Musings and Advice

I broke 2,000 reads overnight. Yippee!!

It’s taken me over 290 stories to reach this number, with about 95 subscribers. I have put a lot of work into each of these stories. Most of these reads came from the last thirty days. I have been a member of Vocal since July of 2021, but I have only written for less than six months total during this time.

Here are some thoughts I have had since reaching 2,000 reads that I would like to share with everyone.

• I would never have been able to make it this far without the support of the Vocal Writer Community.
• The Writing Community is the friendliest community I have ever been involved in.
• I still get excited seeing one of my articles selected as Top Story. I don’t think that will ever end.

• I get more excited seeing the total reads increasing daily. It’s a great feeling.
• The rescue, Tiger Shoe, that my daughter brought home sounds like a giant dog running through the house. He’s always running.
• One chick is easier to clean up after than ten chicks. Do I need to say more?

• My dishes do not wash themselves, no matter how much I wish they would.
• Writing does not get easier; you just get more fluent.
• Maybe one word-of-the-day subscription isn’t enough.
• Plagiarists are assholes. It is enough said.

I’ve also learned a few things about myself I will share with everyone.

• I am a better writer than I thought. I am not the best writer, nowhere near, but I am pretty decent. I still have a long way to go to be considered a great writer.
• I like the Merriam–Webster dictionary app the best of all the ones I tried. It has games!!!
• I should have read more books and a greater variety than I did. Instead, I stuck to the classics, horror, and science fiction. Nonfiction bored me; poems were above my head as a young adult.

• I watch too much television. Way too much.
• I have remembered more about creative writing than I thought.
• Writing is an addiction, as is Vocal. I can’t seem to stay away from either, and I do not want to get better.
• I’ve figured out how to put permalinks into my articles. Yay, me!!

I also have advice to give anyone just starting on Vocal if they want to hear it.

1. Write for the joy of writing. Don’t worry about readers; readers will come to you.
2. Don’t worry about the total reads so much in the beginning. The numbers will build the better your writing is.
3. Writing is challenging. It’s not easy.
4. Improve your vocabulary. Subscribe to a word-of-the-day service.
5. Feel free to try something new with your writing. Trying new writing styles is how you grow as a writer.
6. Put your heart into your writing. The more you do, the better your articles will be.
7. Read the Resource Section on Vocal. Some great prompts are hidden there.
8. To succeed, you must network. Follow other creators and read their articles. The more you read of other’s articles, the more the favor will be returned.
9. Make friends. Communicate. Join Facebook groups Like Vocal+Assist, Vocal Creators Lounge, or Vocal Social Society.
10. Follow these five Vocal Creators for great advice and explanations: Judey Kalchik, Ashley Lima, Cendrine Marrouat, Mike Singleton - Mikeydred, and Rick Henry Christopher.

These are just some things that have been going through my mind. I hope my musings and advice help someone. Or they just make you smile. Either way, I have succeeded in doing what I set out to do.

Thanks for reading.

Happy Writing.