Wandering through Writing.Com

I walked up to the door, uncertain if I should knock or walk right in. The sign on the door said, http://www.writing.com all visitors welcome. I reached for the handle, but the door opened before I could turn the knob. A lady in purple waders with a fly rod thrown over her shoulder and a tackle box in hand was standing in the doorway.

“Hi, I’m Sophy . You must be a newbie. Come on in!” She stepped back and leaned her rod against the wall. "I was just on my way out, but let me give you a quick tour first."

I looked around the room; the place was massive. There were hallways leading in every direction. I was glad someone was going to show me around, this place was overwhelming!

Sophy's voice dragged me out of my shock. “This is where I tell all the newbies to start,” she said, pointing at a sign on the wall. I stepped closer to the sign and read the title, "Getting Started: Table of Contents" . The sign contained all sorts of information from an explanation of membership levels to tips for meeting other people.

“This all sounds good but I just want to share a story that I wrote,” I told Sophy. “How can I do that?”

“Oh that’s easy,” she said. “Follow me.” She turned down a hall marked Writing and looked back to make sure I was following.

I hitched my bag up on my shoulder and scrambled to keep up. If I lost her, I’d never find my way around. We came to a door labeled "Creating New Items" . When we entered the room there were several different information desks. There were people dressed in purple and blue behind the desks talking to people in yellow, black and gray.

I looked at some of the signs hanging over the desks and began to get excited. The room was beautiful, the colorful outfits of the members mingling against a beige background. Art hung on the walls, helping to organize the room into clear sections.

“Who’s the artist?” I asked looking at the Writing.Com logo hanging on the far wall.

“The StoryMistress creates all of the art for the main portion of the building,” she answered, “but each person can decorate their individual area to their taste. Many artists will create signature pieces for members to use in their writing portfolio.”

“How much does the art cost?” I asked. I had no artistic talent of my own and would love to hang some art in my area.

“It depends on the artist. There are many to choose from and most will negotiate. You can also purchase signature art in auctions held on the site. I need to get going but let me take you to someone who knows all about signature auctions.”

Sophy led me over to a woman in a purple dress. She was sitting in a chair surrounded by other people. She had several easels set up, each with its own unique image. The people sitting around were yelling out bids and taunting each other in a pleasant manner.

“Hi, Sophy. Who’s your friend?” Kathleen asked.

“This is…” Sophy looked at me. “Sorry, I forgot to ask your name,” she said peering at my name tag.

My name tag read NewUser622 and seeing the creativity the others used in choosing their names, I was embarrassed.

Kathleen smiled and pointed to a seat near the front of the group. “We’ll call you New for now until you get your bearings. Welcome to "Bids For Sigs" . Jump in and start bidding any time. This auction ends on Sunday and a new one will begin shortly after. So if you don’t see anything you want now, come back later.”

I sat watching the action, the bids going higher and higher. I was confused because the members were bidding in GPs. I leaned over to a girl next to me and whispered, “What are GPs?”

She smiled and answered, “Gift points, Writing.Com currency.”

“Where can I exchange money for GPs?” I whispered.

She pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to me with a smile. “This should answer all your questions.”

I unfolded the flyer and read the title, "Gift Points Info" . It did answer all of my questions and even gave me directions to the store where GPs could be purchased.

Since I didn’t have any GPs yet, it seemed pointless to remain at the auction. I decided to go explore a little more. I had a story to share and I couldn’t wait to hear what people thought about it. When I exited the room, I saw a sign at the far end of the hall that said Writing. Filled with excitement, I knew I was finally home.