The Power of Writing

Whenever we write a story, there are many benefits that come along with it, such as improving your mood, imagination, and building confidence. I started writing stories on Vocal back in 2018 at a time where I was homeless and jobless. When I was in school, one of my special education teachers would give each one of us a journal to jot down anything we wanted to. This was where I fell in love with writing. Before I became a creator on this platform, I lost interest in writing for almost 20 years. During the aforementioned situation I went through, I was also suffering from mental health issues. I had a huge mental breakdown at my previous place of employment earlier that year before my shift was over. I worked 11 hours that day at a call center and we hardly had Saturdays off. The pay was decent, but after I finished my shift for the night, I never returned to that job again. It wasn't worth my mental or physical health and needed to get out of there fast.

Writing on Vocal is a side job I do from time to time, if a topic I'm passionate about is interesting and needs to be told. I write about topics that matter to me, from pop culture to sports. Here and there, I would pen about my own life experiences. I write stories that would be relatable to others. As of this writing, I've written 18 stories on Vocal so far in 2024 as where in 2023, I wrote just 11. In this case, I've surpassed my goal. My objective at the beginning of this year was to write more stories on Vocal than the previous year. This is an election year and one of the issues that has been contentious is book bans. Growing up, going to the library was one of my safe spaces. I loved reading and still do today. It's sad that over 30 years later, it's illegal to encourage children and others to have curious minds. I believe that book bans are ridiculous and a waste of time. Right-wing politicians would rather focus on culture wars and banning books than real issues, such as inflation and the economy. No wonder why many libraries in this country are in a tight spot, fearing repercussions from politicians and lawmakers in their states, if they have books that they deem as "inappropriate". Defining what is deemed inappropriate is subjective and vague. I'm all for writers expressing themselves and writing whatever they want, as long as they're not hurting or offending anyone. You can't shield children from everything, because you're not allowing them to express themselves or have imaginations. If you don't want your children to read certain books, then don't allow them to. It's unfair to urge libraries to ban certain books discussing topics, such as LGBTQ+ rights and anything that has to do with race, because your feelings are easily hurt.

Book bans are shown to cause more harm than good. They're damaging for a number of reasons. Some of these examples include limited learning, discourages reading, threatens democracy, and makes it harder for authors to earn any income. Book bans are a form of censorship. Let's be real about something: these right-wing politicians claim that they're banning books to "protect children". I find it hilarious and hypocritical, because whenever a school shooting occurs, they turn a blind eye and not come together with Democrats to push for common sense and stricter gun laws. But no, that's asking for too much and instead, offer "thoughts and prayers". In reality, they don't give a damn about the children in situations like these. They pick and choose the things where they care about children, only whenever it's convenient to them.

As a creator on Vocal, I'm not going to stop writing about stories that matter to everyone and are relatable. I refuse to write about things in a specific way to appease you. It's perfectly acceptable to not relate to things, but it's also important to not look for problems and connections in every situation when they're aren't any. You will end up as being unlikeable and grouchy. To my fellow creators on here and authors everywhere, you were made to inspire others and share your thoughts. Happy writing to all of you!