I Placed In My First Vocal Challenge- Here's What I Did Differently

In June, when Vocal announced the Summer Camp challenge, I knew immediately that I wanted to participate. I love food, the summer time, and I prefer the non-fiction style challenges. Maybe I have a narcissistic streak, but I really enjoy writing personal essays. When the Summer Camp challenge was released, I had been participating in Vocal challenges for a year. Up until that point, I had never won any prizes, and none of my pieces had ever been picked for a top story slot. When I submitted my Summer Camp entry, to my surprise (and delight!), my story was chosen for a top story and I placed as a runner-up. There are quite a few things I did differently with this challenge, which is why I think the judges and moderators enjoyed my entry.

I had a clear vision of where I wanted my story to go.

I often get caught up in the writer's dilemma of having a great idea but not executing it properly. I start strong and then eventually lose steam. My creative juices come to a full stop, and I just finish off the piece without being proud of it. I think writing is a fine line of having a clear vision and letting your creativity flow to get you to a decent end point. With the Summer Camp challenge, I had an exact idea that I wanted to do. I wanted my piece to be light-hearted and silly. I also wanted to talk about growing up in the 90s and eating a classic American dish- pasta salad. I felt like it was relatable- everyone's mom or aunt or grandmother had a signature 90s pasta salad dish they served at summer cookouts. I added in my childhood obsession with Paul Newman's pasta salad because I thought it was weird and funny and it tied into the story.

I used Canva Pro to make graphics specifically for my story.

When I submit to a Vocal challenge, I normally just add a random Unsplash image that vaguely applies to my story. When I had the idea for a 90s themed entry, I instantly thought of those "Saved by the Bell" colorful geometric shapes and big, bold font styles. Canva Pro had exactly what I was looking for. I included pictures of myself as a child of the 90s, with my classic square bang haircut (still unsure why 90s moms thought that look was cute). I felt like my homemade graphics helped the reader jump back in time, and they helped tie in the theme I was going for. My graphics also reinforced the fun, bright nature of my story. They took a while to make, but in the end, it was worth it.

I didn't wait until the eleventh hour to submit my story.

Life is so busy, and I am terrible at carving out time to write after my 9-5 job. But for this challenge, I was so excited about my idea that I started early and took my time. I took a few days to brainstorm, and then I actually made my Canva graphics first. This helped me map out an outline for the flow of my story. I wrote the copy and then took a few days to edit it, instead of rushing to finish, edit, and submit half an hour before the challenge closed. I read somewhere that the best writers don't edit as they go (I am so guilty of this) but rather write down a first draft, take a few days, and then go in and change things. This is exactly what I did and it felt so much better than rush editing as I'm writing. That always takes me out of my writing flow state. I also submitted it a few days early (which is the first time I've ever done that). It was so freeing to take my time and not rush.

I took some friendly advice from Vocal.

I've read several articles by Vocal on what they look for when judging or picking top story pieces. In this article, they explain what they like to see in top story picks. They mention enjoying stories that "offer a new, funny take on a common topic". I think my entry ticked this box. I could have just written a straightforward recipe. But I wanted the reader to smile at my odd quirk of being obsessed with oil and vinegar salad dressing as a child. And I felt like adding in the 90s nostalgia was relatable and fun.

Vocal often throws us bones and tells us what they're looking for. I tried to follow their advice while staying true to the story I wanted to tell. Which brings me to my last point...

Instead of writing something that I thought would win, I wrote something that was heartfelt and fun for me.

When I first started writing for Vocal challenges, the thought of winning $10,000 for short fiction clouded my creative ability. I think that amount of money is such an exciting prospect, that I often lose sight of why I enjoy being a writer. I like making people feel less alone so I write about deep emotions or heartfelt moments that I've experienced. When I fixate on the cash prize, I stray from writing from the heart, and write what I think the judges would like. My college fiction writing professor always used to tell me "write what you know." It's a universal writing truth. People can see through the bullshit. They crave authenticity in the stories they read.

I'm excited to take what I learned and participate in more challenges. I have grown so much as a writer over this past year of writing for Vocal. I hope they keep adding in non-fiction challenges for the narcissists like me who fancy ourselves to be personal essayists.

You can read my other non-fiction piece here. I wrote it for the Threading the Needle challenge.