100 Stories on Vocal

This story, when posted, will be number 100, and I'd like to celebrate my time on Vocal somehow, someway. I want to highlight some of my favorite Vocal creators, talk about my statistics and earnings, and discuss some of my most-read and least-read works.

Statistics

I guess first I'll dive into some numbers.

Yes, you read that right. Over half of my total reads have come from the last 30 days. Now, why is that?

Well, prior to May, I was not posting on Vocal frequently and I was not participating in the platform reciprocally. I would come on, post for a challenge, and log off. I wasn't reading through many other creators' work, I wasn't actively engaging with creators, I was just existing.

Making the change to be more present and active has made my time on Vocal more meaningful. It's been a joy to connect with so many creative people and to have read so many amazing, genuine, unique stories.

Becoming more present has made my time on the platform more fruitful as well. In the past few months, my subscriber count has flourished:

I can't remember how much it was prior to May, but I do remember being in the 70s in June and getting excited to approach that 100-subscriber count milestone. Now, I'm here, in early August, holding my breath for 200.

I appreciate everyone who has followed along on my writing journey, and I know I'm also following many of yours as well. I started using this website when I was in graduate school, and now I'm a year out from graduation. My writing has continued to change and improve, and your support and kind comments keep me motivated. I can't wait to keep growing with all of you by my side.

Getting Paid

Should we talk money? I know it's taboo, but maybe we should talk money... (You can totally skip this if it's a bore, there will be more exciting stuff to come).

So, I've only earned $11.00 from reads... You might be wondering, where does the rest come from?

I'll break it down for you to be transparent:

I earned $10.00 on June 1, 2021, for taking part in the True Colors Challenge.

I earned another $10.00 for joining Vocal+ on January 20, 2022.

On January 20, 2022, I withdrew $20.37 from my Vocal Wallet. My first payment was a combination of joining V+, being a part of that challenge, and the cents I earned from reads to that point.

On January 23, 2022, I earned $10.00 for posting my 10th Vocal story, a bonus that no longer exists.

On November 27, 2022, I earned $100.00 for placing Runner Up in the 24/7 Companion Challenge.

On that same day, I withdrew $110.77. This constitutes the challenge winning and the milestone bonus along with the cents earned from reads in the time between my first withdrawal and this one.

On May 7, 2023, I got my first Top Story, which earned me $5.00.

I snagged two Top Story spots in early June 2023, June 1 and June 11, for another $10.00, and I earned an additional $10.00 for my participation in the new communities for the Vocal Bonus Boost. On June 21st, I withdrew $27.65, a combination of TS earnings, the Bonus Boost, and read earnings between my last withdrawal and this one.

June 22, 2023, I got another Top Story Bonus for another $5.00 earned.

On July 5, 2023, I received a $5.00 Top Story bonus along with a $20.00 Most Subscribed to Creators bonus. I withdrew $30.91, a combination of two top stories, the bonus, and reads from my last withdrawal to this one.

I'm going to be totally transparent with you here. At this time, I was between jobs, and the little money that I made from Vocal kept me from going negative in my bank account. For that, I'm eternally grateful.

July 11, 2023, I received a $5.00 Top Story bonus.

July 19, 2023, I received a $5.00 bonus for being 3rd place in Most Subscribed to Creators.

July 21, 2023, and July 24, 2023, I received two more Top Stories for an additional $10.00 in bonuses.

July 25, 2023, I received a $10.00 bonus for Popular Stories with the Most Likes this Week - 2nd Place, and a $3.00 bonus for Most Discussed Stories this Week - Honorable Mention.

July 26th, 2023, I withdrew $37.66, which is still pending, for three Top Story bonuses, other creator bonuses, and reads between my last withdrawal and this one.

July 31, 2023, I earned a $5.00 Top Story Bonus.

August 3rd, 2023, I earned a $5.00 Top Story Bonus and a $5.00 bonus for Most Subscribed to Creators this Week - 3rd Place.

I am also currently waiting on a $250.00 prize for my 2nd Place Story in the Word Hunt Challenge and a $40.00 prize for my Runner Up placing in the Micro-Heist Challenge. Suffice it to say, my Vocal+ subscription is paying for itself. However, I do not use Vocal for the money. It's simply a bonus that I've been able to see some earnings for my work. I'm incredibly grateful and humbled.

To break it down further, which shows a bit about what a difference it makes to be active on the platform:

In 2021, I earned $10.37

In 2022, I earned $120.79. (The majority being from one Runner Up placement).

In 2023 so far, I've earned $112.85. This number does not include my two placements that have yet to be received.

Let's talk earnings from reads briefly. I think this chart will speak for itself...

You can see, there are some months where I made nothing. I first breached $1/month in May of this year... When I started actively participating on the platform as opposed to remaining passive.

Now, it's important to acknowledge being lucky enough to hit that Top Story spot has helped immensely with reads and visibility, but I'm a strong believer in reciprocity. It will get you far on this platform. I've not grown my audience by just sitting back and hoping people like my work. I've communicated with people, read their stories, and left thoughtful comments. That's the only way to use Vocal successfully.

Most Read Stories

Here, I'm going to highlight my Top 5 Most Read Stories and how I feel about them. Do I think they deserve that place? Do I know why they're more successful than others? Perhaps. Let's see, shall we?

1. How To Spot AI - This story was a Top Story, which certainly helped it, but I also think discussing the controversial topic of AI is the reason why it was read more than my other Top Stories. It's currently sitting at 197 reads and 61 likes. This story got me into my first Vocal argument :)

2. Junkie - This story is near and dear to my heart. It was also a Top Story and it ended up getting runner-up placement for the Micro-Heist Challenge. It's sitting at 140 reads and 78 likes, a much better ratio than the previously mentioned story. I think this one got a lot of reads due to the fact that it's short, it was highlighted by the Vocal team as a Top Story, and it placed in a contest. I'm very proud of this story, and I'm glad it received visibility, as I think the message contained is incredibly important.

3. Why I Use Vocal - Another Top Story... I think there's a pattern here, haha. It's currently sitting at 101 reads and 58 likes, another pretty good ratio. It actually sat in my drafts for a while as I pondered the reasons why I love this website. I think it's a good read for people who are just starting out on the platform or for those who want to learn how to grow their audience organically. A lot of what I talk about here concerning reciprocity is discussed in that article.

4. I wrote a book - This was my first Top Story, and it was a catalyst for my being more active on the platform. Piggybacking off of this story's visibility, I realized that I might have things to say that could be helpful for those who are new to writing, especially those who are new to writing novels. I highlight the trials and tribulations I've gone through as a first-time author, and it's the first part of a series I intend on continuing about the topic. It's currently sitting at 93 reads and 52 likes.

5. The Longest Night - Now, this piece is something I'm incredibly proud of. It was written for the Word Hunt challenge, and after winning 2nd place, it ended up receiving a Top Story nod. I was not expecting the award or recognition, but I'm entirely humbled. I based this story on my love for Edgar Allen Poe and psychological horror. It currently has the best ratio of likes to reads with 80 reads and 73 likes.

There's obviously a trend here. Each one of my most-read stories was a Top Story. I've learned a lot about receiving Top Story nods lately, so I'd like to give some advice to those of you itching to hit the front page.

1. Be authentic. The Top Stories I've written have been mostly non-fiction pieces talking about my experiences with either writing or Vocal itself. The fiction pieces I've seen hit the front page are just stories I really cared about, and I think it showed in my writing of them.

2. Certain topics do better. I have two stories about AI that have received Top Story, and I've seen other creators talk about the topic hitting the front page as well. Stories about Vocal itself tend to get highlighted as well, but remember, be authentic, and don't just write to fulfill a quota. Additionally, highlighting other creators and putting on contests can potentially get your work on the home page. Watch for trends in Top Story recipients. Right now there are 4 new communities, and as you can see, submissions to those communities are getting recognition.

3. Reciprocity. There are a number of works I've nominated on Discord that have received Top Story. If you can communicate with others and build an authentic audience, they might just nominate your stories for the front page.

Least Read Stories

1. Reminisce - A haiku that I believe was posted for a challenge. 0 likes, 0 reads. This was posted on December 16, 2022, when I was not active and participating with others on Vocal.

2. Volcano - Another haiku that was written for a challenge. 1 like, 0 reads, something's probably off here, lol. It was posted on November 12, 2022, again, when I was not active and participating on Vocal.

3. Death in the Clouds - Woah, I'm seeing a pattern, another haiku entered for a contest. 0 likes, 0 reads, posted on November 12, 2022, as well.

4. Going the Distance - This is a poem I wrote for myself about my move from Massachusetts to Virginia. It deals with my feelings surrounding leaving my family in search of economic stability. I really like this poem, but it also has 0 reads, 0 likes. I posted it on August 31, 2021, a little less than a month before my big move. Back in the day, I would post my Vocal stories to my private Facebook page to share with friends and family. I didn't post this one, nor did I post the previous haiku stories. Again this was a time I was inactive on the platform and not participating reciprocally.

5. Forest Fire - What a way to round out this list. Another haiku! Posted again for another contest on January 22, 2023. It has 0 reads and 0 likes.

These are all my stories with 0 reads... However, I also have 5 stories with 1 read, 4 stories with 2 reads, 6 stories with 3 reads, 4 stories with 4 reads, 4 stories with 5 reads, 6 stories with 6 reads, 6 stories with 7 reads, 3 stories with 8 reads, 8 stories with 9 reads, and the rest have 10+. So, 45 out of my 99 stories have less than 10 reads.

Only 5 of my stories with more than 10 reads were posted prior to May 2023. These additional reads are likely because I posted them to my private Facebook page for friends and family to read. The vast majority of my work that has actually been read has been posted in the last couple of months... Why is that? Well, it's simple. I'm reading other people's work. I'm leaving comments. I'm being active on the platform. That's all you need to do to get your reads up.

My Most Underrated Work

I just want to highlight stories that I really love that didn't get many reads.

1. Portals - I love this story so much, and I had so much fun writing it. It only got 2 reads, probably because it was posted while I was on vacation as a last-minute entry to the Painted Prose Challenge. I didn't do much reciprocity that week, nor did I post about it outside of Vocal. I thought it was a really fun and informative piece, highlighting the art heist that took place at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum on May 18, 1990, through a fictional account.

2. Out of Reach - This poem just makes me giggle because I based it on Bella and Jacob from the Twilight Saga. It's way too deep to be about Twilight, but hey, what can I say? I was feeling inspired. This story has 4 reads.

3. Genesis - This poem is a four-part haiku outlining the different elements. It has some biblical tropes, nods to art history, and existential ponderings. I really enjoy it. It's currently sitting at 6 reads.

4. Bristol Beach - I wrote this poem on vacation about a night my sister and I spent together. We were both visiting home, but we currently live states away from each other and our hometown. It was a wonderful evening, and this poem just means a lot to me. It currently has 14 reads.

5. Nothing. - This is my favorite story I've ever written. It's sitting at a moderate 18 reads and 6 likes. It's based upon a mix of a recurring nightmare, my traumatic birth, and the fear of death. Proceed with caution if you decide to read it! It's an idea I had for a while, but I finally put the words to paper for the Broken Mirrors Challenge.

Some of My Favorite Creators

Enough about me. I want to highlight some of my favorite creators on the platform. Now, this is hard to do as I don't want anyone to feel left out. There are so many of you that I enjoy reading, so don't take my omission of your work as some form of dislike.

• Ian Read

He has such a distinct voice and his way with words can be mesmerizing! My favorite piece of his is Writer's Block: an All New Formula, it made me properly LOL!

• Real Poetic

Real is an understatement. All of her work comes from the heart, and she's not afraid to speak her mind. She has so many amazing poems but one of my favorites is I Am Present.

• Joe Luca

I was introduced to his work from the Word Hunt Challenge. His fabulous piece placed 1st, and I was in awe of his prose and vocabulary. My favorite piece of his is titled Beneath the Hammer of Michelangelo.

• Jazzy Goncalves

Jazzy is another prolific poet I enjoy reading. She writes from the heart and it shows through the work she posts on the platform. One of my favorite pieces from her is Color me in love.

• Suze Kay

Her writing is just phenomenal. There are so many pieces by her that I love, but I want to highlight her latest piece, Seconds Between Them. It was written for the Mythmaker Challenge, and I'm calling it now, this story is earning placement.

• R. Angeli

They post some of the most thorough and factual historical articles I've ever read. The way they are able to experiment with prose, factuality, and poetry in their pieces is second to none. One of my favorite stories by them is Tragic Crown.

Other creators I enjoy include jenny blue, Mesh Toraskar, Donna Renee, Dharrsheena Raja Segarran, Cendrine Marrouat, Dana Crandell, Kelli Sheckler-Amsden, HandsomelouiiThePoet (Lonzo ward), Paul Stewart, Poppy the Poet, Mother Combs, Melissa Ingoldsby, Kendall Defoe, Novel Allen, Andrei Z., Gina C., Naomi Gold, Babs Iverson, Mackenzie Davis, Judey Kalchik, River Joy, Cathy Holmes, and so many more.

I apologize if anyone feels left out, I really tried my best to include as many of you wonderful people as possible.

The thing I love most about Vocal is its ability to bring people together. There are so many creative, fabulous, talented writers of all different skill levels getting along with each other on this platform.

All this to say: here's to story 100, and here's to 100 more.

Thank you to everyone who has joined me on this journey, I'm looking forward to continuing to read and write alongside you all. Much love!