Vocal Curation Team
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Collaborative, conscious, and committed to content. We're rounding up the best that the Vocal network has to offer.
Stories (223)
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Critique Challenge Winners
Critics and critiques in general are held up as many things. They are lauded for their insight into art, allowing the masses to understand why a painting, play, book or movie are important. And many critiques, the best, we feel, can be filled with the critic's personal tone while remaining objective. But critics are also often despised by artists as misunderstanding or misclassifying their works. Critics wield a lot of power, just look at Rotten Tomatoes. It just takes one bad review to tank almost any type of art.
By Vocal Curation Team2 years ago in Resources
Tales Retold Challenge Winners
As we researched this Challenge, it became more and more apparent that fairytales are a cornerstone of modern storytelling and are often forgotten as the source of so many modern lessons and sayings. No wonder our Creators suggested a Challenge such as this- fairytales aren't merely the domain of Disney or the Brothers Grimm. They are woven into our thoughts, sung and whispered into our minds while we are still babies. They are what we fall asleep to and dream about. They are the engines of our earliest creativity.
By Vocal Curation Team2 years ago in Resources
Ode to Ordinary Challenge Winners
It's incredibly easy to overlook the mundane. In some ways it's necessary, so we can free our minds to work on life's bigger tasks. But it is the ordinary that holds our lives together. From a bedtime routine to the shoelaces on our shoes, the ordinary, predictable, reliable world allows us to propel ourselves into the abyss.
By Vocal Curation Team2 years ago in Resources
Start Strong: Vocal's Guide to Mastering Chapter One
Thinking of entering the Next Great [American] Novel Challenge but unsure where to start? The blank canvas of a first chapter can be daunting. Dive in too quickly, and you might drown in a sea of unnecessary information. Tread too lightly, and you might not hook your reader’s attention. So, how do you strike that perfect balance? Let’s break it down.
By Vocal Curation Team2 years ago in Resources
Mythmaker Challenge Winners
Since the dawn of time, humans have created myths. Perhaps this was the original creative expression of our species, killing time around a fire, letting the imagination work. Or maybe it was how we could make sense of the world, so vast and unknown, putting what we saw into terms and stories we could understand, using what words and sounds and figures that were in our everyday lives.
By Vocal Curation Team2 years ago in Resources
Short and Sweet Challenge Winners (Updated 8/11/2023)
Write a love poem using only words with four letters or less. There are so many ways to restrict a writing prompt. We thought it would be fun to limit you to words with up to four letters. In our own attempts at this prompt, we found that it kept our poetry sharp and surprising. At its most basic, we thought of words then replaced them with shorter ones. But when the prompt was really working, it forced us to change whole stanzas or even entire poems.
By Vocal Curation Team2 years ago in Resources
Pitch Your Pilot Challenge Winners
It's a sad coincidence that this Challenge came out during the Hollywood writer's strike, but we've decided that the timing is perfect as maybe our Creators will want to jump into the writing game when the terms are set and the pay is more fair. So, consider this a practice pitch for the real thing, though in truth, so many of these were exceptional to the point that we'd love to see them on television. If only we had that power... Alas, we are just a team of writers and readers who love reading what you send us, though we did consult with a screenwriter for this contest (they aren't technically allowed to look at scripts at the moment so we'll keep their name a secret:)
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Past Life Challenge Winners
Who hasn't dreamed of living in a different time? You could go back or forward in time, bring your knowledge with you, see how you fit into the place, change their reality with yours. Yes, we've all thought about that possibility!
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Painted Prose Challenge Winners
My oh my. Or, rather, we oh we were stunned by the quality of this Challenge's submissions. It's always difficult to pick a winner but this Challenge was exceedingly difficult. Us being us, we wanted to think (out loud) upon why this Challenge in particular bred some incredible prose. What we think may have happened is that an old adage came to life...
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Micro Heist Challenge Winners
Heists, at least according to what we've seen in movies, require so many different sets of skills. (We assume that's why heists have crews.) And yet, the one skill that is necessary above all else is precision. A sloppy heist is often a busted heist. Without a ticking clock, without prying eyes, without danger, is it really a heist or just a smash and grab job?
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Dancing with Distraction Challenge Winners
Acrostics are one of the first writing exercises we do as children and are often forgotten soon after. Maybe it's their apparent simplicity that leaves them behind as writers scour the landscape for an interesting form in which to put their thoughts. But (I'm sure you can guess what's coming), we think acrostics are wonderful vessels for writing because of their restriction. And, as with all Challenge prompts that promote limitation, we, the judges, are always looking for those Creators who embrace the prompt rather than work around it.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
