Outline

The Dream of a Ridiculous Plan
And I saw the whole thing… The dark air, thick and oppressive, flickered with feverish sparks of rage. A sickening feeling settled within me, deep enough to scratch my soul, a wordless torment, yet I must try to give it voice. It was the agony of a soul torn asunder, forced to accept fate, a moment when statues crumble, and you stand paralysed—not in protest, but in mute, bitter astonishment. Above all, the question gnaws: why? Why this descent? The anger festers, aimed at those ensconced in their lofty offices, their eyes cold and remote, who, by design or neglect, have led us here, to the precipice.
By Oliver Millward9 days ago in Critique
Prince Charming II
Introduction This is for Sasha Desideri's "A Very Vocal Beauty Pageant — Unofficial Challenge", which you can check out here:
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 18 days ago in Critique
AI Is Flooding Web Fiction — But It Still Can’t Write the Human Heart
AI Writing Share at 74.5%: The Ecological Split Behind a Number “Tomato’s AI writing share is 74.5%; Qidian’s is only 10%.”
By Jinabout a month ago in Critique
No Redemption for Andy Dufresne
The Shawshank Redemption is one of those films that sits comfortably in the upper echelons of the movie talkie colour picture. It's become shorthand for the greatest film ever made—or GOAT, as the kids insist on calling it.
By Paul Stewart2 months ago in Critique
Keep Criticism Constructive
Introduction Vocal has four new Communities, and although they are not for me, I feel I need to have at least one post in each Vocal Community and I can always find a reason to write about almost any subject.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 3 months ago in Critique
Here's A Tip
Introduction I haet writing these things, and I feel I share more useful information about Vocal than Vocal does, both good and bad. This is a bad, I am afraid
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 3 months ago in Critique
Hidden in Plain Sight
The headaches had been getting worse. Over the last few weeks they came one after another. These last three days had been a change; the headache just never went away.
By Alicia Anspaugh4 months ago in Critique
The Words I've Refused To Say. Runner-Up in Not Quite There Yet Challenge.
A couple of years ago, I went through an extremely complicated friend break up that spiraled me into a different type of depression that I had never felt before. I will not be getting into the specifics, but while I was recovering, I wrote lots of poems and even had plans to format them into a book.
By Annie4 months ago in Critique
The Birth, Dissection & Evolution of a Story Never Written
For as long as I’ve had the desire to entertain readers with creative fiction writing, I’ve had a mermaid tale in my mind, just dying to come to life. It started out as a simple story idea, but has gradually evolved into something much greater.
By Justiss Goode4 months ago in Critique
Imposter Syndrome. Runner-Up in Not Quite There Yet Challenge.
Indecisive. That’s what I am. What should we have for dinner? What film should we watch? Don’t ask me. It’s not that I don’t have an opinion, especially when it comes to writing a story – In fact, I have so many ideas it's the equivalent of spinning countless metaphorical plates. But choosing one? Well, I might as well be Greek.
By Sian N. Clutton4 months ago in Critique
The Novel That Bit Me. Honorable Mention in Not Quite There Yet Challenge.
Fir the Next Great (American) Novel challenge (which, despite the title, didnae actually huv tae be American), Ah hud two ideas an' two entries. Baith included Glasgow as almost a central character. One wis heavily inspired by Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh an' a real-life experience that happened many years afore Ah started writing.
By Paul Stewart4 months ago in Critique
Detective Kali
I began the story after meeting a who stated that I look like a character that they thought they had made up. Eventually, I was approached with the idea for writing it, and I was so excited because I wanted to make sure that I approached my writing with a very diverse that reflected the world that I grew up in my personal experiences or things that I just simply witnessed.
By Cadma4 months ago in Critique