Step 9: Stay Inspired
With a little inspiration, there’s no limit to the stories you can tell
The key to finding success on Vocal is to be consistent, patient, passionate, and build up a strong, diverse portfolio of stories that can keep earning. But consistency and creativity don’t always go hand in hand, and it’s hard to make inspiration strike on your schedule. Vocal has numerous ways to kindle your inspiration and creativity.
Top Stories
The Vocal curation team sorts through published stories and chooses the best of the best as Top Stories. Reading through the Top Stories on Vocal is a great way to see what has worked for others in the past, or get an idea of what people are talking about right now.
Interacting with a Top Story through comments is a good way to inspire others, and it also builds and strengthens the Vocal creator community. Let the creator know that you read their story and tell them what you liked/learned/loved.
Top Stories are updated throughout the day on the Vocal Home page and are curated here.
Writing Prompts
Vocal doesn't believe in Writer's Block! The Vocal team collected a plethora of writing prompts sure to kickstart your creativity. You can bookmark these for future use, or find them among the great resources here. Choose from:
Vocal Spotlight
The curation team keeps an eye out for standout stories and their creators. Explore the Vocal team's interviews with these creators in the Vocal Spotlight, a tab on the Resources page. For the past four years and counting, Vocal staff curators have written interviews and profiles of unique Vocal creators, including those that will have their winning stories included in Vocal's first published book, to be released in 2023.
Learning how other creators remain motivated, draw on inspiration and experience, and continue to create engaging content is sure to fire up your own inspiration.
Challenges
Nothing develops muscles like stretching, and your creative muscles need stretching, too. That's where Challenges on Vocal can encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone a bit. Not only are the prompts unique and give you a reason to try something new, but you can also enter for the chance to win cash, prizes, and more.
Their is no fee to enter a Vocal Challenge! Challenges may be open only for Vocal+ members, so read through the qualifications for each carefully. If you find one that you want to enter and aren't yet a Vocal+ member you can upgrade your membership quickly here.
Interact With Vocal Staff and Other Creators
If it's Tuesday it's time for Creator Chat every other week at noon ET. Take advantage of the opportunity to join other creators to ask questions about the platform and make suggestions. The threads remain available after the hour-long sessions and reading through the comment thread can open your eyes to things you didn't know were possible when using the Vocal platform.
On Thursdays, every other week at noon ET. the Raise Your Voice thread is open. This is the opportunity to share and champion a story from a favorite creator (not one of your own). It's also a terrific way to find or become a creator to follow, mentor, or support. The comment and sharing thread is curated here so even the newest creator has access to all of the sessions.
Discord for Vocal Creators
Vocal knows that creators draw inspiration and support from each other, and the many groups that have been creator-made on Facebook and Mastodon have been effective ways to have that happen. Based on creator feedback, Vocal launched the Official Vocals Creator Discord.
Discord members can self-promote, chat, suggest stories from other creators as Top Stories, share their profile, see the latest Challenges, and much more.
Your Readers
Your readers' feedback can inspire your next story. Use the Call to Action (CTA) at the end of your stories and invite your reader to ask you questions and make suggestions. Find out what they liked, ask for feedback, and engage in a dialogue with them. It inspires you, lets them know their views are valued, and strengthens your relationship with your readers.
Take Advantage of Technology
There are many tools that can help you advance as a creator. The Vocal Team gathered 22 of them that will jumpstart your thinking, keep you focused, find just the right headline or image, and much much more.
Now- Keep Creating!
If you have any questions about any of these steps, or need any help getting started, feel free to reach out to our support team.
We hope you’re excited to get started—we can’t wait to see what you create.
Step 10: FAQ
About the Creator
Judey Kalchik
It's my time to find and use my voice.
Poetry, short stories, memories, and a lot of things I think and wish I'd known a long time ago.
You can also find me on Medium
And please follow me on Threads, too!
Keep reading
More stories from Judey Kalchik and writers in Vocal and other communities.
Comments (4)
Just an editorial comment, Judey. Under the "Challenges" heading, I'm thinking you probably meant "Nothing." Great series!
Continuing very well.
Great series! Thanks.
I hope they keep doing the creator chats! They are great opportunities to engage. Also, just a heads up that the link at the very end of this one is currently broken.