Tell Me About You - November 2026

It’s not easy baring a part of your soul.

Yet that’s something most of us do every day when we write.

We take pieces of ourselves, sometimes pieces we haven’t even fully understood, and turn them into something for strangers to read. We create characters, invent worlds, revisit memories, and occasionally expose truths we’d never have the courage to say out loud.

Then we hit publish.

And wait.

I’ve been on Vocal a few different times over the years, and one thing I’ve noticed is what seems to be a decline in active users and, consequently, social interaction.

Maybe I’m way off base. Maybe I’m just looking in the wrong places. But that’s been my experience.

For me, the writing is the easy part.

Finding an audience is the challenge.

Many of the established writers here on Vocal seem to have developed their own social circles. They’ve built friendships, found their people, and created communities around their work.

There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, I think it’s wonderful.

But it can be difficult to break into those circles when you’re relatively unknown.

And how do you prove you’re a talented writer if no one is reading your work?

You mingle, of course.

You subscribe. You comment. You participate in challenges. You put yourself out there and hope someone notices.

Along the way, I’ve found an unspoken system of give and take.

If I subscribe to you, you subscribe to me.

If I comment on your story, you comment on mine.

Now, I understand reciprocity. I appreciate it. I think supporting others is an important part of being involved in any creative community.

But sometimes I wonder whether we’re reading because we’re genuinely interested in someone’s work or because we feel obligated to return a favor.

And what happens to the stories that don’t get caught up in that exchange?

The ones that disappear beneath a dozen newer publications before anyone has the chance to discover them?

Isn’t being read part of why we’re here?

Not necessarily to become famous. Not even to make money.

Sometimes we just want to know that something we created reached another person.

That someone laughed at the joke we spent twenty minutes rewriting.

That the ending we agonized over actually worked.

That the words we struggled to find meant something to somebody besides ourselves.

And sometimes, we want someone to tell us when they didn’t.

Because feedback matters.

I experiment a lot when I write. I bounce between genres, explore unfamiliar characters, and chase ideas just to see where they’ll take me.

Some of those experiments work.

Others? Well, I’m sure I’ve written a few things that made someone question my sanity.

But that’s part of the fun.

When I try something I’ve never done before, I want to know whether it landed. Did the character feel believable? Was the ending satisfying? Did the story evoke the emotion I intended?

And if it didn’t, why not?

I don’t want every comment to be a glowing review. I appreciate encouragement, but thoughtful criticism can be just as valuable.

That’s how we grow.

I’ve always been a huge advocate of supporting other people. I love encouraging writers, celebrating their successes, and helping someone feel a little more confident about putting their work into the world.

But this time, I want to talk about something we don’t always feel comfortable doing.

Self-promotion.

Not the kind that involves spamming links or demanding attention.

The kind that requires enough confidence to stand up and say:

I made something. I’m proud of it. And I’d really love for you to read it.

Why is that so difficult?

We spend hours, sometimes days or weeks, creating something, only to feel awkward asking someone to look at it.

As though believing our work deserves attention is somehow arrogant.

I don’t think it is.

And I’d like to make it a little easier.

So, here’s my idea.

Every month, I’m going to publish a new installment of Tell Me About You.

Each time, I’ll share a little about myself, my writing process, and whatever else I feel like revealing. I’ll also feature a couple of my own stories that I wish had received more attention.

Maybe they’re pieces I’m particularly proud of.

Maybe they’re experiments that didn’t get much feedback.

Maybe they’re stories I poured everything into that somehow slipped through the cracks.

I’ll explain why I wrote them, what I was trying to accomplish, and what I’d genuinely like to know from readers.

And then I want you to do the same.

Tell me about something you’ve written that deserves another chance.

Maybe it’s the story you consider your best work, but it only received a handful of reads.

Maybe you tried a new genre and have no idea whether you pulled it off.

Maybe you wrote something deeply personal and were disappointed when it seemed to disappear into the void.

Or maybe you don’t want feedback at all.

Maybe you just want to say:

I did this. I’m proud of it. Please read it.

That’s okay, too.

You don’t need to justify wanting an audience.

A couple of stories I’d love you to revisit:

Room Tone (Dead Air Challenge)

This was my first real attempt at writing horror, and I took a fairly experimental approach.

I wanted to create something unsettling without relying on conventional scares. Something that would linger after the story ended.

But here’s the thing: I genuinely don’t know whether I succeeded.

I would love your unfiltered thoughts. Did the story work? Was it unsettling? Was it confusing? Did the concept come together in the end?

I’m not looking for compliments. I’m looking for perspective.

Tell me what you really thought.

The First Bite (Not on the Menu Challenge)

This one is different.

It’s a deeply personal story about a seemingly ordinary moment that became something life-changing.

I don’t necessarily want anyone to critique it. I don’t need someone to tell me whether I wrote it well.

I want people to read it because, for a few minutes, I want them to stand beside me in that moment.

To see what I saw. To understand what I didn’t understand then.

To experience how something so small can become so enormous in hindsight.

It’s a memory I can never return to, but one I revisit constantly.

And perhaps sharing it is my way of not having to stand there alone.

A little about me

• I’m a mother of three, with two teenagers (14, 16) and a baby (5 months). Yes, I started all over again. No, I don’t get much sleep.

• I have a fondness for the strange, the macabre, and the downright ridiculous. My writing tends to reflect that.

• I love experimenting with different genres. One day I’ll write something that makes you cry, and the next I’ll write about a murderous peacock. I contain multitudes.

• I’m an introvert who somehow manages to share some of my most personal experiences with complete strangers on the internet. Make that make sense.

• I have an unreasonable number of stuffed animals for a grown woman, and I have absolutely no intention of changing that.

• I love music, and it frequently inspires my writing. Sometimes a single lyric is enough to send me down an entirely unexpected creative path.

• I lost both of my parents, and grief has become an unexpected companion in my writing. Sometimes it’s easier to put feelings into words than to say them aloud.

• I don’t particularly enjoy being the center of attention, but I desperately want the things I create to mean something to someone.

• Despite the encouragement I’ve received, I still question whether I’m actually a good writer. Sometimes I think that doubt is what keeps me experimenting. Other times, I think it just makes hitting publish unnecessarily terrifying.

And perhaps the most important thing you should know about me?

I’m still figuring out what kind of writer I am.

Maybe I always will be.

I think that’s part of why I love doing this.

Now it’s your turn.

Tell me about yourself.

Tell me what you love to write, what scares you about sharing it, or what you’re hoping to accomplish here.

More importantly, tell me which of your stories you wish more people had read.

Leave a link in the comments. Tell me why you chose it. Let me know whether you’re looking for honest feedback, encouragement, or simply another set of eyes.

I’ll do my best to read and leave thoughtful comments, and I hope others will do the same.

You don’t have to subscribe to me.

You don’t have to read one of my stories first.

You don’t owe me a comment in return.

This isn’t supposed to be another exchange of favors.

It’s an invitation to discover someone you might otherwise have overlooked.

And if you see another writer sharing something they’re proud of, consider giving it a chance. You might discover your next favorite author.

I can’t promise everyone who participates will suddenly find an audience. I can’t even promise that every story will be read by everyone.

But maybe we can make this little corner of Vocal feel a bit less lonely.

Because writing may be something we do alone.

Being a writer doesn’t have to be.