Way back in January of 2013, I made a promise to myself to pick up my quill and start writing creatively again.

In high school and university, I took to crafting stories, poems and plays with gusto, but had no intention of pursuit past leisurely escape. Life happened, and like so many early ambitions, I stopped listening to my muse.

Beginning with responding to writing prompts at Writer’s Digest, I quickly got my feet wet and discovered to my delight that I truly loved and missed writing.

But I wanted more. Sure, I could write. It’s part of what I do professionally. The learner in me needed to connect with other people, to learn, share and grow as a fledgling wordsmith.

After a hunt around the interwebs, I found Writer’s Carnival and joined in late-April 2013. The site was barely a month old and had only 150 members. It now boasts over 2000 members, 5000 posts and 60000 comments.

What attracted me was the abundance of thoughtful feedback authors were getting on their posted works. It wasn’t just a bunch of backslaps and attaboys. Writers just like me were getting honest-to-goodness quality feedback on how to improve their craft.

So, I dived right in and haven’t looked back.

I’ve written more than a 100 pieces of fiction, prose and verse, over the last 15 months and have received quality feedback on each and every one. I pay it forward by reviewing as many others as I can.

By reading and reviewing others with a critical eye, I become better at my own writing and editing skills.

I’ve learned so much and made many friends.

Currently, I help as part of the admin team with Writer’s Carnival, contribute to the site’s Writing Tips blog and will be teaching a class on their Writer’s Carnival Classes site this coming June. I partnered with the site’s zombie-loving founder, Anisa, on a sister project called Reader’s Carnival that showcases the very best of the indie authors at WC.

• Writer’s Carnival — http://www.writerscarnival.ca
• Writer’s Carnival Classes — http://www.writerscarnivalclasses.ca
• WC Writing Tips — http://wcwritingtips.tumblr.com
• Reader’s Carnival — http://www.readerscarnival.ca

Photo by after-the-party