Why Are We Here? (On Vocal)

Introduction

If, like me. you have been here a few years, you were probably drawn by the huge Vocal Challenge prizes. I soon learned that was as likely as a lottery win for me. Many of my friends have won and placed so they have been properly rewarded.

The music I have included is Steve Forbert's "Thinkin'" because that is what I have been doing.

Many more of my friends have not won, but still continue to produce excellent creations so this begs the question...

Why Are We Here? (On Vocal)

While I see a few people say they make a living off Vocal, one with supposedly a million reads, though that was the only post I saw of theirs. Another told of the three hundred dollars they had been paid for their fifteen thousand reads complete with a screenshot (Photoshop can tell many lies).

The ones who say they have come to make money seldom stay, and I cannot think of anyone I know who is on Vocal for that.

What keeps me here is the friendship and community that has come together on Vocal. I am privileged to be part of that group of Creators.

Vocal is a platform, and while flawed, it is wonderful for sharing our creations, whether they are poems, fiction, or articles about stuff in the real world.

It has many flaws and the communities talk about these and ways to deal with them. Unfortunately Vocal seldom communicates directly with Creators, but the community that we have built by combining Vocal and Facebook is incredible.

Vocal is not a platform for making anything more than coffee money, but it is a treasure house of knowledge and friendship.

My writing on Vocal has become a library that I can look back on and use for putting together poetry anthologies, though I do have ideas for other publications:

Like art and music, many create in these areas, but very few find that their particular art form can support them. I have a day job that is my main source of income, and I know many who write here are retired or financially independent. I don't rely on Vocal but it has paid me more than any other writing platform I have been involved with.

I put a few Stephen King quotes in this recent piece:

Then my friend Caroline posted this in The Vocal Social Society

This hit so well because we support and encourage members in the Facebook Vocal communities such as VSS.

That is a huge benefit to us all. I would not be here or writing this if it were not for the support and encouragement I get from these Facebook Groups.

Conclusion

I am here to write and share my work and hope that others will like it too.

The money is very much secondary, and challenges are just a writing prompt to me.

I am successful on Vocal, and I am to keep being successful.

Thank you so much for reading.