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Why I'm Writing 150+ Vocal Stories in 2022

Building a Habit and Courage

By S. A. CrawfordPublished 2 years ago 4 min read
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Image: Lukas on Pexels

I have committed to writing more than 150 vocal posts in 2022, or a minimum of 156 to be precise. What's more, I've decided to enter every fiction challenge that Vocal runs - if this sounds like a lot of work on top of my full-time freelance content and ghostwriting, I can assure you that it is, but I'm dedicated. Who knows, I might even top it all off by submitting articles and stories to magazines in the last quarter of the year.

"You must be crazy," a friend told me, "I thought you were resting this year." And that's true, my resolutions mostly surround getting more rest and not allowing my life to be all work, but this challenge to myself doesn't mean never leaving the house! It means getting out and living to find things to write about. It means being bold and taking life by the horns. Of course, there are a few good reasons for putting this effort into my Vocal profile.

Why Now? Why Vocal?

Why? Because I've been stagnating in an upward motion for at least 10 years. My writing skills have improved year on year, but my production, my publishing, has stayed at zero. Not because I lack skill, but because I'm fundamentally cowardly - I've been too afraid to not be perfect, and it's let me hide away for too long. Posting blogs, short stories, and articles on Vocal may not be quite the same as publishing a book or submitting work to a magazine, but it's a big step for me.

As for Vocal - the truth is that it's a low-risk way to undertake this for me. The effort, skill, and cost of creating a dedicated website for this kind of expansive project are beyond me right now - Vocal is accessible. What's more, Vocal challenges represent a fun opportunity that few other platforms (none that I know of at the moment) offer to their users.

Vocal feels like a community and that's something I've been sorely missing since the very first lockdown in 2020. I used to go to writing groups, take part in book clubs, and generally have literary and bibliophilic friends. I tried to replace this with the reading and writing communities on Twitter but found it hard to connect with people who were mostly interested in shoving links to their self-published books down your throat at every opportunity. Vocal has been a turning point, particularly now that the subscription option is live - putting out a call for other Vocal creators on Twitter and Tumblr has led to me reading more and getting to chat and connect with people again.

Finally, Vocal makes an excellent online portfolio - it offers free access to my work for potential clients and generates a passive income. Admittedly this is a small passive income, but the plan has never been to use it as a main income stream. Rather, it's a little piggybank I might be able to draw from time to time when needed.

Why 156 Posts in 2022?

158 posts for the year - it's a pretty specific number, I know, but the rationale is very simple. It's equivalent to 3 posts in each of the 52 weeks in the year. Depending on how quickly you write, this could either seem like a conservative or audacious goal - for me, it's a comfortable middle ground. It's a number I'm certain I can commit to but might be able to exceed. Just high enough that I'll have to think outside the box to meet it, not so high that I'll post dross simply to meet the goal. The other reasons for choosing this number are pretty simple and general:

  • I'm trying to build a habit
  • I want to encourage variety and cover a range of topics
  • I'm trying to solidify my unique writing style
  • I'm trying to be brave
  • This last reason is perhaps the most pressing. Having my writing projects out there under my own name is scary for me, and I'm building up to sending out a novel to agents and publishers. This is a small but crucial step in gathering the courage to put me and my work on the line in a very real and scary way. So, here's the first post of 2022, and here's to at least 155 more of them - I'm not sure what will come of it all, but looking back on a years' worth of progress will be quite something, I'm sure.

    If you want to keep up with my progress, you can find me on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr.

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    About the Creator

    S. A. Crawford

    Writer, reader, life-long student - being brave and finally taking the plunge by publishing some articles and fiction pieces.

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