Eng Comp - The Benefits of Stories.com

I ended up getting a 94 on this paper, the highest grade in the class. I could have gotten a better grade but there were some last minute changes I forgot to make.
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         Stories.com is a wonderful website that I visit nearly everyday. As a college student, I have learned that Stories.com can be a great tool for me. It can help me learn about effective writing skills, become a better writer and it is a great community setting for someone far away from home. Stories.com can help a student in several areas: with the review system, editing skills, grammar and spelling, writing prompts, and relieving school-caused stress.
         In many ways, the past six months at Stories.com has made me a better writer. When I first entered the community, I stuck mostly to poetry. Even then, I hadn’t written anything in quite awhile. I had about 20 poems that I put up for rating and review. The Stories.com review system allows people to rate and review others' work. Ratings are given on a scale of one to five, in increments of .5; thus, there are ten possible ratings. Members can choose to give someone just a rating, a rating and a review or an anonymous rating and review. Almost immediately after posting several of my poems, I received feedback. I got the following comments:

• Wow! Just two verses, two verses with kick and power. I love the structure you have and its flow.

• That is some pretty powerful stuff. You are a very talented writer I have noticed. Keep going with that talent. Don't let anyone tell you things like, “you write with to much pain” because it doesn't exist. Go with that talent and you'll be a success some day.

These types of reviews to a writer unsure of themselves can be a Godsend. It would be wrong, however, to think that all reviews are positive. That is the genius of the system. A member can get both positive and constructive feedback. I have received reviews such as the following:

• It is good work, but here are a few suggestions for improvement. Keep the scheme the same throughout. In the first stanza, two lines that make valid points but could be condensed to keep with the smooth flow of things. Also, “I am assailed by joy and happiness” rather than the feeling of pure yada yada yada... and I tingle with excitement rather than the “my whole body” sentence. Those two points, otherwise great work.

Obviously, writers can decide to agree or disagree with the review and make changes to their work based on that. In the above case, I felt that it was good “as is” and left it. In other cases, I have changed things and been very happy with the results.
         Another way that the rating and review system is helpful is in improving an writer’s spelling and grammar. This can be affected both by people reading and reviewing others works, and noticing the mistakes they might miss if it was their own work. They also do this by just trying to get their works as close to perfect as possible so that they won’t get reviews with a lot of corrections. None of us enjoys reading a piece that is laden with mistakes. For that reason, most of the community members strive to make their work grammatically correct and without spelling mistakes. There is also a spell check utility that, when used, is very effective.
         This leads to editing skills. I know that since coming to Stories.com my editing skills have improved tenfold. I now see mistakes in my own works before I even post them. When it comes to others works, I am even better at noticing these mistakes. I believe this happens because we see what we meant to write rather than what was actually written. Even so, my editing skill on my own work has improved greatly. Again, the rating and review system plays an integral part of improving my skills and the skills of other Stories.com members. If just for the rating and review system alone, I would be a better writer. However, Stories.com offers so much more.
         At some point, almost everyone gets writer’s block. One of the things that I love about Stories.com is the writing prompts. I could almost guarantee anyone that if they are really looking to write something but they just can’t find the inspiration, Stories.com will have them covered! There are interactive stories; a choose-your-own-adventure type of story that when readers reach the end they add a chapter and a couple of choices for the next reader. If that is a little much, maybe they would like to be invited to a campfire creative. Members of the campfire add a chapter to the story and if they can’t think of anything when it is their turn, they can just skip themselves. There are also dozens of contests that have great prompts for people to use. There is even a “Contest Listings” page to help members find a contest that will seem custom-made for them. If they are still stuck, they can hop into the Scrolling Messages and talk to some of the people there. The members there usually have useful suggestions to offer or maybe they will just find someone to talk to about writer’s block. We have all experienced it at this site. Some even go so far as to write stories and poems about their writer’s block and catching their muses.
         The community and sense of family at Stories.com is one of the most amazing things about the site. As a student, the community and its people help me to relieve school-caused stress. I have met at least ten people on the site that I now consider to be best friends. I talk to these people on an almost daily basis and I can always rely on them when I need someone to talk to. For example, I have a journal on the site that I write my thoughts in and record what I am going through that day. On bad days I can count on at least 5 people to IM or email me asking if I need to talk. This is amazing and something that everyone should have the chance to experience. Another way to feel such a sense of community on the site is the message boards, or “forums,” and groups. Members of the site run the forums and it is easy to find almost any topic. I know of forums for depression, plugging your stories, getting your stories reviewed, gay and lesbian forums, college and high school student forums and many more. Groups, which are exclusive to whomever the owner decides to add, also have their own forums. These are usually very specific and some require that you meet certain qualifications for joining. For example, I am part of a group called the Writers’ Circle. In order to be accepted, I had to be voted in by the other members and they decide on my worthiness by reading some of the works in my portfolio. This group consists of many published and amateur writers and we work to help each other and others in the community with their writing skills. Many of the forums that I frequent are a great place to blow off steam and just have a good time. If members are having a bad day there is always someone with a kind word and, usually, a funny anecdote to make them smile.
         Stories.com is a wonderful place for amateur and even veteran writers. The tools on the site make for a wonderful experience. The community gives a person a sense of having a home away from home. The people make sure that everyone always has someone to talk to. Creativity on the site is well encouraged through many outlets and if writers are stuck, they need only open the scrolling IMs and ask someone to help them out! Whether authors need help with their editing and grammar skills, their spelling is atrocious, they are stressed to the point of breaking or they just have writer’s block; Stories.com is the place to go. Open 24 hours and with members from around the globe, a person is never alone!