How Vocal Has Helped My Writing Goals

An Honest Overview of Vocal's Impact on an Aspiring Writer

My initial interest in Vocal was entering the Little Black Book contest. After exploring the website and talking with my partner about how the website could be beneficial to me as a writer, my partner insisted on buying me three months of a Vocal Plus subscription. He believed it was a sound investment for something that makes me so happy, which is to create.

For years, I've been dreaming of writing a novel. I've jumped from plot to plot, planning out chapters, starting the first few of them, and quickly discarding all of my work because I've had little faith in my creativity levels. I've read in many social media settings that nearly all writers tend to hate their own work for a time, despite the effort, soul, and hours poured into every last word. The biggest problem for me, though, has been finding the dedication to write something so lengthy without giving up or allowing self-esteem issues to disrupt my project.

When my partner showed me the Moleskine challenge and encouraged me to give it a shot, he mentioned that having a small starting place like completing challenges on Vocal would be an opening into making writing more of a habit. I can't say he was wrong on any level, and I've been thinking about it a lot in the past couple of weeks since I really dove into my time on Vocal. The truth is, the challenges give me something to focus on, and the knowledge that so many of us are writing based on simple prompts for the sake of trying to win a prize makes it feel more comforting to work on a challenge. It reminds me of English classes in middle and high school, where writing about the same subjects as the rest of the students in my grade reassured me that all of us would have something unique about the same subject. This same comfort has returned in my time spent writing for Vocal challenges.

Since I benefit so much from this instructional method for my inspiration and ability to write, I have considered the fact that my excitement to be part of this community may have long-term impacts on my habits as a writer. The more time I spend following prompts and inspirations from this website, the more likely I am to start branching off in different directions. This could easily lead to me finding that dedication to writing something longer than my Vocal pieces.

It's refreshing and optimistic to consider that this could be the endgame of my beginnings here on Vocal. Through the practice of writing short stories, personal observations, a poem (with more to come), and a daily interest in what else I can create for Vocal, I believe I've found the path I needed to get me closer to my dreams.

A Reflection on the Benefits of Reading Other Vocal Creator Articles

Not long after I submitted my story for the Little Black Book contest, I started browsing my top stories and reading what others write about. Within ten minutes of leaving "hearts" and drinking in the content I was finding, I opened Google Docs to start writing a list of possible ideas for me to write about for my own Vocal creations. I continued to read, leaving a "heart" for works I genuinely enjoyed, and I was introduced to the fact that the content was so diverse I could find literally anything I was in the mood for. Not only that, but if I had an itch to write something horror related, I could visit the Horror community of Vocal to see what others had been creating for this world. All artists have works that were inspired by other things seen in life, so as a writer, I realized that creators like myself were a tremendous resource.

The benefit from this is that I get to read things I enjoy while helping fellow creators generate some revenue from the reads adding up. I dislike celebrating myself as some kind of hero, but I do have a fondness for being able to make someone smile for simple reasons, as those are always the best reasons to smile. It has given me more of a mental comfort to know that I'm giving other creators what I would love to have in return. There is nothing about any of this that has any negative repercussions.

Finally, I'd love to mention that this website is full of incredible talent. It has been my honor and pleasure to take in all of the amazing information and representations of such vivid imaginations since I joined a few weeks ago. Everyone's interests and writing are full of passion, and I love being able to read and sense that as I take in your thoughts into my own mind. Not only do I love reading, but I love feeling what the writer was feeling when they created the article, story, or poem.

Vocal is full of opportunities, inspiration, and the ability to connect with people who understand your passion in a way many cannot. I appreciate this website for giving all of us this type of experience as a creator, and hopefully others feel similarly to me.