2024 Vocal Life

Vocal has challenged me to write an article about my goals for this coming year. And I realized when I read the entry I had not even thought about it. I am still coming up from a downward spiral and before today, it felt like setting goals was overwhelming for me.

Thankfully, Vocal helped me by providing some example questions in the challenge prompt, so I can treat this as an interview, and break my brain back into thinking gently.

How has the past year on Vocal shaped your goals for this year?

I have been a member of Vocal since 2017. And I'll be honest, with life the way it was, I forgot about it for a few years. A couple of years ago, I started dabbling in picking up writing again, and I used vocal to do it. I wasn't much impressed by the revenue aspects and such, so I didn't take it seriously.

Last year though, life had gotten to a point where I could write, and I didn't have to work so hard. I had the opportunity to and so I took it. I was impressed. I won top story a couple of times, and that was a shot of serotonin and dopamine - not because of the financial reward but because I realized people appreciated the things that I wrote.

I also realized it's the article that I least expect to make an impact that does well. I learned that if I write consistently on Vocal, it also improves my audience - which is good. An active audience is what I need when I republish my book, so if I remain consistent I can grow.

The surprise of the rewards of writing Vocal has been pleasant, and hopefully, if I can hold myself accountable, I will continue to be pleasantly surprised

What skills do you want to hone?

I want to learn how to sound more professional in my writing. In articles like this, I can type what I think, but in the articles I am writing with intention, I want to... be better. I feel like maybe my tone is too casual, and not formal enough for purposeful articles.

How often will you write?

The goal is a little every day. If I don't write almost every day I get into a slump and then it's hard to pick it back up. I have to struggle-bus my way through awkward refocus writing exercises, and it's infuriating. If I don't write every day, then I don't want to go more than three days in between.

Commitment issues: Activate!

How often will you read other creators' work?

I'll be honest, I never read anyone else's work before this year. I would get on here to write an article, and brain dump. Then I would go to bed. Or start my day. I have realized that I enjoy reading, and I enjoy reading other people's work.

I make it a point to read before I write, because sometimes if I have nothing buzzing for me, other writers' work can inspire me. It helps inspire and motivate me. Sometimes it gets my creative gears going. Now that I want to be a serious creator on Vocal and Medium, and I read other people's work every time I get online.

Who will you collaborate/connect with on Vocal?

I enjoy the feeling of love and respect I get from the other creators here on vocal. And I find that interacting with other humans - especially in a big group of people who have similar talents and who may feel competitive usually disrupts my peace with people's squabblings. I am intolerant of drama and I have been taken advantage of before, so I don't generally collaborate with people. I have kept it pretty strictly limited to comments on articles.

I finally joined the vocal Facebook group a few months ago though, so maybe I will try to overcome my fear of other humans and try to participate more in the group.

I enjoy participating in challenges made by other writers though... so I will look for more of those through the year.

How will you support other creators?

I am pretty limited in my ability to support others. I read articles, share them on my social media if they deeply resonate with me, I always either leave a heart or a comment (usually both). I happily give advice if I feel like it's welcome. Other than that, I don't know how to support other creators.

I guess my goal will be to figure out how I can further support my other creators.

How will Vocal challenges help shape your creative journey?

I love the Vocal challenges. Maybe one day I will win one. But really what motivates me to join a challenge is if the prompt inspires or excites me. I enjoy writing exercises that make me think hard and challenge me to go beyond my comfort zone. Maybe one day, when I grow up on Vocal, I'll even win one! But, the challenges help keep my brain limber, and often they inspire me to create a new piece.

Is there a specific piece you want to finish or work on?

I am doing a final draft and edit to my book Memoirs of the In-Between. I plan to have it done. And I want to have it done by June. I have until June to get it fully drafted. So I can re-publish the damn infuriating thing.

I am also working on a second book, Long Live The Queen. And I want to get the first draft of that sucker done by December.

Wish me luck because I am the worst procrastinator.

What do you want your impact to be on Vocal?

I don't fancy myself important enough to make an impact on Vocal... so I guess I just want to keep being a creator, and maybe one day be able to afford to invest.