Resources
From tips and tricks to product updates and inspiration, explore our resources to learn how to grow as a Vocal creator.
Challenges
Broken Mirror Challenge Winners
What makes a mirror so primed for horror? What is it about looking at ourselves that is so discomfiting? As humans, we contain so much beneath the surface and yet we are made to contain it all, pretty much always. And so, we have our faces, our bodies, what we present to the world, but that's just the surface, that's not really what's going on. All of the real stuff, the thoughts, the desires, the lies, the truths, they need to be let out, actively, brought up to our mouths, spoken, shown off. We need to bring our insides out.
Vocal Curation TeamPublished about a year ago in ResourcesLudicrous Limerick Challenge Winners
What an incredibly fun Challenge this was! As always, limitation bred sheer lyrical brilliance! Limericks are meant to be on the nose, to hit you hard and fast, to make you laugh, think and smile instantly. So, we'll keep our praise and musings short because dissecting a limerick is like dissecting a sunset; just let it be beautiful. We're even adding a few more Honorable Mentions to this post because y'all crushed this Challenge.
Vocal Curation TeamPublished about a year ago in ResourcesTall Tail Challenge Winners
This Challenge was a fun little twofer! Write a story about a talking animal but make it quick! 1,000 words or less was all you had to make an animal talk. We are particularly fond of Challenges with shorter word limits because we often see in them some of the most creative entries. There's something about limitation that makes humans sharper, more creative, especially when it comes to art.
Vocal Curation TeamPublished about a year ago in ResourcesShare Your Ideas to Shape the Future of Vocal Challenges
As a community-driven platform, we love getting creators involved in the process of creating awesome content. One of the ways we do that is through our Challenges. Challenges are an excellent way for creators to flex their creative muscles, develop their writing skills, and engage with their audience through different writing forms.
Vocal Curation TeamPublished about a year ago in ResourcesLet's Talk About Tautograms
A tautogram is a type of wordplay where all the words in a piece of text start with the same letter. For example, "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers" is a tautogram because the words start with the letter "P."* Tautograms are not only fun to say and create a playful rhythm, but they can also be a useful tool for writers to develop their writing skills. In this resource, we'll discuss the unique value of tautograms for writers and provide some steps for deciding which letter to use.
Vocal Curation TeamPublished about a year ago in ResourcesUnder Purple Clouds Challenge Winners
Magical realism seems to be where so many of our writers shine. And it's no surprise why. A great writing prompt gives writers the ability to use their imagination while keeping the writing grounded. Magical realism is so special because it lets us exist in both the magical realm and the real world. We have the weighty comfort of reality to help define our story while exploring the freedom that magic offers.
Vocal Curation TeamPublished about a year ago in ResourcesTime Traveler Challenge Winners
We've all thought about it. Going back in time. What would we do? How would our actions alter the present and future? Of course, we can't take credit for this prompt, it's a classic, and for good reason.
Vocal Curation TeamPublished about a year ago in ResourcesTime Capsule Haiku Challenge Winners
We've been asking ourselves lately why we keep doing these haiku Challenges because, frankly, they are very difficult to judge!
Vocal Curation TeamPublished about a year ago in Resources10 Ways Entering Vocal's Broken Mirror Challenge Can Make You a Better Writer
So, you're interested in writing a horror story for the Broken Mirror Challenge? Diving into the horror genre can do wonders for your writing skills. Not only will you learn to create a spine-chilling atmosphere and develop strong, relatable characters, but you'll also master the art of suspense and pacing. Horror writing encourages you to explore psychological themes, experiment with narrative techniques, and craft impactful endings. You'll become more resilient to feedback and improve your ability to engage readers emotionally. Ready to take your writing to the next level? Let's review the elements that define the terrifying world of horror fiction together.
Vocal Curation TeamPublished about a year ago in ResourcesIf Walls Could Talk Challenge Winners
If walls could talk, what would they say? Of course, there's so much more to walls, these ubiquitous, often overlooked necessities. Walls give us comfort but they also pen us in. They stave off the elements but also block us from the world. At once necessary and obtrusive, walls are often the only witnesses to our most intimate moments, and at the same time, the very things that allow us to be intimate.
Vocal Curation TeamPublished about a year ago in ResourcesUncommon Challenge Winners
Write a poem about something rare. The beauty of this Challenge prompt is that rarity is in the eye of the poet. For a new parent, sleep is rare. For a Hawaiian, snow is rare. For most of us, winning $1,000 is rare.
Vocal Curation TeamPublished about a year ago in ResourcesImprobable Paradise Challenge Winners
When thinking about winter we tend to give all the cold credit to December and January. But every year we're hit with February, that sneaky, hanger-on that blasts us with one final sweep of cold. That's why we thought it might be a good idea to send our Creators (and ourselves!) on a vacation of the mind to a tropical island. Of course, this being Vocal, we had to throw a twist into the prompt.
Vocal Curation TeamPublished about a year ago in Resources