Select "New Poem" from the menu to begin to write a traditional renga. A window for making a three-line poem will appear. As you weave that completed three lines, a couplet window will appear. Continue adding alternate 3 and 2 line poems. This program complies with Matsuo Basho's 36 link maximum per renga.
Renga is meant to weave and jump. A beginning hokku is completed by a couplet. The couplet then twists into the beginning of another 5-line poem. Part of the fun of this form is how the renga scintillates through contrasting images. Also, renga can be created by multiple authors. IT'S AT LEAST AS MUCH FUN AS ANY WAR GAME!
The innovation in _Clear_Stream_ is the net form. Jane and Werner Reichold invented a net from of renga. _Clear_Stream_ ropes it into a computer. The flower display holds a central poem which can be linked to as many as eight petals. One of these can be chosen to be a new center. Choose "New Net" from the menu.
To open a poem or net means to read a stored file. Links can then be added (or not). Saving a poem or net copies them to a file. When Clear Stream reads a plain text file, it strips off parts of it. That's the reason why there are folders: Nets and Lines , to differentiate them from plain text.
Flower-nets print as individual flowers, with a central poem linked to as many as eight petals.
"Quit" means just that.
The Edit menu is standard. It lets one copy text from a window and paste it somewhere else.
Transform creates a net from a traditional poem.
Windows searches for windows that have been covered up, and brings them forward. One may need to cycle the windows several times to reveal all of them.
RaTanka creates nonsense. It's meant to startle the creative mooses, err... juices.
It has a small beginning vocabulary which you are encouraged to change. As you add words, others are erased. So, it might be a good idea to keep the default file, "words" unchanged, but save your changes into new files (with different names).
II. Our Friends the Windows
The background window shouldn't give anybody any trouble.
"Three lines" and "couplet" take your input and braid it into larger poems. If one fades into the background, click on the tittle bar to bring it to the front. Each active line is highlighted in color. Just type and your input should appear in the window. Double-click on a line in a front window to make it ready to receive input. The lines are independent. Press "return" or click with the mouse to change to another line. When satisfied, press the button, "weave" to add your link to the larger poem.
The scrolling window is not editable.
The branching flower window allows you to compose new petals around the center. Clicking on one of the round buttons close to the center activates in input window. Clicking on an outside button, named "fresh flower", moves the link in that petal to a new center with clear petals.
RaTanka displays a poem generated by random means. This is borrowed from the surrealists and one of my math teachers, who used random techniques. Just click on the title bars to switch to and from the RaTanka window and the editing windows. This allows one to copy a line from RaTanka and paste it to an editing window. Then it can be changed as one wills.
III. Ramble on...
Please play this poetry game and let me know how it goes. I would like to keep making improvements, so let me know what you'd like to see different. Remember, part of the fun of creating is sharing with others. Happy Linking! <;-)
This is shareware, and I am requesting that you send a check for $10 to:
Robert Flannery
P.O.Box 1936
Rohnert Park, CA 94927
Questions and comments: flannery@mail.crl.com
Fine Print
Robert Flannery hereby disclaims all warranties relating to this software, whether express or implied, including without limitation any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Robert Flannery will not be liable for any special, incidental, consequential, indirect or similar damages due to loss of data or any other reason, even if Robert Flannery or an agent of his has been advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event shall Robert Flannery be liable for any damages, regardless of the form of the claim. The person using the software bears all risk as to the quality and performance of the software.
P.S. This runs fine on a Quadra 610 with System 7.1
Written in FutureBasic, available from:
Zedcor, Inc.
4500 E. Speedway, Suite 22
Tucson, AZ 85712-5305
Phone: (602)-881-8101
Internet: ZEDCORTS@AOL.COM
• Squashed Bugs and Enhancements
The nets are more reliable in this version.
Printing is happening!
101 was reborn so that the random poems work. Oops...
108 finesses the ALERTs.
So... Keep sending those bug reports. Thank you in advance!!
