Resources
From tips and tricks to product updates and inspiration, explore our resources to learn how to grow as a Vocal creator.
Challenges
Word Hunt Challenge Winners
This Challenge reaffirmed two core tenets at Vocal. The first is that we love working with Creators in coming up with Challenges and the second is that the simplest of prompts- use three words found in a puzzle - will yield spectacular results.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Melodic Milestone Playlist Challenge Winners
We were so excited to see this idea presented in our Shape The Future of Vocal Challenges series. We had been kicking the idea of writing about music and playlists around for a while but couldn't think up the right structure for a Challenge. With your help, we got the push we needed to come up with the right formula. Part story, part playlist, this contest was meant to give voice to what so many of us possess- those deeply rooted songs that shaped us and continue to shape us, the ones that give sound to our fondest memories and the tunes that we turn to when we need musical solace.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Microfiction Magic Challenge Winners
Call it flash, micro, or any other tiny phrase. However you view it, writing as much with as few words as possible is (at least to us, for this Challenge) the gold standard of creative fiction. What makes Challenges (and challenges) like these so enjoyable to read and participate in is the same thing that makes all fiction enjoyable: making every word count. Once a story becomes waterlogged with extra emotion, extra words, extra extra, our interest flags and we tend to stop reading.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Unexpected Uncovering Challenge Winners
This Challenge inspired some incredibly inventive unexpected uncoverings! And we know this is no simple feat as it's never easy to destabilize a relationship in a fresh and new way. From serious illnesses to serial killers on the weekends to silly little traits that grow to become impossible to ignore, we never knew there were so many ways to be surprised by a partner.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Sensational Challenge Winners
At Vocal, we're always going on and on about the freedoms of limitation and how walls and decisions and editing make great art. But sometimes you just need to let your creative hair down, throw some paint at the wall. This was one of our more open prompts, free for interpretation, few limits, just give us a poem, a sense of the senses.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Sky's The Limit Challenge Winners
Who knew so many things could fly? From birds to planes, vampires to blimps, spaceships to souls, we read an incredible array of flight-themed stories. One common aspect of many submissions was to use time in flight for thought. Scorned lovers worked out their feelings, evil doers schemed, children dreamed. There's something about planes specifically that leave us feeling liminal. Can't do much up there at 35,000 feet so may as well work out what's been on our mind. We loved this take on the prompt because it was so true to reality. But we always love a lot about our Creators' submissions, from your fresh protagonists and deep life lessons to the (somehow) new ways you come up with to describe a sunset.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Tautogram Challenge Winners
Write a poem where every word starts with the same letter. Seems simple enough. After all, a poem can be... anything. How hard can it be? Well, we tried and, turns out, it's really hard! Sure, stringing some words together that begin with the same letter is easy, but creating a poetic energy, a story, a feeling, that's hard, really hard.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Broken Mirror Challenge Winners
What makes a mirror so primed for horror? What is it about looking at ourselves that is so discomfiting? As humans, we contain so much beneath the surface and yet we are made to contain it all, pretty much always. And so, we have our faces, our bodies, what we present to the world, but that's just the surface, that's not really what's going on. All of the real stuff, the thoughts, the desires, the lies, the truths, they need to be let out, actively, brought up to our mouths, spoken, shown off. We need to bring our insides out.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Ludicrous Limerick Challenge Winners
What an incredibly fun Challenge this was! As always, limitation bred sheer lyrical brilliance! Limericks are meant to be on the nose, to hit you hard and fast, to make you laugh, think and smile instantly. So, we'll keep our praise and musings short because dissecting a limerick is like dissecting a sunset; just let it be beautiful. We're even adding a few more Honorable Mentions to this post because y'all crushed this Challenge.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Tall Tail Challenge Winners
This Challenge was a fun little twofer! Write a story about a talking animal but make it quick! 1,000 words or less was all you had to make an animal talk. We are particularly fond of Challenges with shorter word limits because we often see in them some of the most creative entries. There's something about limitation that makes humans sharper, more creative, especially when it comes to art.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
