The Road So Far

Hello, hello!

Welcome to my writing journey on Vocal in 2024. This is a peek at the road so far with a hint of what is next to come.

Micro Fiction

This section contains all the Micro Fiction Stories that I have published thus far. I consider Micro Fiction to be 600 words or less.

Snowy Serenity (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Fiction Community

* Awarded Top Story in January 2024 *

A peaceful landscape that is disturbed, in exactly 250 words.

Winter Wreck (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Fiction Community

A peaceful morning coffee interrupted in exactly 250 words.

A Special Day (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Fiction Community

*Awarded Top Story in February 2024*

A Christmas snowflake’s journey to Earth in exactly 250 words.

 Intolerant (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Fiction Community

An entry to Heather Hubler's Unscrambled challenge, about a young boy that can't eat ice cream.

Poetry

I’m not much of a poet but one of my big goals this year was to push myself to try more and push myself out of my comfort zone. That being said this section is far from comfort for me but I am excited that I am feeling a bit of success beneath my feet here and building more confidence in myself.

I’m on a Time Limit (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

A piece in which I debated the pros and cons of continuing to be a Vocal+ member and what it meant for my dream of being published.

These Haunted Dolls (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

An entry to Poppy’s Prompts, the January Edition, in which I did my best to use all five of her prompts in a fictional poem.

An Onomatopoeia Abecedarian (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

It’s exactly what it sounds like. Ha-ha… pun intended!

Some Thoughts on Abecedarians (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

A stream of conscienceless type of poem.

Discontent or Love (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

An attempt at the Inverse Challenge where the idea is for the poem to have two alternate meanings depending on if you read it from top to bottom or bottom to top.

Sandcastles (1 Minute in Length) - Published in Poets Community

An entry to Poppy’s Prompts #2, in which I experiment with two different formats of poetry to use all five of her prompts in a poem.

The Monster of Aneh-ta (2 Minutes in Length ) - Published in Poets Community

An entry to Randy Baker's Prompted:#1. Where I tried to combine an Epic with a concrete (in the shape of a labyrinth).

The Returning Hero (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

An entry for Poppy's Prompts - March Edition. I made a couplet rhyming poem about that feeling you have after coming inside from shovelling snow.

This is Madness (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

An acrostic with the word Madness, an entry for RM's March Madness Challenge.

Mini Pizzas (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

*Awarded Top Story in March 2024*

An entry for the Snacktime Challenge where I reminisce about my favoutite teenage snack, mini pizzas.

An Ode to Dr. Pepper (2 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

An ode to my favourite snacktime drink!

Golden Fishy Crackers (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

A poem about my husband's favourite nostalgic snack.

Fabrications The Abecedarian (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

A poem for Heather's Unscrambled Challenge.

The Day Everything Changed (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

An acrostic for the Eclipse challenge.

 I Can Be Scary Too (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

An entry for Poppy's Prompts - April Edition.

The Oath of The Berry (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

An entry for Poppy's Prompts - April Edition.

Condemnation (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

A poem about a condemned and abandoned home, an entry for Poppy's Prompts - May Edition.

A Chore Worth Doing (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

A prose style poem, written for Poppy's Prompts - May Edition.

The Stories That I Tell (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

A poem about the pride I have in my work and the drive I have to continue creating. Written for Poppy's Prompts - May Edition

Feeling Winded (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

A melancholic acrostic with the word Wind. Written for Poppy's Prompts - May Edition

Rainy Day (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

My spring time guilty pleasure.

Puddle Jumping (1 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

Some goof springtime fun.

Alberto the Albertosaurus (1 Minute in Length) - Published in the Poets Community

A poem inspired by and about an albertosaurus, a dinosaur named after the province I grew up in.

Short Stories (Fiction)

Probably my favourite section by far. This is my bread and butter, short fictions that give the reader a snippet into the worlds I create or build upon.

Scrambled Eggs and Bacon (5 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Criminal Community

A continuation of Dharrsheena’s poem Mommy Loves You.

This story contains references to murder, cannibalism and unsavoury themes. Reader discretion is advised.

The Angel of Death (4 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Fiction Community

An entry to Mackenzie’s Ekphrastic Challenge, inspired by a photo taken by Gerard DiLeo.

A Missing Piece (3 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Fiction Community

A short story about the close call a puzzle piece had with almost being lost forever.

Lost on Plot (3 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Fiction Community

This is a short story that explores the consequences when an author fails to do their due diligence in ensuring the completion of their work.

Under Where? (4 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Fiction Community

A short story about what happens to an unfortunate article of clothing after being lost for far too long.

Unanimous Unicorns (4 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Fiction Community

A short story for Dana and Jbaz'z unoffical challenge - non-challenge, where they asked us to write a story about unicorns to combat the dark entries for the Snow Micro Challenge.

Go Away (9 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Fiction Community

*Honoured in RM's February Write Club Winners: Skeletons in Your Closet Section*

An entry for RM's Monster's Under the Bed challenge, where I use the monster to symbolize one of my greatest fears as a writer.

Can You Imagine? (4 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Horror Community

*Awarded Top Story in February 2024*

*Honoured in RM's February Write Club Winners: Beastly Haunts Section*

Another entry for RM's Monster's Under the Bed Challenge, where my imagination gets away from me...

The Madness of Vocal (3 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Fiction Community

A fictional story about what it was like to get Top Story fever, after receiving my first TS.

Writer's Fever (5 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Writers Community

An account of what it feels like when I've got the creativity/ writing bug.

May Flowers (9 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Fiction Community

A dystopian story about the aftermath of an AI attack on Station 34, a human settlement on Mars.

Snow Need to Rush (3 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Fiction Community

*Awarded Top Story in May*

A short story about that adrenaline rush to get inside on a very cold winter's day.

Short Series 

This section will contain stories that have multiple parts but at either five or less instalments in length.

The Legend of the Tree of Life (15 Minutes in Length, in Total) - Published in the Fiction and Chapters Communities

Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four

*Awarded Top Story in April 2024*

A prequel series to The Forest of Cigam from the point of view of a young guardian of the forest.

Series'

This section will contain stories that have multiple parts to them. Below will have each part or chapter in chronological order.

The Forest of Cigam (30 Minutes in Length, in Total) - Published in the Fiction and Chapters Communities

Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven

*Part One was Awarded Top Story in April 2024*

A series that takes place in an enchanted forest where we get to see through the eyes of a product dealer. A young man that steals from the forest to turn a profit in the town of More Bay.

Nonfiction

This section isn’t one I will add to too often, but it’s still one that I think is important to have. It’s one of those things that I am uncomfortable with, talking about my real self, not the author. I still struggle to identify myself as one of those, but I’m working hard on pushing past that this year.

A Very Honest Set of Goals (6 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Writers Community

*Awarded Top Story in January *

This is an entry to the #200 challenge in which I talk about my five big goals for what I want out of myself as a writer in 2024.

This article contains a spattering of coarse language, so reader discretion is advised.

A Teacher's Love Letter ( 4 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Education Community

This is an entry for the Love Unraveled Challenge, where I address my future class of pre-schoolers.

A Helping Hand ( 3 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Writers Community

An entry for The Dragon Beside Me challenge, where tell you about my early days in Vocal. Addressing a fellow Author who gave me a helping hand and allowed me to be brave enough to spread my wings.

My Descent into Madness (6 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Writers Community

A peek behind the curtain of madness that created An Ode to Dr. Pepper.

My Proposal (4 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Wanders Community

The story about when I asked my boyfriend to marry me.

 Books of 2024

This section will very seldomly be added to, I am hopign to have maybe three in here by the end of the year.

Fox in The Hole (Chapters One through Three: 14 Minutes in Length) - Published in the Chapters Community

This story takes place after the fourth world war and in what remains of earth. The world is now divided into factions of either human or those called shapeshifters.

We follow the journey of a teenage shapeshifter with the ability to transform between fox and human form. Elyana has grown up in the Coptter Rehabilitation Facility her whole life, but craves the freedom of the wild.

Chapter One - Chapter Two - Chapter Three

My Background Project

This is a super exciting section for me, but perhaps not for you. This is a small peek behind the veil of what I am constantly working on when I am not writing challenge entries and all that nonsense.

 Into The Fox's Den (Approximately 102 pages) - Currently in Editing Phase

The sequel of Fox in The Hole. (spoilers below)

Elyana, now freshly escaped from the Coptter Rehabilitation facility, finds herself among allies, or so she thinks. There’s trouble brewing below the surface, as things seem too good to be true, but Elyana and her friends struggle to find out exactly what that is.

They will face challenges to decide what is right over what is easy. The choices they make will effect more than just their own futures and put their moral beliefs into question.

If you enjoyed this, you can also check out My 2023 Library.

Thank you for taking the time to read through my ramblings. As I publish more content, I will continue to add it to this growing document. I appreciate you stopping by!

- Donna Fox (HKB)