My First 21 Days on Vocal

A two-year writing drought.

Two years of silence.

Two years of internalizing my thoughts.

I was questioning my beliefs.

As I solidified my path forward.

By chance, an email from an unnamed source directed me to Scribble.

Tagline: "A new innovative way for authors, writers, and creative minds to network and connect."

My First Thought: What! God, the universe was starting to speak to me, freeing me to untie my lips, open my notebook, and unleash the germination of my mental retreat from public writing. I had been looking for what was next ever since the sounds of its time began.

Me: Okay - let's check it out 👀. The manuscript in hand for the book had been marinating in my mind for the last seven or eight years. I needed inspiration. I wanted a community to learn from, to grow with, and to share my thoughts. The Scribble app seemed like the right place to be.

Phone in hand, app downloaded - 0ne post leads to another of writers, poets, and novices saying hello and congratulating each other's little bundles of joy. But then something caught my eye.

A post by @HandsomeLouiiThePoet "Here is A Poem I Wrote💯💯 ❤️😉

I had seen this Vocal Media tag before. With a few minutes to kill between editing my manuscript or, should I say, procrastinating on the next rewrite. I succumbed to my curiosity and clicked the link. That was all it took.

Thirty minutes later, with my newly minted Vocal+ membership, I began cultivating the nuggets firing in my membrane to the electronic text of thought and reflection - years of being the go-to therapist. The friend with a willing ear and open heart held stories for redemption, trials and tribulation, short-sightedness, and the occasional moment of self-reflection.

Truth be told. I find myself somewhere in every story I have ever crafted. Whether it reached the screen or stayed hidden within. Like my critique of Andy Wier's The Egg, I am All and none of the characters I write. The struggles are mine and someone else's. You see, the minute the trust was given, the story became mine. The writing was how I returned the secrets to the universe without names or personal identification. Vocal made that possible.

My first letter was written to my older brothers, who had been bullying me. My parents were floored. Yet, what caught me was they were so engrossed in their adult conversations that they didn't catch on to my intent until the deed was done. It was a *uck You Letter. I had been bullied for the last time, and I wanted them to have more than just a piece of my mind.

As you might have guessed, asking my parents how to spell *uck while The Color Purple was screening on the television got their attention, and the letter never went past the kitchen table and a lesson in civility. That said, the idea of sharing my ideas, sharpening my skills, and being paid for garnering readership was new to me and this time, I wouldn't be chastized for my reflected thoughts🫣.

My gift could be seen by many diverse minds and talented writers and poets, and it was humbling. Then I woke up one morning to an email from Stripe. Yay! Me - my first tip! It's not about the money but the recognition of my craft. My heart was at peace. A few days later, my first TS, I spoke in my head, after learning of the prestige via a comment, in the words of Sally Fields, "They like me, they really, really like me!"

I confess the Vocal Awards also drew me in, as well. As a freelance writer, the prize pool was enticing. Now, up from the $5,000ish 1st place pool to over $11,000ish isn't anything to balk at. If you haven't entered check out the categories and submit your best works!

But what keeps me engaged is the community. I saw and read some great artists in print. Poets and writers alike. They were promoting each other on, championing their craft, and self-exploration. And the comments are full of reflective critiques, insights, and idyllic banter.

In case you missed them, here are some of my favorite vocal creators stirring real emotions and making me feel, for the first time in my writing career - I had found a real community to sharpen my iron:

First up took my breath away, Tiffany Gordon has a way of weaving a tell full of lyrical suspense with real but funny placement of mundane objects to drive home the point.

Another favorite was Novel Allen who scripts reviews given Roger Ebert a run for his money. Hint: Novel is deep and reflects on our changing times with thought-provoking dialogue and it helps she doesn't mind pushing the envelope or rustling a few feathers to get her point across!

In one of her comments, Tiffany pointed me in the direction of HandsomelouiiThePoet (Lonzo ward). I was intrigued and a few letters typed in the search field and voila, the thought-provoking poems illicit raw emotions of vulnerability and strength at the same time.

Which led me to one of my next favorite writers/poets thus far. Paul Stewart leverages his past to therapeutically heal while helping others to heal. His love of music is crafted into his work, making the heart and mind converge.

One of my biggest champions, favorite reader, commenter, and truly gifted poet is Dharsheena Raja Segarran - we're clearly in different time zones but I look forward to her nuggets when I wake each day. Specializing in mental health recovery her poems are emotive, intelligently crafted, and full of truth. It's no wonder so many of her posts are TS!

A new find discovered only a few days ago is Mantasha, her short fiction shrouded in suspense, The Secret Society is concise, engaging, and complete. You're sleeping on this one, and trust me - you shouldn't be!

Notable mentioned - pick any work of art they have and be pleasantly surprised:

Ashley Lima, Real Poetic, Kendall Defoe, Lamar Wiggins

Thanks for reading and joining me in another poem on the human condition. If it stirred your emotions 🎤, please drop a comment 💬. If you like the vibe, drop a heart 💗 and subscribe 💌.