Goodbye, My Friend and Vocal Muse

How do you feel a deep connection with someone you've never met;

or properly miss a friend and muse only known by name from a much broader online community?

Let me count the ways...

You, like I did, wanted Vocal to be a safe haven for fiction writers.

So, as I did, you did everything that you could to make fiction a "home" on Vocal in a plethora of communities.

Yes, I have read my fiction against your own;

and the Vocal community needs more fictional voices like yourself.

[https://vocal.media/futurism/why-is-a-laser-beam-like-a-goldfish]

You were the advocate that the Vocal community needed;

Building up others hopes in their own abilities;

and advocating for a voice for CONSTRUCTIVE criticism

(With merit; and ONLY, mind you, when ASKED).

[https://vocal.media/lifehack/how-to-tell-your-friend-their-vocal-article-is-terrible]

A man of sage wisdom to share,

and tiny nuggets of anecdotes to be picked up.

A champion to inspire writers to keep after their craft;

but to gently tell them what worked or didn't.

The Vocal Community will miss you, Tom Bradbury;

I already do.

I never heard your voice or knew you but through a computer screen.

I still willingly shared my writings and musings; and you were a participatory audience for them.

Until we meet again, for the first time,

"Thanks for everything;

and thank you for actively making the Vocal community what it is..."

Your grace and your talent are remembered fondly here...

https://vocal.media/petlife/what-becomes-of-the-broken-hearted-9b8vj6075o

Tom Bradbury was a man who's sheer talent as a wordsmith has made so many of us go beyond reading to smile, laugh, or cry.

It is MY honor to continue to share his profile (such as here) and continue to pass his talent on...

https://vocal.media/authors/tom-brad

Continue to support this man; he is clearly one of the best of us, though he is gone too abruptly...