Write On! started because of my frustration. It really was as simple as that. I was frustrated because all of the information on writing I could find anywhere on the internet fell into one of three groups: articles presented as authoritative, critique groups, and idle chit-chat between writers. Many sites mixed two of those types, a few mixed all three, but none of those three types were what I was looking for.

You could say that Write On! started out by defining itself with negatives. It is not a site for critiques. It is not a site merely for idle chit-chat (although that is permitted in the diaries). It is not a place to publish fiction. It is not a place where people's egos would be stroked as they were told how wonderful their clumsy first-draft writing was.

Over the course of the first year, I started trying to define it with positives, based on what I was looking for that other sites didn't have. It is a place to talk about writing topics beyond the basics. It is a place for in-depth discussions about specifics. It is a place that recognizes that good writing is subjective, and that the article isn't the final word on the subject.

I think that last one was the biggie. I found a lot of the articles on other sites quite interesting and often useful, but I so often wanted to ask for clarification of a point, or argue an assertion, or offer my take on some aspect of it. None of those articles provided a way to do that. I wanted a site that would have the structure and writing quality of those articles, but let people hash it out, talk about when it works and when it doesn't, argue points of opinion with the author—and not always come to a consensus, but at least clarify why those rules set out in the article are there, or why they don't always work, or any number of other things.

So I tried to strike a balance between writing quality articles and keeping the front page moving, so the site didn't look dead, or static. At the same time, though, a lot of articles with no comments doesn't exactly promote discussion. And discussion is what I wanted.

Along the way, other people seem to think this site has good articles too—English classes, composition classes, creative writing classes have linked to one article or another. I follow the links back from my referer log and I'm tremendously flattered to see an article I wrote being listed as one of three external resources for a class.

And yet all the students who follow the link don't comment. My Google pagrank is decent, and some of the articles on this site even appear in the top 10 results for a search on their specific topic, and people don't stick around.

I know that this is the bane of community sites everywhere—for every 10 people who read the site, one will make an account. For every 10 accounts, one will comment. But I sometimes have to wonder if the prevalence of the authoritative article/idle chit-chat style of site has led writers to simply not realize that they can reply to an article here, and that I'd love it if they offered their opinion on what was written. Even if they didn't agree. Hell, especially if they didn't agree.

What I'm trying to make, here, is not just another writer's discussion board. I'm trying to make a place for writers who are serious about improving their craft, not writers who want to be told they're great. I'm trying to make a place where I can talk about more advanced aspects of writing than "what is an antagonist, anyway?" and how to use the English language. No, I'm not trying to exclude new writers, I'm just trying to focus on the people who've already figured out the basics and are trying to get even better. Maybe it's elitist of me to say that I want to get mostly good writers here instead of just anybody. Maybe it is. And maybe the people who think that need to realize that in every other endeavour, some people are better than others, and they tend to congregate on the advanced topics, leaving the basics to people new to it all. Is it elitist to separate out the beginners from the moderately experienced from the experts, so each can learn what they need in order to improve?

So, you made it all the way through my ramblings. Thank you. And if I could have a few minutes more of your time, can you let me know what it is about this site that keeps you coming back? If you are a regular contributor, what prompts you to post? If you normally lurk, please break your silence for just one post and let me know what keeps you coming here? Anonymous post or with an account, I'd love to hear from you. Do you share my vision for this site? Or (horrible thought) am I alone in this?

I want this site to reflect my passion for writing. I also want to share it with others who feel the same way.