𝒫𝓇🏵𝓈𝑒 ＆ ℂ☯𝕟𝕤𝕔𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖

Briskly, I walk into a fresh chapter as the calendar dives into yet another labeled set of hours, days... months...religiously counting down. Opportunities dwindle and slip away; they wait for no one. Who can blame them when their knocks go unanswered. The mountains we climb in search of that pinnacle of success can never be reached when we hide our thoughts...our voices. Increase the volume, time to be heard. -LDubs

The gist of it.

As a writer, I aim to mystify, surprise, and enthrall. I am a filter of knowledge, a conjurer of concepts, a visionary of unknown script waiting to be authored.

But I am much more than words...

Most of us have come to the same consensus about our participation in a community rich in talent and support. Vocal truly is a self-accessing masterclass in perfecting art. I have witnessed multiple facets of progress happen right in front of my eyes. But it's not over, Vocal continues to implement their own goals. For some, it's not happening fast enough, I get that. They have been here longer than others, so naturally, they have endured the brunt of growing pains. Some creators are content, like me. I understand that progress takes time. I'm also not aware of the behind-the-scenes action going on to keep this platform functioning. As long as no one takes away my right to write here, I will see these changes through as they happen.

Random Thoughts

Very often, when I listen to Sirius radio, it reminds me of top stories. Music and writing are similar in that respect with a few distinct differences, one being — stories rarely hit heavy rotation. Unless of course, they go viral.

Once you've experienced a book or a story, you are either satisfied, or maybe annoyed that you spent time reading something that didn't work for you. Either way, you move on. That’s why it’s our job to write something memorable every time, leaving a lasting impact on the reader in the hopes of return customers. When a story does hit the front page of Vocal and I’m the writer behind it, it creates a sense of accomplishment. I wrote something considered worthy of extra attention. Pat on the back. But it’s not the reason I write. I write because it feels good. Writing never feels like work to me but more like a moment to set my mind free and enjoy the process of creating. It even feels good when it becomes frustrating, like finding excitement in trying to piece together a monochrome jigsaw puzzle.

Vocal has had a huge impact on this odd species of writer. This platform can also share credit with me for spending my spare time wisely. Writing can never be considered a waste of time. If, for some ungodly reason, it was illegal to write on Sunday's, most writers would be facing hard time. Okay, a little extreme but you get the point of how important writing is. I look forward to crafting my next piece again and again. I may not be as prolific as some, but I do write every day. Whether it's three minutes or three hours, I put my time in.

More Thoughts

Challenges are great exercises in exploring boundaries and breaking out of comfort zones. I know I've said this before, but we all have so many stories that would have never come to life if it weren't for our decision to take on a challenge, unofficial or not.

I have at least a dozen WIPs in my drafts. Five of those projects were written for challenges but never finished for one reason or another. Before you go deleting them, consider turning them into something else. For instance, I started a story for the Micro Heist but never finished it. I loved how the story started out and decided to complete it as flash fiction. It went on to become a Top Story and earned me a five-dollar bonus...Hurray! The story I'm referencing is Torrance and the Valley of Thieves where I dabbled in Mythological Fantasy. Check it out when you get a chance.

Even More Thoughts

As I continue to support other creators by reading, commenting, interacting and subscribing. I learn from their work. Whether it's studying the structure, interpreting the tone, or taking a deep dive into their prose, I make sure and take note of the consistencies in their style. Do I aspire to be like them? Yes, in a way but it's my individual voice I want to cast. Emulation is a tricky word. Envy is a dangerous word and can only lead to resentment. I can never be envious of the winning entry. I can only read, study, and determine what I could have done differently to get the attention I thought my story would gain. Seasoned professionals or luck? I think it's a combination of both when you consider that some creators submit multiple entries into the challenges — one of these stories is bound to hit. Then, there is the other part of me that believes the judges got it wrong. Not saying that what I wrote should have placed but what I read of the submissions, in my opinion, some were better. However, I can easily recall winning submissions that blew my mind. It's subjective.

Inspirations and Improvements

Ideas are always swirling in my head. Plots easily come to me. Writer's block? What is that? Of course, I know what it is. I just don't want to experience it, but we all do at some point. It's like the voice in my head responsible for formulating ideas can't wait to be utilized. It's the execution of these ideas I plan to work on.

Prose could be utilized more in my rendering of fiction. When I sit down to brainstorm and begin to write, I'm sometimes off to the races, spitting out facts without taking the time to consider different ways to convey a message, describe a scene or add depth to character builds. Take for example, Earth Day. It's a fast-paced story written for the Reset Your Password challenge and is a great story in my opinion, but I could have taken more time to develop a deeper feel. It's still a worthy entry about a man who wanted to change the world through technology in a daring pursuit... Well, here's a chance to see how he did it. Feel free to critique it before I spend time improving it.

I also plan to extend the editing process by reading my completed fictional pieces a minimum of a dozen times before I submit. Simply leave it alone for a day or two then return with a fresh perspective. This is the time to search for plot holes and contradictions that might create questions in the reader's mind that weren’t answered through narration and dialogue. It will also give me a chance to improve the overall strength of the words and tidy up the punctuation. I've had questions in the comments before that prompted an immediate quick edit (love that feature). So yeah, don't feel like you are going to hurt my feelings by pointing out a misspelled word or the incorrect use of their there or they're...etc. I appreciate the extra eyes.

Aspirations

I'd like to think I can adapt to any genre. But that assumption would be false. I will definitely take on any genre even if that means getting examples before, I begin to write. This year, I aspire to take on Historical Fiction. This is way outside my zone...but, who cares, right? Just do it!

My stories are all over the place, thanks to challenges. I, however, love paranormal activity, a sub-genre of horror and aspire to write more stories that delve into the unimaginable. This is what I want to be known for.

I enjoy fantasy and plan to finish what I started with 'The Apprentice' series. I cranked out the first three installments fairly quickly. Now it just sits there in limbo. The characters and world I built are unsure of their fate. I do plan finish it this year and next time I will follow other creator's lead and write the whole series before I begin to publish. Sorry to anyone reading who followed it. Episode four is done but not ready to publish (insert sad face).

I also love speculative fiction — a genre of fiction that takes readers to imagined worlds, usually supernatural or futuristic. This is where my talent comes alive. Spending time infusing realism into stories is exciting to me. The process sometimes results with comments asking, "did this really happen?" or "is that really a place?" It tells me that I did my job conveying the believability aspect. This is why the Myth Maker challenge was very helpful in testing our creativity. I had fun writing my one and only entry for that challenge - Kilimanjaro: A Gateway. It's an unusual story about the origins of magnetism and is a good example of what I'm speaking of. I believed it, lol.

And what would this world be without humor? We all need an occasional laugh. The humor community is a great addition to the lineup. Some of my stories steer in that direction, and I just go with it. I most certainly will post more stories in the humor community this year, as it is a way to break away from all the seriousness. If you've never read A Vocalite Holiday, published in December 2023, I recommend it. It was spawned from the unofficial 'Hallmark' challenge presented by River Joy and Vocal+ Assist. It features Vocal's Creator of the year, Dharrsheena Raja Segarran as the MC.

Reflections

This past year on Vocal was amazing! I can't count how many things I've learned about writing and other writers. I don't pretend to be this big shot who knows everything, and I've never written professionally (yet) but that doesn't stop me from sharing stories, some of which I believe deserve tweaking and moved beyond Vocal.

In 2023, I wrote a poem here that was republished in a Silent Spark Press book called Exemplary Poetry Volume 19. The poem in question is called Divested In Flight.

I also landed my first side job with a friend who is actually going to pay me to rewrite an unsuccessful first attempt at a graphic novel. I sent him a few stories from my Vocal library and was hired right away.

Both of these steps in the right direction build confidence that one day, just one day, I will fulfill a dream of writing and pitching a script for a full-length movie. Multiple times in fact. Even if these scripts collect dust on producers' desk, the potential remains. We all have pieces in our archives that are easily adaptable for the big screen, but it’s a story I wrote before Vocal that I plan to move forward with converting into a script. Be on the lookout for Beautiful Scars to hit theaters in the near future. It already plays in the theater in my head.

Thank you so much to everyone who has and continues to support me in this Journey. I look forward to our interactions. And to those of you wanting to expand your subscription base, subscribe! It's one of the only ways for me to reciprocate and subscribe to your page. Thank you and Happy Writing!

I will leave you with a haiku to ponder... It was previously written for the 'time' haiku challenge.

Athenaeum

The past captures the

plunging future; becoming

words written in books