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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 6:36am
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757213 by Don't Panic
Feb 1, 2013 7:21pm
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~tigs(sloooooowing way down and crawling away sloooooooowly. . .)
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757276 by The Wolf Family
Feb 2, 2013 5:22am
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The very best work I have out there has been in a collaboration.

I agree--my best work was done in a recent collaborative postal ring. I can see how it would be even more so with traditional boxes--that Woodland Folk and Legends series looks absolutely amazing!

So, for all of you who collaborate to make these amazing boxes, how did you get started working with others? Was it random chance, did you set out to do so, or what? I'm curious--and I think it's something I would like to do eventually.
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757172 by RiverKat
Feb 2, 2013 5:27am
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was completely blown away by one of Bluebirdlovers logbooks at a recent gathering. She is amazing.

I was, too--I wonder of we were at the same gathering? I have never seen anything like the one she did for Jingle Boxing this year! I don't think I'll ever reach that level of ability--that was a sculpture, not a logbook!
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757180 by Amanda from Seattle
Feb 2, 2013 5:31am
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I think a lot of blue diamonds only get them for the carve.

I agree--though I must say, I have found very few truly amazing carves in crappy locations and/or with junk logbooks. (None, actually.) In the areas that I have boxed (and I haven't been around that long), it seems that people who take the time to create the beautiful stamps also take more time on the other aspects of making a memorable box. Is that typical for other areas of the country?
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757284 by MissMoon
Feb 2, 2013 5:39am
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these are some favorites of mine:

I really like these--in particular, the way you've imbedded history into the clues. I am often hesitant to include too much "fluff" (as I've heard it described), but I personally like to find clues that tell me all about where I'm going and what is important at that place. So, how do you decide how much extra information is enough to keep people interested and not become a turn-off? Or is that not a problem most places?

I don't know how to put clues on the web like these and some others that are on this thread--is there an easy way to learn to do it?

I also like these interesting brain-teaser clues--though I don't know if I'm clever enough to do those! Wow!
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757164 by Baqash
Feb 2, 2013 5:54am
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Being that I am craft challenged just finding the box is important to me. It has nothing to do with what type of logbooks I stamp into. Unless I have won some spectacular book to put in a box then IT IS a spiral memo type.

When I came into this I neither expected to have a hand made log and actually prefer one with lines because I can write something in it if I choose. I started out with a store stamp and fully expected to have one all my boxing career..until a friend carved me one. Then hubby another.

I hope we don't get too 'exclusive' with things enough to scare folks away.

I admit I have scared up some spiders and some rolly pollys in my time. Part of the adventure and a good reason to carry a rag and hand sanitizer.
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757316 by WiseOldOwl
Feb 2, 2013 9:22am
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Nice artistic folk took pity on us after seeing or hearing about our hideous "stamps" and "logbooks"

Thank yous to the Wolf family( Mama Wolf is the Maestro of collaborations) Kirbert, Mim, Nosox and Rocklun! I am so impressed with your skills and kindness. I can't begin to thank you!
Re: So, what makes a great clue?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #757348 by dingus dufus
Feb 2, 2013 10:59am
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Nice artistic folk took pity on us after seeing or hearing about our hideous "stamps" and "logbooks"

I probably launched Dingus into some collaborations but I'll tell you how it really happened. I saw a link to his Peeps Mystery box on the GA board and I LOVED that clue!!! I thought -- now THAT is someone I really want to collaborate with some day!! Later, I saw him post on a board that he's not a good carver. BINGO!!! That was my opportunity IN!!! I STINK at mysteries so it was my chance to learn!! So I contacted him and asked if he would be interested in getting a stamp of mine in exchange for doing a clue on a box of mine. It worked out great!!! We have 3 BD's together as a result.

It just a matter of looking for opportunities and taking the initiative!