To The StoryMaster and StoryMistress

For RickysGranny's Appriciation contest, and to say thank you.

I wrestled with myself before deciding to write this. Could I really put into words what Writing.Com, its users and its creators mean to me? Well, I guess since I am writing this, it means I am at least going to try. Until just a few moments ago I thought I had lost my muse. Yet again, Writing.Com and the people on it have brought her back. I recently went through a difficult situation here on Writing.Com and while I won't rehash exactly happened, I will say that someone attacked The StoryMaster and The StoryMistress , indirectly. The anger I had at that situation rivaled the anger I would have had at someone attacking my mother or anyone else in my family. For me that sealed the thing that I have really begun to think since I was lucky enough to go to the convention. Writing.Com is my home and the people I am friends with on it are my family. It is that simple. It's a big family. We fight at times, but the fact remains that when worse comes to worse, I know that I always have somewhere to go and someone to talk to. They will never turn their backs on me no matter how busy they are. They illicit an amazing amount of loyalty from me because of the way they treat me. I am never made to feel stupid or ugly, something that happens too often in real life. I am always made to feel loved. That's what the site and its people have meant to me.

To choose just one person that has made a difference in my life since coming to Writing.Com would be an impossibility. There have been too many, so I will go with the first one, rickysgranny. When I first came to Writing.Com I entered one of my pieces in a black case contest she was running and to my amazement, won. That was an incredible boost to my ego, one that was much needed. Until then I didn't think people thought I was a good writer. It encouraged me and when I was finally able to get my muse back I had the courage to continue writing and posting. I was immensely happy when she made Sr. Mod because I can not think of anyone who was more deserving of it. The time and love that she puts into this community is absolutely amazing. She not only works hard helping blackcase authors (and anyone else who asks for her help) but she is a wonderful writer. I love the fact that if it is 2am and she is online, I can IM her to read my new piece she will go to it immediately... if not quicker. I can not say enough what a beautiful lady she is and how helpful and compassionate she is.

Writing for me is a very emotional process. You can usually see the emotion in everything I write. I sometimes feel like a woman possessed as I put words on a blank page or on the computer. I can go back and read those poems or stories and end up crying like a baby because I finally realize how much it meant to put those words on the page. They help me deal with issues I would rather not deal with and they allow me to help others through my words. I don't expect to be an award winning writer but it feels good when I get a review saying, "I know how you feel" or "I've felt that way too". It means more to me than receiving a million dollar book deal or award for a book ever could.

I don't think I could really ever pick a favorite feature on the site. Every time the StoryMaster makes an improvement I find a use for it. I think I have used almost every feature here, except that I have never done a book review. I've done polls, surveys, interactives, forums, in and outs, and I could name every other feature. They are all exceptional and the StoryMaster's intelligence and code skills never cease to amaze me.

So, I named this item To the StoryMaster and StoryMistress, and this is why. They are two of the most amazing people I have ever met. They have poise, confidence and intelligence but they aren't afraid to show their emotion and be vulnerable. They are human, flesh and blood. They laugh, they cry, they dance, they have fun, they get mad. I think some members forget that sometimes. They are just like the rest of us, only in some ways so much more amazing. They put into this site their blood, sweat, tears and endless hours. Yet, they still take the time to pop into chat or scrolling messages to say hi. When was the last time you saw Steve Case pop into an AOL chat room? Yeah, didn't think so. Most people do not put the amount of love into their business ventures that The StoryMaster and The StoryMistress do. They are neither greedy nor vain. They often times care more about our feelings than their own. When The StoryMaster left to go to his grandfather's funeral he did something very special that few would have thought of. He made sure that if something happened to him, that The StoryMistress could carry this site on without him. That, even now, makes me cry. To not only think of something happening to this wonderful man but that he thought of us when few others would have.

Thank you, The StoryMaster . Thank you, The StoryMistress . You mean more to me and to many of us than you will ever know.