This week: The Reluctant Participant Edited by: JACE  
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Hi, I'm JACE .
Welcome to this issue of the Noticing Newbies newsletter. Join me as I take you into some nooks and crannies of Writing.Com that you may not have found time to check out yet.
Don't forget to toss me a note about what you liked or didn't like in my column, or about a topic you'd like to see discussed. This newsletter is about and for you. And for you seasoned members, I hope you'll find something you can take from my ramblings. 
Your Noticing Newbies Newsletter full-time Editors:
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I was going to call this newsletter The Reluctant Writer.
As I was writing this I realized this wasn't what I wanted to convey. After all, you took that all-important step to join a writing community. I suspect you're not reluctant to write.
But some of you, especially our newest members, are probably unsure how or how much to participate in this large site. Maybe you feel a bit overwhelmed by the thousands of members who appear to be at ease with the complex aspects of the site. Maybe you don't know just where to begin.
 Do you just want to read stories for a while?
Should you post one story and see how it's received?
Do you want to find a group that mirrors your particular writing interest?
Are you looking for a writing mentor ... or a partner to help you stay focused on your writing?
My point is I remember when I joined some 15 years ago feeling a mite over my head. I approached the Writing.Com with a significant degree of trepidation. It seemed a much more intense version of what I had just lost.
I'd been part of a social site called Yahoo 360 on which I posted a number of my stories. Having received some very positive feedback, I became comfortable interacting with the other members there. When the site went away, I searched for a replacement finding WDC. I became that Reluctant Participant.
Oh I spent every day for the first month or so on the site checking out the various features, reading stories, peeking into Portfolios, and looking at the various Help forums. But I didn't really interact with anyone. I finally posted one of my stories ... and received a review. It wasn't the glowing review I'd expected. But it was very helpful. I was hooked!
Being self-employed during a time when the economy was somewhat down allowed me to spend more time online than I should have spent. And spend those hours I did. (I sure miss having that extra time to spend here now!) I poked into every area of the Navigation Menu just to see where things would lead. I wrote more reviews, many in-depth, in the first three years than I've written (sad to say) since. And I made acquaintances and friends who have helped my greatly in my writing endeavors.
Participation on Writing.Com, reluctant or otherwise, is your key to enhancing your writing journey. I encourage you to not just stick a toe in the WDC waters, but to jump in and embrace everything Writing.Com has to offer. Talk to the established members. I believe they'll tell you the same thing. Give the site a chance and I'm certain the rewards will be worth your efforts.
Write on!
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Check out this forum designed to assist Newbies.
Then drop in on these Newbies. Take a moment to review this offering ... or something else in their Port. Welcome them to WDC through a scribble in their Notebook.
| |  | Walking Alone (13+)
A short story about two people that cross paths briefly. Have they met?He can’t remember
#2290608 by Cloud  |
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
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Thanks for spending time with me today. At the bottom of every newsletter is a section entitled
followed by a text box. If you liked what you read (or if you didn't), please take time and drop me a line. I'd love to hear your ideas.
From the Newsfeed:
From oldgreywolf on wheels : I study a variety of subjects, try to pay attention to news, good music. Any of it can initiate worldbuilding and/or story writing. Or just scribbling a one-line idea. Plus I still have too many pages of hand-written notes to digitize.
I read a book years ago whose premise was "write it down or it doesn't happen." The result? Ideas on Post-it notes and pieces of paper EVERYWHERE. Perhaps if when I retire this summer, I'll get organized. 
From Happy to write  : Life seems to be my trigger so we shall see.
Agreed! I have so many life ideas I'm not sure where to begin.
From Nobody’s Home  : I've found that handwriting in a journal every morning makes writing come more easily, so journal writing might be considered a trigger for me. Frequently writing about even mundane stuff can lead to more complex issues (or not), and for me, it can be a great way to wake up my muse. She'll start throwing out ideas for my current project, and I become excited/primed to get to work. 
From Arsuit : I'm working on a path that will lead to me being more active on this site.
My point above exactly.
From WindSpirit3 : Mine have evolved into poetic memoirs, unless its a short story, but even those have a poetic leaning nature.
I embraced a poetic phase some years back, and I miss that. Perhaps time will allow me to re-visit it.
From Starling : I plan on doing more contests. Whatever else I do will depend on what people post here, which I may want to get involved in.
From TheBusmanPoet : Depends on what happens. I tend to write non-fiction. So it's what I see, hear and feel. Those are my writing drivers.
From Turkey DrumStik  : So far the path appears to be an unconventional love story. Who knows where said path will end this year?
From tj-turkey-jobble-jobble-hard-J  : I write whatever the voices in my head my muse instruct me to write.
Good for you all. And good luck.
From louisa  : I want a nonfiction writing piece to dedicate to my two cousins that I was so very close to and who have now passed away. I miss them very much not a day doesn't go by that I don't think about them.
Sounds like a fitting way to remember.
From Moonstone : I have since drifted (not too far) from my fantasy age and into my dystopian/romance age. I hope to make some really good dystopias this year along with reading some good ones too!
May your efforts be rewarded.
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Noticing Newbies: February 22, 2023 Issue [#11824]
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