5 Things I Wish Vocal had

Vocal- an outlet for writers to publish their work untraditionally for others to read, with the added benefit of earnings per read. An amazing platform that has kickstarted many writing careers and hobbies, and allows for exposure with the chance of winning a "challenge" for profit.

In my opinion, Vocal is amazing. The doorways it creates and the freedom it gives its users are more than most platforms. However, as someone who has now used Vocal for several months, there are some pet peeves I wish I could change.

That's not to say I don't love or enjoy Vocal- truly, it's a wonderful site- I only have things that I've thought, "I wish they had..."

They're listed below:

1. FOLDERS

As someone who currently post a series on this website, I wish there was an option to bundle all the chapters/parts of the story into one convenient place. A folder that readers could open and easily find all the chapters a writer has posted. Instead, readers have to search through a profile page from bottom to top so they may read all the parts in order... It can be frustrating, especially if that author posts a lot of different content. A folder option, I think, would solve this.

2. SEEING SUBSCRIBERS

I like that I can see how many people are subscribed to me, but I wish that I could see who they were. If these people subscribe to me, then they must like my writing or content in some capacity, and I would probably like theirs... if I could see it. But I don't know who they are, unless they leave consistent comments or views on my post and I make the assumption. These people give me support, and I would love to give my support back. Thus, having this option to see subscribers would open the door to a stronger relationship between reader and writer.

3. EDITING CHAPTER TITLES AND SUBTITLES

The quick editing feature is *chef's kiss* amazing. I love that Vocal trusts its creators enough to allow them to change their posts and not require a resubmission. It was this feature that made me comfortable posting my series, as I would have the ability to go back and change the content if need be. However, I realized I could not change the title or subtitle. I'm a sucker for named chapters, but I realized I had, in my excitement, forgotten to name a chapter in the subtitle. I don't have the ability to revise this, and if I delete the story and repost it, it would throw the order of the story off (going back to the folder issue). I would love if they added the feature to change titles or subtitles for this reason alone.

4. A PROMPTS PAGE

Vocal's challenges are extremely fun and provide amazing prompts. From sentences to genres, their challenges always open the gateway for new and exciting stories. However, I wish there was a page that I could scroll down for each genre that was strictly prompts. Dialogue prompts, first sentences, fictional maps and places- I want to be able to scroll down and become inspired! I love that I can go back and look at previous challenges, but I would like a more easily accessible prompts page, especially to help with genres and writing styles unfamiliar to me.

5. LINKED SOCIAL MEDIA

The last thing I've been wishing for from Vocal is a way to quick link my social media to the stories I've published. I can physically make posts myself using my phone and a camera, however, I wish there was a way that I could link my socials to my Vocal profile and more easily share my stories. Using my phone always leaves a terrible glare on the photo and, given my personal set up, it can be difficult creating content in that manner (as in, my phone sucks). Thus, it would be helpful to have a feature that allows me to share stories more easily to popular social media apps like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.

I adore Vocal! It's given me the opportunity to produce stories I never desired to traditionally or self-publish with full, completed manuscripts. It allows me to take a break from the typical writing schedule to explore and develop my writing. The website is accessible and allows me to read new work from new authors everyday. The above listed aren't things that I'm begging for, but are things that I wouldn't be bothered having developed one day. Until then, I will continue to use Vocal as an outlet for my stories and enjoying the website for all it has to offer.