This post by @scholaris really means something to me personally as it feels like it reflects the pattern of my own growth and experiences as a person and here on the Hive. I always strive to write something of quality and often refrain if I feel I don't have anything to say. And so I apologise profusely in advance for the long comment here, which could be a post in itself, and if anyone is offended by my insistence on leaving it here instead as a direct response to @scholaris, then please scroll on by🙏

I started on Hive writing about crypto....argh... only because I thought that is what the community demanded. I was so wrong and so bad at it!!! Looking back, I feel like I was just respinning. Bad huh?Fortunately, I only wrote one or two articles in that vein and I even wrote a short cameo story about it lol. Now there is nothing wrong with writing about crypto, but it was inauthentic content for me having very little experience in the field. Maybe in time, I might feel the need to write something in this field but for now, it is something I 'do', not something I write about as a central theme. When I engage with new authors I try to encourage them from the outset to be real and write from within so that they share the real them with the world through their writings.

The first time I truly connected with anyone on Hive was when I wrote from within myself, for myself, about something that filled me with passion. After all, the reason I had come to Hive was to write more regularly so that I could get back to my book project. And so the realisation hit that I was only happy writing if I was writing something meaningful to me. And in doing so I started connecting with people authentically and it felt good.

I mix things up with WOTW entries because some weeks the word just does not spark anything creative in me, try as I might, and so then I'll do a more discursive entry instead, and at other times there's either an abstract or a story banging down the doors of my minds' corridors screaming to be let out, and all I can do is hope and pray that I somehow do it sufficient justice when it is released into the metaverse.

I have always loved both reading and writing. At junior primary (age 7) I was ahead of my years in terms of the level of reading content that I was consuming daily at a rapid pace, my thirst for stories and adventures held between the pages of books, seemingly unquenchable. My teacher put me in a group of 2 for reading time and kicked us out into the garden as we were a distraction to the rest of the class😂We were so bored with the books they were giving us to read that we used to read them with accents and try to translate them as we read too. We found it hilarious, but we were just bored. So I used to take books out of the school library and the community library that better met my needs. I also always had books at the top of any birthday or Christmas list that I was ever asked for by my parents or family and friends. I devoured words like a chocoholic devours chocolate. At the same time, my passion for writing bloomed and I wrote many short stories, poems, and essays throughout my school years. I was an active member of the school's junior and later senior debating teams and took part in the Alan Paton Literary Competition, with my paper on Johnny Clegg: The Musician as Contemporary Poet in South Africa.

I am now beyond appreciative and filled with gratitude daily that I can come into this space called the Hive and commune with such a wonderfully diverse group of people who all have a love for the written word in common. I agree wholeheartedly with everything that you have said in your article. Quality must be at the epicentre of all that we do here. Regardless of where we each are on our journey and in our own growth as authors, we can all ensure that we put out the best content that we are capable of at the time. We can all engage meaningfully with others and in doing so learn more about ourselves and our craft. We can all refrain from plagiarism. It's just not cool and often so easy to spot in the tell-tale differences in tone and language and word flow. @scholaris, blush if you must, but the humanness and humility of your own story (stories), your personal history, and your talents are so pervasive and inspiring to so many of us. You build connections and lead the way as true leaders should, a guiding light, instilling confidence, supporting others, and putting out exceptional quality content yourself in the process. It makes me so happy that you read so much with your children too. To be a fly on the wall... I am sure your stories are captivating. You deserve to be appreciated, so now you have to live with the fruits of your labour and the enduring praise that comes with it 😍😂🙏