Returning to Vocal and Writing

Wow. It's been a wild ride the past five years. From telemarketing in 2021, to a failed craft business in 2022, to Vanlifing in 2023, to wasting tons of money in 2024, to hiding in my four walls in 2025. Bizarre, absolutely bizarre. I have horror stories and comical stories. I have romantic stories and tragic stories. But most of all, I have my own emotional journey story and that begins with coming back to the world wide web to continue my writing career. And that begins with the two websites that have prompted me to call myself a professional writer: Vocal.media and allpoetry.com.

When I switched from allpoetry.com to vocal.media I was so excited. I wrote plenty of editorials and stories over the past decade at allpoetry.com and though I won some points and electric trophies, and though I got both critiques and praise, I really wanted to monetize the work. I was tired of hearing "Poetry doesn't pay the bills." I was tired of wearing the "Starving Artist" t-shirt. I was tired of using Monet or Van Gogh as examples of brilliance that never got compensation during their lives. I was tired of the injustice of it. I was tired of knowing that my destiny: Writing - was mocked or belittled or treated like some apple dangling from an elitist tree. Reading and Writing are not soley for the Elite. I learned my alphabet in Kindergarten. I began writing poems and song lyrics at the age of 7. If you're into the Bible, you know God didn't put an age requirement on the reading of that scripture. I came to Vocal.media for two main reasons. 1) I wanted to get paid for my writing. 2.) I thought Vocal.media was going to save journalism by opening up intelligent writing shares on an organized online platform where readers from around the globe could read and offer tips (both praise and money) for the perspective and honesty shared. I already expressed the truth about print journalism. The best we can hope for from that medium is in the non-profit sector. If we want to be paid professionals in the writing world, there are only two options - publish a bestseller, or learn to make online writing financially lucrative. I'm still learning, so I'm back, here at Vocal.media to give this website and myself another chance.

Now that I've updated my tools (new computer with large monitor, fresh printer, new cell phone and tablet) and I've organized my home office space, I'm ready to do some serious writing. I want to stretch myself further than my comfort zones in writing. Not just poetry or fictional short stories. More reviews, more researched historical accounts, and more considerations of the topics or communities that I'm not familiar with. I think I was being stubborn about expanding my writing because I thought that having a niche or a specialty area would help me brand my style and writing personality. But I was wrong, at least that's what I think right now. It didn't help anything to limit my writing to certain subjets or genres. There is no Brand to a style or personality. It took me awhile to understand that and accept that.

I didn't like when one of my researched essays shared here was flagged and/or labelled "Artificial Intelligence" - I was offended by that and I felt that as a paying VocalPlus member, I should not be insulted like that. It was equivalent to being kicked in the balls. I don't plagiarize. I don't steal other people's writing. I come up with my own ideas and my own words to express myself. So when I go through all the work of researching, typing, editing, waiting for approval, to finally get to the published page here at Vocal.media, the last thing I want to see is some suspicion or tag on me that I'm not Authentically writing my own stuff. It's bad enough that a writer has to take tons of rejection and criticism about subjects chosen or style employed, but c'mon! Telling the authentic writer that they artificially inseminated the pregnant page, is truly a painful kick in the proverbial ink balls. Ouch. I forgive you and I'm glad Vocal.media is still here. I will figure out a way to avoid that insult again even if I have to intentianally type typos or make up nonsense words like Jabberwacky.

In the meantime, I hope some of my Vocal.media friends and followers are still here and welcome me back. I have plenty of creative projects in mind and can't wait to see your reactions to my shares. Have a great reading and writing day, my fellow lovers of the word!