Resources
From tips and tricks to product updates and inspiration, explore our resources to learn how to grow as a Vocal creator.
Challenges
So, How Do We Count Syllables?
In her story, Dear Vocal Judges/Fellow Poets, Creator Harmony Kent asks questions that we have been wrestling with ever since we launched Vocal. In reality, the very halls of linguistics have echoed with these same questions and attempts to quantify and measure all parts of the English language for a very long time. As often as we can, we like to defer to the experts on these issues, though even they, the keepers of the language, have conflicting views, and so do we.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Blue Haiku Challenge Winners
We love haiku Challenges. Not just because poems are shorter and it's easier to give each work its proper due, though it's always a joy when we get to spend more time with each piece of writing. No, we love haiku Challenges because they push writers to their creative limits. How much can be said in so few words? How deep can one go, quickly?
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Weekend Getaway Challenge Winners
Setting is everything. Think about it. Most stories are simply people... in a place. As writers, we think of a place and we put people there. Or, if we think of a person, a protagonist, we very quickly place them somewhere. It could be a dying star, a haunted summer camp or a cozy cabin. All you need to do is put a few characters in a setting and let your imagination go to work.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
Holiday Hijinks Challenge Winners
They happen every year at the exact same time. No matter how much you've changed, where you live, how you feel about Uncle Ned— like a big wheel, they always come back around. Holiday dinners. Those moments when everyone sits around the table, shares a few laughs and makes new memories. They are the perfect (or worst) time to take stock of the past, to think about the future, to ask your mom why she loves your sister more or your dad why he pushed you to play basketball when all you wanted was to play the flute.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
The Aquarium Challenge Winners
We never have to look far for unexpected interpretations of our prompts, and this Challenge was no different. A simple sentence- "Write a story about an aquarium" - gave us a kaleidoscope of stories. There were aquaria in space, humans in aquaria, animals escaping their glass enclosures and others finding comfort within the glass. There was glass that cracked and glass that could not be broken, to say nothing of the characters’ hearts and emotions- fragile, intricate, hardened, broken. Some Creators lamented the aquarium while others celebrated its beauty.
By Vocal Curation Team3 years ago in Resources
From Across the Room Poetry Challenge Winners
From across the room (or rather, the screen), the Vocal Team fell head over heels in love with nearly 3,500 poems submitted to the Vocal+ “From Across The Room" Challenge. Inspired by the idea of love at first sight, the Vocal creative community once again delivered with heart and soul. After a month and a half of reading love poems, and with final judging by Kirun Kapur, esteemed editor of the Beloit Poetry Journal and creative writing professor at Amherst College, we are thrilled to announce our winners.
By Vocal Team4 years ago in Resources
Announcing the Vocal+ Fiction Awards Challenge WINNERS
February 25, 2022. We've had this date circled on our calendar for a long time. Leading up to this date, we've read more than 13,000 stories submitted to the Vocal+ Fiction Awards. We've had more than 13,000 meetings (not really, but it feels like it) to narrow that list down to 1,025 incredible finalists. Our team of curators and Judges, led by Vocal's Lead Editorial Innovator and our Content Specialists, have been reading, re-reading, and carefully considering all of these finalists.
By Vocal Team4 years ago in Resources
