by A. H. Manjikian

Created on: February 25, 2009

I have a ton of bookmarks in Firefox. I only have ten sites that are in my quick dial. A site does not end up there by accident. It means that I need quick access to the site and want to see what is going on with it even before I take the time to visit it. Helium is one of those sites.

I love visiting Helium because I never know what I will find on the front page or where my browsing will take me. The diverse topics, articles, and writing styles make learning new stuff fun. I also tend to trust what I am learning a little more because there is a name and story associated with the information being presented.

I love rating what other Helium writers write. The act of rating exposes me to more stuff on Helium than if I were to just go browsing or searching because there is a random factor in what is shown. I also like knowing that my rating helps dictate how articles are ranked, so that, pardon the cliche, the cream rises to the top.

Ranking is also helping me understand my value as a writer. It means that people are taking the time to read just maybe a few lines and in that time they have heard part of my voice and story. By rating what they have seen, they are giving me an objective measurement of how I really compare to other writers, instead of the subjective one I put myself through every time I go to the bookstore.

Writing is the main reason I keep coming back. Sure there are other sites wanting people to write content for them. I have looked a few, but I like how well Helium is organized. Also, new titles keep popping up that inspire and intrigue. There is the money, too, but it not really a driving factor.

There are a number of reasons I started writing before Helium. The biggest one is the fact that I promised someone I would continue writing and not give up on it after I had shown her my work. Before then, I wrote because I had to in school. And when I did write for pleasure, it seemed fun at the time, but silly later, so I usually ended up throwing it away. This friend made me stop because she made me give her my word that I would no longer do that.

So I embarked on a journey of writing a horse novel because I thought there were not enough of them out there. I tried to get the book published, but that was probably a mistake because the novel was more about me yelling at the world than telling a good horse story. I was going through a lot of stuff with friends and family and the only way I could express myself was through my writing. As I said, though, it

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>