The Ink Well Call for Community Builders
In the September newsletter, The Ink Well subscribers were updated about some big changes and opportunities, presented by 
The newsletter got me very excited about where this community is heading, and the potential there is for actually having impact. And then there was the introduction of Community Builders - a new vacancy at The Ink Well, focussing on growing engagement and offering support to community members and visitors. We all have till October 15th to apply, so don't miss out on the opportunity!
The Community is looking for Builders who are:
- Chatty and friendly and enjoy interacting in the community
- Knowledgeable about the community (and love writing)
- Interested in building the community and increasing participation
In this post I'll present my application and tell you why I'd love to be a Community Builder at the Ink Well.
An application isn't complete without some personal introduction. So adding some pictures (with random doodles - I always like to add something imaginative to whatever is going on). This is last summer, watching the sunset in front of our house. My husband and I live next to the river Maas, in the heart of Rotterdam.
Three Years on the Hive Blockchain
Below one of my recent posts, I received a comment, congratulating me with three years on the Hive blockchain. Which is true - I started this account that long ago. But of those three years, there's a gap of one and a half where I wasn't active.
When I started out here, I looked around and saw bloggers earning decent amounts of cash with every post. And I'll be honest - I wanted that too. There were so many topics successful people were writing about, and I thought that if I'd cover similar topics, maybe people would appreciate my posts also. Never as a copycat, I've always made my own content and always wrote about things that are really dear to me, that I'm excited about.
I did photography related posts, health stuff, posts about the amazing architecture here in Rotterdam like the Kubuswoningen and the Markthallen and the bridges we live in between of, recipes for fermenting foods or for making your own facial cream, and about one of my BIG hobbies - Ultimate Frisbee. In short, I was all over the place. And I enjoyed writing my articles, but would feel very disappointed if something I had put a lot of time into went unnoticed.
When I got a new and demanding job, I didn't find the time to post anymore. But I think an important factor in taking a break from the Hive blockchain, was that at that time, I was driven mostly by the success of my posts. Which wasn't enough to make me stick around. To do something, and keep going at it even if results are off for a while, it needs to have a purpose that I actually believe in.
Preparing dessert for friends, a rhubarb pie.
Back with a Purpose
And that's why, since a few months, I'm back. I finally figured out what it is I want to be on this Blockchain for. I have stories, in my head, some on paper. When I write, I feel like the world is my oyster. Literally - I can make up worlds and spend time in them, create characters who move around in them, who go through experiences and unexpected turns of events. And I have ideas that I would really love to turn into something good.
As I'm putting more time into writing, I've realised there's a lot involved in getting better at it. There is reading tips and following courses and growing in theoretical understanding. There is the part where you sit down and put your ideas into words, and then read it back and refine your story.
And then there is the part where you need to know what others think about what you've written. Whether what you're telling makes sense to them, is relatable, fun and exciting to read, or not. As writers, we need feedback! Ideally, we connect to others who are also aspiring te be (better) writers. And as we share our stories with the world, we hope to get a general idea about how they are received by a larger audience.
This means that a lot of what it takes to become better at writing, involves other people! A community, interacting. Wanting to be part of and contribute to building a community like that, brought me back to Hive after one and a half year. And it's what gives me a purpose here, that is much larger than just writing a successful post now and then. I'm here to learn, and to connect, to grow together.
We went to Avifauna this week, a park with its own idealistic purpose (among others) of taking in birds that need shelter.
The Actual Application Part
So this is why I think I'd be a great Community Builder:
- Yes, I think I'm chatty and friendly. I love interacting in the community, and also have a great reason to want to do so: if this could actually grow into a vibrant, active place, where (aspiring) writers interact and give feedback on each other's work, then that would be of great help to me personally, and to many others, I'm sure of it. I would be proud to contribute to that!
- The many things involved in becoming a better writer, like I listed them above - these are all things I'm looking into, learning about, developing experience in. I'm not an established writing professional, not at all. But I think that the tips and insights I'm coming across as a newcomer to the field, could be of use to other newcomers, and I'd be happy to share them. And of course, if people visit the community or are looking for some general information, I'd love to direct them to the places where they can learn more.
- So yes, I'm definitely interested in building the community and increasing participation. As I said, the plans described recently by
I'll finish this off like I would any application:
Looking forward to hear from you soon!
Yours truly,
Mirte
