Just a Small Thank You

Dear StoryMaster, StoryMistress, friends and Writers of Writing.Com,

Six years ago, I stumbled across a desolate looking site basically on accident. I say desolate because it wasn’t much as far as a site you see nowadays goes. Back then, it was an average site, today nobody would give it a second glance really. Anyhoo, I was bored one day and typed in a bunch of “writing” like dot coms, whatever I could think of. So, I randomly typed in “stories.com” just to see if there was anything I could read. I found a lot more. Back then, the site was only interactives. There was no accounts, there was no portfolio. You couldn’t create contests, there was no rating system, no WritingML. There was no IM system, no emailing, no way of contact with other people, except through the interactive stories we wrote.

Even though looking back on it, seeing how really primitive it was, in comparison to what we have now, I loved what it was. I loved being able to write and other people being able to read, add their own. My story (I believe it was “The Haunted House”) was one of the top stories on the site. That in itself made me proud. Made me feel like maybe I was a good writer and had good ideas. I am not quite sure if I had any other stories there, probably did, but they didn’t reach the impact of that story.

I remember when I went there one day and suddenly it was this new place. I had my own email address! I had an account and I had a portfolio and it was awesome. Those other people were now... friends, comrades, people like me. Being able to have non-interactive items was the best thing in the world. I was able to write stories of my own. Of course, interactives were still high on my “love” list, because that’s what I was used to. They were the “thing” back in early New Stories.com. I loved being able to connect with other writers. I loved being able to roam in a world that was filled with people who loved to write; and not only were there kids, but adults! For somebody who was basically fourteen years old, that is awesome. Adult writers are basically the published, when you looked at it from my point of view. Adults who wrote like I did, didn’t spend time on the internet. Boy, was I wrong.

I loved being able to write, to have people who were the same as me, as geeky as me and were as funny/dorky as me too. Of course, I didn’t run around to every person and start up friendships. The people I knew in the beginning, I knew through my interactives. Then, another stupendous awesome thing came to Stories.com, and that was campfires. Another way of connecting and that’s basically how I had my little group of well... friends. Even though I knew who they were and we traded invites to campfires and wrote in each other’s interactives, we didn’t really get on a personal level. I stayed to myself for the most part and I wrote.

The site grew and suddenly there was different levels of membership. I remember being surprised beyond belief when I became a moderator. Especially when I was only fifteen. Then it was shortly after I became mod, when you had to be eighteen or older to be a mod. So, that’s how I became known as the “baby” mod. So, it was fun when I finally turned eighteen and became “legal”. Of course, as the site grew, I grew too. Not only with maturity as a person, but as a writer too. I changed as an author and I gradually eased out of interactives and more into static items.

As the site grew and things were added, the best thing in the whole world was when they added a chat room. I remember being so excited because finally we could talk amongst one another, as friends, as authors. I loved it too because it wasn’t like regular stupid chatrooms where it’s basically about shacking up. This was to celebrate and create friendships. At first, the chatroom didn’t work for me. So, I was majorly disappointed. I’d been all excited and all for nothing. It wasn’t until sometime later, when my adopted grandparents (you might remember them as Susie and Howie Franks) tried to hook me up with Sage . They weren’t all pushing us together as well, introducing us. So, he emailed me, I emailed him back and he told me to come to the chatroom. Well! As I went in, it worked! Because of Susie and Howie, and because of Sage , I had all these people who liked me. It was weird that I could be myself and people thought it was hilarious. It’s nice to know where weird, insaneness can get you.

I became so addicted to the site, that I was here from when I woke up to when I went to bed. The only time I wasn’t on, was when I had to shower, sleep and go to the bathroom. My sister wasn’t into the computer then, so I had the computer all to myself. I suddenly had lots of friends and I was more interactive with the site. I joined a group (groups!) where they helped me out with writing and thanks to them, I was able to win a contest. My first! They helped me add things and change things and simplify things to make things better. Because of that group, I matured even more with my writing.

I am still really addicted to this site. I love this place, through all of its changes. This place is my home. It’s not just a community. It’s more than that. It is a family. No where else can you find somebody who is willing to help you just because they want to. They don’t even have to know you and they want to help. Adults act just like kids. They have personalities. They joke, they have fun! They don’t act superior to you just because they’re older (Though they might think they are ). This place gave me friends, a family. This place gave me hope, gave me a chance. Without this place, I don’t think my writing would be where it is. I don’t think I would’ve known that there are people out there who care. Who down right give a shit about you, even if they don’t know you, but they care because you are apart of this family. They will stand up for you no matter what. They will lend you an ear to blabber off, they will give you a shoulder to lean and cry on. They will even give you a cNote just to make you smile.

I want to say “Thank You.” StoryMaster and StoryMistress. It seems so unfullfilling, but it is the only thing I can say that can come close to expressing what you’ve been able to do to help. Aside from being the best writing site ever (Seriously, if you can find a better site, please let me know), this place has a closeness, a bond that nowhere else can you find it. Nowhere else can strangers from all parts of the globe come together and become a family. Nowhere else can you go and know there will always be someone there to answer a question or jab with for a little while because you’re bored or can’t sleep. You guys turned a desolate little place into a thriving metropolis. You helped create a family. Even if it is a bunch of crazy insane people who couldn’t possibly fit anywhere else but here.

I want to say “Thank You.” to all my friends here at Writing.Com. I can’t possibly express what it means to me that you’ve been here, even if it was just one stupid lousy joke that made me smile. Thank you. Thank you for being the crazy lunatics that no one else wants to accept or pay attention to. Thank you for being the strong minded, stubborn, out-going people that you are. Thank you for adding to this family and making it better. Better because you’re there and you’re adding to the craziness, adding to the fun, adding to the closeness and the love that sprouts out everywhere. You guys are the best. The best people anybody could EVER ask for.

I want to say “Thank You.” to every single author (including the Writing.Com Support team!) on this site. You probably are wondering why I’d want to thank you when some of you might not even know who I am, except that I have a blue case next to my name. Well, I want to thank you for being apart of this family, of my family. Every single one of you helped make this site, this family, better. By helping out a fellow author, a fellow friend, with something as small as a review, you helped enhance, deepen, the love that flows through the words, the letters, and every single , , , , , , , and and of course through every single ((((hug)))). Through everything, ya’ll (or y’all) have been there for somebody and in turn you’ve been there for everybody.

So, “Thank You.” to everyone. Every single one of you. Thank you for being there when so many countless others wouldn’t even give me the time of day. Thank you for taking a few minutes to read what I’ve written. I would like to extend a huge ((((((((hug))))))))) to everybody throughout this site. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Without you, this place wouldn’t be as fun, as entertaining, as silly, or as important as it is. So, if I haven’t expressed it enough already, thank you.