Structure

The Vampire Who Had Everything Except a Personality
There are books people love because they are beautifully written. There are books people love because they tell a story they needed at exactly the right moment. Then there are books that become cultural events so enormous that questioning their greatness begins to feel vaguely impolite. Twilight belongs to that last category.
By Nolan Reed2 months ago in Critique
The Terrarium at 11 PM
I was about to pick the mealworm out with my tweezers when it crawled right between the spider’s two front legs. The spider arched up, lifted its whole body off the substrate, let the worm pass underneath and out the back, then settled back down. About half a minute later, it suddenly turned around and grabbed the worm by the head.
By Jin2 months ago in Critique
The Messenger
The messenger’s name was Oren Redwood, and he had outlived both his wives, three horses, and the better part of his own conscience.
By Stephanie Wright2 months ago in Critique
My Fake Success
Introduction This is just about some numbers that have occurred recently, so nothing special. The main image is me with the cover of "Space Hymns" by Ramases (original pressing). I won't say how much I paid but I got it for a lot less than I expected. You can check it out here:
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 2 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 2 months ago in Critique
TikTok Deserves Less Praise Than It Receives
TikTok has become one of the most celebrated forms of entertainment in modern culture. People speak about its algorithm with the admiration once reserved for groundbreaking inventions. Fans claim it knows their interests better than friends do. Creators praise its ability to launch careers overnight. Businesses invest millions chasing viral moments. News organizations rely upon it to reach younger audiences. Teachers, chefs, musicians, comedians, authors, and photographers all compete for space inside an endless stream of short videos.
By Nolan Reed3 months ago in Critique
Today I Will Not
Introduction Yesterday I published three challenge entries and shared them in various Facebook Groups including Vocal Social Society (that I administer) and Great Incantations (where I just make up the numbers)
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 3 months ago in Critique
Reconsidering The Situation Again
Introduction This is essentially kicked off by Mark Graham, a free Vocal Creator who said he is still getting paid for reads, when a part of the Vocal announcement was that free users would no longer get paid, which I think is wrong. Mark is very supportive, and because he is getting read is bringing in new readers to the Vocal platform.
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
Twelve Days Unverified
Introduction On June 29, 2026, we received a banner stating that changes were being implemented on the Vocal platform. Since then, there have been a lot of issues, and many seriious ones have still not been addressed.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 3 months ago in Critique
Permission
The cursor blinked beneath a sentence I had already deleted eleven times. My father cried only once. Delete. I knew it was true.
By Aarsh Malik3 months ago in Critique
My Self-Critique of My Writing Battle Entry (Part Deux)
This is a breakdown of my most recent entry into the Writing Battle that didn’t make it out of the peer judging round. I recommend reading it before you dive into my self-critique of why it doesn’t work because nothing says, “Hey go read this!” quite like leading off with, "Hey this didn’t actually place so it might not be very good!”
By Matthew J. Fromm3 months ago in Critique