Top Stories
New stories you’ll love, handpicked for you by our team and updated daily.
First Contact
Anxious murmurs filled the Council. "How long until contact?" G'zook called out. "1 minute, 52 seconds, 760 milliseconds!"
Loryne AndaweyPublished 12 months ago in FictionWhy the Microfiction Challenge is My Favorite Challenge
Since joining Vocal in January 2022, I’ve entered many challenges. I even won runner-up in the “After the Parade” challenge. Each challenge has had its merits. The timing of “After the Parade” complemented my coming out as omnisexual, “The Fantasy Prologue” gave me an excuse to write in my favorite genre, and “Christopher Paolini’s Fantasy Fiction” had the best prize I’ve seen so far. Others, such as “The Mystery Box,” “The Runaway Train,” and “Under Purple Clouds” have allowed me to experiment with style, genre, or both. However, there’s something about “Microfiction Magic” that has caused it to stand out from all the others as my favorite challenge thus far.
Stephanie HoogstadPublished 12 months ago in JournalThe Graveyard Book
“Place all your possessions into the bin please.” A pale grey-faced man with large bags under his eyes instructed as he pushed a plastic bin similar to the ones at the airport towards me.
Donna Fox (HKB)Published 12 months ago in FictionWhat Kind of Monsters
“But why a Pizza shop?” “This again? Every time we do the bills you bring this up, honey. It’s just a small shop; it’s more basement than anything!”
Roy StevensPublished 12 months ago in FictionCenter Stage with Jason Basaraba (JBaz)
Welcome back! I'm here with another chat interview featuring creator, Jason Basaraba (JBaz on Vocal). If you're new to the series, please let me take a quick moment to explain the vision.
Heather HublerPublished 12 months ago in InterviewOne of Us Died at the Birthday
I freeze. Time stretches infinitely in these unexpected and unwelcome quiet moments. I listen. For what had been a noisy room, there is now a haunting silence in the back right corner.
Donna ReneePublished 12 months ago in FictionFacebook Groups for Vocal Creators: Are These Groups Dinosaurs?
No matter how prolific, majestic, and ALIVE the dinosaurs once were, now we go to visit their remains in Natural History museums all over the world.
Judey KalchikPublished 12 months ago in Journal✨Granted✨
Specs of pepper on sand; they blossomed into mirages of men riding camels. I'd waited. A gem-within-a-gem, I was a dollop of gold in an emerald oasis.
You know what Vocal needs? A reading list
It's a Friday night and I've just finished cooking. The scent of satay chicken is still fresh in the air as I sip away at the bottle of soju I've shamelessly cracked open (it's been a long week, ok?). I'm scrolling through the latest submissions of some of the incredible Vocal Creators I've subscribed to, but I can't help but notice some of my favourite writers are missing from the list in my notifications. I know they've posted recently because I saw their work on the 'Top Stories' page when I briefly scrolled past this morning, but I can't see them yet.
J. R. LowePublished 12 months ago in JournalOne Time My Shoelace Came Untied
Until my mama found me in the park and tied them for me But it was too late, I was dead already Cold and blue With puss coming out of my eyesockets
Hillery D. KeeferPublished 12 months ago in PoetsThe Latest Outrage
reality was going way to slow so i loaded up a news page i don’t want either news or views i wanted the latest outrage
Finding Peace through Pen: How Writing Helped Me Cope with a Traffic Karen Encounter
Writing to Help with My Encounter with Traffic Karen As I sit here, reliving my experience, I can't help but think, "Should I really post this online? Would anyone care about my struggle as a Black woman living in a predominantly white country, and an even more predominantly white state?"
Zuleika BoekhoudtPublished 12 months ago in ConfessionsITCHING
In most cases, pain can be managed. On the other hand, itching can drive a person bonkers. Confessing, in the past when my integrative doctor offered a prescription medicine, my answer has always been, "No thank you! However, my left foot fungal infection has returned. On the April 3rd of this year, when the doctor offered a prescribed cream, I acquiesced.
Babs IversonPublished 12 months ago in ConfessionsCoffin Joe of Brazil
"What is life? It is the beginning of death. What is death? It is the end of life. What is existence? It is the continuity of blood. What is blood? It is the reason to exist." — José Mojica Marins as Coffin Joe in At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (1964)
J.A. HernandezPublished 12 months ago in HorrorMy Life With Music
First off, I have to admit, music has taken a back seat in my current life. Just as movies have. Reading and writing are taking way more of my time than ever. I have always read a lot, just haven't always written so much.
Denise E LindquistPublished 12 months ago in BeatDefying Death: The Mind-Boggling True Story of a Headless Chicken that Survived for 18 Months
Have you ever heard a story so incredible that it seemed too good to be true? Well, prepare to be amazed as we delve into the life of the most resilient chicken in history. We'll uncover the fascinating tale of Mike the Headless Chicken, who astonishingly lived for 18 months without a head. If you're intrigued, keep reading to discover how this seemingly impossible feat occurred and the bizarre, yet inspiring, legacy Mike left behind.
Arthur FlowerPublished 12 months ago in HorrorHow to write a story in 100 words (or less)
Urban myth has it that Ernest Hemmingway wrote a complete story in six words for a bet: For sale, baby shoes, never worn.
Raymond G. TaylorPublished 12 months ago in JournalI got a new writing job and published my first traditional novel I am Bexley
Hello, my fellow Vocal writers. I love Vocal and I’ll always remain loyal and happy with my Vocal platform, the supportive and thoughtful communities surrounding it and the way Vocal has shaped, honed and helped my writing career in so many ways. In this article I wrote many a moon ago, I expressed how the diverse challenges Vocal presented to us as writers and authors opened up my perspectives and truly made me hone my voice.
Melissa IngoldsbyPublished 12 months ago in MotivationWant to know how to never be tricked or taken advantage of?
You'll never guess what it is! Ready? Ok. The one, surefire, never-miss, secret weapon way to make sure that you are never, ever taken advantage of by anyone, anywhere, about anything is:
ARCPublished 12 months ago in MotivationHey, You. Yes, You. Write Something!
Remember: if you are not speaking it, you are storing it, and that shit gets heavy - Christina Isabel I've said before: my writing is for me, more than it is for anyone else. It's me, letting the words spill and arranging them on the page. I wrote about piercing a mind-boil and letting the goo flow.
L.C. SchäferPublished 12 months ago in Motivation