January's Reflections

During the last weeks of 2022, when I started writing and publishing on Vocal again, after a break, I came up with a plan. I was going to write and publish at least one piece a day. The idea was to encourage me to come up with ideas and actually hit the Create Story button to publish something and get my creative juices flowing.

Although a tall order, I figured a post a day would be manageable and it would increase my number of pieces on Vocal, overall reads and other stats.

What I didn't count on was just how many pieces I would end up writing and publishing.

So, What Happened?

Did I do it?

Well...if we are just looking at the goal in its most literal sense "at least one post a day" then no I didn't. As you might imagine, life happened a lot and other things that meant posting one a day was not possible.

However, when I counted up all the pieces of work I published in January between the 1st and 31st, I found that I had written and published 46...so I completely smashed my goal, as I still posted at least 31 pieces.

Many of them were haiku and I doubled up and tripled up on some days. So that helped.

What Did I Learn?

Well...anyone that's paid attention to my mad ramblings in the Facebook groups I am a member of (Vocal+Assist, Vocal Social Society, Vocal Media, Medium, and Newsbreak Creators and Readers, The Vocal Creators Lounge, The Medium Writers and Vocal Creators Support Group, Great Incantations: A Group Dedicated to Writing Challenges) or the post-amble (is that even a word? it is now!) after some of my pieces, will know that I have discovered this really quite strong love for poetry.

A large percentage of the 46 pieces (oh wait, there was another piece that wasn't included because it was rejected, for good reasons) were poems. Well, given that I submitted two stories to the Reset Your Password Challenge and one to the Improbable Island Challenge along with one piece that listed my favourite album closing songs, and one shameless attempt at clickbait, it was mostly poetry.

This was not meant to be how it goes. I wanted to be a writer - writing articles about subjects that mattered to me, giving my opinions, thoughts etc. working on my fiction, but not poetry.

But, Poetry had other ideas for me. Stupid sexy haikus.

I also learned that less is more sometimes...the inordinate amount of haikus I published is testimony to that.

Another key thing that I learned was that I enjoy challenging myself...I kinda knew that already, but just not to the extent that was plainly on display during January. Acrostics, Abecedarians, Palindrones, free-form, ekphrastic, dark, light, serious, nonsense, alliterative - you name it, I've tried it.

I also learned that no matter how many of my ideas I try out, I have another hundred or so lurking around my crazy brain. I am starting to appreciate what one of my favourite creators/writers/poetess extraordinaire Colleen Millsteed says on her Vocal profile "My first love is poetry — it’s like a desperate need to write, to free up space in my mind, to escape the constant noise in my head. Most of the time the poems write themselves — I’m just the conduit holding the metaphorical pen."

That's how I feel now. I have these ideas that come to me and they just need to come out! I rarely have much choice over it. Which is why I end up taking on silly self-assigned challenges.

I can't not write now. The words scream at me sometimes. They beg me to be used. And that does sound crazy, but what the hell!

Some Interesting Statistics Etc.

Part of the reason for going ahead with the goal of at least one a day was the hope it would increase my stats. Now, a sensible person would have taken a screenshot before January, so they had something to compare things with at the end of the month.

I, ladies and gentlemen, am not that sensible it seems! I have no before and after or clever graphics.

What I would say is that:

• I hit my first 100 total reads, I think. I then reached my first 500 reads and my first 1000 words all within January.
• I also reached 50 subscribers and then surpassed that into the 60s
• I was awarded one Top Story for a piece. The same piece that is now my most successful piece to date in terms of earnings, reads, hearts and comments! Don't Give Up On What You Feel

What I Appreciated

The interesting thing was that as I wrote more, just for the sake of writing, the ideas came much easier for future pieces. I found as I progressed through the month, my confidence or lack of inhibitions or ability or skill or whatever the hell you want to call it - grew.

I wouldn't say that everything I published was the most amazing stuff ever. However, for the most part, I am pleased with everything I committed to publishing. I have no regrets.

Even the daftest ideas that I followed through with and while some were still daft in the end, some turned out way better than I imagined they would.

Support and Reciprocity

Now, I already knew this of Vocal and the awesome creators that produced such fantastic work - that people give support and have a real spirit of reciprocity. But, the last month has just really solidified why I love putting my stuff up on Vocal. I would like to expand and follow other endeavours, but I love the community that exists here.

I've always enjoyed reading Vocal pieces. I did that for a year before actually even posting anything. As I didn't want this to be all about me, I wanted to highlight some of the great creators that have been supportive of my own work, been encouraging, offered help and advice when I've asked for it and produced some fantastic work too.

I guess this is when I shamelessly promote friends and fellow creators. Please check some of them out. You won't be disappointed. I make no apologies for this whatsoever. In no particular order (and also, if I miss out anyone...it's not deliberate and more that I'm a very old and forgetful 43-year-old):

Ruth Stewart

Mike Singleton, Rick Henry Christopher,

Heather Hubler, Gina C. Viggiano Nobriga

Keila Aartila, Cathy Holmes

Kelli Sheckler-Amsden, Colleen Millsteed

Melissa Ingoldsby, Daniel Jeyaraman

Poppy The Poet, Oneg Kushnir

Moe Radosevich, C.H. Richard

Stephanie J. Bradberry, Dharrsheena Raja Segarran

Scott Wade, Dean Hardy,

J. R. Lowe, Tiffany Gordon

Em Keels (sleepy drafts), Lamar Wiggins

Laura-Jasmin Nuttall (Mama L), Joe Patterson

Alex H Mittelman, Lonzo Ward

Chloë J. , Meg Deak, Bex Jordan

Thavien Yliaster, Ward Norcutt

Sandra Tena Cole, Novel Allen

Holly Pheni, Veronica Coldiron

Babs Iverson, Emily Marie Concannon

Judey Kalchik, Lisa A Lachapelle

Again, to anyone I missed out, apologies!

What's Next?

Oh...wouldn't you like to know!

My Vocal folder on my computer, which contains all my drafts, ideas and random phrases words and stuff, is full of future poems, stories and articles.

Before I set out doing this, I did say that I may well continue trying to publish at least one a day for the foreseeable future even after January and that is what I am intending on doing.

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Thank you for reading and thank you to everyone and anyone who has ever read any of my work so far and hearted, commented or shown your support. I appreciate it.

I am not going to do my usual and provide links to other pieces at the bottom as I have provided a lot of links throughout this article.

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