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*Party* Happy Writing.Com account anniversary. *Party*
Guess after 17 years on this website I was going to mess up sometime - who knew it was going to be something as unbelievably foolish as forgetting to upgrade my account.

For a good 15 minutes I thought everything was lost. That every short story and campfire and poem was gone.

Panicked, eyes heating up, throat narrowing, muscles turning to stone - and all I could think was everything WDC has meant to me over the years.

I joined when I was 12, when this place was called Stories.com. It was a fluke find on Ask Jeeves. Signing up was the first time I had access to a community of other aspiring writers and the first time I ever thought about using words to make a career.

I grew up on this site. I found friends here. There are stories saved in my portfolio that I no longer have anywhere else due to failed hard drives and out-of-date floppy discs. And there are campfires I shared with people who long moved on from WDC and whose words are all I have left. The reviews from this community were the first reviews I ever received. They taught me about constructive criticism, built my confidence (but never let me become arrogant), shaped and changed me as a writer.

I'm now 28 and regularly contribute to a national British newspaper as well as writing for various digital magazines and platforms. I have a relatively well-read blog and in December, finished my first book with Professor Q .

The idea of my portfolio being gone broke my heart. For all the work and words and memories.

But I renewed my account - I don't know if it was in the nick of time or if some freaking awesome story angel kept the stories safe or if it was luck - but it seems like everything is still here. My portfolio is back.

I should probably back it up tbh.

But what I want to say first is THANK YOU. I'm not online so much any more but I will always love WDC and appreciate every single one of you that's part of the community that helped turn my dreams into a goal - one that I am realising every day.

Oops. Dead upgrade. Remind me when I get paid to do this again.

The longer I write, the more I realise writing has helped me manage my anxiety over the years. I figure this isn't an uncommon thing right?

Thinking about writing a long blog on the theme - following on from this one > http://bit.ly/1MYhRxj

But if you have anything you'd like to add any of your own experiences / any ways writing has helped you deal with mental health issues, let me know. I'd love to know.
*CandleB* *ConfettiBL* *GiftV* *ConfettiY* *CakeB* *ConfettiP* *BalloonY*
Hi,
I just want to wish you an happy account anniversary!
Already 13 years at WDC, that's AWESOME!

** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
As writers, we're all pretty bonkers and we talk about some pretty peculiar things (mainly because we have pretty peculiar interests). But never is that more obvious than when we're talking with each other. After all, who but another writer can really understand our desire to talk about how to plan the perfect murder or appreciate the complexities of our epic fantasy world building?

So therefore I thought I'd share this funny little blog about the conversations writers can only have with other writers.  

Enjoy!

Reviews are possibly one of the best thing about this website. A good review can be a massive boost to your inner writer (aka your ego). Even better than a good review, a brilliant piece of constructive criticism - one that rips your work apart and puts it back together - is invaluable. In fact, I think it's fair that for many of us, to receive a review that offers any points to work on is the high up in the reasons we keep coming back. Those one, two, three, four stars ratings are the ones I get the most excited about when it comes with some genuine feedback. It's also what I aspire to give when ever I give feedback in return.

That said, receiving this review - on a poem I wrote over a decade ago when I was 13 - just made me laugh this morning so I had to share it.
Here is the review:

blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

I mean, really skatoony. Thanks. Thanks for quite obviously just writing enough characters to get some gift points. Thanks for making me laugh out loud at the most unconstructive review ever. Thanks for reminding me of the sort of reviews I want to write, the constructive feedback I believe people on this site deserve, and the old saying - if you have nothing useful to say, stay quiet.

Matt. Out.
  •   7 comments
I reported this to The StoryMaster and that member is no longer with us. We take our reviewing seriously. WdC is a wonderful, supportive community, and we all want it to stay that way. You were perfectly correct in posting this note. May all your reviews be bright. Oh wait, I think that's a Christmas wish. *Laugh*
Cheaters never win and winners never cheat. *Wink*
Only liking because I think constructive reviews are awesome and something to strive for. I kind of fail in the reviewing department, but I try to also give constructive criticism when I write a review every once in a blue moon. *Laugh* *Smile*
I've been reading the Wheel of Time. I probably have no friends anymore because I totally forgot there was a real world to come back to for a momen there.

So I discovered today that for any NaNoWriMo lovers out there - this amazing new platform for publishing could be a way to get yourself in print.

Called Readership, founder Sam Rennie talked to The Scribble Bug blog about online culture, communities and why readers are at the heart of his new crowdfunded publishers.

READ ON: http://thescribblebug.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/readership-talking-books-and-online...

My sister is super funny. For anyone looking for a humorous few minutes looking into the life of a twenty-something grad student, take a look:

http://thescribblebug.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/musings-over-graduate-application.h...
You know, it feels special being called your client. Unless you're reading another novel, in which case, I would love to be referred to as your client. It makes the whole process seem much more professional.
Today is the funeral of a wonderful and brave woman who fought cancer for nearly twenty years with all the strength she had. She was a wonderful wife and mother to her husband and two daughters. She was a wonderful friend to those of us who were lucky enough to have known her.

All my prayers, as little and jaded as they may be, are with her family. I hope they remember all the good times, that they can recall with fondness the adventures, the interesting culinary experiences, the hugs and her unwavering support. I hope they find her strength and know that just because the dream is done, doesn't mean it's over.

RIP Wonderful Human Being
Finally graduated after being bopped on the head by a hybrid medieval space bonnet! Edinburgh - it has been such a ride.
Graduating in July with a First Class Masters Degree with Honours in Literature & Philosophy. Looks like all that hard work has paid off. HAPPY DAYS.
  •   2 comments
Wow, that's awesome!
Congratulations! *ThumbsUp*
South of France. Typewriter. Sun. Time to write a little faster.
  •   1 comment
Sounds lovely!
Three days until I complete my undergraduate Masters in English Literature & Philosophy. Four days until I begin my typewriter trip around the Mediterranean. Two weeks until I start work at the Edinburgh Book Festival. Three months until I'm working in a London publishing house. Suddenly things are coming together. And for the first time the beauty of uncertainty doesn't also terrify me.
  •   1 comment
Sounds awesome!
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