Don't Jump the Ship Just Yet

Before you hit that delete button take a few moments and read this please.

Authors Note: This is an aged piece, back when the introduction of the 5 item free portfolio was introduced and the site members went up in arms. Inside of an hour members were deleting their whole ports, not giving a moment for the new limitations to sink in or the options that were available to them.


         An important fact that no one is taking the time to consider is 30 days, plus an extended grace period. This means exactly one thing and only one thing, it is not necessary to delete your account this minute. It also means that you do not need to rearrange or delete your items in the next 24 hours.

         By the grace of the site owners The StoryMaster and The StoryMistress you have been given somewhere in the neighbourhood of 45 days to REASONABLY think about what it is you can or will do.

         My daughter belonged to a site that had pop-ups and a gift point system in place as well, she loved it there, and spent a fair amount of time and energy putting her creative talent to work, the site gave 24 hours notice that they were going ad free, and the cost of membership went from free to $20.00 us funds a month. The site was to become a paid member only site. Had she and I had the opportunity of 30+ days to assess the situation, she might still have all her works, and still enjoy the site, but instead she lost it all. This was a site that you worked on and could not save your work to your hard drive or disk or cd. Without a credit card she was sunk, they did not give the option of paying by any other way.

         You are not losing your work, you are not losing the opportunity to showcase your work, and you are not losing your right to be a member of this community. You are not being forced to pay for a membership in order to remain in this site. These are all the sideline considerations to take into account. You do need to assess your situation based on your needs and wants and that is understandable and you’re right.

         But you must remember that, The StoryMaster and The StoryMistress as well, have to assess their situation based on what they see the future of Writing.Com to be, and it is understandable that they want the best opportunity for writers that they can create in this community, and it is their right to enhance or change any current policy or procedure that they deem necessary in the development of their dream. Yes, they do have a dream, just like all of us that are members here. Sometimes it is hard to see the reality of the human side, when you are required to look through both eyes. This is one time that you must.

         I beg you not to act irrationally. There is a lot that can be accomplished in 30+ days. There are members on this site that you are not even aware of, or know, that are working on your behalf to maintain your portfolios just as they are. But, if you delete everything, then there is really no point in working to find you sufficient gift points to upgrade. There is no need to start groups, or donation clubs, or contests, in order to give you the opportunity to get those points that you don’t already have. There is no need to read your portfolio, and decide that you really like what this person does, and you are going to give them an upgrade for a month or three.

         Take a moment, breathe, cancel that delete action, and give yourself the full benefit of the time that the The StoryMaster and The StoryMistress have given you. In the last 24 hours I have seen many new upgraded accounts, and a variety of thanks to the angels that came to their rescue. Your angel could be out there, just give them the chance to work that magic.

         And in the meanwhile, you must do your part too! Such as you might ask? Try one or all of these.

1) Take those wonderful pieces of work in your portfolio, and enter some contests. Find the daily and weekly contests that offer gift points.

2) Save up your pennies, and nickels, and dimes, turn it into a money order, and ship it off to the office to be turned into gift points.

3) Tell mom or dad that you will clean out the garage, or the attic for a $15.00 advance on your allowance.

4) Go next-door and mow the neighbour’s lawn, or do some yard work for $5.00 payment.

5) Create a sponsor sheet, and ask relatives, and friends, to support your learning process, and collect a dollar or two from each one.

6) Talk to your community centers in your neighborhood and ask them to support your membership. You would be amazed at the funds available just for asking and presenting your case in a diplomatic way. Community centers aid in the development of children and single mothers to better themselves and attain their self esteem, tell them what Writing.Com does for you.

         Your ship has not sunk; there is just a hole in it that you need to repair. And with your determination, and hard work, and the aid of others, that hole can be repaired in no time for you to be sailing the high seas again.


This is my sole opinion, please try and respect it as I will try and respect yours. :) If you have an idea that I can add to the list be sure to let me know.

And now for some added tips from our community:

kimana responds:
This is an important piece that I hope everybody can read. My own angel just gave me a months upgrade so I can get some funds together for an upgrade. As for other ideas, I've heared that if you don't have a credit card and want to purchase stuff on the web, you can get and e-card (in Australia you can get one at any post office) It works like a pre-paid phone card. You activate it at it's web site and start up an account, then use it like a credit card (only it's apparently alot safer than a credit card). I heard about them awhile ago - but I think it is a good option for people not in the US who don't want use post.

Tehuti, Lord Of The Eight responds:
Another suggestion? Answer surveys. Some award points. I myself have one like this, and I have another one that offers gift points to somebody who might come up with a really good idea I can use in my writing. Only one person has answered it so far. Nobody else has accepted the challenge. I don't have very many gift points to give, and not nearly enough for an upgrade...but I'd be willing to hand over a few to the person who gave me a good answer to that one. And I still await the day somebody writes a really good fiction piece based on Egyptian mythology. THAT might get a few gift points from stingy old me.

Zoo - Salted and Roasted responds:
Great item, wannabe... and great tips too! Very nice. I do want to add something though... Even for the people that simply can't come up with the GPs, no matter how hard they try... They can still rotate items in and out of their portfolio and showcase their work for FREE, and participate in message forums, etc... like always, for free... The basic, crucial ingredients of Writing.Com are still intact, just like they were a couple of years ago when I found this site... FREE EMAIL, FREE FEEDBACK on YOUR WORK, FREE INTERACTION WITH PEER WRITERS.. And the site wasn't even 10% of what it is NOW!