The Sculptor

I have numerous intentions for myself as a creator on Vocal for this year. Because there is a somewhat lengthy list, I have organized my aspirations into categories. My hope is that this will not only make it easier to read, but that on my end, I will better be able to refer back to my list of intentions and check on my progress throughout the year. Refreshing my mind on what my goals are will help keep me on track when I lose motivation and focus. This is the hope.

Challenge-related Goals

Enter every challenge within reason.

Each time there is a new challenge that I feel excited about, interested in, or intrigued by, I want to prioritize writing a piece and submitting it. This goal centers around taking the opportunities with which I am faced. Challenges are not only an opportunity to win money for writing, but also a chance to explore new types of writing, to push oneself to try something new and to explore inner thoughts in unexpected ways. I have created some of my favorite pieces inspired by challenges on Vocal.

Finish past challenge stories.

There are stories I have started for past challenges that I haven't yet finished which I still want to complete and publish. There is one in particular that I just need to read over and submit. It was the piece I wrote for the campfire ghost story challenge one of these past summers I believe. Getting that story up will be my first task. mIt has been my own personal challenge to complete, but now I will hold myself accountable to the community.

There are others that I have the idea, but have yet to flesh it out. I want to complete those. There are others that I liked the idea of the challenge, but did not find specific inspiration at the time. I want to revisit these concepts and see if they spark anything at present.

Let the challenges frame and investigate my internal world, emotions and feelings.

When I first started entering writing challenges on Vocal, I was not so sure about my feelings or abilities regarding writing for a prompt. Early on in the journey, I discovered that I truly enjoy the process and find it an extremely effective way to find things out about where I'm at mentally, what my inner thoughts and feelings are revolving around and what I maybe need to focus my energy on. Writing is an amazing way to process my emotions and I'm thankful for the way challenges allow me to frame that processing. At first, it might seem like the structure of a challenge would not lend itself to this emotional assessment, but I found the opposite to be true.

Reading Goals

Read over my work to gain perspective on my journey and see how far I've come and where I’m at.

I have yet to read over all of the pieces I have published on Vocal. After I publish them, they fade in my memory as it is filled with new ideas, which I suppose is normal; however, I want to process where my mind has been over the past couple years so I can better view my progress and growth. I want to understand the distance I have traveled and how my thought patterns have maybe changed as well as the ways in which they have remained consistent. I want to see the differences in the types of writing I attempt and the challenges I embark on. Reading past stories and my collection of work as a whole will allow me to do these things.

Read all of my sister’s stories.

My sister started her Vocal journey at the same time that I did and, just as is the case with my work, I have yet to read over hers as well. I am always floored by the quality of her writing, her thoughts and ideas and the way she crafts a piece. Her work inspires me and I need to take the time to catch up on it in its entirety. I highly recommend checking her out: Calista Marchand-Nazzaro. I’m sure you’ll be wowed just like I am.

Read other's work in the challenges I enter.

It is amazing to me how the same prompt can generate so many different responses and I want to allow myself to be amazed, impressed, and inspired by the other creators in the community more. In the same way that the challenges allow me to frame my thoughts, it allows others to do the same. That’s how we can get to know a writer’s mind, which is a beautiful place to be let in and welcomed to walk around for a brief moment. It’s a place where we can challenge our own thoughts and expand our beliefs and ways of thinking.

Read stories in the communities of which I am a fan, especially poets, for inspiration and to support the creators.

I have been guilty of not reading other creators’ content nearly as often as I’d like. I want to support other creators more. We need to have each other's backs. It is also a great way to gain inspiration and support of your own. I want to know what’s out there.

Writing Goals

Write from the heart, follow my muse and don't be afraid to share the real real content.

The main goal I have in regard to this is to share song lyrics on Vocal. This is some of my deepest, most personal writing and I want to push myself to publish some of my work here. I am trying to face my fears and be more openly myself. I want to share my truths and be honest about my thoughts, feelings and views on the world.

These are some of my main goals for this year. I am thankful for a place to write them down and make them concrete. It is easier to measure progress and hold myself accountable when they are written down, not just floating around in my mind. My hope is to build upon the growth I showed myself last year and to continue to develop as a writer and creator.