Blogocentric Formulations

Getting Older & A Thank You to WdC

Hard to believe that on the 15th of this month, I'll have been a member of Writing.Com for 10 years.

I'm amazed at all the things that have changed in the past decade. For Writing.Com itself, the The StoryMaster and The StoryMistress have managed to consistently and impressively update the website to keep it updated and fresh. I remember a time (and boy, it doesn't feel like all that long ago!) where there were no such thing as cover images, or notebooks, or even the nice dynamic way our portfolios can expand folders to show us what's inside. Once upon a time, us old folks had to click on the folder and open a new page to see what was inside the folder! What the SM and SMs have done with the site over the ten years I've been a member has been nothing short of remarkable.

For me personally, though, I'm more astounded by the things that have changed in me. I spent a lot of years lurking around the site, really uncertain about how to jump in and get involved. At that point, I was just a college kid who enjoyed creating stories and had been told by a few English teachers that he had a knack for writing. It wasn't until I started getting involved with Writing.Com that I really started to develop my voice as a writer. I entered dozens - possibly hundreds - of contests over the years, writing anything and everything I could. I read and reviewed other stories, including my competitors and the winning entries. Over the years, I worked on my craft and learned to be a better writer.

During those years, the staff also saw fit to promote me from a Registered Author to a Preferred Author, and again from Preferred Author to Moderator. I remember being surprised (and nearly getting into an accident) when I checked my email on the way to work one morning and saw that shiny new yellow case. And almost falling out of my chair at the communal internet computer at our hotel in Paris when I absconded downstairs to check my email and realized that my case was now blue. Those were two of the most memorable surprises of my life, and I've been trying to live up to the honor ever since. By running contests, organizing groups, reviewing thousands of items, donating to activities and the account upgrades of fellow members, etc., I've done my best to give back to an online writing community that's already given me so much. Still not sure I'm doing enough to live up to the trust they've put in me, but I'm never going to stop trying.

Thank you, Writing.Com, for the past ten years. For making me a better writer, and for giving me an online community to call home. I plan on being here for a very long time... and if the past ten years are any indication, the next ten are going to be even better!