Happy Birthday from New Horizons Academy

I'm not sure how I found the website, but I believe it was on a list of best writing sites. I tried several sites and wasn't too impressed. Too much to learning how to get around. No one was very friendly, etc. Not so at WDC. Before I knew it I had figured out how to get around, joined the Black Case group[p for Newbies, and the rest is history, sort of. I officially joined on June 20th, 2005. I jumped right in and did as much reviewing, entering contest, hosting contests, writing, and posting that I could. Within the first month I had earned my Yellow suitcase and won the Black Case Award for July of 2005. What a trip.

I got lost and didn't come regularly when school started. I taught an hour away from my house and since teaching is not only a vocation, but an avocation for me, I didn't have the time to devote and lapsed, I'm sorry to report. I did check in and see what was going on ever so often, but was not active.

Then, one day I found the Native American Group and made friends with Ruby Standingdeer. I joined their group and discovered New Horizons Writing Academy through Ruby. I took two courses: one on Native American culture and Sunrise. I fell in love with writing all over again. That was around 2007. I became active again and took more classes. Then, a bit later, I was asked to help write the verb lessons for the Punctuation course they had which I did. The next term I was asked to be a teacher full time with the Punctuation Station. Then, three of us became the administrators of New Horizons probably a year or so ago. I added another course to teach, the Grammar Garden. When one of our administrators left, I stepped up the amount of things was able to do to support the academy.

New Horizons has become my reasons for being at wdc. Not only is WDC the only writing site that it plain and simple enough to learn on your own, but the caliber of people we deal with on here are unsurpassed in their dedication, generous, reviewing, and helping others. I retired from teaching high school students in May 2010 and have taken on the academy as a full time job/hobby/love.

What do I love best about Writing.com? I love the contests, the gps system, the fact that StoryMaster and StoryMistress are always timely in answering questions or eliminating heat seeking torpedoes, I love that they shared baby Jack's first weeks at home with us, and that if we write really well-done reviews, we might be rewarded with gps from SM. I especially like the newsletters we receive each week and how much WDC has grown and improved over the years. Something new is ALWAYS in the works at wdc.

I also think that there are some fantastic groups on this site. They help people in every way possible. My favorite ways are in working congenially with New Horizons staff, giving scholarships for their members to courses in New Horizons, having incredible auctions and drawings to support not just their group, but, often times, many other groups. These groups are instrumental in helping Newbies get adjusted to using the site. Some of these groups have amazing newsletters of their own and The Paper Doll Gang has an amazing bi-monthly print magazine, Shadows Express.

If you have not heard of nor visited the New Horizons Academy, you really should. We have a new term beginning with a Blogging/Journal experience, Fresh Water; our student newsletters, New Horizon Perspective, I think are pretty awesome. They contain contests, writing tips from the New Horizon Instructors, a Letter from our Chief Administrator--Armorbearer--Publication Opportunities, and reports on what's happening in our classes. This term--starts Sept. 8--we are teaching 7 courses with 80 students signed up. In two days of registration, our rosters were full!!! Next term we will add two more classes and instructors and who knows what else we might happen?

Anyone wanting to enrich their writing experience needs to drop by and it's all right here on Writing.com........no other site has it.

Writing.com makes it possible for me to write better, publish more, and have best friends I've never seen in person. Of course, I am the one who met her husband accidentally on the Internet at Amazon. We dated playing cards at Yahoo, and will celebrate our eleventh anniversary in November. He's the perfect husband and never complains about the hours I spend on Writing. com.



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