Vocal - What The Hell?

Paul, I think what you wrote has been on the minds of many members at one time or another. We'd be very naïve to think that 4 judges could read every submission. If it doesn't grab them initially, it's not read to the end. I've been part of Vocal for less than a year and I'm not sure I will re-subscribe. I've enjoyed the challenges and even though this is very new to me, I've tried my hand at several different genres and even won 3 Stories of the Week, so it hasn't been a complete loss by any means. There have been 2 conflicting articles lately about how to win. The first focused on the importance of story telling and the second, written by a vocal team member, was all about creating one's group of readers in which he stated that often those submissions with the most "likes" are the ones that judges pick as winners. Now doesn't that fly in the face of skill and creativity! The official rules state that that would only occur if 2 pieces of writing are so closely matched in excellence that the judges are hard pressed to make a decision. Again, no offence meant to winners. Judging is subjective--it can't be otherwise as the judges are humans. They have become more transparent in disclosing reasons for their choices, but even reasons can be tailored to support choices. Not every piece of writing will resonate with all who read it. I have a couple of stories (that no one has read) that I will elaborate and eventually publish independently, so it has been an opportunity to grow and expand for me and I truly appreciate every single person who has taken the time to read and comment on anything I've written! I don't have a wide group, but I appreciate them all-- but I'm not in Vocal to win a popularity contest. Thanks for writing & opening up the discussion, Paul!

Literary magazines put a cap on entries and restrict repeat winners and they still take 8-10 weeks to review your work if they are reading at breakneck speed. The Vocal Curation Team only lists 4, notable, literary judges. I doubt they have the time to read through the slush, so to speak, especially with such a short time frame. You have valid points.

Yesssss, totally agree with all that you've said, especially where the entries should be anonymous when being read by the judges!

Sounds like a solid plan Paul! Great work!

I agree with some of your points. Honestly, I can't stand the unlimited number of entries. It drives me nuts to see 35 entries by the same person. It feels almost spammy, but that's me. I'd probably cap it at 3, if I were in charge (and I'm being generous). I don't like the exclusion of winners. Hear me out. I've won and placed several times, as you know and honestly, I think now, it's to my detriment as far as challenges go. I couldn't get arrested in a challenge now despite my work being much better than it was previously. Not sour grapes, just an observation. I think they have a "flavour" for a while and then when that's done, it's done. I honestly feel like when they read my stuff now they think, "good, but we just can't...it wouldn't look right..." This brings me to my final point, blind judging. I think that would be a great thing for everyone. That would avoid any prejudice in favour or against those who have or haven't won previous challenges.

I totally agree with all three of your rules. I do not think they are strict or even unusual. Most contest like that like writing or art contest, etc usually only allow one entry per participant. And vocal is going overboard with this. They are letting unlimited entries help because they want more and more traffic to their website. It's not about us the creators it is about vocal the corporation. It is capitalism running crazy. Anyhow I support you 100% and everything you said and this article. Great job.

Hey Paul, why do u think that u r alone in feeling this way. I have written things like "One grand to ten, instead of 10 grands to one. I have written many articles, Vocal does not like criticism, is my opinion. They will publish it, but,,,who knows. People must get disheartened when they see the same people getting rewarded, even when great stories are out there. I told one person, "It's not what Vocal can do for you. It is what you can do for Vocal. Bring in reads and be active all around.

I agree with remaining anonymous until the winners are announced. People tend to form bonds over time, even without having actual conversations, so if a judge has a favorite writer then... You know where I'm going with that. All your other points are solid. I've seen challenges elsewhere that have these rules implemented. Nice piece.

Great article. I agree with a cap on entries. The number would depend on the type of challenge. I'd go with 2 for fiction and maybe, actually maybe the same for poetry.

Lots of interesting thoughts in here, Paul! I think not capping number of entries is something that I still like (as a fellow ‘never been a winner’ haha). It allows me to enter multiple pieces of very different types and experiment more especially in the challenges that have long timeframes. I also haven’t really noticed too many repeat winners but I haven’t paid that much attention to the names before… I’m guessing those repeat winners are just really talented and have figured out exactly what Vocal is looking for. Or just have the writing style that appeals to the judges. Seems it would be a shame to penalize them for that 🤷🏼‍♀️

You make great points the entire way through. I approve this article.