1,000 Words to Say but One.

"The Writer's Cramp is 23!"  Winner!11-26-15

I recall a night at work, whilst I was keeping up with the do-nothings of a slow night shift laboratory, that I arrive at a place that I never expected I’d become such a regular. No, it wasn’t a bar, or a place to wallow in the sorrows of a go-nowhere career in oil manufacturing. No, it wasn’t someone’s home or anything like that. This place was on the internet.

It became a place, where I could live in castles, and weave magic spells. It was a place where I could speak worlds into existence, and create and destroy civilizations. I became a deity that night, to a populace so in need of a god, that I found myself loving each and every one of them like they were my children.

After a relationship spanning five years, I knew them all by name. I knew their desires, and the things that bothered them. I watched them forge bonds so strong, they would make the foundations of the earth wanting. I knew everything about them, and they became such a great part of my life, that I dare say they are family to me. They aren’t real in the sense that you would perceive. They don’t draw breaths unless I say they do, and they don’t speak unless I’ve given them a voice, but when they speak, the world in which I live becomes that much brighter, and oft times darker.

These people allowed me to discover parts of me that until that time, had gone largely unnoticed. I realized thereafter that I was a cynic of the highest degree – but is a cynic not just a disappointed idealist? They brought about a change in me that was so powerful and divine, that I have goosebumps when I think about it. To the simple man, none of them are anything more than words on a page, but to the dreamers, they are the realest men and women they’ve ever met. They are my characters.

Each has a name and a history, and each of them holds special recognitions in my heart. Once introduced to the world of writing, they became a beloved masterpiece of mine. I recall that night, I wrote a prologue. At the time, I was just writing for the sake of writing something. I shared this creation of mine, of which I was quite proud, and by the morning, I had my first comments.

A couple of these comments were nothing but praise, and I dare say my head filled with the idea that I was some outstanding, prodigal writer that merely needed a flash of inspiration. Then, my first real critique came. It wasn’t negative whatsoever, but after reading it, I felt a bit of a malicious undertone beneath the comments.

This of course wasn’t the case, for the one in question did everything he could to remain encouraging. He showed me specific examples of weak voicing and repetition. He went further and commented on my overuse of adverbs. At the end of this critique, he shared a link to better improve my writing skills, but at the time I was so upset, I cared little for anything he wanted to share. It was only after several hours of coming to terms that I was not the prodigal writer I thought I was, that I returned to that review, and read it word for word. It was then I told myself that he was right. Everything he said had a meaning, and I could do better. As such, I kept writing. I wrote a first chapter, then another. I continued to write and as I did, a story began to form in my head.

I built a world that week. It came complete with religions, cultures, hierarchies, conspiracies, and a history, and as I continue to write, my world became so rich with life, that I knew what God must have felt like when he created the cosmos.

I received more comments. Each of them showed what they liked and disliked, and I began to understand I had a weakness of the passive voice. As such, I went back to that first critique I received, and I clicked on his link. It was a plethora of information and resources regarding ways of improving my writing. I found myself up for hours past my usual bed time in order to learn everything I could.

In five years, I’ve improved my skills through the desire to be better, and through lots of research into the keys of great story telling. Before I came to this place, I would never have understood what exactly a faulty parallelism was, nor would I have grasped the concept of passive and active voicing. I wouldn’t have learned the proper usage of semicolons or the misuse of commas. Thus, I say that this accidental discovery of such a wonderful place has been one of the greatest educational experiences of my life.

I’ve sought to master the usage of active and passive voicing. I’ve made other errors of course, and those here were kind enough to point them out, and offer examples to correct them. As such, I began to notice a pattern. I didn’t notice this until I was giving a review of my own. I’d caught a grammatical flaw which I was often caught making myself. As such I realized that every mistake I’ve been corrected for in the five years of my membership, I spotted like an eagle. Would I have found these errors without the proper critiques I’ve received? It’s not likely.
I’ve now grown a fondness for reviewing others. I try to follow the example set by that gentlemen who gave me that first real critique. I’m not sure if he knows, but he sent me on a path of self-improvement and self-discovery.

I’ve spent 1,000 words talking about this place and person and have yet to give them credit. So, Max Griffin 🏳️‍🌈 and Writing.com, thank you for all you’ve done!