What Kind Of Garbage Does One Put Up With

Recently, some comments on social media regarding Vocal's judging got people talking. Some came out in defence of Vocal. Others admitted to having doubts about Vocal's judging of challenges, including how fair the judging is or isn't. And while writing is an art, and art is "subjective," their argument is understandable.

How much garbage does a writing platform company like Vocal expect a person to go through before they experience any feeling of success on their platform? The comments got me to thinking about Vocal and my time here. And as I close in on my 1300th story and realize how long I've been a member of this platform, what I have or haven't gotten from being here.

Who's been signed up on Vocal since before the Pandemic? That's right. I have. And I've been working on becoming a better writer the entire time. At almost 1300 stories, I've been called prolific. A prolific writer? I haven't written as much as some people have. Some have long ago passed me, and others have always been so prolific that I'll never write as many stories here as they have.

But I have learned a lot about the platform's usability, challenges, and value.

The Challenges

It's bloody frustrating as hell, isn't it? Vocal continually ignores you. You escape its grasp, then get drawn back in. You swear you won't try it again, then you try. The thought is put into the challenges. You enter the ones that look like something you can work with. And you get to work.

Nothing. Not even a simple honorable mention, or a consolation prize. After more than six years of being here, one would think that a win would be in the cards. Statistically, a second place would be at least thinkable. But nope, not a single win.

I sympathize with the frustrated and the disappointed. It makes the experience feel more like a lottery than an honest-to-goodness competition. That is, of course, because you're not the judge.

Then, your inner monologue kicks in, and you start to feel the pangs of insecurity. You suck! You're not good enough. You didn't get any reads on your challenge entry. And it hits you like a ton of bricks.

Consider this: even the judges don't leave a comment, which shows that they likely don't have a membership. You don't even know if your piece got read. And to the free-thinking types, this may remind you of stories from the lotteries. Remember the lawsuits that changed scratch-offs. Once the main prize is claimed, if the contest is ongoing, it has to be announced.

It makes you wonder: did the judges even read yours, or did they already have their winners picked before getting to yours? That's where transparency comes in handy. It alleviates people working on a story when there's no chance of it winning, and it makes the company look like it runs a legitimate competition. That is, of course, if that's how it happens.

More realistically, assuming all things are run appropriately, Vocal runs a clean competition, and the judges are required to read each entry with the same consideration as the last, then there's another answer for the frustrated.

No, I wasn't going to say you're not good enough. I wouldn't put that evil on you, Ricky Bobby.

Perhaps it's not been your time. Is there still work to do? Have you found your voice? Or are you good enough? These are all questions coming from self-doubt.

I haven't won one yet. I'm not likely to ever win one. But it's not because I'm not good enough. It's for reasons involving time. Not everybody has the same amount of time available.

However, there are other benefits.

This is a good place to become better at writing. I'd maintain that most of the people I've gotten to know on the platform are better writers now than they were when we first started to communicate. Some have built from Vocal to published authors. Others have built friendships around the country and the world.

The benefits can't be only the challenge wins. They are temporary victories. And temporary victories fade.

And, to those who are frustrated over not having won a challenge, I offer this wisdom.

Step away. Gain some perspective. Nobody is holding guns to our heads and making us stick it out. Turn off your Plus membership, take a break, and see how you feel about not entering the challenges. Write because you like writing, because you want to tell stories, and because it's something that helps you enjoy your life.

If you make money doing it, that's all the better, and congratulations. But if that's your only focus as a writer, you don't have the perspective some have, and your passion isn't going to come through on paper. And that alone could separate you in the challenges from the winners' circle.

And those are the thoughts, or wisdom, of someone who's been in, then out, then in, then out, and then in again.