Last year was an amazing ride for me on Vocal. I went from mostly silent to publishing almost 36k words here (not counting all the crap writing that didn't make it)! Twenty-four stories, seven of which made top story, one that made runner up for one of the challenges, and one that made it to the final round for Vocal's annual writing awards. I feel so blessed. It's hard to put into words the euphoria one feels when seeing something they've worked hard on being enjoyed and at times praised by people who don't owe you a thing.
A lot of my Vocal achievements are owed to some of the really cool writers I've met on this platform. People like Dharrsheena who are not only great writers but are willing to leave positive feedback and comments. People like L.C. that want to read, that seek out other good authors and recommend their stories. People like Judy and Mackenzie who encourage collaborations between writers or come up with challenges of their own to hone your skills on. I've read solid fiction, poetry, critiques, heart wrenching true stories, how-to's and how-do-you-do's, blogs, and even recipes. This site is bursting with amazing talents. Just knowing that some of these writers also enjoy my work feels like an incredible achievement to me.
I also self-published my first full novel, over 94k words to Amazon's Kindle Vella and Wattpad. Though I took it down from both sites after a few months, that novel will always be special to me. With it I was able to experience many things that first time novelists do, such as paying to have it edited, writing a query letter and paying someone to go over it. Finding beta readers and marketing, building social media pages and even my own website. I submitted around 50 queries to agents and so far I've tallied about 30 rejection letters.
But that doesn't discourage me. Someday I'll experience the thrill of being published too.
Writing on vocal has taught me to appreciate the writing process for what it is: A learning curve. For me, it's been a fun experience. In the past, my writing stayed within the genre lines of horror and dark fantasies, but last year, I wrote a few poems and haikus, dabbled in comedy and mystery, pushed myself to step outside my comfort zone. I am a better writer now than I was in 2023. I will continue to get better. I'm actually enjoying a lot of what I write!
This year, I want to do more. I'd like to dabble a bit in romance and tragedy, sharpen my skills in poetry, learn to write lyrics for songs. I want to have at least 12 top stories, 3 runner ups and win a challenge. I'd like to grow my fan base. I want to push myself to write more, at least a little every day. Vocal challenges are great for encouraging that. I'm working on a new novel, and I'd like to have that finished before autumn this year.
Last, but far from least, I'd like to continue to be supportive of the fantastic writers here. To that end, I'm committing to reading at least 15 Vocal stories per week. Everytime I see a new, wonderful story, it motivates me to write more too. I already try to leave supportive comments, but let me know if you'd like more. I'd be more than happy to provide constructive feedback if asked, and I promise I'm never rude or insensitive. I want to see you succeed as much as I want to succeed. Vocal is nothing if not a community of writers helping other writers!
About the Creator
Kenny Penn
Thanks for reading! I enjoy writing in various genres, my favorites being horror/thriller and dark/epic fantasies. I'll also occasionally drop a poem or two.
For a list of all my work, and to connect with me, go to www.kennypenn.com
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Comments (14)
This is a great heartfelt entry. You can feel your passion for both writing and the vocal community.
Aw Kenny what an amazing year you've had! You are so, so talented, I have no doubt I'll be buying your book very soon! Great aspirations! Feel free to be as constructive as you'd like on anything of mine. Lord knows I need the help!🤍
What a year in review! And the best part is that you seem to be appreciating the journey. I'm always incredibly thankful for all the support you've given me :) I look forward to seeing your novel in print someday!!
I think you have been a very supportive commenter and reader anyway!!! It was lovely to hear how this panned out for you! As a wise man told me, once you get a book published, marketing is the hard part lol
I've so loved getting to read your work the past several months, Kenny. Seeing you dabble has been a joy, even though I will always remember your Elomar Tree as being the quintessential "Kenny Penn," haha. I keep finding new favorites, though, and look forward to that continuing. I had no idea about your novel! Wish I could have gotten a copy before you took it down, but I can wait for your new one ;D. I know you'll meet your goals this year. And what great ones they are, too. 💜
Good goals and a great attitude. I always look forward to the little notification when you put something out. You're an excellent writer and I hope one day soon you achieve the thrill of being published.
Hi Ken - Some, of course, have ulterior career or monetary motives. Simply, the Fun-of-The-Game is that we're Good-at-it and we DO it because we CAN: 'We GiT' to be Writers....the rest is just down-hill. Jay, Jay Kantor, Chatsworth, California 'Senior' Vocal Author - Vocal Village Community -
Having 7 top stories is amazing. Great job and thank you for all your encouragement toward everyone on this site :)
Well done on 2023 and your attitude going into 2024! For what it's worth, I'm always happy for, um, "constructive feedback" to come my way.
You did so well last year, and I'm positive this year will be even better 😁
Brilliant Kenny! I love the positivity in this piece and congratulations on all of your wonderful achievements! And good luck with getting published -I have no doubt you'll get there!
Whoaaaa, 36k words, 24 stories, 7 Top Stories, Runner Up for the BookClub Challenge and a Finalist for the Vocal Annual Writing Awards! Those are hugeeeee achievements! Congratulations! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊 Awww, thank you so much for the shoutout! I feel so humbled! You're always so kind to me! 🥰🥰🥰 Also, congratulations on publishing your novel! It's so sad that you took it down. If you don't mind me asking, may I know why you took it down? But if you'd rather not talk about it, I totally understand! I wish you all the best for dabbling in romance, tragedy and lyrics! Omgggg, imagine if you wrote a song about a romantic tragedy or a tragic romance or whatever it is, lol! I also wish everything you write becomes a Top Story and you win every challenge that you enter. Fingers crossed! 🤞🤞🤞🤞
Glad you have enjoyed the ride!
Wow, a really great year for you, Kenny! I’m so happy to read about your successes here - on vocal and off. On a personal note, I’ve really enjoyed reading your writing, and I’m grateful for the encouraging, inquisitive, and intuitive comments you’ve left on my work. Thank you for making vocal a more rewarding place for all of us!!