Vocal Plus

A few months ago, an ad kept popping up on my Facebook feed for a company called Vocal Media.

As it was a writing platform, I figured it was there because I was an active member of a couple of writing groups.

The ad said I could make up to $6000 a month sharing stories on their site, which sounded like a scam, so I ignored it. After several days of it appearing on my feed, I decided to click the link and see what it was all about. I laughed when I saw that I would need 1 million reads to reach $6000, but some things interested me on the site.

I could join for free and upload stories, for which I would get paid about a third of a cent per read or I could join as a Vocal+ member for $5 a month for the first three months. The Vocal+ membership paid a larger amount and allowed me to enter into Vocal+ member-only writing challenges that paid relatively large prizes. It looked like there were new challenges practically every week, and I thought this would be an excellent way to get the creative juices flowing again.

I was having a hard time coming up with new ideas as the characters in my novel were haunting my thoughts. Every time I had a new idea and started to write, my characters' would push me aside and take over the story. In a word, I was getting frustrated.

I’d been working on my novel for over a year, which was now in the final editing phase and felt creatively worn out. I love to write, but my mind was consumed by my novel writing for so long that I felt like I didn't have anything left to say. I'd been trying for a couple of months to get back into writing short stories and poetry, but the inspiration for stories was few and far between.

I decided I didn't have anything to lose, $15 at the most, and signed up for the Vocal+ membership. On the first day on the site, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing of several members but was frustrated by my inability to give feedback to the authors. All I could do was click the heart button or leave a tip. Being a writer and a member of writing groups, I felt that feedback on your writing is crucial to helping you improve your craft.

That's when I randomly clicked on an article that spoke about several Facebook groups dedicated to Vocal writers. Bingo! That's what I needed. To be able to interact with people that would read my stories and I read theirs was exactly what I needed.

I quickly did a search and joined a few of these groups.

That’s when I discovered the real Vocal Plus. The plus of being on Vocal was having the opportunity to meet people a lot like me.

Because of these groups, my fire is back, and I'm inspired by the writing and wonderful feedback of many of the artists that I've met there. I’ve been an avid reader for most of my life, so I do not use the word artist lightly. If you are not reading stories on Vocal, you are missing out because I can say, without a doubt, this place is a gold mine. I've read so many stories on here that are truly extraordinary in the way they're written and how they paint pictures in my mind that I'm actually in awe of the author's skills.

Now, this is where my story gets difficult. How do I pick just a few of the authors that inspire and move me to fit into my word constraints for this piece?

I've been a constant reader for over fifty years and have read the work of thousands of writers over that time. I am in no way an expert on writing, but as the saying goes, "I may not know a lot about art, but I know what I like."

I think I can break down what I like into a few categories:

#1- The Twist.—I’ve always been attracted to stories that lead me down a path, thinking I know where we’re going until the surprise ending. Tom Bradbury is especially good at this. Check out his stories, Returned for spring and The door home, to see what I mean.

#2- The Poet. – A good poet is someone that brings out strong emotions in me in a few words.----Kelli Sheckler-Amsden has a way with words that evokes these feelings in me. Her poems, The Fixer and Write this down, are two of my favourites.

#3- Bring me there. --- I know I’m in good hands when everything around me fades away and the words awaken my senses on the page. Arpad Nagy is a master at this, and his words will lift you from your chair and stand you in a mountain river with a fly rod in your hands. If you want to be transported, read his stories, Capture the wild and The river, rocks and a riddle.

#4- The Truth. --- An author that will unabashedly tell me their truth is a refreshing thing for me.-----Melissa Au is an author that does that with no reservations. She reveals who she is in her writing. Check out her article Immigrant generation 1.5 and her poem Red is for Boldness.

#5- Laughter.- I believe laughter is the key to life. The ability to laugh at the absurdities of your life is a freeing thing, but the ability to write those things into a story that makes other people laugh out loud is a gift. Lindsay Rae Brown possesses an abundance of this gift. If you want to laugh, read her stories, Funny Sells and Is that a pubic hair. I challenge you not to laugh.

These are just a few of the authors on Vocal that I read every day. If I didn't use your name here, it's not because you're not worthy, it's because there are just so many good writers on this site, and I couldn't possibly name you all in this text. But rest assured, I'm on here every day reading and hearting your work.

So as a writing platform, Vocal is a major plus for me. I wouldn't have found all of these wonderful writers without it. Also, because of all the writing challenges and the interaction I've found on the Facebook groups, I'm writing every day.

I know that some people will disagree with me, but to me, the cost of being a Vocal+ member is nothing compared to what I get out of it. Even at $10 a month ($120 a year), I will still be here.