Vocal: Why You Should Dig Deeper

I joined Vocal several weeks ago when, like so many others, I was lured to this site by the chance at winning $20,000 with a short story submission. I thought, why not? Really, what do I have to lose? If anything, it will be an interesting experiment; do websites like this really give unknown and unheard writers a platform and a chance to be heard?

I am not a professional writer, but it's been a passion of mine since I was child. While other kids were running around outside playing, I was inside, thumping away on our old school typewriter, producing stories, plays and poems until my fingers cramped. When other kids crafted backyard forts, I crafted 10 act plays. This passion drove me through my teens and when I was in college, my hard work actually paid off when I won a few small awards and scholarships for some of my creative writing work. It was nothing life changing, but of course recognition is always reaffirming.

So I know I've got some skills and have produced some pretty decent work. However, as I've gotten older, I've had to put my own passions on hold to support my family (an extremely common story for most working moms). Between working full time and trying to keep kids fed, clean, safe and happy, there’s not much time left over and we do have to sleep at some point.

So when I heard about Vocal and this contest, I was excited about reclaiming this lost part of myself. By recognizing the potential to earn a little cash, I could dismiss my inner skeptic that said this was a waste of valuable time (maybe I should just catch up on some much needed sleep instead?).

So I did some research and read some of the "Top Stories" and thought, "Hey, I can do this." I let myself get excited. What if, after all these years, I finally had a platform for my voice to be heard beyond my friends and family members? What if I could receive feedback and develop relationships with other writers? Become part of a community? What if I could feel seen and heard as a writer?

Well, a few weeks into this experiment and the results so far are "meh". I've posted 5 original shorts stories and have a total of 21 overall views (that's $0.13 in earnings for those that are curious). This is when the crushing disillusionment set in.

Unless your story is chosen as "Top Story" by Vocal moderators, chances are, few to none are going to read it, unless of course, you hound your friends and family on social media to visit your page, but aren't we tired of doing that? Isn't that why we wanted to try something else?

From what I've read, there is no consistent criteria for identifying "Top Story" selections. To be honest, the quality of some of the chosen selections has often surprised me, while others were pretty damn impressive. That's not to knock those that have made the "Top Stories" hit list, which is always an accomplishment. It's just to point out that “Top Stories” is truly a mixed bag that makes identifying the “secret mix” that will get you noticed by the Vocal moderators a daunting exercise.

But even when reviewing the pretty damn impressive entries, I never felt inadequate or out of my league. I still believed I could produce on par with my piers, and because of that I had hope that I could make some sort of noticeable ripple in what is a very large pond. However, because I don't have a major following (working moms are not incredibly glamorous) and I'm not going to hound my friends and family members (again) to up my views, my impact is very minimal. Scant.

So, has the experiment failed? Eh, it's a little early to call it, but it certainly has been less than inspiring. But as many on this site know, being a writer is never easy. There are way more rejections than awards. There is a sea of voices competing to be heard, and you have to try to find that "secret sauce" for getting to the front of line while still maintaining your authenticity, integrity and vision as a writer and artist. It's like the ultimate balancing act and all known physics no longer apply.

So if anything, Vocal has re-established these well known though troublesome truths for me; being a writer is hard, having for your voice heard is even harder (even on a platform like this) and rejection or even simply disinterest, can be damn destroying.

So recently, I've waged a quiet war with these truths. Instead of reading the "Top Stories" or the highlighted writers and content, I've been digging down deep into the the vast pages of this site, finding the most nondescript writers I can, and reading their submissions.

I'm not exaggerating when I say I've been totally blown away and consistently impressed with the insane talent hiding, totally unrecognized and unassuming, deep within the pages of this site, where most probably never bother to venture. Hell, it might even be your writing I'm talking about. This stuff is just as good, if not even better, than what has often been tagged as a "Top Story" or other promoted material.

So I'm letting these writers know they are being heard and recognized by handing out "hearts"/"likes" whenever I can, because I also know there are thousands of other writers on this site with tons of talent, pouring every fiber of their being into their work, and are now second guessing themselves and their work because they are going unheard and unnoticed. I want THESE writers to feel seen and heard. After all, isn't that what platforms like this are all about?

So I challenge you to dig deep on Vocal, find a hidden gem, seek out a buried treasure and make that writer's day by diving in head first and giving them some well deserved love and encouragement.

Let's just make the game a little more interesting.