Thank you, Vocal (For Breaking My Heart)

OK, we’ve all been there at one time or another as a writer. You work hard – very hard – on a particular piece, you edit and fine-tune it time and again, and then, you finally post it for publication. Once your poem, commentary, short story, or even prelude to a novel has been published by Vocal, you find yourself repeatedly checking its stats, sure that the throngs of people on Vocal will love your piece as much as you do. As days – and even weeks - go by, your stats change only minimally, so you try to convince yourself that not everyone has the same refined taste as you when it comes to writing. Surely, however, Vocal in all its prestigious glory will recognize your work’s superb nature and award you that long-awaited and coveted prize - or at the very least, bestow an accolade of praise. So, you patiently wait, day after day, week after week, until the designated day finally arrives, all too sure that your name and piece of work will be cited as a big winner. Repeatedly throughout the day, you check the Vocal homepage until finally, at long last, the list of winners appears. What? Wait a minute and hold the presses. There must be a huge mistake because your name is completely missing from the list. In abject despair and disbelief, you throw yourself on the floor and cry for at least half an hour, completely and utterly devastated. Sure, there were thousands upon thousands of entries, but everyone you know loved your piece and assured you it would be a winner, so how did this happen? How in the world did you not get it right this time? You were so sure you’d written the perfect piece.

Does all of this sound at all familiar to you? Have you written a piece, submitted it to a Challenge on Vocal and then not won the expected, coveted prize? Have you been disappointed and had your heart broken, too - or am I the only one? In all honesty, this scenario has happened to me on more occasions that I care to admit. Did it hurt? Without a doubt. Did it crush my desire to write? Absolutely and emphatically not. Following each and every failure to win on Vocal, I have responded by picking myself up off the floor, and in true old, glamorous movie starlet fashion, I remind myself that there’s always tomorrow and the possibility of future writing attempts. And thus, a new quest begins thereafter as each day I once again check the Vocal homepage in search of new Challenges with a fervent hope that next time, I will be able to produce a much better piece and even quite possibly create an award winning excerpt of prose. Isn’t that what writing - and life - are all about? We must not become too complacent in the rituals of our everyday existence, because in the grand scheme of things, we must always strive for the stars in order to achieve the very best in all upon which we embark.

So, yes, Vocal has broken my heart – more than once - but the truth is that Vocal has also taught me much in doing so: perseverance, discipline, dedication, and more importantly, a desire for finer writing skills, because with every piece I write, I am able to see improvement. I suppose, theoretically speaking, I could thank Vocal for not selecting any of my pieces as top winners, but then again, let's not get carried away. In the thread of honesty, I will instead simply thank Vocal for helping me achieve improved results each and every day in my pursuits of writing:

Thank you, Vocal, for teaching me much (despite often having to nurse my heart along the way).

"I am still learning." Michelangelo