I Failed One Vocal Challenge, So I'm Trying Again

Back in 2022, I was just getting started on Vocal.Media and thought setting a challenge would help me be more successful and even connect with more writers.

Let's just say, life got in the way. Several demanding clients, family drama, and my own health showed me that sometimes things just don't go the way you want. I made a little progress, but nothing close to what I had hoped for. In fact, until fellow writer Joe O'Connor commented on the challenge last week, I completely forgot about it.

The Original 2022 Challenge

Originally, I set four goals to achieve over 8 months. You can check out the original challenge and try it out for yourself. If you do try it, let me know how it goes in the comments.

Honestly, it wasn't an unreasonable challenge, so I may take it up again after this one. But, for now, I'm focused on something that's just 30 days versus 8 months.

The New 30-Day Challenge

The one thing I love about Vocal over many other platforms is the diversity of topics. Dedicated communities let all types of writers have a voice. I've found so many interesting and entertaining reads here.

So, I want to take one month to step outside my comfort zone and write in 5 communities I've never tried before.

Before this point, I've contributed to 11 communities. Now, I'm planning to try my hand at:

• BookClub - Writing about the books I've read during the previous month
• Petlife - I'm a cat mom, and boy do I have some stories to tell
• Viva - I used to write for a feminist client, but its been years
• FYI - Time to dump some of that random useless knowledge I've picked up through the years
• Earth - I'm still trying to figure out what to write for this one

Of course, your five communities will be whatever communities you want, but that you haven't submitted to before.

Understanding the Rules

The rules for this 30-day writing challenge are simple. I kept them that way on purpose.

1. Choose 5 communities you've never written in before. If you've submitted to every community already (congrats, btw!), pick 5 you haven't written for in a while.
2. Submit at least one post per community. You can submit more, but submit at least one.
3. Engage with 5-10 posts in each community. This helps you get an idea of what the community is all about. Just ensure you're genuinely engaging, not just providing a generic comment.

That's it. Don't overthink it. Just prep, write, submit, and engage.

The Start Date

I'm starting this challenge on August 1, 2025. Feel free to leave a comment if you're joining in, along with which communities you're writing in.

I'll write up a follow-up at the end of August with how I did and how it helped me grow as a writer.

You're also free to link to a few of your challenge posts in the comments to encourage others to join in as well.

You don't have to link back to this post to participate. Think of it as a private challenge for yourself.

Good luck!

Future Challenges, If You Want

If you like this challenge and want me to create more, let me know. I really want to enjoy the ride, so to speak, here at Vocal. I'm going to start exploring other challenges I find and trying them out.

Why do challenges? Sometimes, you just don't know what to write about. I recently started doing the official Vocal challenges to get back into writing poetry and fiction. I'm loving them! So, for me, challenges push me to write more, break out of a rut, and see just what pops out.