of links on my blog, one labeled “My Stuff” and one labeled “Friends of IR.” The first set contains my personal links to information about myself, if you’re interested. The second set, I plan to reserve for writing-related links, such as fellow bloggers, informational sites, etc. Relevancy matters a lot to me; no spammers and squatters allowed, just real people who have an interest in my site. In the future, I may post more specific criteria for how to get on this list, but if you are interested, please do contact me. Emails are more effective than comments because they have a higher likelihood of not being spam.
In the future, there will be a way to donate to Ink Raindrops, in order to promote its continued existence. There is no obligation to donate, but if you have any interest in supporting a new author who may or may not have any talent to speak of, please consider doing so. Every little bit helps! (And it’s cheaper than having to buy the book, right?)
If you would like to make a small donation, along the lines of a few cents or a couple of dollars, this site is Flattr friendly. Look for the Flattr button on the right-hand side of the page, or at the bottom of each website page and post.