Vocal... Your Purgatory is Killing Me!

I know that I'm not the only Vocal Creator that is feeling the pain. We pour our hearts and bare our souls in fabulous works of creativity. We read, edit, re-read, and once we are confident that the product of our genius is indeed perfection, we hit the 'Submit For Review' button.

On bated breath, we wait... and wait some more. We're eager to share our masterpiece. We're killing time in our creator support groups. We woefully pass up on sharing our 'Latest Articles' in the current threads. It's been days since you approved anything new for us to share. Our 'groupies' have already read it all. We're crossing our fingers and hoping you'll come through soon.

On one hand, it wasn't all that long ago that the approval process seemed fairly quick, at least compared to what some of us are going through now. You do realize it's torture right?

I think things started to lag with the announcement of the SFS challenges. Did you not realize that creating bigger and better challenges would result in a jump in submissions? Wasn't that the whole point?

I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out that you are either going to need more people approving submissions, or pay some major overtime to the ones you already have. Seeing as how we are in the middle of a global pandemic, I don't think that you'd be hard-pressed to find qualified applicants. I'm sure your 'Fiction Awards' really have you feeling the pressure now.

Do you understand that your beloved masses are beginning to murmur? Dissatisfaction is growing. I have heard whispers of others making their exit and it's more than just a little bit sad.

Perhaps you don't understand that we creatives are somewhat like an addict. Once we put our masterpieces on display for the world to see, we NEED that rush of dopamine that comes from watching read counts rise and getting positive feedback from our communities! You're depriving us of our sweet 'hit' and sending us all into horrible withdrawals! The hardcore ones will inevitably move on to platforms that provide them with a more instant rush. We will be left to either sadly mourn their loss, or follow the breadcrumbs to continue supporting them.

I've heard other things too. It's hard for newbies to navigate here. Had I not stumbled upon my beloved 'Creator Support Groups' on social media, my writing would have fallen dead in the water. That's IF I managed to pass your publication standards, to begin with. Could there not be an easy-to-find 'Submission Guidelines' at the very top of your FAQ section or pinned to the top of your resources? Your 'search' feature certainly doesn't help one find any answers.

How about a bot that kicks up a warning when you are under or over the required word counts? As I've been working on this piece, my most recent and, if I don't say so myself, most brilliant piece of writing, has been rejected after two very long days of waiting. Why? At 589 words, according to your meter, it is too short for publication. I even tried to find your word count minimum before I hit 'Submit'! I'm guessing I'll have to beef it up by more than just 11 words though, as I've seen others talk about how your counter says one thing, but your rejection says another.

By the way, our beloved Sunny NEEDS help!! Any chance you could hire a couple of more people in the customer support department!?! I've seen people say that they have never gotten a response to their requests for support. That's not at all acceptable! Obviously, Sunny is overwhelmed... I still appreciate your work Sunny, don't get me wrong 🥰

Can we talk for a minute about another policy that I know irks a few folks, not just me? I went into a bit of a rant in 'Random Ramblings - Part Three', but I do believe it needs some consideration. Your stance on religious content is constrictive, biased, and at times, even confusing. I understand that you don't want to publish works that could insight hate or be found offensive. That's reasonable. There's more than enough of that out there.

Personally, without some so-called 'religious content', my stories come across as less than inspiring. They leave my readers feeling gutted and sad about the life experiences I have shared. My life has been an incredible spiritual journey that I'm sure would give hope and motivation to many IF I was allowed to share that particular piece. It's not even religious... I'm not affiliated with any particular religion! Even if it was, what's wrong with sharing uplifting stories of Faith? It's not about conversion, it's about peace, hope, love, and inspiration!

That brings me to another point, your communities. Were I a more staunch Christian, 'Pride', 'Potent', 'Filthy' and 'Proof' would have had me running for the hills! Especially with the absence of 'Inspiration/Faith/Spirituality'. Lucky for you, I'm not a prude. I'm an adult. I can choose what I'll read and so can folks that don't want to read about religion! From my understanding, most of what you've rejected under this particular standard has been anything but hateful.

Some other suggestions for communities we need... You have 'Pride', but where is 'Prejudice'? I'm not talking about allowing folks to spew hate. Our minority populations need to have a voice. They have stories to tell about the impact prejudice has had on their lives, how they've overcome it, and what we need to do to erase that ugliness from our society.

So come on Vocal! Get your shit together! Those of us that are paying premiums would like to know that you care about what we want! You can do better. I'd hate to witness a mass exodus to platforms that have more to offer.