Others have evolved from their original charter to allow a wide variety of discussion to take place. Although there are many professional writers among MW's contributors, participation is by no means limited to professionals. Everyone is welcome. So you may find people discussing politics, computers, the antics of their pets, or just indulging in pleasant exchanges with their on-line friends, in addition to the many and varied writing topics. This very important function is perhaps best summed up in the following words of a long-standing member of the MW community, Wendy Chatley Green, in reply to someone who raised an issue about the nature of the newsgroup.
Writing is a very solitary activity.
We sit at computers and craft sentences. Since we work at home and the other members of our families are at school or jobs, there is no one to talk to, no one to interrupt our work, no one to ask us to stop for a cup of coffee or lunch at the local cafe. This is why we love this newsgroup. At any time, there are many topics and posts, which give reasons to ignore the boring tech paper, the stalled short story, the percolating but not yet perfect poem. Everyone needs a break and misc.writing provides us one.