Why the Vocal Community Scares Me

I was thrilled when I saw your name on the list of the yearly awards. Having just discovered your works and falling in love with them instantly. so looking forward to what you have in store for us in 2024 Jason

I usually wake up earlier to write , my mind is free from other influence if I have an idea to write about. My best stories are free flowing .

Have been wondering the same thing!!! Fabulous story!!! Congratulations on Top Story too!!!❤️❤️💕

Congratulations on your Top Story✨💯🎉🎉🎉🎉👌

heartfelt and relatable!! Do I write like I want to, or do I make money??? So hard to choose.

Some writers write fast and some write slow! Whatever pace fits you is the perfect writing pace :) Though to be fair I generally write deep into night so maybe I don't exactly find the light of day to write underneath lol That said, I don't believe in motivation. I sit my butt down at my typewriter or computer every day and do what I have to. Sometimes it's not great work, sometimes it surprises me! But the rhythm of doing it consistently is so much better than trying to find motivation or inspiration. You've got this!

Hi Emma. When you smell the fragrance of a flower your mind closes to all other stuff.If you like something from the bottom of your heart then you will reap the benefits in the long run. So create what you like and do not fall into the trap of competition.

Dear Emma, Trust me, You're doing alright. Some people on Vocal literally don't have jobs currently, and so they've made it their hobby. Some are retired, some are on disability, some are house husbands/wives/non-binary spouses(I dunno, work with it), some are freelancers and use it as something in between their time working for/with others that they're contracting with, etc. For some people, Vocal is their responsibility. Some of them might be employed by Vocal and some might get contracted by them. Some of them write content for other products/services as to earn revenue from Vocal. I remember seeing an ad about how a woman earned more than a thousand dollars a month to help pay her rent; the ad was on Instagram and You should've seen the comments' section. Myself being a person who has entered more than 100 haikus into one of their haiku challenges sometimes I would just write about concepts and try to make as many haikus as possible just in the hopes of increasing my chances of winning. It did not work. I like to believe that most of those haikus lacked feeling, a sense of depth for the audience. Trust me, quality does not equal quantity, though quantity over a period of time should improve in quality. Yet, that concept seems to only hold water when it comes to physical products and not subjective pieces in the realm of art. This is still coming from the same person who wrote well over 30 microfictions for the Microfiction Magic challenge. Take life at Your own pace. Run Your own race. Vocal, like other forms of social media, is meant to be a luxury. Treat it as such. If You go on a hiatus, so be it. Take some time off to de-strain Your brain to allow the creative juices to flow naturally. If You want to make a schedule for writing, then do so. Let it be something that You can work into Your schedule naturally. I know I did when I first started off. Sincerely, Thavien

deeply understand You it's addictive and No it's not truth that as much as You dedicate yourself support even from truth real need of it naturally you gonna be paid for it it's actually opposite so just relax and do things intuitively on your own ! I have tried to cope with too not once and it's sacrifying another passion obligation and a job from time to time it's good but not on a long term it comes naturally thru phases for some and for some other it is their job I guess taking care of others it does not give this amount of time that you can really expand in here but some sensitive souls need lots of rest in between and analyzes too so I get You ! I don't drink coffee nor I know how to make it but I practice Qigong it helps a lot with everything ! also to pause to stop and completely switch off so you naturally harmonize when it's time for you to write and to post much love !

I make my coffee from all sources: ground beans, instant, pod. But my favourite lunch box additive is Robert Timms Coffee Bags. Just like a tea bag, just coffee. They are a game changer! I also write on my lunch breaks. It makes me a tad anti social and it means my writing can sometimes be disjointed, but I can usually manage to get something in most Challenges and work on my personal projects too. There have been a few of us who have felt the same, not all of us are as prolific as others. You are not alone 😊

This is a great story Emma! I enjoyed your heartfelt lamentations because I feel like you too. But your sense of humour got to me here… “ I have to play the cider-packet-slapping, microwave-button-beeping song of shame.” That part really made me laugh. Thanks for the entertaining read! P.S. … I like you!

Yes, I sometimes wonder (and I confess some small irritation) when I see somebody pump out 4 stories in an hour. Don't know if I'm jealous or just bemused. I have the luxury of working with a writing partner, so it increases our productivity (2 writing for 1), but we both work and have other responsibilities. I feel it's important to enjoy the writing and not force it. As an example, we wrote a top story "Pooh Bear in Wonderland" and got about 20% into it and felt maybe it would be a little boring and people wouldn't want to read it. We let it sit a couple of days and then came up with a slightly changed approach and wrapped it up in a few hours. When it's fun to write it always comes out better. Just find your own pace💙Anneliese

Girl! Let me just grab my keys and come show you how to make coffee! :) But all kidding aside, I get you! I'm gone for a day or two and bam back to 30+ notifications and I definitely don't post as much as some of these fantastic people, but c'est la vie. In your own time, at your own pace. Beauty comes in many forms ❤

‘You get what you put into life’, that saying is true.(To a degree) I do not pump out the amount of work others do, I too am baffled , but impressed. Especially when the quality is good. Most people are busy, so in short how can you do it…Plan. Plan a time and do it , one hour, 30 minutes, you choose. But DO IT, do not say I cannot I have this or that to do….just do it and train yourself. Remember, if this is what you enjoy, then you deserve that brief moment for yourself…..oh yeah and learn to make coffee.😉 Congratulations and good luck

I definitely feel you, Emma! My attention span is like a battery. I get so excited to write, yet eventually have to take a step back to recharge. I've gotten better at handling it, yet it's one of my achilles heels. Great post. Also a major Goodwill fan :)

I can relate! I have to squeeze in writing time into my busy life. My reading and writing on vocal has always been somewhat sporadic. And I have felt pressure to measure up to the frequency of other writers. But honestly, it’s not worth sacrificing your sanity! Do you! Be free! Write when you are inspired. Keep some half finished drafts cooking on the back burner. Whatever you want! I enjoy your stuff (this piece included 😀) 💖 Congrats on TS!

I have often thought as you do. There are some serious productivity athletes on Vocal. I am not, nor shall I ever be amongst them. Family, friends, day job... are 1st and foremost. They are what I live for and how I provide for them. I do what I can. I love to write. My husband is amazingly supportive of this. I focus on quality (most of the time... I occasionally crank out a steaming pile of proverbial. 😅) All I can say is that it is a constant juggling act... and I am no educated writer... I have had to teach myself 😅 but, as I say... I love it... so I find the time, I learn, I improve. That's that. ❤

Emma please, you gotta calm down and not be too hard on yourself. I don't see myself as a content creator. I only see myself as a writer. So I only write when I have an idea for something. I don't force it or have a schedule to follow. The most important thing to remember is, you always need to write for yourself. Be kind and gentle to yourself ❤️

Yes, yes, yes! I feel the same way! My mantra is write what you can. I have years of stories in me. They can wait. I try and complete the challenges and I'm not always successful with that. No chance of multiples for me, unless they're short like microfiction or critiques. Respect to those who produce but I don't have that capacity. I love to write but I am drawn to other things as well as the others who fill my life and I can't sacrifice that. So, I hear you. Don't let it pressure you. Write your best work when you can. Simple.

Ohhh, I feel we have mind-melded! So many creators here publish so much, and I can only look on enviously as I'm working my day job, doing my house duties, or hanging out with my super small social circle. Because I'd love to be them, the retired writers, the work-from-home writers....But alas... A lot of my early stuff was polished versions of previously written work, so I could post a few pieces a day, or plan when to post them. Now, I write based on my feelings, the challenges (official or fun) and whatever else gets me to actual write for a chunk of time. Some days, I have no time for Vocal; maybe I can read a few things, but I can't comment, publish, or draft. My average week, I'm on for 1-2 hours per day, doing some reading and commenting, but also trying to get a piece started/finished. And my weekends/days off are full of everything! I've found that I need some easier pieces to fill in the gaps between my major projects. First of all, I don't want to post all my best work here, because I'd like to submit to literary magazines, and most of those want first publishing rights. So, that leaves more room for different types of writing, like challenge submissions, compilation articles, essays, etc. When I'm writing creatively, I have to write for long periods of time, and I will start many different articles/essays/poems/stories simultaneously, following my thoughts as they come. This could potentially yield 4 or 5 stories that I wrote at the same time. This doesn't mean they're all ready for publishing, but it might save me some time. (I don’t know how you write, your process, but perhaps this could help.) The trick is to figure out what works for you. Everyone is different. And screw comparisons. That'll stop your creativity dead in its tracks.

So true. Do what you love, Emma! Don't worry so much about the algorithms.

So relatable. Your words resonate with me. I'm glad you use this platform, and I'm proud that you voiced your frustrations. We creators are a community, and we never want to see one of our peers' dreams go unfulfilled. <3

I completely understand! There are so many awesome and consistent creators on this platform. I feel like I go through cycles of being able to get out several pieces of work at once, and then radio silence for days, weeks, even months. When I'm not focusing on Vocal, I'm focusing on my novel. I participate in a writer's group for that, and we often do "sprints" to help with blocks, We write for 15, 20, 25 minutes and then share our word counts and what we wrote about. I've found it to be challenging in a helpful way!

Quality over Quantity, Emma. Routine is key but enjoying the process is even more so. Congrats on TS. Don't stress ☘