INTERVIEW WITH JILLI


THE CHANNEL

By:   Scriptress & Jilli

With a lot of help I managed to register my nick,   then set about registering my channel.  #the_WritersClub was registered February 2, 1997.   I chose the name because, to me,   it gave me visions of people sitting around in a comfortable place within a friendly atmosphere chatting,   pleasantly laughing and enjoying the fellowship of everyone there.

About the first person I met on DALnet was Vagen.   I ran into him ... litterally, (virtually)   mistaking him for someone else because of his name,   I gave him a big hug,  thinking one of my friends from Efnet had found me here.   He thought I was a   'very friendly lady'.   By the time we had the mistaken identity straightened out he had become a new friend and Vagen was the first OP on   #the_writersclub.   Though he isn't a writer,   he is interested in others writing as his s/o is also a writer.   Vagen,   a dynamic salesperson,   always lifts the human spirit with encouragement and has confidence in your ability to do whatever you set out to do.   He is still an OP on the channel.

Silverwind came next to the club.   He was only sixteen then.   He never talked about his writing but hung around quietly,   though it does seem to me he talked more in those days than he does now.   We sort of adopted him. He was our youngest writer at that time.

Writers started drifting to the channel,   but best of all, they returned!   The channel was still very young when a writer started coming by with the nick   'written'.   He was a poet though he said he hadn't been writing anything lately.   One day he asked if he could show us a poem he had penned and we said that he could.   After reading it,   we encouraged him to continue his writing and to show us more.

Several weeks later   'written'   came to the channel,   very excited and happy.   He had entered his poetry in a Poetry Contest and it was a runner up in the finals.   "I had quit writing before I came here to this channel,   in fact,   all my poetry had been stored in a box for about five years under my bed. You all were so encouraging to me that I got it out and I began writing again.   I would never have entered this contest if it hadn't been for you people here giving me encouragement,"   he said.

I guess we were all about ten feet tall that day as we shared   'written's' happy enthusiasm and congratulated him.

**********

Jilli offered to warm the reporter's cup of chocolate.

"No, thank you.   Have to watch my waistline, you know,"   said the reporter patting her ample middle.   "I admit to having visited some of the other channels for writers,   doing research for this article.   And your descriptions of what they offer is right on. I also visited your channel the other day. Found an average of about ten people chatting over an hour's time. They all seemed to know one another, even though I understood at least one person was visiting for the first time. By that I mean, the conversation was easy-going, sometimes funny, sometimes serious, but all of it was very relaxed."

Jilli smiled.   "That is what I hope everyone finds in our channel.   I have to thank the channel operators of the writers club for that. Our channel has 14 Op's now.   Each contributing in their own way to the writers club and it's success. Each volunteering their time,   their experience,   their unique style and personalities to help it continue. Without these people the channel would not be the success it is.   Their interest and dedication is beyond any expectations.   They are the best.   They defend it,   contribute to it,   and keep it open,   some staying as long as ten or twelve hours to greet and chat with those that come there.   Others give what time their busy lives allow them to give,   some in one way,   some in another,   but all help the writers club continue and support it's purpose and goal. They give their help and time freely.

#the_WritersClub OP's

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