Thursday 20 November 2008

One Minute Writing Winner

I don't suppose I'll get many opportunities to brag about my own writing accomplishments, so indulge me this little moment of glory.

At the top right of my blog page you'll see a button, announcing that I was a daily winner of the One Minute Writer Challenge. 

I came across this a week ago, idly browsing the Blog Buzz section. 

One Minute Writer is an idea so simple it's pure genius. Each day Beth Anderson, an American writer, posts a new topic onto her site (motto, 'You have 1,440 minutes a day. Use one of them to write.'). Contributors then have 60 seconds to offer a response. I can only think in verse for such a short response, so have been sending in 60 second poems. It's great fun. Really.

I have to admit to having become an OMW addict, not least because it means I can contribute quickly and then spend a few minutes browsing the excellent contributions that flood in.

If you click on the Winner's button at the top right hand side of my page it'll take you to my entry about vintage clothes. But do have a nosey through the other entries and daily topics. It doesn't take long and it's fascinating.

From an educational point of view, I'm enjoying the intellectual engagement with a new community. This seems to be social networking at a higher, more literate, level, and that's a great result of digital publishing technology enabling audiences to bypass the traditional closed-door approach of publishing houses. Sure, none of us are making any money, or at the most, I guess there are some making a paying hobby out if it, but the truth is that writing for an audience, to which you also belong, is an empowering and very positive experience.

Try it. You might like it....