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Read Thread: So, what makes a great clue?

Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757117 by WiseOldOwl
Feb 1, 2013 4:10am
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There is a local creative clue writing community - CCCP.

Cheers,

LB
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757117 by WiseOldOwl
Feb 1, 2013 5:08am
Thread (disabled) Board
Haha...when people know their left from their right and list the tree type correctly, that certainly makes for a better clue. <wink>
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757117 by WiseOldOwl
Feb 1, 2013 5:10am
Thread (disabled) Board
make me think - sometimes a lot, sometimes a little. tell a story, teach me something. if you teach me something, tell me a story and it's a great place -5. if it's just a mediocre place but there's a surprise twist at the end, (look up the Middle of Nowhere box) -5. If there's something that makes me laugh, or just makes me remember, plus the components of the box - 5.

a Blue Diamond isn't just for the clue: it's for the whole thing. i don't care how great your clue and stamp are: if you stick a bought logbook in there, you're getting a 4. If the logbook, stamp and clue are great and you're sticking it in a crappy box, still a 4 (because in all probability, everything is soggy or moldy -or if bugs jump out at me because of the pouch/box, it's a 3).

~tigs(so now you know my ranking system)

and if there is a snake anywhere near it, you may be SOL
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757126 by RDHG
Feb 1, 2013 5:17am
Thread (disabled) Board
Hmmm... Unless it's intended to be backwards, of course. :-)
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757127 by tiggermama
Feb 1, 2013 5:20am
Thread (disabled) Board
and if there is a snake anywhere near it, you may be SOL

What if THAT'S the surprise twist at the end?? ;-)
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757117 by WiseOldOwl
Feb 1, 2013 6:00am
Thread (disabled) Board
Fun little word play. I remember one that said to take the correct trail.
Well, which one is the correct trail?
If you don't know I guess you'll be left behind at the junction.
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757117 by WiseOldOwl
Feb 1, 2013 6:18am
Thread (disabled) Board
These are blue-diamond clues. And so are these. Oh, and let's not forget these! :^)
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757117 by WiseOldOwl
Feb 1, 2013 6:30am
Thread (disabled) Board
I agree with LB about checking out the CCCP board.
I also spent a lot of time last year working with some great clue writers. The boxes we did together all went BD:
http://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.html?gBoxId=198901
http://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.html?gBoxId=198897
http://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.html?gBoxId=199840

And then I tried working on and solving some of the mysteries clues that went BD:
http://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.html?gBoxId=201103
yt clues
And some that I just thought looked fun:
http://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.html?gBoxId=180826

It didn't really matter if I could find the box. I just wanted more exposure to creative clues. :)
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757117 by WiseOldOwl
Feb 1, 2013 6:36am
Thread (disabled) Board
So, what do "blue diamond" clues look like, to you?

Well, aside form the obvious comments already stated here (accurate, fun, unique, creative, visual, complex) I think a blue diamond clue takes a person on an adventure from start to finish.

LB, DD, Es, FK, MMM, MS, and so many others have created amazing clues that are just too much fun.

For me, its the collaborations that make the perfect blue diamond clues. LB and others helped put this one together. I'm a bit partial, but I think its pretty purple.

3 Blind Mice
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757145 by 3 Blind Mice
Feb 1, 2013 6:48am
Thread (disabled) Board
I'm familiar with some of the mysteries that you and Mama Wolf have posted here. Coming up with the clues (let alone the stamps, logbooks, and locations) for these types of boxes can be incredibly time-consuming. I have one mystery plant that I'm pretty happy with, and it took quite a bit of time to research, write, and rewrite the clues.
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757127 by tiggermama
Feb 1, 2013 7:56am
Thread (disabled) Board
I'm enjoying this thread. Among the comments I've read so far, this one caught my eye:

if you stick a bought logbook in there, you're getting a 4

The logbook is pretty far down on my list of criteria. A custom-made logbook is fun, but carves, clues, and locations are way more important to me. And in most of the boxes we've planted, the logbook is a bit of an afterthought. Usually homemade (e.g. hole-punched index cards bound by a key ring), but usually nothing to write home about. So do other people downgrade for store-bought logbooks?

Donkey (and Penguin)
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757161 by Dawnkey
Feb 1, 2013 8:07am
Thread (disabled) Board
Donkey, it depends on the book. if it is one of those meant to be a memo pad where the pages fall off every time a page is turned, it doesn't help my mental attitude toward the overall package. A spectacular logbook will raise my mental attitude of the time the owner put into the box. However, in reality, so many logbooks are ruined by boxers not resealing boxes that I don't expect spectacular logbooks for a standard out of doors traditional box.
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757161 by Dawnkey
Feb 1, 2013 8:11am
Thread (disabled) Board
So do other people downgrade for store-bought logbooks?

I don't, though if you have fantastic clues, a fantastic location, and a fantastic stamp, it would be jarring to have a dollar-store notebook in the box.

One of the planters mentioned earlier in this thread isn't a carver or a logbook-maker, yet a number of his earlier plants (before he started collaborating with other people for stamps/logbooks) have blue diamonds and even a BotW. That's because his clues are spectacular.
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757161 by Dawnkey
Feb 1, 2013 8:15am
Thread (disabled) Board
Usually homemade (e.g. hole-punched index cards bound by a key ring), but usually nothing to write home about.

Wait until you see a spectacular one! There aren't that many great logbook makers, but oh, the ones that are -- truly beautiful things! I've had the pleasure of seeing Bluebirdlover, Ravenwolf, Foraych, and Figureeight logbooks that are AMAZING.
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757169 by The Wolf Family
Feb 1, 2013 8:17am
Thread (disabled) Board
Mama's logbooks ain't so bad neither!
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757169 by The Wolf Family
Feb 1, 2013 8:25am
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Was completely blown away by one of Bluebirdlovers logbooks at a recent gathering. She is amazing.
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757172 by RiverKat
Feb 1, 2013 8:49am
Thread (disabled) Board
I will definitely downgrade for a logbook. A blue diamond is supposed to be about the WHOLE package. Clue, Location, Carve, Box, Logbook, Those are 5 points and if you get them all then you get the 5 --anything missing, I take off points. :-) I am a harsh critic, but I think a lot of blue diamonds only get them for the carve.

-Amanda from Seattle
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757180 by Amanda from Seattle
Feb 1, 2013 8:56am
Thread (disabled) Board
Agree Amanda. Ive become a harsher critic now that i have traveled some and seen some true blue diamond boxes. You learn to gauge based on what you are exposed to early in the game. I was exposed to good boxes, but now I know they were not necessarily BD boxes. I have one with a BD that never should have been.
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757180 by Amanda from Seattle
Feb 1, 2013 8:57am
Thread (disabled) Board
I think a lot of blue diamonds only get them for the carve.

Or the box, or the location, or because it was a pretty day, or the state of mind of the finder, or because the finder really likes the planter...it's all subjective.
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757180 by Amanda from Seattle
Feb 1, 2013 9:03am
Thread (disabled) Board
I am a harsh critic, but I think a lot of blue diamonds only get them for the carve.

I completely agree. I've found a number of gorgeous carves that had vague/incorrect clues or was planted in an ugly/uninteresting location. If the clues and location are bad, that box won't be getting higher than a 3 rating from me, even if it looks like Albrecht Dürer carved it.
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757184 by Rocklun
Feb 1, 2013 9:19am
Thread (disabled) Board
Albrecht Dürer

Huh? who dat? :)
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757180 by Amanda from Seattle
Feb 1, 2013 9:33am
Thread (disabled) Board
I never* rate a box lower because of a logbook, though a really nice logbook can cause me to rate a box higher. Most of my rating is based on clues and location, though carve is definitely always a factor, too. I give a 5 to a box when it provides me with an extra-satisfying "aha" or "wow" moment - something indescribable and also the main reason I love letterboxing.

MMM

*unless it's something scary, like a pile of pink sticky notes...
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757188 by The Lane Family
Feb 1, 2013 9:43am
Thread (disabled) Board
Had to google it...

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Albrecht+D%c3%bcrer+&qpvt=Albrecht+D%c3%bcrer+&FORM=IGRE

an awesome artist! Thanks for the education!
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757180 by Amanda from Seattle
Feb 1, 2013 9:45am
Thread (disabled) Board
I like that system. I think I'm going to adopt it. That's much better than the arbitrary way I currently rate boxes. The biggest factor to me has always been location, with stamps coming second. Clues, logbooks, and the box weren't really even a consideration, though I will admire interesting clues or a nice logbook.
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757182 by Baqash
Feb 1, 2013 9:59am
Thread (disabled) Board
Ive become a harsher critic now that i have traveled some and seen some true blue diamond boxes. You learn to gauge based on what you are exposed to early in the game.

And you know, the interesting thing to me is that this is exactly the type of thing I wanted to see when blue diamonds first started. I actually wanted what counts as a "quality" box to be relative based on different parts of the country. Maybe North Dakota doesn't have a lot of letterboxing action going on, but by golly, some of the boxes in North Dakota are better than others, and I wanted blue diamonds to show up there just as often as they show up in letterboxing Meccas like Connecticut or Stone Mountain.

I think it's worked out generally pretty well. =) Even if boxes in one part of the country are--as a whole--better than in other parts of the country, all parts of the country can still get blue diamonds.

-- Ryan
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757198 by Green Tortuga
Feb 1, 2013 11:12am
Thread (disabled) Board
I agree with above. Blue and purple diamonds should reflect a particular region's best boxes. Because when travellers to go a state with few boxes, of which the boxers may not have seen a great variety of talent... they should still be able to see who was best in that area. Some areas may also be conducive to more interesting clues, based on geography, and may have rocky crevices that can shield a box more from the elements, thus allowing the planters to create fancier logbooks with less worry about water and bugs.
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757133 by Halfway Zombies
Feb 1, 2013 11:24am
Thread (disabled) Board
Been there, done that.

As an aside: SWMBO and I were driving a rural road the other day and saw a black racer on the road. As we approached, he panicked and zipped off, leaping over the ditch on the side of the road to get into the bushes ASAP. Never saw a snake leap before.
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757204 by Kirbert
Feb 1, 2013 12:37pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Never saw a snake leap before.

They learned it from watching Tiggermama! Everytime she leaps....they learn. They figure if they can't catch her, then by using the same techniques, they can't be caught.
You hear that Tiggermama? They're watching you!

Don't Panic! (You should feel honored!)
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757198 by Green Tortuga
Feb 1, 2013 6:52pm
Thread (disabled) Board
I freaking love this thread. Such great conversation. I just can't not put a couple of words on paper.

I have found it really interesting how the hobby has evolved. Logbooks were an after thought when I first started planting. Admittedly, I really haven't been at this game that long. In the last two years, especially..it's a risen to a completely new level. Clues...that's a whole different topic. There have always been some of the most complex clues out there. Now there are even more and so diverse....and so beyond my talents.

Boggles my mind to see the evolution of everything, especially the box and the logbook. Heck, I've still got some boxes out there with pretty regular logbooks compared to what the "masters" are producing these days. Those packages pale in comparison to BD and PDs of 2013, because it is, as everyone is saying, about the whole package.

Really, the highest-recognized-quality boxes must encompass it all for anyone aspiring to produce those boxes where people just step back, smile, and go "wow". The BD...well, that just falls into place after that....wherever that might be.

Let me say this too...There is something as well that has become a neat evolution of the hobby...

...the collaboration...

I'm not much of a carver, produce only average logbooks, kinda half-bake my clues, and once in a while get something right in the shop. What I have learned is to gather some help from those who thrive in the other areas of letterboxing that I find too much of a challenge (or more accurately stated, am too lazy to do). Combining strengths and collaborating with others MAKES you (me) more creative. I will not let my collaborators down with an average contribution. That's it in a nutshell. I find I get the same in return.

Now, gotta start expanding my horizons and make something cool with some pages in it.

"X"
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757272 by X Marks The Spot
Feb 1, 2013 7:17pm
Thread (disabled) Board
I will not let my collaborators down with an average contribution. That's it in a nutshell. I find I get the same in return.

That's what I very much like about collaborations. We tend to inspire and challenge each other. The very best work I have out there has been in a collaboration.