Tipping (Not Cows or Waiters)

TL;DR - I'd like it to become a Thing that when you use a prompt from another Vocal member, you leave them a small tip.

Unless that is already a thing, in which case I feel quite silly and please don't keep reading.

Assuming it isn't...

Think about it. There is an abundance of written material sloshing about, and we cheerfully throw more cups of water at the ocean every day.

An abundance of words

There are four million books published every year. Did you know, The Bodleian Library in Oxford has a copy of every book published here in the UK? It's been doing this for four hundred years, and is currently the second largest library in the UK. Imagine how many new books they logged each year in the 1600s. Fifty? Less? How many now? Thousands! Tens of thousands.

Now think of how many pieces are published on Vocal every damn day!

There is no shortage of written material, and maybe because of that, words are cheap. We earn a few pennies for 600 words and consider it a good day. We read a dozen pieces, and how many do we tip for? If I made a habit of it, I would quickly find myself unable to afford it, frankly. But the economics of supply and demand dictate that something so abundant, even when it is good quality, has little worth.

Panning for gold

But what most of us really value, what we crave... is inspiration.

It's bread and butter and breath to us.

There are exceptions, I know. There are people who are prolific writers. Writers block is an alien to them, one who has never visited them, and who they don't understand. They have a knack for seeing ideas anywhere, and they are wealthy for it ideas-wise.

These lucky souls fizz with stories and ideas. Some leak away, never to be jotted down and grown. But the lost gems are barely mourned; there are always half a dozen more to take their place.

Even so, even for these jammy buggers, (read: slang for "lucky rascals") I'd argue that inspiration is still less plentiful than words available to read.

For others, ideas creak out laboriously. Writers' block is no stranger, but a well-known scourge. An idea is precious, and one that inspires is exponentially more so.

Drowning, thirsty, in a boiling sea

If all the published works are an ocean, then inspiration is surely a fresh-water spring.

Crowds of thirsty men and women are drowning in a sea of cut-price words. Battered by the waves, overwhelmed by them, sodden to the skin and gasping... And simultaneously parched and dry as a camel's bumflaps.

A booty call from the Muse

When a prompt resonates, when it unleashes that fiery muse and she deigns to carry you off in her grip... When she pierces your skin, your outer shell, and your Self gushes out... When it feels gooooood...

Maybe after you've struggled to nail a few measly words to a page for days, and suddenly ideas are bubbling up and pouring out of you so quick you can barely pin them down fast enough... That is worth something, is it not? That is worth a lot.

Put your money where your inspiration is

With all that in mind, here's an etiquette I'd like to see develop: Tip for prompts if you use them. Tip for challenges set by vocal members if you take part in them. If doing so gets you a Top Story tip again! It need only be a small amount.

I'd guess that a regular Vocal user would still earn enough from bonuses, tips and reads to at least break even - covering membership and a handful of small tips with some change left over.

And no, I'm not suggesting this just because I've put out a list of prompts, either, although you'd be forgiven for thinking so. (That's exactly what I'd have thought.)

Since I first mentioned my Vocal project for 2024, I put out a plea for prompts and promised to tip you if I used yours. I've also been encouraging others to do the same.

If I read a list of fifty prompts, maybe two might snag on the oversized ugly sweater of my imagination, and start to unravel something interesting.

Useable ideas, ideas we can run with, that really light a fire under our arses... these have true value and we bloody well need to start showing it.

I had such a lot of fun with Rick's recent self-interview and "If" prompts - lots of us did! In my opinion, he deserves to be compensated for that small service he rendered to us. He gave us enjoyment, he tapped the keg of our imagination, and he sparked fun and useful introspection. In short, he handed us a beautiful idea. A dollar in his virtual hat seems cheap for all that.

How many other Vocal members have enriched our lives and our writing by doing the same? Given us a leg up on to the bucking horse called Story and slapped its arse for us?

Go say thank you!

+++++++

Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment so I can easily reciprocate.