This week: First Things, First Edited by: Carol St. Ann 20yrs (06-26)  
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Hello. My name is Carol St.Ann. I joined Writing dot com (WDC) in September of 2006, and I write for this newsletter once a month. My goal here is to help you feel Welcome, Comfortable, and At Home. This is a massive website. Negotiating your way around, at first, may be a bit overwhelming and/or confusing. I'm here to make that as easy for you as possible. There are many clubs, groups, activities, contests, forums, even games, word searches and interactive stories. Writers range from students in early high school years to senior citizens; people who've never written before to multi published novelists; bloggers and influencers and folks who've been writing all their lives.
I guarantee there will be like-minded individuals you'll meet and want to associate with. I will do my best to help you facilitate all of those things. My email is bookmeister@writing.com. I'm here every day, though not all day. You are welcome to reach out to me anytime at all. |
"It's always best to start at the beginning." --Glenda, the Good Witch of the North
So. Here you are. Walking into a place where you've never been. You don't know anyone in the room. You don't even know your way around. But somehow someway, you're going to figure it out.
Let's get to it.
I don't know about you, but that type of thing always makes me very uncomfortable. If you're at all like me, you situate yourself quietly, not quite in the corner, but certainly near a door, where you can observe behaviors and interactions amongst the populous throng. You might even meander into another area to check out how things are going over there. It's never long before someone greets you with a smile.
What brought you to WDC? What are you looking to for? Are you here because you love to write and looking for like-minded people? A mentor, perhaps? Would you like to get into a Writer group where you could learn new skills to further develop and hone your craft? Perhaps your love of reading brought you here? Perhaps you want to write a cookbook or a memoir?
Writing.com offers many different ways to respond to all of those reasons and so many more.
Even more marvelous than that, if you don't find what you're looking for, you can create it! (And the rest of us will fall all over ourselves to be the first to engage with your literary invention.)
The first thing to do, as with anywhere else, is set yourself up. Look around your portfolio (port) and fill in as much information about yourself as you can. It's your introduction to us. Next, your biography (bio) page is the one we'll look at when we read something of yours. That's where you'll casually answer the questions I wrote above. It's the tool that lets us know how to help, assist, and review your work, with your needs and wants top of mind. If you're unsure what to write, no pressure. This is not a requirement. It's an aid. And you'll no doubt change it more than once during your time here. Fill it out when you feel comfortable. Read others' bios to get a feel for how you'll want to present yours. *(It's located in the toolbar above your portfolio page.)
The next thing to do, once you're familiar with your port, is explore the site a bit. Your welcome letter is your new best friend. The links there will be your early road map to the wide world of WDC.
Oh! And if you'd like that "best view of the room" I mentioned, just between you and me, the newsfeed is where you'll want to be. It's the social hub of activity. A great place to observe - or jump right in.
To get to the Newsfeed:
From the very top left of your screen, above your photo icon, and "search" feature, click the tiny WDC square. A sidebar will appear. The 4th item down is "Newsfeed". Once you're engaged, your newsfeed notifications (among other things) will automatically update and appear atop your page in red. You'll never need to search them out again.
I hope this has been helpful, and reiterate my offer to assist any time at all.
Until next month, I'll see you 'round the WDC!
 
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Noticing Newbies: March 04, 2026 Issue [#13620]
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