The Numbers Don't Lie
Some Thoughts as I reach 5,000 total reads on Vocal!
I wanted to post something a bit different. Anyone that knows me knows I am not a numbers guy. I do not really gel well with numbers. Words are my ammunition and love. Numbers I appreciate are necessary, and maths is needed, but I have trouble with it.
Why am I prattling on about numbers? Well, as I am often reminded, numbers don't lie. That's at least one thing I appreciate about numbers.
What numbers in particular?
Well, my stats!
I have spent a long time saying that I see myself as an accidental poet, and it took me a long time...well, since being on Vocal...a long time to come to terms with that description being applicable to me.
I am cool with it - sometimes I get a little wobble, but it's something I've come to love writing. Even though I started Vocal with the view to writing thought and opinion pieces, some satire, and focus on my fiction writing, loving poetry writing has become a happy little accident.
What's this all got to do with numbers? Well, am quite obsessive about my stats for a guy that doesn't like numbers. I like watching them increase and whatnot and using it as some vague measuring stick as to how successful I am doing with my Vocal output.
The Big 5,000!
Recently, I passed another milestone of reaching over 5,000 total reads. (It is actually sitting at 5,100+ now). I want to thank everyone who has supported me, read, liked, and commented on my work.
New Most Read Piece
My most read piece also changed. For the longest time, well, pretty much since it was published at the start of the year, my poem Don't Give Up On What You Feel was my most read piece. That poem was replaced this week by If I were a sculptor... - which is close to having a total of 2o0 reads, which would be another first.
In fact, looking at the list of my top 10 pieces, 6 are poems.
Accidental Poet - Definite Poet
Another thing number-related I quite enjoy doing is using the community categories on my profile page to keep tabs on the different types of writing I've been publishing.
If you click on each category, you can see the number of pieces you have written for that community out of your total number of pieces.
Doing this really cemented the fact that I can no longer and should no longer argue the fact of being a poet (I mean it says it in my profile mumblings!)
Of the currently 246 pieces (before this was published), 188 are poems. That's not even completely accurate because the one post I did for Viva - Mosquitos Don't Care, Why Do You? was actually built around two poems. It was a word count issue, but, the two pieces I've published in Art have revolved around poems. Then I wrote Timely Crucial Purpose for the Horror community because I hadn't published there yet. That is also a poem!
The numbers again don't lie - 188 out of 246 means that 76% of my output is poetry. That means that roughly 76% of my creative output on Vocal is poetry. So while I may be an accidental poet, based on what I actually write, a poet is what I am, among other things.
The fact that my first plans for self-publishing revolve around poetry, also speaks volumes to me just getting over the last hang-ups I have around that part of my creative makeup!
Thank you again to everyone who supports me and encourages me - without your time, patience, and kindness, I'd have never gotten to the big 5,000 or had the success I have had without your generosity and support!
*
Thanks for reading!
I won't include links below as I usually as there are enough links in the article itself.
About the Creator
Paul Stewart
Scottish-Italian poet/writer from Glasgow.
Overflowing in English language torture and word abuse.
"Every man has a sane spot somewhere" R.L Stevenson
The Accidental Poet - Poetry Collection is now available!
https://paulspoeticprints.etsy.com
Reader insights
Nice work
Very well written. Keep up the good work!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Keep reading
More stories from Paul Stewart and writers in Journal and other communities.
Unleash the Power of Node.js with TypeScript: Build Robust and Maintainable Apps
Node.js has emerged as a popular choice for modern backend development because of its scalability, speed, and extensive ecosystem of tools and frameworks. However, you must use Typescript if you want to enhance your Node.js development. Typescript is a JavaScript superset with the addition of optional static typing. This gives Node.js applications a number of advantages since it allows you to declare the data types of variables, functions, and objects.
By Nisarg Bhavsara day ago in Journal
The Road to Nowhere
Trigger warnings: Violence, Death. "May the Sun burn your tongue out, woman," Fredrick's father screamed the curse into his mother's ear as their elegant little carriage rumbled along, its polished wood and gilded trim glinting in the torchlight. They had just left the small village of Saffron and were on an unnamed road to the capital for the Royal wedding. Fredrick leaned back in his plush velvet seat to escape into the passing landscape, but across from him sat the servant boy, a scrappy lad named Jack. Jack's eyes held a mixture of awe and fear, the kind that only a commoner could feel in the presence of nobility. Jack looked up and caught Fredrick's gaze, offering him a sad little smile before reaching into his pocket and retrieving a little caramel treat. This candy was no doubt stolen from the kitchen treat cupboard; if he was caught with it, he would be locked in the box as punishment.
By Frank English5 days ago in Fiction
Comments (51)
Congratulations 👏🎉
Many congrats on the big 5,000 buddy, keep on rocking 😊😊
how is posible earn
Congrats on your 5100 (and counting) reads!
Glad to have discovered you through this post about stats and how numbers don`t lie! You give me something to look forward to when I am finally able to focus on pushing people to my Vocal page to get those followers subscribed and the tips coming in and the hits each page Vocal pays out for! Because the ultimate dream is to make a living as a writer, and this kind of residual income in the right amount can give us the freedom to TRAVEL and ACTUALLY MEET OTHER WRITERS succeeding on Vocal and in life! And how neat would that be, if some of us actually LIKE ONE ANOTHER to BECOME REAL FRIENDS and then COLLABORATE on writing and other types of performances together! In short I`m happy to have stumbled upon you and was quick to be impressed, enough to follow you right away! And I look forward to getting to know you and your work and reading more of it! So it goes that I also hope you will find your way to mine and discover my work and maybe feel some similar excitement and interest and joy over some of my work too? In short I look forward to the real possibility of us becoming friends out here in Vocal land! :-) Keep up the good work my friend! Stay Well and Stay Strong! :) Amen!
congrats man
Congrats on your achievements Paul! Enjoyed this piece 😁
So good Name accidental poet 👍👌
Congrats on the top story and also for the over 5000 reads. I am a true fan, and am always happy to jump on to see what creations you have for us
The numbers don't lie, I've been having a hard time generating reads to my posts so any secret you can share will be appreciated. Meanwhile I might delve into poetry writing and see if the numbers would prove correct. It was a nice article and I enjoyed the reading of it. Cheers.
Yeah, poetry is a huge community and too easy to fall down the rabbit hole. Yet, creativity begets creativity. I'll admit that I started doing poetry 1. To reach 50 stories faster for that bonus (that I assume no longer exist) 2. My first top story was a poem. So, I was riding a top story high and chasing that proverbial $5.00 dragon (hey, at least that $5.00 of a dragon went into my pocket instead of out of it, I couldn't tell You how much money I've spent on collecting trading cards trying to collect dragons). I think when a lot of people get a lot of reads on something, they go, "Alright, that's what the people/community wants to read." So, they charge headfirst into content production. I know I've done that, especially because when I joined Vocal I was mainly here for the financial incentive first, and if I earned friends that would be a nice plus. Yet, here's the thing, even after seeing all of the new stories and differing communities that articles lie in, I'm pretty sure most of us don't know what makes Vocal decide what is or is not a top story. Sure, some people are managing to get some stories with near 100% efficiency for top story cause what they write about, almost nobody else is. Is it a popularity contest? Who knows? Maybe. Heck, some people when they earn a top story are like, "Why did this out of all my works get top story but this other one didn't?" Do we produce excessive content for some types of communities by accident? Yes, especially because we desire to be successful (especially as successful as the people are in their advertisements (who wouldn't want to earn enough money from Vocal to help pay their bills)). Chasing the algorithm or whims of humans that decide what makes top story is one thing, but continuing to create Your passion and learning how to gain success that way is also huge too. I'm pretty sure most of us are still learning about trying to earn more cash via reads instead of bonuses. Either way, nice article Paul. Keep up the good work, and set out to do what You have planned for Vocal or writing in general.
Congrats on this Paul. And yes you are a poet.
Interesting analysis, they still haven't fixed the repeat stories on stats even though I wrote about it two years ago. Thanks for sharing
Congratulations on your achievements on Vocal Motivation for us all! ❤️
Congrats!
congratulations, i feel very motivated by you!
Congratulations!
Wooohooooo congratulations hitting the big 5k! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊 I'm so happy that you see yourself as a legit poet now!
oh man, I completely understand being an accidental poet! For the longest time, I called my writing 'pieces' because they didn't feel like poetry. The subject finds the writer, I suppose!
Congrats on reaching the big 5000, MC Paul. You are the undisputed Grand Master!! xx
Congrats! That’s quite a milestone! 🤩
Congratulations!
I hope to reach those numbers some day... Great TS!
Congrats on your achievements! 🎊So glad that you became a poet! Your poetry is top-notch along with your writing in general! BRAVO my friend!
Way to go, Paul!! This is amazing! 👏🏻