Earned

I finally earned enough money this month through publishing stories on Vocal to pay my monthly Vocal+ subscription fee and have enough left over to enjoy a cup of coffee! Woohoo!

Is this success? Well, today it is in the endeavor to reach greatness. Small victories, right? My goal is to earn enough to cover the cost of my annual subscription to Vocal+. From there, it’s limitless. Maybe next month, I will earn enough cash to pay for an entire meal! If this works out, I’ll share it with you. Not the meal, but my method.

Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time. — Author John C. Maxwell

Here’s a good article about recognizing small wins: http://blog.idonethis.com/small-wins/

So the $14.00 (give or take) I’ve made this month is nothing to sneeze at!

How did I do that & how do I repeat the process and continue the curve upward?

1. Top Story

I made a majority of my earnings this month by hitting a couple of Top Story placements with the Vocal platform. I received payment from Vocal, as well as many more than the typical amount of reads (for me.) How did I do that? I have no idea. If I have no idea, that performance may be hard to follow. What I did do is write a number of articles, committed to doing so in a short timeframe, and applyied some of the techniques I’ve learned with study and practice over time. I’m still analyzing.

These are my two Top Stories from October. They are both very different. What stands out to you? Why do you think they were chosen?

The First - a short poem:

The Second - an article giving some advice? on feedback:

2. Monetary Tips

I also received a tip. That’s an unreliable, but motivating, source of income dependent on how a piece you’ve written speaks to a reader, and how generous that reader is feeling with their own cash at the moment. It’s always inspiring to know your words have been felt powerfully enough to inspire a person part with a dollar or two, so thank you Tip Giver! I shall continue writing.

In order to increase your ability in earning tips, it’s important to reach the right readers. You can do so with increased exposure of your writing. The more eyes you reach, the more likely you are to connect with your “right” reader - the one that truly appreciates your word’s impact.

3. Reads

The rest I made with reads. That’s the most important technique, as it depends on you - the writer. What you produce, promote and how you interact with potential readers and peers is entirely up to you. To me, that’s pretty motivating in itself to work to produce writing to the best of my ability at any given moment.

I have made it a point to read and engage consistently with fellow writers and readers, and you know what? I’m really enjoying it. It’s rewarding, despite the payoff. I have discovered new friends and talented writers because I decided to make an effort to do that. Mindfulness counts.

So what have I learned so far?

I will keep writing a bunch, while continuing my improvement as a writer to, hopefully, supply readers with enjoyable stories and poems to read, promote those published works to the best of my ability currently, and I will continue to interact meaningfully with other writers and readers. For me, authenticity works best - in both writing and interacting. I don’t know if that will lead to improved financial success next month, but it can’t hurt.

Thank you for reading! I hope you find this inspiring as a creator or art-appreciator. What would you add? What works for you?