Passing 4,000 Reads, What to Do Next?

So you reached a benchmark. Was it 500 reads, 1000 reads, 2500 reads? Was it getting a top story spot or even winning a challenge? Either way, you reached it. Now what? What is there to do? It's almost impossible to tell, at least in my case. So you think about what to write next and wonder, based on the experience that you've had, what might be popularly read and what won't be? At the end of the day, are you writing for yourself or are you writing because you hope to be a writer, make an extra income, enjoy writing, and sharing it with people? It's going to be a different answer for most people that might read this but I imagine those are the questions we've all had at some point. What do we want out of what's possible?

Vocal advertises across social media. Its' advertisements tell of the possibility of earning up to X amounts for writing at home. If you're like me you've seen anything from the 6,000.00 a month advertisement to the 500.00 a month advertisement. You've probably seen enter the X Challenge and potentially win up to 5,000.00 dollars. I know, at the time I first noticed the advertisements, I was not necessarily looking for a place to write. I had plenty of writing saved on my computer and in notebooks from the past dozen or so years. I literally have a novel that is printed and sitting on a desk with binder clips holding it together. So, finding a place to write wasn't in my plan until I found Vocal.

I can only speak for myself but I know I would like to open up Vocal and see my story highlighted just once. Most of those stories that I've read have been excellently written, well thought out, and put together by some very talented people. I could name some names, like Lakeesha Bailey. She's a truly talented writer. The Sponge Is Mightier Than The Sword by The Creative Chimera is an excellent piece of work. I read the story One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure and found it to be a very interesting piece of work to read. One day I would be ecstatic if I opened up the page and saw my name, Jason Morton, and a story I wrote on the opening page.

Opening Page. Let's face facts, the opening page is where it's at. It's the place you want to be for recognition, exposure, and a purely high number of reads. By the time your story is off to page two, three, or five, the chances of getting someone to click on it have gone downward. As time passes us, it continues to be an even longer long shot that anyone is going to see it much less read it again.

Nobody knows how to get there except for producing quality content. That's the old "keep at it" and "don't get discouraged mentality. God bless those people that never lose faith in themselves. Faith in yourself absolutely makes a difference in every success story. Have you ever met someone who was successful that did not have faith in themselves? I know I haven't. However, it is easy to lose faith. I put together one piece that scored way better than I imagined it would. At the present, it has over 2200 reads and is by far my most-read piece. Obviously, 2200 reads is not enough to get a top story spot, because it didn't. So, what do you need? Is it 2500, 5000, or even 10000 reads? Nobody knows, or if they do, they aren't sharing that tidbit.

So, what to do next? Well, since nobody knows, you can take my opinion with a grain of salt. If you're here, on vocal, to make money and you don't, do you stick around? The answer should be easy...right? Did you enjoy writing and reading the comments in the Facebook groups you shared your stories with? It should be fun, something that you enjoyed, and a creative outlet to share your opinions and expertise. Maybe you created a body of work that allows others to imagine a better day or escape from their world into this new, colorful, exciting world that you created on paper or the screen in this case.

How committed are you to achieving that next benchmark? If you stick it out, maybe you'll hit that one surprise story that pulls in thousands of reads or gets on the top story list. There's only one guarantee anybody will give someone writing on vocal, and it's the same rule that is always true about life. If you don't play, you can't win! Vocal's no different. If you don't try, you can't succeed. If you stop trying, you're guaranteed not to succeed.

My next benchmark? I haven't decided yet. I simply want it all. I want to get a top spot. I want to see a huge number, like 5,000 or even 25,000 reads of a story. However, it's all going to start with picking a "next" story to write. Outlining that story and starting to bring it to life. Then, when it has breath, finding an audience. So, it's time to get back to work...

Thanks for reading!

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