Why I Will Not Be Accepting Pledges on Vocal

Hello, world of Vocal. I hope you’re all well and are keeping safe during these weird times. I just wanted to touch base and write a little post about Vocal’s new feature: Pledges. And why I will not be partaking in it, or ever accepting pledges from the people who read my work.

As I understand it, these pledges are for readers to pay a certain amount of money each month to support the writer. Whilst in theory, this is a lovely idea, and I personally could really use the money, I don’t think it’s a good thing. I’ve seen the backlash from places like YouTube, where you can pay monthly to see extra features from creators. Those who aren’t as well off as others, are once again marginalised and have to miss out, purely because they don’t have the money. I think it’s a way to make people feel bad, so they feel they have to struggle, and pay that extra expensive, just to prove that they are a fan. I’ve actually seen this happen a LOT in certain fandoms. I actually hate fandoms after an awful experience I had, but that’s a story for another time.

You can Tip on Vocal. So, if you have the money, and you want to show some support for your favourite writers, then by all means, leave tips! Tips are great. Like I said, I could really use the money, but my moral code won’t allow me to accept pledges. Tips are a choice; pledges are a subtle way of forcing money and I’m against that.

Having said that, there’s no shade to anyone who accepts them. That’s your choice and I fully respect that. This is just my opinion for my Vocal Platform.

I don’t get much traction on here, to be honest. I’ve actually thought about leaving this site several times. The competitions are fun, but knowing you’re never going to win them, because of how many people enter, kind of puts your off from the start. I want nothing more than to be a writer. I’ve done my BA and MA in writing. I love it. And this is a great website for you to be able to write what you like, with very little censorship by the powers that be, and I don’t think you’ll really get that anywhere else.

Take Vocal+. I’m currently on a free trial. But, as much as it gives you access to extra features and challenges, I can’t afford it. Again, pushing me further away from getting views and being able to win competitions. I get why you have to pay, I’m not moaning about that, but it just proves my point about how people with less money are always the ones missing out. I work my arse off, work every hour I possibly can, but I still struggle to pay for the necessities in life, so paying for Vocal+ membership, and pledges, is just a no. Unfortunately.

In all my time on here, I’ve only ever had one good writing thing come out of it. I was emailed by someone who works there, asking me to take part in something for Pride. It was an honour to write for such an important topic, and for such a wonderful group of people. That was amazing. But before that, and all the time since, it has been so quiet. I absolutely love the idea of Vocal and the competitions and the fact that you can pretty much write about whatever you want, I just hate that if you’re poor, it’s harder for you to get anywhere with it. Just like everything else.

So yeah, that’s just a little note on why I won’t be accepting pledges. If you ever like anything I write, from my backlog of work, or anything I write in the future, feel free to leave me a tip – every little thing is very appreciated. And don’t ever let anyone tell you that you’re not a true fan, just because you don’t pay a certain amount to gain extra features! Have a lovely day, stay safe, and I look forward to reading more posts and stories on Vocal, as they get published!

Happy writing!