What's Genny For?

Where did I come from?

Wow. It has been a long time since I've been here. Seems the summer got away with me. I probably would have stayed away permanently except that "a very Wodehouse challenge"  has lured me back with an enticing treat, if I complete this blog post. So here goes:

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

Hmmm. No. Scratch that.

Once upon a time...

Nope. That's not it either.

Two-ish years ago I found a website called mylot. It was a place where I could get paid a few pennies, here and there, for sharing my random thoughts and ideas. I happened upon a conversation a man had started about his daughter, and how she had won a big contest at a writing site. I asked what the site was and, lo and behold! It was WDC!

I lurked for a bit at WDC, I must admit. And then I submitted my first story. That story is no longer alive in my portfolio. When I first joined here I refused to pay anything for a membership. I saved money, but I couldn't save that story since I was only allowed a certain number of portfolio items. That is, until some kind soul took pity on me. Perhaps that anonymous donor liked my writing style. Perhaps I was a random name chosen from a hat. At any rate, I ended up with a FREE upgrade. That meant more more portfolio space! Yay!

Every day I spent a ridiculous amount of time at WDC. I immediately fell in love with the "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"  and "The Writer's Cramp" . In all honesty, I didn't understand how to search for other contests at the at time. I didn't understand how to work with the ML or how to add favorites to my list. I had no clue how auctions or raffles worked. Gps, merit badges, and Awardicons didn't have any meaning. But I loved the people. Loved how I could get an honest review on how to improve my writing. And I loved having a place to write my stories.

However, I tend to get a little, um, impatient when writing. I found myself snapping at both my husband, Mathman and our redheaded minions kids when my muse hit. So I took a long break from WDC to focus on the family. That is, until I was lured back by my daughter.

When my eldest turned 13, she asked if she could join WDC. After she created an account, I found myself creeping back on to my own. At that point, I actually started learning how things worked because, well, my daughter taught me!

How do teens learn techy stuff so fast?!

At any rate, I was a fairly fast learner. My daughter taught me how to search for and enter other contests and how raffles/auctions worked. Eventually I started a few of my own contests (some have failed, others have thrived). Eventually I put in some of my own cash and upgraded my account. Shortly after, Schnujo's Doing NaNoWriMo? kindly upgraded me again, giving me the ability to have TONS more port space and cool pictures and soooo much more!

When I first got to WDC, commas were my kryptonite. They still cause me to stumble, on occasion, but with the help of more knowledgeable writers here, I've been able to figure out how and why and when they work. That has been the biggest way I've grown as a writer, though I doubt it will be the last.

And she lived happily ever after...