MVGA - Make Vocal Great Again

I'm the last person on Earth that should have Vocal goals. Seriously, the very last person. Yet, here I am.

I left Vocal well over 6 months ago. It wasn't pretty. I was very unhappy. I made suggestions. They fell on deaf ears. I screamed louder and still didn't feel heard. It got down and dirty ugly. So ugly that then CEO and founder, Jeremy Frommer blocked me on Twitter.

Blocked me. ME! Umm, excuse you, but don't you know who I am? Check out my credentials, my wins, my placements. Maybe humble yourself and take some suggestions on board.

I sent a haughty reply to Justin in response to an investment solicitation. You want my cash, but the "Big Guy" blocked me on Twitter, baby, Winnie didn't raise no fool, and I got a novel to write over here anyway:

I watched the stock fall and continue to do so. Circling the drain isn't exactly inaccurate. I expected to be filled with glee. And for a while I was. Mess with me, you get what you get.

But the joy began to fade. And it was replaced by something I never expected, sadness and longing. The platform that made me a writer was in real danger of going away. And that's not something I'm ready to deal with.

The love-hate relationship, at least on my end, has some love left in it. Love for the first place I published my work publically. Love for the place that gave me the confidence to call myself a writer. Love for the place that rewarded me and affirmed that what I had to say was worth reading. Love for the platform that turned me into not just a poet and non-fiction writer, but an actual fiction writer! And love for a place that gave me my very first, and longest-lasting writing friends.

It occurred to me, in a bit of a panic that what I got from Vocal very soon may not be available to other young (and not so young), insecure writers out there, looking to dip their toe into the frigid waters of sharing their work. That would suck.

Which brings me to my Vocal goals for 2024. I can't tell you how many challenges I'll enter. I know it won't be all of them. Been there, done that, didn't buy the T-shirt. I'll follow my heart and enter what speaks to me and what challenges me as a writer. With my novel, and another in the very early stages, I honestly don't have the time anyway.

But my goals aren't about challenges, they're about salvaging something that means a lot to me, more than I realized. There was a time when Vocal was great. It was the best online writing platform, bar none!

I want to MAKE VOCAL GREAT AGAIN!

I have ideas, lots of them, but it's going to take some common sense and humility on both sides. I can admit I'm not the sh*t, if others can admit that what's been tried is not working. Let's be honest, conventional business models don't work for more progressive, out-of-the-box operations.

I've never been in the box. I've worked inside it as a lawyer, but I've never lived there. In fact, it's my residence well outside of the box that has served not only my clients, but myself and my writing well.

I'm back to write. I'm back to work with what works. And there is a lot that does. For example, paying for non-member reads is awesome! I love that Vocal has no paywall. And I love the supportive community of creators; they're the best.

I'm back to bring some of my best work, particularly fiction, maybe even exclusive peeks at my upcoming larger projects. I'm keen to give back to the platform that created me.

I'm back to read and enjoy the awesome creators I love and respect and even to maybe find a few new creators.

I'm back to recruit the countless closet writers I know who have never published a word they've written for the world to see, but long to. But to do that, you need to help me. You need to help me make this a place worth bringing writers to.

How about a cut of the membership fee? We bring in someone, we get a cut? Why not? Another revenue stream for creators isn't a bad thing, goodness knows we need the money. So give us each an affiliate link or whatever it's called "join Vocal and enter great challenges...."

Where did the big money challenges go? Those were a huge draw. It's time to court sponsors again.

And I'm here with my expertise, not just as a pretty nifty little writer, but as a person with a damn good head for business, with a ton of ideas, some of which might be good. I'm one of those rare folks who can straddle and function on both sides, creator and corporate.

And let's be honest, there's a disconnect. Vintage creators are leaving, feeling disillusioned and disrespected. They feel like their words aren't gaining the compensation they should. They feel there's a who's who of "in" creators and they're most definitely "out." They feel like they aren't being valued or heard. That could be true. That could be false, but whatever it is, it's real and it's moving people away. It moved me away. But I'm back.

And I'm back with an open heart and mind.

There's no doubt that I'm a bad girl. I'm a good writer with a bad attitude. I speak my mind, loudly, when maybe I shouldn't. Yet, I don't apologize for it. Speaking up and out, and creating a dialogue is how things change. But, my people never really benefitted from laying down and keeping quiet. Now is not the time for quiet. Now is the time for action.

I'm here and I've humbled myself toward my Vocal 2024 goal, to make the platform great again. Join me, talk to me, I'll write, I'll read, I'll open the dialogue, but I can't do it without you. You have to come with the same spirit. Together, we can meet my goal. We can make Vocal great again and I'm confident we will.