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.
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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 Team2 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 Team2 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 Team2 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
Word Hunt Challenge Winners
This Challenge reaffirmed two core tenets at Vocal. The first is that we love working with Creators in coming up with Challenges and the second is that the simplest of prompts- use three words found in a puzzle - will yield spectacular results.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Melodic Milestone Playlist Challenge Winners
We were so excited to see this idea presented in our Shape The Future of Vocal Challenges series. We had been kicking the idea of writing about music and playlists around for a while but couldn't think up the right structure for a Challenge. With your help, we got the push we needed to come up with the right formula. Part story, part playlist, this contest was meant to give voice to what so many of us possess- those deeply rooted songs that shaped us and continue to shape us, the ones that give sound to our fondest memories and the tunes that we turn to when we need musical solace.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Microfiction Magic Challenge Winners
Call it flash, micro, or any other tiny phrase. However you view it, writing as much with as few words as possible is (at least to us, for this Challenge) the gold standard of creative fiction. What makes Challenges (and challenges) like these so enjoyable to read and participate in is the same thing that makes all fiction enjoyable: making every word count. Once a story becomes waterlogged with extra emotion, extra words, extra extra, our interest flags and we tend to stop reading.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
