Team Ahimsa Blog Relay, Various Contests

WDC Nostalgia

FOR "Earn the Badge - Open" 

This is a very interesting topic for me, close to my heart.

I lost my mother on 2 Dec, 2006. It was my first experience with up-close grief. Well-meaning people tried to advice me on handling grief, and I wrote a poem in response.

Now, these are well-meaning people who love me. I wrote the poem in response to them, but couldn't share it with them. I needed to share it somewhere. I looked up 'free poetry contest' online and after a few false starts with contests pretending to be free when they weren't, really, I found WRITING DOT COM.

I uploaded my poem.

Within the hour, I got reviews. Kind reviews, helpful reviews. I was part of the community. It was April 23, 2007.

I started responding to the reviewers. Hesitantly, I started reviewing myself. I began to enter contests. I began to participate in review raids and other activities. I found myself writing in genres I never did before.

The StoryMaster started an interactive-stories campaign in 2007-8, which I participated in enthusiastically, and later I ran a couple of rounds of it on his behalf. I loved doing that!

I was honoured (and nervous) to be promoted to Mod and slowly started doing Newsletters. I don't volunteer to judge the official contest due to my weak eyesight, which means I sometimes mis-read words and miss nuances, which would be unfair on contestants, but I love the other aspects of being a Mod!!

I have friends here. I actually have what I call my online family. I love WDC!

Here's that first poem I spoke of:

Who Decides?  [18+] #1252253 I can't handle my grief your way. by THANKFUL SONALI Party Hopping!