Let's pretend we were still in August.

Recently I had the opportunity to look at my bio-page or intro if you like. What I saw as if by accident was that I had been a member of this writer's forum since...since 08 of the 08th 2004. That would be since last August, and that would be since last year. Making my stay here one whole year, and a bit.

I have seen mentioned in other web-community sites a thread called how has this site helped you? The poster of the thread said "I have never seen nor know of any testimonies about this site from the users." If I take the things I read, and post here seriously enough to take my time then I do think it is in my interest this time for me to reflect on a few things as to what I have got out of, and hoped to get from this site as a member.
This should make an okay read for new members to this site that may be unfamiliar with what I discuss. As for those who know the story, read on.

A few of the questions I will be asking myself will be;

What were my intentions for coming here?
What have I seen?
Why do I feel that it has to be this way?
Are there any changes I want to be part of?

My Intentions;

I came to this online writer's forum for the same reason that I admire it. Or I think everyone admires it for these reasons. The reasons are mainly technical, and ideological.

Technically I came to this writer's forum because I already had written material for my YAHOO homepage, and other message boards. The problem with typical message boards is that they are not personal, and your postings can easily be lost in a mess. Fictionpress, I discovered has a cure to this, which I hope no member takes for granted. And the cure I found is that I could personalise whatever I posted. That is, I am given the opportunity to have a page of links to my own material that only updates when I choose to. So every member has his or her own bibliography so to speak or what musicians would call discography. Every member to this has their own ego-world, to back themselves up whenever they pass a scathing comment on someone else's lack.

Ideologically I fancied spreading what I had already written elsewhere to a writer's forum such as this one, where I could find fellow amateur writers. I don't mean amateur as in semi-professional. I mean amateur, as in do-it-yourself publish straight away whatever you wish.
It is kind of amateur styled, and this I feel was better than getting a package of company prescribed contracted writer's essay's or stories of the same spirit. The advantage I thought being that Fictionpress is freer. A writer can make his piece formal if he wishes, but it could still have his style. Fellow members and I can take things seriously but we aren't making any money off it. In this case if we don't do what we do for profit, then it must be for something else and far more important. That something must be creativity. Isn't this "not for profit" ethic what motivated musicians who used to perform naturally for the mere buzz of it? This to me has made how fictionpress functions quite revolutionary.

Looking back to my ideas, and technical reasons for coming here, can I say to myself that I have found the set-up of this site, and the representatives of which I am a member of, to live up to my expectations based on what operates? This may sound ego-driven but then think about it, we all have expectations for what we participative in, why should something you have to use your mental powers such as this be any different? This is our kind of sport isn't it?

Expectations;

I thought that by having these forums members would inevitably link up and form organisations based on subject, and theme. Online organisations most likely, but groups that are thematically linked to what is written here. Or thought-groups, fictionpress factions. Representing a side of Fictionpress that would be responsible or looked upon for certain issues, and topics that this site is often known to handle. (I am mainly speaking of the essay section here, because there is where most often one gets to be subjective and speak their mind on any subject.) These thought groups I thought would be where writers of the same mind can share their agendas into a concerted effort to effect positively or negatively what was being discussed or analysed. Such as what we think about the current state of the digital music industry, or what the loopholes in lobbying to your government representative are. Or even to go as far as to recreate certain theories applied to visual media, such as films and stuff, and the one key which would characterise our intentions would be development on the written. Our credentials would be from our reputation we have here. Our achievements, and accomplishments would be from our written works. How far has the current set-up encouraged this?

I came to the conclusion that the strength we have represented by the D.I.Y (do-it-yourself) style posting, became the weakness; our anonymity to each other on the larger scale.

But then if there is no organisation so what? I am still discovering things to this site a year later. Maybe these thought-groups, factions off-shoot forums do exist. I wouldn't be surprised. But then I resigned to the truth that as much as I admire the set up here the gem of this site is that nothing is forced. Our creative handling of both the technical set-up, and the writing styles we have to this site is free from profit, and free from force. Whatever happens, happens I guess. We get out what we put in. It's me it is you, it is everyone here.

How it has helped me develop.

To whiz through diverse subjects at lightning speed. I am not sure if this is a good or bad thing. One other thing I feared would happen that hasn't so far is that I have not seen dear subjects devalued just because they are posted in volumes.

Writing here has encouraged me to write a play. My actual first, I rate. I did so for the mere visual style or impression I got from the existing plays that I read here at the time. So again the technological set-up shaped the writing style of the literary field. The play I wrote here, and the ones I have read seem to have a literal rather than stage effect.

This site has also encouraged me to be gracious enough to review, keep it short, and not to expect reviews myself from the same player. On the flip side it exposed me to unlimited haters of President Bush. As if he is the individual who really runs things. Not to mention countless abortion and gay debates? Who said it was a cold world?