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 |    Not for the faint of art. |
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Complex Numbers A complex number is expressed in the standard form a + bi, where a and b are real numbers and i is defined by i^2 = -1 (that is, i is the square root of -1). For example, 3 + 2i is a complex number. The bi term is often referred to as an imaginary number (though this may be misleading, as it is no more "imaginary" than the symbolic abstractions we know as the "real" numbers). Thus, every complex number has a real part, a, and an imaginary part, bi. Complex numbers are often represented on a graph known as the "complex plane," where the horizontal axis represents the infinity of real numbers, and the vertical axis represents the infinity of imaginary numbers. Thus, each complex number has a unique representation on the complex plane: some closer to real; others, more imaginary. If a = b, the number is equal parts real and imaginary. Very simple transformations applied to numbers in the complex plane can lead to fractal structures of enormous intricacy and astonishing beauty. ![Merit Badge in Quill Award
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Congratulations on winning an honorable mention for Best Blog at the 2018 Quill Awards for [Link To Item #1196512] . *^*Smile*^* This award was sponsored by the blogging consortium including [Link To Item #30dbc] , [Link To Item #blogcity] , [Link To Item #bcof] and [Link To Item #1953629] . For more details, see [Link To Item #quills] .](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/type-Blogging-2180.gif) ![Merit Badge in Highly Recommended
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PROMPT September 10th Today’s prompt was submitted by LdyPhoenix  !What are some of the weirdest facts you've ever learned? Wow us with your bizarre knowledge! Today's vocabulary word, boys and girls, is epistemology. Essentially, that's the study of how we know what we know. I bring this up because possibly the weirdest fact I ever learned is that we don't know how we know what we know. If that makes any sense. If it does, then congratulations; you're eligible to become a philosopher. "Fact" is a slippery concept, and I don't just mean for politicians. Most concepts are slippery, I think, if you examine them too closely. It's like... you can see a cat and identify it as a cat, but when you zoom in really close, all you see is the fur. And fur could belong to any number of animals. And what's an animal, anyway? At the smallest scales, the lines get blurred. This is especially true if you keep zooming in. Eventually, you get to molecules and atoms, and then protons, neutrons, electrons - what we commonly call the building blocks of matter. Zoom in further on a proton or a neutron, and you get to quarks, which are more like electrons. What I mean by that is, not only do we not know where a particular electron or quark is at a given moment, we can't know where it is at that moment. It's all smeared out in a probability distribution. At that scale, even the distinction between matter and energy is fuzzy. And also the distinction between "is" and "isn't." How, then, can we know anything? As I've mentioned before, I only claim to know anything to some degree of probability. I live in Virginia, so I'm close to 100% certain that Virginia exists. But then, what is this concept of "Virginia?" An area enclosed by a surveyed boundary, probably, or perhaps the political system, or its checkered history. I've been to New York City, so I'm pretty sure it exists, too, though less certain than I am of Virginia. And I've never been to Afghanistan, so I have to take other peoples' word that it exists. I don't have a problem doing this. But if you came up to me and told me you've been to the lost continent of Atlantis, I'm going to need more in the way of confirmation. So it is with anything we take as "fact." At some point, to avoid falling down the rabbit-hole, you have to put things in different boxes: "reality," "not-reality," "save for further investigation." But we all tend to put different things into those boxes. Flat-earthers come to mind; the idea of a somewhat spherical Earth goes into the "not-reality" box for them (unless they're just fucking with us, which is a possibility we have to consider). Meanwhile, sane people put the round Earth into the "reality" box. Other people might accept as absolute truth the literal existence (as opposed to the literary existence, which is largely undisputed) of fairies. Science helps with that sort of thing, but one has to be open to its findings, as well - though science, and science reporting, are not without their problems. So I don't know if that qualifies as "bizarre." I think it does, if you give it real thought - the idea that there might always be limits to our knowledge, and that facts are actually probabilities. |
PROMPT September 9th Prompt today is straight outta the War Chest courtesy of Robert Waltz  !What is your favorite storytelling medium, and why? Face-to-face? Movies? Novels? Audiobooks, audioplays? Stage productions? Comics? TV shows? Tweetstorms? Concept albums? Something else? Well. I guess I have no excuse to skip this one, do I? Full disclosure: I remember posting that prompt in an "add to the War Chest" round of a previous 30DBC. You'd think after 12 years or so of being a judge at "The Writer's Cramp"  [13+], I'd be better at creating prompts, but I'm not. When I come up with a really good one, I keep it to myself, because then I want to use it. I only post the ones I wouldn't care to respond to, myself. So that came back and bit me on the ass. Fortunately, this one was the result of a promptstorming session I had with PuppyTales  , so it's not... entirely mine. Okay, it's mostly hers. Okay, it's like 98% hers. I think I added "tweetstorms" to be funny, because that's what I do.My answer is different depending on whether I'm writing or reading. Obviously, I'm a big fan of books; I mean, why else would I be here? I started reading at an early age, and never stopped. Books, or at least printed-word stories, are what I write. Both writing and reading them exercise the imagination. But when it comes to consuming media, probably my favorite story type is the TV show. That wasn't always the case. For a long time, I didn't watch TV at all. I mean that as in, I didn't even own a TV. It wasn't until streaming became a thing that I got back into that particular medium. Sturgeon's Law applies, as always: 90% of it is utter crap. But now, being able to watch shows without being interrupted by commercials (which I hate with the nuclear fire of a thousand suns), I see the artistry in it. There was a massive shift in TV writing that occurred about the time I stopped watching. One of the last things I saw on TV before I gave it up was Babylon 5 (and I didn't finish it at the time). It introduced what would become a mainstay of 21st century TV writing: the story arc. I think Straczynski stole the idea from comic books - that while each episode can be self-contained, there would be an overarching plot that stretched through an entire season (that's series for you Brits), ideally resolved at the end. This was done with varying levels of success, of course. That simply wasn't the case when I was younger. A single show might refer to an older one, sure; or there might be a "To Be Continued" multi-episode story; and shows like Doctor Who (back then) were serialized in 4-6 episode chunks, but the idea of a season-long story arc was pretty much unheard of before the early 90s. I should note that a single season of Doctor Who, back in the seventies, experimented with this, but it didn't catch on until much later. And the "arc" elements in that one stayed mostly in the background. (If you're wondering I'm referring to The Key To Time, Fourth Doctor, Season 16.) What you end up with is a televised novel with a series of chapters, or something very like it. Opinions may vary, of course, but that method of storytelling holds my interest better than a bunch of disconnected episodes, even those with a common theme. Meanwhile, you have time for character development, time that's lacking in such things as movies or short stories. You can do it in comics, too, of course, and I used to be a big-time comics fan also. As I said, the story arc concept was basically invented for comics and only later migrated to TV. So, in short - writing: traditional short stories and novels, because I lack the skills to do more than just write. Consuming: episodic television, because of the opportunity to tell much longer stories and present intriguing character development. |
PROMPT September 8th Prompt today is submitted by Elle - on hiatus  !What do you think makes a good leader? Share an example of a good leader from your life (or alternatively, a poor leader who taught you what not to do). It helps to have rolled a high Charisma score. Aside from that, well, I think a good leader motivates, encourages, kicks butt when necessary, knows when kicking butt is necessary, reads people, understands a person's strengths and weaknesses, and, probably above all, leads by example. I worked with a guy for 15 years who mentored me in engineering. He'd answer questions, show me efficient ways to do things, and help keep me focused. We had somewhat different skill sets, at least starting out - I was always the computer nerd, while he was more old-fashioned with a pocket calculator - but gradually we picked up each other's skills. After those 15 years, he left to start his own company and poached me from our old one; we were both dissatisfied with the way the boss was running things. A bunch of people left all at once. So I started working for him directly, and that's when things started going to shit. He'd emulate our former boss by coming in late, taking long lunches, leaving early, and generally fobbing off most of the work on me. Not a great example. This was especially disappointing to me because, while we were never friends outside of work, I thought we had an understanding. When you know someone for 15 years, you think you actually know them, but things change, I guess. After a couple of years of this, I left with another of his employees to start our own firm. Karma can be a bitch. At that point, I was still doing all the engineering work (my partner was in another discipline), but at least I was reaping the rewards as well. My business partner and I never had more than three employees, but I like to think we were better to them than my bosses had been to me. I don't know; I don't have much to compare to. At least I tried to lead by example. These days, I'm happy being responsible for no one but me and my cats. Not that I don't have other responsibilities, but they're hardly onerous. I don't know what happened to my former co-worker turned boss, by the way. I hope he ended up successful. I don't hold a grudge; I just couldn't be in that situation any more. |
PROMPT September 7th Reflect on WDC’s 19th Birthday week! I don’t know any other online community that celebrates like we do  What was your favorite activity to participate in? What is the favorite thing you wrote? What is the favorite thing you read? Did you win anything? (or hope to?  ) Tell us!  Yeah... honestly, I didn't do as much as I'd hoped. I've been trying to write at least one contest entry a week all year, but none of the prompts I saw really did it for me, this time. Most of them were about birthdays, and at my age, that's not something I care to think about. Except, of course, when it's my birthday, at which point I want ALL the presents. So now I'm behind on that. I'm sure I'll be able to catch up, though. Hey, that's odd. Usually, that sort of thing makes me give something up as hopeless. Maybe I have changed. Anyway, I was glad to see all the participation. This is a unique venue, as the prompt above alludes, and I like to see it thriving. Next year is the 20th. Because we're programmed by society to give greater emphasis to numbers that end in 0, I expect that'll be an even bigger deal. A slightly pedantic aside: I've seen references to something's nth year. Usually, in context, it goes something like this: "Jack is 50 years old." "Amazing! He made it to his fiftieth year!" While technically correct, if Jack is 50 years old, that means that he also made it to his 51st year. That sounds odd sometimes, but just think about it: When was your first year? Chances are you don't remember it, but your parents did. They measured your age, then, in months. When you're born, you're 0 years old. A year later, you're 1 year old. In the meantime, you're in your... first year. Consequently, your second year stretches from your first birthday to your second birthday, and so on. When you're 10, you're in your 11th year of life. It's like with centuries: we're in the 21st century, and all the years start with 20. Put another way, right after you're born, you're not in your 0th year. You're 29? Then you're either lying, or you're in your 30th year. You can tell someone "I'm 29" or "I'm in my 30th year." The latter will make people think you're 30, because they haven't read this blog entry, so don't do that if you have a youth vanity thing going on. Point being, as of right now, WDC is in its 20th year, and that's an amazing feat for a relatively small online community. |
PROMPT September 6th I have long adored the practice on WDC of memorializing the portfolios of members who have passed away so all their writings remain visible without needing a membership. See: "White Case Memorial" and "Request a Deceased Member Be Memorialized" Do you hope to be remembered for your writing? What do you think your writings will say about you when you’re gone? Is your WDC portfolio in suitable shape to be memorialized tomorrow if you were no longer around to tend it? A while back, I changed my handle to something unutterably silly for a time. I don't even remember what it was - let's say it was Fluffy Bunnykins. So there I was, Fluffy Bunnykins, when it hit me: what if I die tonight? And then my portfolio gets memorialized forever as Fluffy Bunnykins. Not that I ever expect to be taken seriously, but that would just add insult to the injury of my croaking. I made sure to tell my friends to have someone change my handle back to Robert Waltz if that happened. Knowing my friends, though, they'd probably change it to Dead Bunny. It's the unavoidable reality of life that any of us could die at any time, with or without warning. Rogue seagull invasion. Falling piano. Too much sex. Quantum fluctuation. Whatever. We all know this, at some level, though most of us would rather die at 99, drunk and surrounded by hot sexy scantily-clad women wailing at the terrible loss. Or, I don't know, is that just me? Point being, while we know this, it's probably unhealthy to obsess about it. That's why comedy exists - to take our minds off that sort of thing. Because this might be the last sentence I ever write. Or this one. Or maybe this one. No? Okay, cool. That said, there's not a whole lot in my life that's in good shape for my inevitable demise. Whenever I think about that sort of thing, though, I become aware not only of my own mortality, but of the sheer amount of work involved in preparing for it: finding a godparent for my cats; cleaning my room; making sure the stove's off; securing my porn from accidental discovery; keeping my vast fortune out of the hands of my ex-wife; making my WDC portfolio easier to navigate; arranging for a good home for my liquor collection... the list seems endless. And then I break out in hives, because I'm allergic to work. On one hand, I won't care, because "I" won't be around to care. On the other hand, I'm creating work for other people, and that seems wrong. Some years ago, as I recall, someone on this site died suddenly. Morbidly curious, I checked out their blog. Their final entry ended with "Life seems good." To my shame, I can't remember their name - I don't think they were ever whitecased - but I don't think I can ever forget those particular "last words." With my luck, mine will be something like "See you tomorrow!" Only with a typo. Because I hate when I make typos, so that's precisely what I don't want to be remembered for. See you tommorrow! |
PROMPT September 5th I spent some time today reading "Writing.Com 101" (a normal Wednesday activity), and found a few entries describing some of the lesser-known features on WDC including the "Sliders Tab" , "Macros" , the "Ideanary" , and "Portfolio Highlighting" . In addition to these tools and features, there are 22 item types available for members to create, but only a handful make up the majority of content on the site. Take a look at the full list here: "Item Types and Their Uses" Is there any item type available to you that you've never created? Any that you've never read? Any tool or feature on WDC that you haven't tried? Why not? What are the benefits of having these extra features available on a site dedicated to writing? (I have a feeling our restless muses are to blame, but I'd love to hear your thoughts! )The main pieces of software I used when I had a desk job were MS Excel and Word, and AutoCAD. I mention this here because, in a sense, Writing.Com can be considered software as well, and these four programs have something in common: they contain features that are used often, features that are used sometimes, and other features that are used only rarely. When I first started using Excel, back when it was written for clay tablets and a cuneiform keyboard, I made it a point to learn everything I could about it - all the menu items, all the operators, all the built-in functions. There are many that I still use; plus, I've learned the programming language built into it, VBA. I'm not saying I'm any good at VBA but, if you don't mind a bit of braggadocio (where can I do that if not in my own blog), I'm damn good with Excel. Just ask Brandiwyn🎶  .And yet, when I need some feature that I've hardly ever used, I need to consult the documentation. I have a vague memory of a programming rule covering this sort of thing, something like: 10% of the features are used 90% of the time, and vice-versa. Can't be arsed to look it up, but I think that captures the idea of it. Point is, though, that long ago, I got the urge out of my system to exhaust a program's capabilities. My personal algorithm goes something like: 1) Identify the problem that needs solving 2) Assume that the program I'm using has a built-in solution to that problem 3) Find said solution. 3a) IF assumption turns out to be correct, THEN implement solution. 3b) ELSE defenestrate computing device. Now here, I consider it part of my job description as Moderator to know what site features are available so I can help other members do step 3 above (can't help 'em with 3b, though). So I was aware of all the stuff in the prompt. But that doesn't mean I use all of it, just as I haven't written in every listed genre. Still, someone else might make regular use of features I don't. The "Interactive" item type comes to mind. I find myself slogging through them occasionally as a moderator (you don't want to know, trust me), but if memory serves, I've never actually created an item of that type. Just never had good reason to. For some people, that's the only reason they come here, and that's fine, too (though I do know some good shrinks, if one of you is reading this). I guess what I'm getting at is that while it's good to know what's available, I don't feel like I have to use every feature SM provides. So I don't. |
PROMPT September 4th Did you know that WDC keeps track of everyone who views your items? To have a look at your blog’s statistics, open your blog, click the gear icon in the top right, and then click “Statistics.” You can do this for your blog or any other item in your portfolio! In your blog entry today, share anything interesting you found while exploring your blog’s statistics. What is the profile of your average reader? Do you consider your readership when composing a blog entry? Everyone has an “ideal reader,” as Stephen King says. Who is your ideal reader? Admittedly, I used to obsess about item stats. I quit doing that a while ago. So I went ahead and checked the current info. Turns out my "average" reader is a rich married woman. Well, what good does that do? I want to meet rich single women. Or poor single women. Or, well, any woman who is single, really. I'm so alone. Do I consider my readership? I suppose, in a way, though not by the demographics. Mostly I post stuff that interests me. If it interests someone else, too, great - I mean, that's the point, right? Read if you're interested; skim or ignore if you're not. I do take previous comments into account when writing blog entries, sometimes. Trying to be everything to everyone would be exhausting, and it'd never work. I'm well aware that most people (in general, as well as on this site) aren't as into math and science as I am. That's okay. Everyone has their own interests; these days, I blog mostly to practice writing. "Write every day" doesn't mean it always has to be fiction. When I do write fiction, though, 90% of the time it's not a particular demographic I'm aiming for. No, I think that some of the greatest works of literature were not written for random people, or a particular group of people, but for one specific person. Somehow, they still end up with mass appeal. So I write for one specific person. Who that is shall remain a mystery, but you know who you are. The other 10% of the time, I write primarily for myself. Trying to consider reader demographics is, for me, difficult. I don't know what people want; I just know what I want to say, or at least have a general idea about it. This often doesn't mesh with what people want. I don't have the slightest idea what makes something the perenially popular "young adult" targeted story, or for that matter anything else. Nor do I know how to make my writing interesting, but I'm hoping that with continued practice and self-education, I can gain some insight into that. I don't know if I'd still write blog entries if no one read them. I like to think that I would, but I do appreciate the conversational aspect of blogging. And for the record, I don't get angry if someone disagrees with me; I'm a grown-ass adult[citation needed] and I can take it. I do get angry if I'm misunderstood - not at the person who did the misunderstanding, but at myself for not being more clear. Writers should always strive for clarity, I think; when I read something that seems deliberately obtuse or convoluted, I don't read it for long. |
PROMPT September 3rd WDC is huge - there's no question about that. No matter how long we've been on the site, there is always more to learn. Today, I'm sending you on a mission with three easy steps: 1.) Go to the Community Newsfeed and comment on the post of a member you do not know. https://www.writing.com/main/newsfeed/community 2.) Go to the Blog Board and comment on a blog you haven't read before. https://www.writing.com/main/list_items/type/blogs 3.) Return to your own blog and share what you learned. In addition, answer this question: How would a life where you regularly stepped outside your comfort zone be different than a life where you never did? Okay. 1) I found a post by someone I've never met: "Note: HURRY....... HURRY...... HURRY...... A STORY,...". It featured:
Which struck me as a pretty awesome way to celebrate WDC's birthday week, and I said so. I've repeated the bitem link here to try to give it more attention. 2) This was harder, because I not only had to find someone I didn't "know," but also find an entry I felt qualified to comment on. (Hey, I just ended a sentence with a preposition again. Suck it, haterz.) I also wanted to avoid anything religiously or politically charged, because I'd end up getting sucked into drama, and I don't do drama. What happened is I ended up at someone I *almost* commented on in Step 1 above; I thought this particular entry was thoughtful and, more importantly for me, focused on writing - not politics or religion. (I can't speak for the other entries in the blog.) Dang if Charlie ~  didn't beat me to it, though - but I didn't see anything about avoiding stuff other participants have used, so nyah."Invalid Entry" 3) Some of what I learned is noted above. I also learned: a) I need to get out more. I guess this is related to the "comfort zone" thing, but I've mostly only been checking out the work done by people who have reached out to me. I could do more reaching out, myself. Still, "comfort zone" issues or not, I'm not going to argue with someone's political or religious views. Not here. b) Some peoples' minds are full of spiders. I'm not going to name names. c) Man, there's a lot going on for Birthday Week. Enough to paralyze me with indecision if I let it. As for the comfort zone question in the prompt, well... I do try to step out on a regular basis. That's what I try to do on road trips: combine the familiar (beer) with the unfamiliar (pretty much everything else). But there's more I want to do. I might as well go ahead and admit it here: I'm trying to learn French. Part of the reason I don't go to other countries more often is that the potential language barrier makes me uncomfortable. Also, I can't say that I'm any good with languages - the only one I ever formally studied was Latin, and that was so long ago I took lessons from Cicero himself, and have forgotten almost everything about it except a few jokes. I also picked up some Hebrew at a young age, but, again... forgot. It's not like I could go to Israel and carry on a conversation. All this... might as well call it what it is: fear. All this fear is mitigated if I'm traveling with someone else. At least then there's someone to talk to. But I can never find anyone to travel with me, so I'm stuck here. I don't mind traveling alone; in many ways, I prefer it. But if I'm sitting at a bar somewhere in Japan or wherever, I'd like to at least be able to have a conversation with the bartender, and since I'd rather be at places where tourists aren't, I can't rely on everyone knowing my own fucked-up language, however widespread it may be. So, anyway, French. Yeah, I got it in my head some years ago that there are several places I want to visit. Two of them are Belgium and France itself. Another is Quebec (yes, I'm aware that French there isn't really the same, but at least I can count on more people being bilingual). Everyone in Belgium, I'm told, speaks about 40 different languages, but the big ones are French and Dutch. I could probably get by with English, but how cool would it be to know when someone's trying to say shit behind my back? But what I want to do in France is tour the Loire Valley, because my favorite wine is a chenin blanc called Vouvray, which is only found in that region. It'll be bad enough once they find out I'm from the US, and I want to show an effort at learning the language. So, we'll see if I stick with it. Supposedly, just the process of learning another language helps to keep one's mind flexible, and at my age, that's a real consideration. In short, I don't want to stay in my comfort zone. |
PROMPT September 2nd As you may or may not be aware, in the early days of Writing.Com, SM and SMs hosted in-person Conventions for members! From everything I’ve heard from the site’s veteran members, these get-togethers were beyond memorable and so inspirational. Take a trip to the past by reading this item advertising the 2006 WDC Convention: "Writing.Com Convention 2006" . Then, share your thoughts on what a Convention hosted today might look like. Where would it be hosted? How many members could attend? What activities would take place? Who would you want to meet in person? Have fun!Oh, man... that's a blast from the past. I just went over the 30DBC participants list this month, and realized that, if memory serves (and, increasingly, it doesn't) I'm the only one of us who was there. That's right - I attended the 2006 Writing.Com Convention. In some ways, it seems so long ago; in others, it feels like just last month. I was, if you can believe it, the newest member at the Convention. I even got an actual plaque confirming that. I still have it, displayed in my home office. At the time, I was a Preferred Author; I can't remember exactly when I got my blue suitcase, but it was shortly thereafter. But you'll forgive me, I hope, if I don't visit the given link. I am, as you know if you've been following along, prone to depression - less so, these days, but still, a trip down memory lane involves tiptoeing through a minefield. If you're interested, however, I still have my convention recap. The story is loaded with links to other author portfolios, some of which, sadly, are broken now, as some of the members are no longer with us. The title, by the way (which I blatantly stole from my younger self for the title of this entry), is a reference to the Convention's location in Bethlehem, PA, near WDC World Headquarters (aka The StoryMaster's basement). I solemnly swear that every word in this is true.
There was a recap contest, and that item took second place. But since the first-place winning entry is no longer available, what you have there is, objectively, the best recap of the 2006 Writing.Com Convention that you will ever lay eyes on. If that doesn't fill you with existential dread, nothing will. As for a Convention today... well, one can only dream. PA is a nice place, and Bethlehem is certainly convenient for Staff, but I feel like it could be better-attended if it were near a major hub. For selfish reasons, I'd pick DC or the New York area. At one point, Staff tried to host a mini-convention in Newark, but sadly, that turned out to be a bust - except that I got to spend the day with two of my good friends: one who got me to sign up here in the first place, and another whom I met at the 2006 Convention. We went to a comedy club, and we drank quite a bit. In terms of what activities I'd like to see, well, drinking of course. Okay, maybe the prompt meant official activities. All I can say there is what worked in 2006 could still work today: writing workshops, naturally; Open Mic Night; a disco (hey, maybe we could combine the two and have some karaoke - wait, where are you all going? Come back!); auction; etc. There have been so many new people joining us since 2006. I've met a few, but would love to meet everyone else. Just... no zombies this time, okay? Deal? Deal. |
PROMPT September 1st Celebrate 19 years of Writing.Com by writing a thank you letter to someone on WDC or a thank you letter to the website itself. Then, visit "Writing.Com Party Central 2023!" (the item will be locked until the wee morning hours of Sept 1st) and tell us what Birthday-related fun you are most excited for. What do you want me to do, get mushy? I don't do mushy. But let's give this "thank you" thing a shot.  Dear The StoryMaster  and The StoryMistress  :19 years, huh? Funny, it only feels like 15. Oh, that's right, I've "only" been here for 15 of those years. Sometimes I still feel like a newbie, but that's because there's so much to do here I still haven't exhausted all the possibilities - a testament to all the good work you've put in to keep things interesting. 19 years is, as you know, a long time in cyberspace. I can't think of too many websites that have been around, without fundamental changes, for longer than that. True, my Amazon account is older, but when I signed my life over to Bezos, it was still "Earth's Biggest Bookstore." The streaming video that sucks away even more of what could be writing time didn't come until later. A noteworthy accomplishment. But there's more. See, I've been noodling around on the internet for a long time, way longer than 19 years, and it can be a real shithole. Trolls, scammers, assholes, racists... people who are there to tear you down, pounce on your inadequacies, splatter you with sewage. But not here. At least not for very long. And that's remarkable. You've created a community that, for the most part, works. Sure, there's friction - can't avoid that - and it's impossible to please everyone, but you have, for the most part, built a network of relationships based on mutual courtesy and respect. Because of Writing.Com, I feel like I've grown: as a writer and as a person. More than that, though, I've made friends here - lifetime friends. I've traveled to places I might never have otherwise seen, met people from all over the world both online and in person, had pleasant conversations with people very different from me. This has been my cyberhome for a few days shy of 15 years, and even when I don't write, rare is the day that I don't at least visit, check in, see what's going on. I'm glad to be here; I'm proud to support the site; I'm honored to be a part of this community. So. Simply: Thank you. Okay, enough of that. On to the next part of today's mission. I'll just click on the Party Central link and... Holy forking shotballs! That's a lot of stuff. Looks like there's something there for everyone. But one activity stands out for me. See, when I first got here 15 years ago, most of what I stuffed into my port was written for one contest. It's been around longer than I have, obviously, and I have the honor of being involved with it to this day - as a judge, but also sometimes as a contestant as well. In addition to the "contest" aspect, it's just a terrific writing exercise. Yes, of course I am talking about
So that's what I'm most excited about, if only because I'm a part of it. But I'll be checking out other things as well. |
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Finally. Fascinating stuff. All of them. There is something rather philosophical about comedy. You are certainly right there. 
