When Helium announced their write-athon contest, I thought OK I'll have some of that. Then I thought, what on earth am I going to write about?

I've been involved in many excursions in my life that could make for reasonable reading, but it is difficult to single one out and produce anything reasonably appropriate for the Helium audience.

I had somewhat of a dilemma. I hold a good library of personal experiences, but just what do the Helium audience want to know about. Of course we can search the topics, but which topic am I searching for.

Then I saw that Helium had set a criteria for rewarding new input within the write-athon contest, which included maintaining a rating reputation which is an imperative component towards gaining financial rewards for this competition. Of course I have been an active participant within the rating process on Helium since joining nearly one year ago, but have never seen this activity as being any more than an essential component of the Helium machine.

So, I started rating like mad to earn my stars, and there came the answer to my dilemma. As I started rating I came across articles, which I recognized within my own collection of experiences. Here was something I could write about, so I put the current rating on hold, opened my word-processor and commenced writing within the topic I was in the process of rating.

I was now seeing the rating process as an aid memoir from which to gather and sift through, my own library of material to find an experience or knowledge to present to the topic.

I am writing more profusely now than at any time prior to January 2008, simply because I am taking part more in the rating activity. If you look at my profile under the articles' tab, you will clearly see the effect that this has had on my output quota.

However, I do find the act of proof-reading my own work very difficult, as I have no one here to do it for me, but then I do realize that proof-reading ones own work is a problem that is no doubt shared by many Helium writers. Isn't it strange that one can proof-read the writings of others, and find it a relatively easy task, but when it comes to ones own work it is an entirely different matter.

So, along with other authors, I look at where I am on the scoreboard, and take it from there. Only once have I received a flag from a fellow writer pointing out the use of a negative word, which was out of place in one of my earlier works, I can't thank that fellow member enough for making that effort (and have told him so). I just wish that this action was practiced more widely.

I strongly recommend that you look upon the rating process as a source for writing, as well as the obvious intent, to assist others within this community in the advancement of their writing abilities

Should you find yourself suffering from writers block, then get yourself rating.

Learn more about this author, Keen Johns.
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