How Many Stories In Cue

Recently, I read a piece by Vocal Creator Natasja Rose. She had some points that got me thinking about issues still present on Vocal. There are a few, but I'm guessing that every writing platform has them. And writing platforms where the writers are the least connected to the overall process likely have even more. And that might just be life, but is it?

One of the things that Natasja commented on was when there are a ton of stories by one person. Who's seen the story feed get pummeled with articles, fiction pieces, and poetry pieces by one or two people, and it's full? I have. In all honesty, I've been one of those one or two people. Yes, that's my confession.

For those who don't know my story, I have a pretty severe case of cancer. And as a result of the side effects of the drugs, the pain that has settled over my world, and stress, I don't sleep much anymore. It's nothing to lie down at 10:00 p.m. my time and then be up at 12:30 a.m.

Really, all it takes to wake me up is a loud noise from outside. But I also have the reality that if I toss and turn a little and one leg crosses the other, that's enough to feel like my leg just got struck with a hammer. And as soon as I'm up, it's off to the restroom.

Yep, that's me, sometimes five or six times in seven hours. When people ask me how it's going, I often flash back to Kurt Russel as Gabriel Cash in Tango and Cash. Remember his less-than-eloquent statement before they were sentenced to prison. This whole thing...

"REALLY F*^#ING SUCKS!"

Then I stumble back to bed. Instead of pouring myself into a bottle to knock me out for eight hours, because I know it doesn't work, I simply lay there and stare at the walls. Then, I get my phone. And that's where the story que comes into consideration.

There was one night, not that long ago, I think I lay there in bed, and I used my phone to write some poetry pieces. I was tired, miserable, and desperate for something to distract me. So I started mixing words, writing, and soon found that I could put together 200- to 300-word poems without getting up.

The one thing I couldn't come up with was a good image for them all. Nope, nada, wasn't happening. I think it's my phone. It just doesn't work as well as doing them on a laptop or a desktop. But I could play with words, put a title on it, and even a subtitle. And before I knew it, hours would pass by.

Then, I'd finally start to get tired. But before I could fall asleep, I'd have to get up and go to the place of ten-thousand whizzes. And yes, I'm considering putting on some sort of sensor that tells me how many times a day I pee. Because if there's a Guinness World Record for that, I might have that in the bag.

The next day, I was doing some writing, and I went to post a couple of the poems I wrote. I had written fourteen poems in one night. All I needed were pictures that matched the theme, title, or the stanzas for publication. I was starting the day out ahead of the game. Sure, it was a short day. I'd have to catch up on some sleep at some point. But that day, I was the dirty rascal who covered most of the page for new stories.

Now, back to Natasja's thoughts. Should I have waited? Maybe, but maybe not. It's hard to say. Stories come in as they are published and approved. Nothing's going to change that. I've had stories get hung up waiting for hours, and some get published in five minutes or less.

While her other ideas are good ones, this one, I think, is one that doesn't really matter. Sure, Vocal could limit everyone to two stories a day. But that would just be another restriction that people who never win a challenge, or struggle to get a top story here and there, might view as a reason to leave. Two stories a day for someone who doesn't have to go to work, is maybe retired, or disabled, might actually hurt some of our fellow writers.

But we could also take it upon ourselves not to overstress the feed. I had seven that day that I put out. I could put seven out over a few hours, but I had seven that I submitted in 30 minutes. It's something I'll think about next time. If I ever have that many stories in my drafts.

How many stories have you had in your drafts that were suddenly ready to go at the same time? What are your thoughts on limiting them to two a day? Share your perspective.