A Vocal Game of Lost and Found

I've been sort of 'missing' for a few months on Vocal, and today, I'm happy to say that this problem has been fixed. I've been missing not because I haven't been writing, but because I couldn't be found on the platform. Confused? Me, too.

If you're a follower of mine, you've probably seen several of my posts published over the last few weeks, including a whole slew of haikus. These were not only fun, but reminded me of my dear love of Basho and the wisdom to be found in his collection of haikus, The Narrow Road to the Interior (or おくのほそ道 for my Japanese readers). My rediscovery of my love for short form poetry helped earn me a nod with a runner-up win in the Quadra-Haiku Challenge, for "Fickle":

It was around this time when I noticed that things weren't working as it seemed. I was delighted to see my haiku featured in Vocal's article about the challenge, but dismayed because I couldn't read it. Despite my best efforts, both my poem and profile weren't displayed, and it took two months to fix it. I'm still not entirely sure what the bug was, but between Remy from support, and what sounds like a whole team of developers, they sorted out the issue. And I'm so grateful they did!

During those two months though, I never stopped writing. I did stop getting the same level of engagement with my readers, and that's what I think I missed the most. There are several places we can write online, and they each have their pros and cons. Compared to other platforms in a similar space, Vocal is still relatively small. But in that 'smallness', there is something great to found: community. And it was noticeably missed in the last few months. Part of the joy of writing on a place like this is the interaction.

Sometimes, we may feel like we are publishing into the void, but I think things transformed dramatically on the platform when Vocal introduced the feature to comment. It's been a pleasure to see the evolution of the site, too, with more ways writers and readers alike can give feedback on our body of work.

Writers write for themselves, but it can be great to be able to give and receive comments on our latest piece. Especially as there is a breadth of writers with different levels of experience, it can be helpful to have a 'sounding board' of sorts. Maybe you're a published author who is used to writing historical fiction, but you want to experiment with writing romance. Vocal gives you a way to do that without running the risk of alienating your existing audience. Plenty of published authors have written under various pen names for different types of work, and there is a certain freedom this allows. We can write without feeling restricted by our past writing, perhaps our brand or demographic, and feel open to sharing this with the world.

Any writer will tell you that often the writing is the easy part. It's sharing that writing with the rest of the world that requires real vulnerability. If we bring our works into the light of day, we open ourselves up to the masses. And anyone that has been on the Internet for more than give minutes can attest to the potential for mine fields. Anonymity online can often mean that strangers may sling mud with no fear of retribution, free to share their unfettered opinions of your work. But those same anonymous strangers are equally capable of giving support and encouragement--perhaps even an idea for a new plot line for your next chapter. You will never know if you don't try. And that is the power of community.