September 2016 Guest Post Lineup

It's not very often that I do any group work or collaboration on my blog, so when I started the September Guest Posts last year, I was pleasantly surprised with the results. This year, I'll be continuing that trend with five new posters. There's another exciting lineup this year - check it out.

Part of what's exciting for me is that this post series takes a number of talented individuals out of their comfort zones and into a new media form to share their talents. For artists, it's a new way to express their creativity. For writers, it may be the first time they're appeared online or in a community blog setting. For more experienced bloggers, it's an opportunity not just to share their knowledge and expand their experiences, but also demonstrate their abilities in a place they're not used to. How would posts from your favorite bloggers read if they were posted in another format on another site? We'll be answering these types of questions with this post series.

Here's a quick recap of last year's lineup:

• Mary Darkriver had her first post shared here, which described the most game-changing update to Wizard101.
• Duncan Stormthief wrote about his path to Champion in Pirate101 PvP.
• Walden shared his inner journey as he progressed in the gaming and professional world.
• Blaze Shadowhorn talked about his character in Wizard101 and how the experience put him in the gaming industry.
• Avery shared his artistic vision and talked about how he's progressed over time.

Rowan Ironblood

Last year, Mary Darkriver became the first guest poster ever on Swordroll's Blog after winning the previous year's blogoversary contest to write a post about the most significant update to Wizard101, positive or negative. This year, Rowan Ironblood, the second place finisher, will be kicking off this year's lineup. Considering the influx of recent updates, Rowan's post will allow readers to reminisce on the past days of Wizard, and offer an opinion on what the most game-changing update has been.

Mia

Also known as Dearly Abby, Mia is a talented artist who frequently shares her work on Twitter. Her occasional streams show off portions of her artistic process, but a blog post will allow a complete look at what goes into making her amazing pieces.

Ryan Hawkblood

Fashion is a frequent topic of discussion in the Spiral... from dressing up as a dinosaur to wearing your Warlord gear, there are a range of outfits to try and varying opinions about what does and doesn't look good. Regardless of your opinion, however, some trends have indisputably dominated Wizard City. Those trends have evolved over time, and Ryan will be covering that shift in his first post.

Ian Stormstaff

As the list continues, we venture into a few guest posters who are no stranger to blogging. Ian started the fansites Wizards Unite and Pirates Unite, where multiple talented authors wrote frequent posts dealing with each game. Ian later moved on to begin a single site, WatchHallow, which encompassed his expanding game interests. It's been a few months since his last post, so this will be a welcome return for all readers.

Friendly Necromancer

Tom, Professor Dworgyn, One-Eyed Jack - however you know him, the Friendly Necromancer is often credited as having started the blogosphere within the KingsIsle community. His impact on players eventually stretched so far that he was hired as Wizard101 and Pirate101's Community Manager, and has been serving his community in a new way ever since. 

Stay tuned this September for blog posts from these five individuals. The first post should be ready for you on the 21st, and the others will follow throughout the month. I'm hoping to successfully establish this as a yearly trend and continue to allow creative individuals a platform to share their work and try something new.

Thanks for reading and see you in the Spiral!