Writing.Com: City of Writes

In 2004, much ado resulted from the fact that Writer’s Digest omitted Writing.Com from its list of the top 101 web sites for writers, and such a response was highly understandable. It seems a list whose mission was to highlight the Internet’s foremost writing resources would include the place whose very name is “Writing” itself. But I propose this question to you: why should we be so concerned with the opinion of a single publication and its editors? The answer: we shouldn’t.

The StoryMaster and The StoryMistress have dedicated themselves to ensuring Writing.Com is, indeed, “the online community for readers and writers of all ages and interests,” by personally immersing themselves in the site’s vibrant activity and continually innovating new tools and features to foster creativity and expression of all types among its members. These two people love each other and what they do, and when you truly love something, nobody’s words or actions will cause you to question your devotion. Only after becoming involved in Writing.Com and experiencing it personally can one fully appreciate the tremendous impact it can have on the writing, and even the lives, of its members. We are the ones who have come to know and treasure the site and its architects, and ultimately, their opinions and our opinions are the only ones of any consequence.

In middle school and high school, I consistently dreaded English more than any other subject. I never read a book unless it was mandated for class, and even then I often shirked my duty. I’m sure I’m one of the people my teachers and classmates would have least expected to write a novel, let alone when I was only eighteen years old, but I accomplished precisely that feat. Once finished with my magnum opus, I had no idea where I could find an audience for my work, but then someone pointed me in the direction of Stories.Com. I joined with the sole intention of displaying my novel, completely naïve to what awaited me. That story remains the pride of my portfolio and has been read and loved by many people, but Writing.Com’s significance to me quickly extended far beyond that single entity. I’ve created an array of diverse items, participated in contests and activities, devised three regularly held activities of my own, made friends, and even met my fiancée. Remember, I thought all I’d ever do here is post one story. I’ve never been so pleased to be so wrong.

For me and more than 200,000 others, this place has become a second home, and with that many residents, Writing.Com is not so much a web site as it is a web city. At other destinations along the Information Superhighway, one acts as little more than a visitor…a patron…a tourist. But at Writing.Com, one establishes roots and becomes a citizen of a bustling, thriving community, complete with, among other things, its own currency, thirteen newspapers, a post office, and a police force—Gift Points, newsletters, email service, and Moderators, to use the vernacular. However, what sets Writing.Com apart and provides an advantage over other cities of its size is that it’s free from crime, pollution, traffic gridlock, and many other evils that have come to plague the greater part of modern society. Even though this city was founded in the year 2000, there already exist some individuals who are second- or third-generation inhabitants. Just as Paris has been crowned the “City of Lights,” I’m convinced Writing.Com is destined to be commemorated in the annals of history as the “City of Writes.”

Legendary economist Dr. Milton Friedman, among others, espouses the axiom of TINSTAAFL. No, that’s not Dutch—it stands for “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” Simply put, nothing in life comes without a price. At first, I could offer no objection to this view, but that was before I encountered Writing.Com. The StoryMaster and The StoryMistress have circumvented the basic laws of economics by allowing people to live in their city without paying a single cent of property taxes. Such people are not the exception, either, for this describes about 98% of Writing.Com’s denizens. Those who wish to have a richer, fuller experience, though, must be willing to furnish a modest contribution to the government treasury. The ultimate lesson one can glean from all this is that there is such thing as a free lunch. If you want dinner, on the other hand, then it'll cost you.

Stories.Com became Writing.Com on January 1, 2003, to reflect the immense growth and evolution it had experienced since its inception. This haven for readers and writers offers far more than stories to satiate the literary appetites of the populace. However, even the current name can’t begin to convey what this place and its people are capable of. Writing.Com is among the highest echelon of Internet sites, and not just for writing—within this city’s limits, the sky is the limit; anything and everything is possible. Unfortunately, Anything.Com and Everything.Com already exist.