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Me, I find it amazing that our Web Mistress Erin has taken it upon her shoulders to create this unique site known as Big Closet/Top Shelf.
According to the copyright, this site has been here since June of 2005. Now, I know that at times, that the site has experienced difficulties, but Erin, Bob Arnold, Sephrena, and others have sacrificed their time and money to keep this site going.
Erin has purposefully made this a a place to discuss, read, and post T.G. fiction, and many of the authors from other sites have made Big Closet/Top Shelf their home.
And Erin has helped many a new author to hone their skills as they create their own story universes and characters. In fact, quite a few authors have created multiple stories that they keep going and a few have completed stories.
Me, I have found many a friend here who I am honored to know, many of them, new authors. Yes, I do have my quirks, as can be seen in my stories, and blogs. But I am honored to be a part of this family.
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BigCloset Anniversary
This month is actually BC's tenth anniversary. :) TopShelf has been around for 4.5 years but BC has been around for ten!
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Soon to be 8 Million
I see from the counter at the bottom of the page that the 8 million mark is soon to be reached. I've been watching over the past few weeks as the number has quickly climbed towards yet another impressive milestone.
Congatulations to Erin and everyone else who has made this such a sucessful, friendly and popular site.
Michelle B
Don't forget the readers!
We may not have the literary prowess to actually write stories, but we're a vital part of the formula too!
After all, how would you authors know whether you'd written a literary turkey or a masterpiece without our votes and comments?! :)
And in the case of some stories / authors, the comments sections seem to take on a life of their own - with discussion not only of the story to date but speculation about future plot developments (which no doubt amuses the authors - especially if we're paddling up the wrong creek, so to speak!), tongue-in-cheek moans about Yet Another Cliffhanger (TM), possible tie-ins to either real life or other story universes (inevitably if magic or superpowers are involved, the name of a certain New Hampshire boarding school gets invoked!), etc.
Not to mention responses to author blogs - sympathy and "Get well soon" messages if they're ill, messages of encouragement if they're feeling frustrated, and the inevitable "Don't worry! We'll wait for you!" when they claim they feel they're letting everyone down because they haven't posted a story update on schedule.
OK, admittedly we're not perfect, and can occasionally get locked in flame wars over certain "hot potatoes" (much to the dismay of Erin & the site management team), but for the majority of the time we remain civil, friendly and encouraging...
...even if it's completely random, incomprehensible gibberish :D
(Come on, I had to get my self-deprecating statement in there somewhere! Besides which, who else would put a completely pointless and oxymoronic statement in their signature? Or choose an almost unpronounceable nickname?)
--Ben
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
I don't find it difficult
to pronounce Ben - some of the readers are stranger than the authors!
Angharad
Angharad
Angharad is easy to pronounce ...
it's the SPELLINH that gets me. Um spelling.
John in Wauwatosa
That's jon in wa wa toe sa with an emphasis on the *toe* And there is no "wes* in Wisconsin.
Congrads on ten to BC whenever the actual anversary is.
John in Wauwatosa
Bring Back Wes!!!!
I am dismayed to learn that that lovable character Wes has apparently been hounded out of Wisconsin. Although never having had the pleasure of his acquaintance, his many amusing, and frequently charitable, deeds have come to symbolise all that is best in the American ideal to us this side of the Atlantic.
Wisconsin, although no doubt a worthy, albeit somewhat obscure, location, will I am sure come to bitterly regret the banishment of this their most, indeed possibly only, famous son.
John in Whatsoever does not alas go into details of the this tragic event so do we know if such a decision is irreversible. May I therefore, on behalf of Wes' many admirers world wide, ask him, as Wisconsin's second most renowned inhabitant, to intercede on his behalf?
Your country needs men like Wes! The world awaits!
Well, This Is A First For Me :)
To have a blog generate such a response. Yes, there are the unsung heroes of this site ; the administrators, editors, and readers, as well as the many unregistered readers who simply stop to read without registering.
Then there are the 'In Memoriam' alumni who have passed beyond this mortal veil into the glory of Heaven. Each of our dearly departed will me missed as we remember them when we read their stories.
When Erin created the tribute to our friends, I never thought that I'd be seeing one who I came to love as a sister in the category. That is one of the many wonderful things that makes this site 'home' for so many.
But there is one very sad fact about Big Closet/Top Shelf, the authors and members who have left.
Now, I am NOT talking about an author who might pull a story when it goes on sale , or edits it, I am talking about those who have pulled their stories and left for whatever reason.
When that happens, I know that Erin and Sephy both are saddened, and wonder what could have been done differently. But, as in any family, such happens. I am glad that we get along with only the occasional need for Erin or Sephy to get on to us.
May Your Light Forever Shine
May Your Light Forever Shine