Vocal - What The Hell?

Vocal, Vocal, Vocal…what the hell is going on?

Not in general. I don’t mean that question as a friendly greeting.

I mean that in a "What the hell is going on?" way.

Seriously, though, I want to discuss something that's been on my mind for quite a few months now. Vocal Challenges. Namely, the issues, as I see them with Vocal Challenges.

Why I Love Vocal Challenges

I want to start by saying that there are several things I like about the challenges.

They are a great way to get the frontal cortex working, because despite seeming like a bottomless fountain of great, bad, terrible and insane ideas – even I like a decent writing prompt every now and again.

The deadline means that my tendency to procrastinate needs to be reined in a little.

From a reader’s point of view, it’s endlessly fascinating seeing how different people take on the prompts and challenges. It pushes me to think even more inventively for future pieces.

There is a genuine bit of excitement – like stupid kiddish nervousness on the day when the winners are announced! The old “might be me this time…might be someone I know!”

So, yes. I do love the challenges for those reasons.

Why I Don’t Live Vocal Challenges (Or at least the way they are run)

Unfortunately, there are also a number of reasons why I feel the challenges are not as successful or as enjoyable an experience for all that get involved.

While the uncapped entry amount is a nice touch and fosters greater creativity among Vocal creators, it also makes it harder to believe/trust that all the entries are actually read.

It also leads to the possibility, rightly or wrongly, that people could rank more than once in the final results.

There is no cap on how many consecutive wins any one person can have, which means that the same people could win again and again.

Let me be clear, this is not an attack on anyone who has benefitted in any way shape or form from the current rules, but, I know there are a lot of people who find it very disheartening when they put their all into creating pieces for the challenges and don’t even get an honourable mention.

I do understand that it is not an easy task to undertake, given how many people are members of Vocal and how many entries are put forward for each and every challenge. It’s not like these are the first ever writing competitions in the history of the internet or the world. There are plenty of other competitions and challenges out there that run smoother or fairer.

I also want to be clear that this is not sour grapes. I have put forward work I am proud of towards these challenges and not won, so far. It is definitely a bit flattening. Of course, it is. However, my issues with the challenges and how they are currently run are not just because I haven’t won yet. It’s because many of the people I know, all fabby creators, have yet to finish either as a runner-up or in second place or first place in a challenge.

What Would I Do?

I have thought about this a lot. I appreciate that most people don’t care what that weird Scot thinks about how to run challenges on Vocal a bit fairer, I’m going to share my thoughts anyway. Seems fair as I pointed out the issues I see with challenges.

1. I would start by capping the entries per person to just one. I know that sounds harsh, but it would make it easier for the judges to read through all the entries and would push creators to put their best foot forward, so to speak.
2. I also would consider capping the number of consecutive wins an individual creator can have. So, if someone wins the first or second prize in a fiction challenge, they are not eligible for the next one. Similarly, if they finish first or second in a poetry challenge, they are not eligible for the next one. Again, I know this seems strict, but sometimes having rules in place can be a good thing. It would also mean that the love and appreciation for the wonderful creators we have on this platform could be spread a bit further.
3. Finally, I would also consider having it so that, somehow, entries are anonymous, or at least to the judges.

I am quite prepared for people to pick holes in my suggestions and I am aware that my ideas are not foolproof. That’s fine because really I wanted to open up the conversation.

So, what does anyone else think? Maybe I am being unrealistic or idealistic or even unfair? Let me know in the comments. I am a big boy.

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