A Retrospective Of Time Spent And Lessons Learned

Writing can be a lot of fun. And I've said it before, finding Vocal during the Covid-19 pandemic's early days helped to provide an outlet and I'd dare say, an almost therapeutic escape. That was 2020.

This is 2025, and while I might not pay for the Vocal plus membership anymore, I'm still lingering around. Writing is more than just a task. It's something I became deeply addicted to doing, and a part of me.

I don't want to bore you with what I've learned over the past five years. One lesson, however, sticks out more than any other. Wrestling with life and ourselves as people, I realize how much practice makes you better. Not perfect, but better.

Over the five years I've had my share of success and failure. Success doesn't happen overnight. That's another lesson that online content creators have to realize. Anyone that get's frustrated by a lack of success isn't alone.

We look at the number of reads in our stats, and somedays the numbers are great, or enough to be content with. There are days the numbers are so low you wonder if you're the only person left on Earth. Don't fear! Your story is still there, to be found, at a time when you least expect it will.

20,682

The Big Bamboozle is by far my biggest accomplishment on this platform. It's a story that is torn from the news, and from historical political history. Worse yet, it's a tragic tale that leaves one to wonder, what really happened. Even now, there are still people questioning the truth. It's three and a half years old, and still get's the occasional surge of reads. It's continued to grow, from 0 to 20,682. Not too bad for a rookie year post.

3,444 reads for teaching people what they do wrong? Yes, it's a reality. In April 2021 I decided to teach people what they were doing wrong when it came to playing hookie from work. Sometimes, as a shift sargent, I had to deal with this professionally. Much of the time, I'd have never known or caught on, had people been a little smarter about their stories, their social media, or where they were going. It was that simple. Above all else, if a superior in the work place asks you, "What did you do last Saturday?" and you called in sick, you better believe they likely know the truth already and are testing your honesty.

Controversy creates a buzz, and that applies to online platforms and content creators. Like anything else, you have to crack an egg or two to cook an omelet. To see your stats grow, and to grow as a writer, you have to stretch your wings once in a while. Not that writing about controversy is all that much of a stretch if you've lived a colorful life. True Crime is a great example of controversial subjects. So is the subject of prophets and seers. A story covering Nostradamus's predictions for 2022 garnered over 2,000 reads.

Pose an interesting question or share an interesting factoid and see what happens. For example, around the time of Black Panther's release, the subject of black superheroes came up. Who was the first black superhero to appear in film was an interesting question. No, it wasn't Blade. Think back to an earlier time. But providing the answer to the question for interested parties earned 459 reads.

In honor of all those that read my article about nightshift shortening your lifespan, I looked into the magic question of it and why it was a reality. After having worked night shift for the majority of my life, it was a personal interest piece worth 1552 reads over a short period. It went on to die online, but it's still there to find if anyone ever is looking for articles written on the subject.

As I close in on my 50,000th read, a place I never thought I'd get to, I'm reminded that writing is as much about us, the writers, as it is about finding an audience. Sometimes, writing is just for us. And that's okay.

If you're honing your skills, and trying to put something worthy of reading into the world, don't judge it by its success or failure. Rather, judge it by how you felt about it. Eventually, someone is going to see your work and if it helps one person, or entertains a million, they'll see your name and face and know it was you.

With all of that said, I understand why, as frustrating as it can be, I haven't been able to escape the pull of writing and sharing my work with you all. With less than 500 reads to go, I'll be celebrating my 50,000th soon.