Onwards And Upwards

Introduction

I am now able to publish on Vocal and just posted my 3,500th story. These have been a difficult three months.

• I have not had a Vocal bonus since October
• When I email or raise a ticket with Vocal, I am lucky to get a response within a month, though almost everyone I speak to gets a response within twenty-four hours.
• I have stopped getting emails when anyone comments on my stories

That says to me that Vocal have something in place to make my life on here Vocal, but begs the question, why did they give me twelve months V+. I suppose it's a way of keeping me here while still having a laugh at the effect of making me ignored.

My last Top Story

People have blamed me, sometimes jokingly, but that did hurt a lot, and I still feel very shut out. The fact that I don't have to look for stories to reuse means that I can support other creators

But Looking On The Bright Side

I still have a good set of friends who have stuck with me and I am thankful for their encouragement, but there are a lot who have stopped commenting on my work, but my reads are rising again, which implies people are reading my work.

A villanelle I posted yesterday has had fifty-nine likes, though thanks to Vocal's flawed stats, I don't know how many are actual reads

This is what I mean by the Vocal stats issues, four years on, it's not been addressed

Conclusion

I am in a better place than I was on Vocal, but nowhere near where I want to be. Despite all this, as I have said in the past, it is the best publication platform, and for many it is a lucrative coffee money source.

Thank you so much for reading, and the music has to be Wet Willie's "Keep On Smilin'"