The feeling of isolation and unimportance on Vocal
A disturbing and unfortunate observation. The truth shall set us free.
I recently started creating random pieces of AI generated art on NightCafe Studio, they also work along with Open Ai concepts, and although I am not yet even close to being good/great at it, my creations are pretty much ok and coming into their own. The young folks over there are creating marvelous and mind-boggling artistry.
What I do get though, on that platform, is the feeling of complete and total appreciation for every single attempt at art that my still learning AI art can come up with.
I am rewarded for everything. Nope, there is no money being paid out to create the art. I get praised for my every effort, I get tokens for every type of effort that is given out. These free tokens allow me create other works of art, I can rack up tokens daily and keep creating to my heart's content. Or I can buy more tokens, which I have not had to so as yet, because I am not creating that many daily, as many others are doing.
The crux of the matter is how I feel about being there, where I feel that even my worst effort does not go unrewarded. I don't have that sense of unimportance which I get from time to time on Vocal. I feel supported and a welcome part of the community all the time, not just when I happen to get a Top Story or when I write something that pleases someone for a short few moments, or for a lauded moment in time.
Yes, the responses are AI generated, there are not enough people to send individual human responses to each and every one of the thousands of creators. Yet, I feel warm and fuzzy to see the responses in my e-mail or on the site itself when I create, praise another creator or vote on creator themed challenges which are highly encouraged. There is real camaraderie and team spirit, some are AI generated and some from comments of other creators.
I even gained credits from placing last in a competition with my lovely horse.
I am not happy that Vocal comments no longer come to my e-mail. I am missing many comments having to search for them within every story, or go trolling through notifications, who has the time for that. That was a bad decision as far as I am concerned, not every request is in the best interest of everyone.
I may not be of much importance to Vocal, but I like writing, creating and reading stories. I was reading the stories of the underserved on Vocal long before people are now being paid for it. It is a shame that it had to come to that. I am sure that the money could be better served through kindness in the reading of stories, so the money could be invested in the upliftment of many more good and great ignored and underappreciated writers on this platform.
Yes, I did benefit a tiny bit from it, and it may seem hypocritical, but it is, nonetheless true.
I would love to see Vocal living up to its potential of fairness and inclusivity for everyone, no matter how 'sub par' their writing may appear. Everyone has the potential for growth. Most of us started out writing so called sub par stories.
I have made just enough money on Vocal to have reached break-even point with the monthly dues which I have paid since joining. I am a miser, I don't spend money frivolously (mostly), so I have neither won nor lost since joining. What I have gained however, is priceless. My reading and writing have gained a kind of higher 'class' sophistication in the content and quality of that which I now read and try to write. Sometimes I do still write silly un-Top-Story-like stories.
I will be brutally honest with writers, just ask Dharrsheena (everyone knows her by her first name), when I first met her she was mainly writing other people's horror stories. I put my foot down and told her to start writing her own stories and books for that matter, she was obviously very and extremely talented. After pooh poohing for a bit, she did. Now there is no stopping her.
Donna Fox is another of my protegees, encouragement to free her wings and fly was welcomed by her, we read each other's stories, corrected and added gentle remonstrances until she flew solo on her lovely wings.
Grz Colm is still with me, we read and encourage and lift each other's spirits up as often as we can.
My sister from across the ocean D. Alexandra Porter, is my joy on Vocal. She reads my stories and make then seem like they were written by Shakespeare, Wadsworth, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou or one of my favorites, Arthur Conan Doyle, the master of detail.
THANK YOU ALL
Tiffany Gordon and Stephanie Bradberry.
Sid, Paul, Lonzo, Naomi, the two Danas, Real Poetic, Jay, R. Angeli, Mariann, Invisible. J S Wade, Renee, Cathy, Mike, Rick, Judey, Lamar, Gerald, Babs, Mark, Gina, Heather, Lana, Elaine Sehira, Joe, Ruth, Gerard, Carol, Kendal, Ashley L, CH Richards, Veronica, Sonia H, MT and everyone who ever read my story.
I cannot help but notice that it is the same names that keep popping up when a story is published. Thousands of writers, yet it is the same ones who, thankfully keep reading my stories.
There is something sadly lacking in our relationship and approach to what Vocal was initially created to be.
Just like climate change and our indifference to the fact that we are the reason for it. So are the changes on Vocal an offshoot of our selfishness and the chase for the next name upon the totem pole.
Yes, changes are inevitable, and great ones are always welcome. But if we look deep down within ourselves, we will see that the creators have had to veer away from the initial purpose to a more individual driven approach in order to keep the masses satisfied.
It is my deepest and most fervent wish to see people on Vocal feeling like I do on the other platform. For everyone to feel equally welcome, whether or not theirs is the greatest story, or the one just peeking its first sprout out of the ground seeking water and sunlight.
Design AI to make us feel warm and fuzzy if you must, It matters not what makes us feel loved, we just want that feeling with every story which is written.
BTW J@V. I did notice you like my story, but then it......
I sincerely hope that a few people will read this story and give me their honest opinion on the matter.
........................................................................................................
About the Creator
Novel Allen
You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. (Maya Angelou). Genuine accomplishment is not about financial gain, but about dedicating oneself to activities that bring joy and fulfillment.
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Comments (15)
Novel, I am sad you feel this way but also happy you have found a place that you feel valued! Know that those of us that you have raised/ follow you closely will always support you no matter where you go or how wild your writing can turn! You are valued, you are loved and cherished! Thank you for sharing your thoughts, feelings and opinions. I found it really eye opening. Take care Momma Bear! 💜
I respect your opinion, but I have to say I disagree. I’m happy to see the same people comment on my stories. Those are my people. Not everyone will like what I do, and I sure as hell don’t like everything posted on this site by every creator. What gets my goat is the people clearly playing a numbers game. Leaving generic comments on as many stories as they possibly can, and I just know they did not read my Top Story. They pretended to “support” me so I can pretend to “support” them. They couldn’t care less if people genuinely connect with them as a writer. They want as many likes and comments as they can get. It’s like on Instagram, with people wanting validation for their heavily filtered selfies. Well I’m sorry, but this ain’t that. I don’t want my stories hearted before being quickly scrolled past. I can tell when people are full of it, and I’ve just decided they don’t exist. I’m happy with my community within this community. I’m sorry you are feeling unsupported here. I have felt that way too, for different reasons. Perhaps not getting enough engagement, and getting phony engagement, are opposite sides of the same coin. Because in both cases, we are baring our souls and it is going unnoticed by the majority. Personally, I remind myself that there is a big world outside of Vocal. I like that you have found a supportive community in the AI art world. I hope to find that through fans of my published work some day. People who read my stories because they love to, not because there is an ulterior motive. Please know that what goes on here is not a reflection of your writing at all.
Novel Your lovely stories and Beautiful spirit always make my day! I've gotten to the point this summer where I write when I want to write and check my stats once a week if that and have stopped thinking so much about whether the piece would make top story or not. This cut down on worry and disappointment a lot. If you or any of my favs don't hear from me for awhile it is because of a hectic outside life. But please know that you and your Beautiful writing are always in my heart. I think that God connects certain writers for a reason. There is some message or gift that we are supposed to share/receive from each other. I think we do what we can where we can since we all deserve a read and there are so many of us (over 16000). I enjoyed this piece. There was alot of truth in it. Maybe Vocal can do a random reads series and begin to pick random writers to highlight once a week. Those that haven't received Top Stories before. That may help with inclusivity as well. Just a thought... Have an awesome week my friend!
I am sorry you are feeling a bit despondent, I've felt the same way too. I also find it hard to read everything by everyone, so from that point of view it's difficult. There's no easy solution and glad to see from the comments below tha you have support and that your email notifications came back because I was going to say I still get them...not as regularly as they used to come through, but still sometimes. I appreciate your hard work and always smile when I get a comment from you - I have no idea if that's a helpful thing to say or not lol, but it's a thing. Well done though, with the AI art...the pic for this piece is fantastic. I've messed around with Nightcafe a lot, but often they turn into weird and horrific abominations lol! I also like how varied your content output is and there are often times you've written something I thought should get Top Story but doesn't. I think that's something everyone probably feels too. I am most likely mumbling a lot now, so I shall just end by saying keep being you, I always appreciate the support you give and will try to do better in future with reciprocating that (it's something I'm constantly working on! )
So many people have commented so many coherent and wise things. I feel so nervous that I might comment something so dumb and ruin the moment 😅 With that being said, hiiiiiiii Momma! Lol! I would like to take this moment to thank you for all the encouragement you gave me and still do! 🥰🥰🥰 Also, I still get emails from Vocal. So I'm not sure why you don't. It's just so weird!
I love our relationship! Really does lift my spirits!! So thanks for that Novel! 🙏☺️ I think though that no platform is perfect so just have to make the best of it. I’m sorry u are still not getting notifications in emails re comments, I myself am, so not sure why others still have issues with this…. Definitely more writers with few to no views but it takes awhile and also regular posting. ☺️
Ah, As Always an Original "Novel Approach" J-Bud
Hey, I made the list (misspelled, of course), and I have to say something: I constantly write and try to get my voice heard. And I know how hard it can be sometimes. You just have to keep going. Wins don't indicate much, and the money I have made and saved now is just sprinkles on the cake of my effort (huh?). And all that AI stuff is not really my thing, but you should keep it going. Keep it coming... ;)
🌹❣️🌹 Novel, one of my greatest fortunes of returning to Vocal is discovering you. You are Artist and Empath Extraordinare. Since I was gone from Vocal for years, I keep wondering if I missed your Vocal Win! 😲 Keep creating! Sometimes, the world does not know it needs the waters we bring. 💦 On another note 🎶, I have returned to my "Day Life." Soon, my visits to Vocal might be rare, but rest assured that I will always remember and cherish You ... will always in my heart be cheering for you! 🌹❣️🌹 💙✍️💙 🌹❣️🌹
Agree completely: I've loved it here, but struggle to get seen, and do not think it's through lack of quality to my writing. Starting to pick up success, I feel much more due to individual writers/readers than the platform itself.
Novel, I love and appreciate your dedication to the writers that you've mentored and who have in turn felt welcomed by you in this community. Reading your work was what led me to D. Alexandra Porter's work, and I'm a huge fan of her writing (and yours). I think that your critique of the Vocal community mirrors a reasonable and ubiquitous critique of the general writing community. Many of us put so much content out there, constantly submitting to every literary magazine and agent that we can find, and we may, if we're lucky, only get a nibble of interest here and there. We keep writing, because writing is compulsive and it lives with us throughout all facets and seasons of our lives. But the energy we expend just trying to get our work out there is finite; sometimes, paradoxically, that energy is better spent just writing. I guess I'm similar to Gerard DiLeo; I use Vocal as fodder for inspiration. The challenges have prompted me to try things that I wouldn't have tried before. I get a little dopamine hit each time I even post something on here, because it makes me feel at least like my work is somewhere, even if no one reads it. Though I would love more subscribers, this platform feels like a safe place to practice putting my work out there. But I also haven't been on here that long. Your op-ed makes me wonder: for how long can I really rely on Vocal as my primary platform for my writing? For how long will Vocal be the place that I go to for inspiration? For how long can writers give to the community before they feel that they aren't receiving enough in return? Thank you for sharing this, Novel. I'll keep reading your work and giving you likes and comments, because I genuinely love what you put out here.
This resonates a lot with me, I still feel that Vocal have a shortlist of favourites and I am not on that. I look at the comments on my work and I know how good it is, my friends and audience confirm that. But I see so many Top Stories that sometimes are hardly even worth reading. My notifications are flooded with publications so I miss comments and Vocal are not going to change that despite the fact that publications are in my subscription feeds. Sorry for the rant. Completely with you on ethis.
See, I don't know if we are a clique that likes each other's work, or if we are just the few that respond. I know there are only so many hours in a day and sometimes I can only like and comment on a few. Sometimes more than a few. Also, I think it's how the mobile app is structured. I always get to see the top stories first. I have to scroll down to the non-TS and I try to do so. But if I'm pushed for time I'm less likely to do that. One thing I'm trying to do is, if I like it, share it. But again, it takes time. We can't all share 100 things every day. I don't have a job so I know I have more time than others. It still slips away though. Maybe with Vocal changing the way it looks at comments, more people will comment. I agree with emails for comments. Bring them back, please! I hate to think that I might miss a comment.
Yep, read it. And I agree with your feelings. Efforts that are great on our part often just "go nowhere." But for such a big machine (that does more good than harm), I don't know if there is a good solution. Such is the nature of big machines. As such, I use Vocal as my catalyst, writing for each and every challenge. Most go nowhere, but every now and then I'm spotlighted with a Top Story (twice, so far). Even if there's no recognition or reward, it gets me writing things I would never come up with on my own, so it stretches my comfort zone, and that is worth it. (I would never in my life dream of writing about dragons--done it twice now!)
This resonates with me. I have decided a long time ago for myself that there are more writers than readers now and get excited about each and every comment and like.