A Century on Vocal – What Is Next?

I made a century last week and didn’t realize it until one of my subscribers pointed it out. (Thank you, Sk Parihar).

It may not be a notable achievement to some who exceeded this long ago. Great creators like Mike Singleton (aka Mikeydred) have 2,780 stories. He does so much for the Vocal community. Others like Paul Stewart with 1,005 stories, or the lady I call the ‘Mistress of Rhyme’ – Kelli Sheckler-Amsden with over 2,047 poems, far exceed my efforts. But hey! One hundred stories is one hundred stories!

I dabble in many things. I joined Vocal in September 2024 to share my new passion for poetry.

My followers, those I follow, and the Vocal community—inspire me and confirm my work. They drive me to keep going.

My first three publications were poems.

I have now written 43 poems, and I am loving it. I love to experiment with new forms. The challenges from the poets' community inspire me. These are all very different. I believe that variety is the spice of life when it comes to writing, anyway. I lead a pretty structured lifestyle that many would label boring. My writing lets me express myself. In real life, I am too shy to do so.

I found Vocal to be easy to use, even for someone like me who sometimes struggles with technology. I planned to republish some stories from my websites and other research-based topics. I have continued to do so.

They are an eclectic group of 48 stories. I write about all sorts of things. They include wildlife and "Things That Make Your Head Hurt." I also write about life lessons and personal experiences.

For some of these, I have taken the plunge and exposed more of my personal side. For example, one of my more recent stories took a lot of personal courage:

I was lucky enough to have this recognized as a top story.

I am happy to be part of the safe community Vocal provides. It is important to see what inspires and drives creators (the person behind the mask); everyone has a story. Knowing someone’s story helps to interpret their work. It can also be personally very therapeutic to get it out.

My mother always told me, ‘A problem shared is a problem halved.' You don’t expect anyone to solve your problems, but feeling empathy along the way is comforting.

No other site I have encountered provides such a safe and supportive community.

I have contributed to twenty of the forty-eight communities on Vocal. Some have only been one or two stories. Most of my work you will find in Poets, FYI, Motivation, Writers, and Chapters.

It seems right that my hundredth vocal contribution was a poem in the Poets community. I created it in response to a Mikeyred challenge.

It is a piece based on the personal experience of a lost love.

What’s Next?

I have always wanted to write fiction. I dream of self-publishing some short stories. I did write a 45-episode tale a few years ago. "The Adventures of Ben Boa" is about an Aussie misfit. He gets caught in a drug scandal in China when his best friend and girlfriend go missing. Ben bumbles through a slapstick, James Patterson-type novel to find them.

I am working on rewriting this to slightly vary the theme.

Several writers on Vocal inspire me. They write brilliant fiction in all genres. One of these is sixteen-year-old Maryam Batool. She has a romantic imagination and a gift for writing for her age. Check out some of her work; for example, this story that received a Top Story award last month.

I respect many people, including Paul Stewart, Rachel Deeming, Daphsam, and others. (Sorry if I left you off; no insult intended.)

Of my one hundred pieces so far, only nine are fiction. I hope to add to this collection when I get the next ton.

So, to all my Vocal friends, thank you for your support. I look forward to more interactions as I move on to 200 stories.

As I always say,

Till next time,

Calvin