Vocal Heroes, I choose you

It takes great courage to bare ones soul, fully knowing that we are releasing our innermost and deepest pain, sorrow, shame, joy, disappointments and even failures, for all to see. Yet we do so every day, on this writing platform.

This is Vocal. Year 2022.

My tribute is to the heroes of Vocal Media. Everyday they put pen to paper, literally and figuratively, and reach deep into their hearts and souls to find the gems that are hidden within.

I know from experience how difficult it is to write some of the articles and challenges that are required to pass muster and become published. Some are an absolute joy to delve into and mold to create a delightful masterpiece, even if you are the only one who thinks it is, in fact, a masterpiece.

I applaud the courage that allows us all to release from our treasured and much secreted vaults, the stories that evince so much pain and agony that it takes many attempts, deleted paragraphs, rewritten and deleted many times before the final decision to print the words is arrived at.

You, the writers of Vocal are my heroes. Brave knights and their female counterparts, the Chevalières, ( I reiterate, female knights). I specifically found this tiny bit of knowledge very enervating, knowing that even long before women were appreciated for their strength, fierceness, courage and cunning, they had a formal name, we learn as we research for our articles. I applaud your bravery as you continue to march to the sound of your own storied drums.

Female writers, the world is moving, as it has always been, away from a male centric dominated genre, the movies and television shows are now inundated with strong bad-assed female lead roles. The world will need strong stories to continue this well deserved occurrence. Let us create some roles that do not necessarily wear costumes and capes. High fives all around to us ladies. It is time to shine in our own domain and encourage each other to create and surpass ourselves in strength and unity.

Male writers, we love you all, it is strength of character and self acceptance that enables you to let the animal inside you loose and be tame whenever you desire it to be. We are very much aware of how proud men can be about baring their feelings for anyone to see. We appreciate, with humility and tenderness the man who possesses the qualities of masculine strength and sensitivity, or whichever gender role he desires to play, and tempers it with kindness of heart, a heart that he is willing to open and share.

Facilitators of Vocal, you are there, in your unseen glory, allowing nothing, not Pandemic, Endemic, Storms, Deaths, or threats of life, to deter you from your intended goal of publishing our stories. Though we amuse, bore, question, quarrel, judge, disagree or alarm you with our sometimes great stories, or mediocre, good, bad or downright awful stories, you are there, undeterred and determined to be our literary parents. You scold us, advise us, correct us, and steer us to our legal and correct paths. Thank you all.

There is a unique color or intonation which defines each author and her or his choice of style and presentation. Each approaching their art with the hope of making individual blank canvases burst into life with new ideas and forms which are of their own creations. Crafting and honing your stories with diligence and care, in the hope of enticing the readers with your carefully curated words and ideas.

With each story is born an artist, a lover, a critic, a teacher, a parent, a composer, a narrator, a victim, a killer, an antagonist, a friend, an inner child or a confused adult. The list goes on, bringing to life new literary horizons to transcend and which serves to invigorate and titillate the flow of creative thought processes.

Writing is not a predictable art form. We have to weave the pieces together, much like a loom, intertwining the right words and phrases in such a way that the expectation of the reader is seen in the same light that we envision our story, so will the reader understand and commiserate with the theme and intent, and accept the final compilation with interest and a smile, with alarm, or maybe shed a tear.

Fiction is much easier to write than factual events. Fiction is ones imagination taking wings of fanciful flight and soaring to delightful fairytale-like worlds. The narrative finds myriad relationships between the real and the imaginary worlds and allows for ephemeral, fleeting and short-lived flavors of life to be sampled and enjoyed.

From the transitory story of the unreal or fiction, to the writing of factual event, there is a great divide. The assumptions, beliefs and attitudes that are required to define the depth of the sensory pain and agony of narrating, and offering the words of truth to unknown readers, can be extremely terrifying. The questions of 'what if'' arises.

'What if I am judged'. What if my story is unacceptable, rejected, censored. It is already out there for someone to see. My pain, my shame, my joy, my sorrow. Still, we accept the challenge and present our hearts and souls to be bared and hopefully not judged, but be accepted into the fold with open and caring arms.

If I might paraphrase Parker Palmer.

Writing, like any activity, emerges from our inwardness, for better or worse. As I write, I project the condition of my soul onto my readers, as a way of our being together.

"Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one’s inwardness, for better or worse. As I teach, I project the condition of my soul onto my students, my subject, and our way of being together." Quote by Parker Palmer, 'Courage to Teach'.

As we write we do the same thing, we project ourselves in what we say, for better or worse. We transport our readers to worlds and destinations that we hope will deflect them from the regular humdrum of the everyday, to the mystical, imaginary and hopefully exciting otherworldly and fantastical happy places.

THE MOST IMPORTANT REASON OF ALL FOR ME TO CHOOSE THESE HEROES.

MY SANITY.

Were it not for my discovery of Vocal Media at the beginning of the Pandemic, where I could lose myself in pretending to be a writer, I would have sunk into a deep depression. Being on my own, and far away from family, was very distressing. I am very grateful to have found a place to creatively funnel my thoughts and channel my Chi.

I have, through research and ideas of others on this forum, become better at formulating my ideas and thoughts to arrive at more cohesive stories. I am still growing in this area as I learn from you all.

Posting my stories on other platforms has not been a priority for me, it is a little daunting. I am getting better at it. This is the year of change and I promise to be the fierce female that I am encouraging everyone to be.

A toast to the new year and rediscovering the writing genius inside all of us.

May we strive to remain positive, no matter what the universe keeps throwing at us.

To all the heroes of Vocal Media. A toast to many more stories, and the love of our newfound family.

May success be the cornerstone in our literary journey together.

CHEERS!

N.A.