Saved By The Bell…

I’m breaking the rules of this challenge off the bat, and if that disqualifies me than so be it. In fact at first I didn’t even intend to enter this particular challenge, and I’m probably not a good enough writer to win regardless. One thing I’m sure of is that in my hectic life as a single dad I don’t always take the time out of my day to something nice enough for someone to inspire a winning story anyway.

Then it dawned on me to write this today. As I write this disclosure let it be know that should I be fortunate enough that this piece bring me my first challenge win I will gladly split the winnings with the person who inspired it. A member of this community that is that is far more deserving than I.

I joined vocal back in 2021 with hopes and aspirations of almost child like proportions. You see it was from my early childhood that I wanted to be a writer. I remember first crafting a story in elementary school using our class spelling words that told the tail of a adulterous business man and the happenings of his affair. Needless to say the story was inappropriate and I got sent to the principals office, but in the aftermath of that moment something happened. I noticed people took interest in my writing.

When I got back to class students asked me to pass that story around. They enjoyed and took interest in it. It was a feat I was able to repeat in highschool winning a regional journalism contest and on another occasion writing a speech about Hitler that got a standing ovation from the class but another trip to the principals office from my heavyset German teacher.

In college however this gift became more of a secret weapon deferred. Even though I wrote every day and completed my first manuscript; a weed and alcohol induced sloppy complicated mess of first person and third person about a rapture scenario. It was a book if you call it that of 700 pages that my parents were kind enough to have spiral bound and sent to me. It was a manuscript so bad that I wasn’t brave enough to complete and any brave enough to do so would surely deserve an award for their courage.

I continued the same course after. Writing a better mafia drama with my first serious ex. It was a manuscript she thoroughly enjoyed and a huge improvement of my prior attempt. That manuscript however was lost over time, as well as others. It was also at this time I began focusing on business ventures and figured I’d save my smoking gun bestseller award winning first novel for later on down the line when the time was right.

Fast forward to Covid and the imposed lockdowns. By this time I had my share of ups and downs in both my business and personal life. My once booming business had dwindled due to Covid and changing times. My relationship was hot and cold on the brink of failure. It was time for my secret weapon, time to get exposure and write a best seller. With lockdowns time was plentiful and it was also when I discovered two platforms TikTok and Vocal.

So my journey began. I began to write and post poetry on TikTok as well as other short form content, and on Vocal I posted poems and short stories each of which I was sure would be winner and house the potential of going viral.

I shared with partner and best friend at the time my plan. My partner was a little more supportive at the time, while my best friend blatantly mocked my idea. “No ones going to read your book or stuff bro.” He said in caring and mocking fashion.

I didn’t believe him and went on posting on TikTok and publishing on Vocal. He seemed half right but did recant some as my TikTok account garnered medium success. The immediate satisfaction of getting views in the thousands and likes in the hundreds was amazing, and some of my bigger videos went on to have around even as much as a million views and thousands of likes which while euphoric inducing was rare.

Then there was Vocal. Which at the time I often received little or no feedback on my writing. My partner lost faith in my dream even though she like a great deal of my work and overall my time on Vocal felt like a failure.

Only Vocal wouldn’t be my greatest failure. That relationship which meant so much to me would fail also. For a long time I gave up on Vocal. I still posted on TikTok for the validation and instant gratification it provided but many months went by without posting on Vocal.

Then one day months ago things changed. I saw a challenge I liked and entered again. This time I wrote more as therapy and a coping mechanism to deal with the failures of my life. At first I was worried it would be more of the same .

I mean I was writing for therapeutic reasons so why would it matter, but deep down it did. I wanted to touch at least one person and know the cared and enjoyed what I wrote.

This time feedback became more common, and then one day she stumbled upon my writing. It was from that day that everything changed for me.

I mean up until this point there were still times when I would post a story or poem and it would slip by without a comment or like. I don’t know if I’m the only writer who lives for validation but it’s important to me, and to post something without feed back is heartbreaking, devastating, and beyond discouraging.

Still that all changed when Dharrsheena Raja Segarran stumbled upon my Vocal, and not to take away from a great community that I’ve come to feel accepted by and who leaves me great kudos and feedback now, but I feel Dharrsheena helped me feel accepted and open up my writing on the platform to a more raw and vulnerable state.

It’s in knowing that no matter what I write, no matter how dark, controversial, cringy, long, risqué, or grammatically incorrect piece I write I can count on her genuine and positive encouraging feedback. She ask questions and shows insight and has helped give me the courage this go round to not quit. She’s introduced me to groups where I met so many wonderful people with whom to read and share our work and craft, and the positivity has snowballed in great fashion. I hope to pay it back and show appreciation to her and the great community of writers and readers that is Vocal.

So in this challenge asking me to outline something nice I’ve done through the eyes of the person, all I can do is dedicate a thank you and these words to her and each member who takes time out of their busy day and lives to encourage another person working on their craft or dream. You don’t know what we are all going through nor how much our writing can mean to us. Sometimes that notification bell can be a lifesaver.

So as you read this and offer up sweet words of encouragement I hope your eyes water and your heart warms. I hope you and every member of Vocal who takes the time to read and provide feedback feels the same. I hope your mouth dries with weight of your good deed. Ever so slight as it may seem, it may be worth your weight in gold to preserve another’s dream, and if ever I find a way to succeed at this writing dream know that I owe a great deal of gratitude to you and the rest of the amazing community here. I hope you find yourself lost in expression and overwhelmed with joy when the realization hits that you made someone feel welcome on this platform, you touched their life, made them feel special, and helped give them the encouragement and inspiration to continue to write!

Write on my friends, read, and share, but above all remember to be kind and encourage. We are all in this together and at the end of the day you may save a life or a writing career.