Mission 2024

Briefing

Agent Daniels, reporting. Mission 2024 will prioritise writing progress. While productivity was low in recent years, the operative has addressed artistic challenges and identity limitations. Agent has gathered significant intelligence from the study and experience of Vocal.

Intelligence Report

Agent has served as a judge or juror in writing competitions, submitted to countless short fiction competitions (including Vocal Challenges), played with flash fiction and poetry, worked multiple paid editing gigs, experimented with non-fiction, and worked on novels set in a shared universe. The current operation is his second novel in that shared universe, continuing the story of Diary of Knives.

Data Analysis

Streamlining has been recognised as the core principle required for Mission 2024. For example, many works Agent previously posted on Vocal have been decommissioned as poor tactical choices. Existing posts are now more consistent. The vast majority are fiction and poetry. This mission report is non-fiction, but it serves as literary process documentation. This is beneficial because writing forms a community among writers and with readers.

Money cannot be dismissed as a factor. Agent’s long-term missions cannot afford to allocate time and energy to a day job. While contests offer some exciting opportunities, however, their prize offerings are unreliable. Agent acknowledges with regret that the path to success is a Venn diagram of researching the market, marketing one’s work, working with SEO builds, and – lastly – building quality products.

Mission Objectives

1. Act Along an Authentic and Artistic Attitude

Agent’s writing has until now prioritised funding generation to expedite day job termination. While such a strategy is understandable, results have been mixed. The time has come to focus upon art that is expressive, relatable, and enjoyable.

2. Schedule Shrewdly

Previous tactics have emphasised deadlines or word counts. It has proven exhausting. Agent has frequently suffered low morale when said objectives could not be achieved.

For Mission 2024, time will dominate the tactical layout as follows:

-On a day with a full shift, any production is welcome

-On a part-time shift, get in at least an hour will be invested in the field

-On a day off, writing must supersede other priorities

This schedule offers versatility and flexibility while allowing room for morale improvement.

Work and Impact

Prime objective: complete the second novel.

Short fiction will be revisited. Tor.com recently rebranded as Reactor Magazine, which agent will investigate. Field operations are suitable for aggregation, as demonstrated by the previously successful anthology, Interstitches: Worlds Sewn Together.

Field assets for Mission 2024 will include more poetry. Vocal’s Poets Community serves support roles with distinction. Blogging is a candidate for armoury expansion, pending review from the Research and Development division. In lieu of a separate website, as originally planned for Choose Your Character, agent will explore its value as a profile sidearm.

Classified sub-mission: share this message with no one. It will self-destruct. Agent will deploy a high percentage of 2024 resources in service of a secret operation to be launched in the Chapters Community for 2025. More will be declassified at a later date.

Mission Parameters

Mission 2024 will proceed with the expectation that the day job will persist indefinitely while simultaneously trusting that field operations will have present and future merit.

Praxis:

-Writing is a daily priority.

-Unpredictable day job timetables result in unprotected writing time. Adapt to this reality.

-Balance multiple concurrent projects with manageable scheduling.

-Accumulate more stories, including but not limited to: television, movies, books, web serials, and Vocal content.

Field Notes

Seminars, workshops, guidebooks, and masterclasses are valuable assets. Agent recommends Alan Moore on BBC Maestro and John Truby’s The Anatomy of Story.

There are other methods for earning. Encouraging readers to donate or pledge, for example, is readily available in the Vocal framework. There are also grants and other supports. Agent recommends coordination with the local library, nearest university, and/or State/Province websites for arts awards and other assets. Love of the art is critical for morale.

Mission Launch

Mission 2024 is proceeding well in its early stages. Word counts are in line with projections, clarity has been achieved in the operation’s plans and priorities, and morale is high for the release of [REDACTED] during Mission 2025. Agent Daniels, signing off.