Shoutout
John and Paul's Three-Word Haiku/Senryu Unofficial Challenge - The Results!
Well, fuck. That was every bit as impressive as I was sure it would be when we set this devious challenge. From this point forward it is worth noting that all the bracketed bits will be John's words, and the non-bracketed are mine.
By Paul Stewartabout 23 hours ago in Writers
Observations On Vocal's Excellent Free Prompt Articles
Introduction I was looking for something to write about and couldn't see anything immediately in the official and unofficial challenges, so I then went to the Resources Tips page. Unfortunately, this has not been updated in over two years, but that does not mean it is not useful.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred a day ago in Writers
100 Top Stories and Other Accidents
On March 9th, an entry I published for the "Everyone Is Acting Normally" Challenge, Silken Chains, was awarded a Top Story. I was delighted. For various reasons. It is one of my best-written stories, and it helped me achieve another Vocal milestone.
By Paul Stewart4 days ago in Writers
Dude, if you gonna steal my story...at least change the title.
SOOOOOOO! I wrote this 3 (three) months ago. And I just saw this pop up today, 12/3/2026 I am still deciding on which emotion to display here. Rage, ennui, laughter, pity or just downright ire and indifference.
By Novel Allen4 days ago in Writers
From Starting Five Years Ago To Now, This Is How I Look At Vocal
Do you all remember when you started using Vocal? It was the new and shiny toy you needed at that perfect moment in time. You needed Vocal, and it needed you! Vocal sometimes doesn't feel like it needs you, but without the writers, the users of the platform, there was never going to be the launch pad that Vocal became for some. Some, made their biggest moves and became authors. Others threw in the towel and walked away, never to be seen or heard form again, because they couldn't see what was possible.
By The Man Behind The Mask7 days ago in Writers
Difficulties Of Holidays On Vocal
Introduction Last week I had a wonderful week in Alnwick, but tried to keep up on Vocal, although my time was less than I normally have, plus a little more difficult because I was using a ten-year-old laptop with a faulty keyboard (the space bar does not always register, meaning I have to keep going back to separate words).
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 8 days ago in Writers
Turning the Ephemeral into the Concrete
Some experiences feel real while they are happening and unreal almost immediately afterward. A conversation that sparks clarity, a realization that reframes a problem, a moment where scattered thoughts suddenly align. In the moment, there is a sense that something solid has been grasped. But without capture, that solidity dissolves. What remains is a faint impression, detached from the reasoning that made it meaningful. The experience was real, but it left no durable trace.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast10 days ago in Writers
Alone in the Jungle
The canopy is so dense that it suffocates all light. I am slashing through the dense boscage to get to the light, but I don’t know which way to go, or if I will ever get out of the forest. This jungle feels often filled with peril, and lonely. I came to this tangle of vines, underbrush, and unknown unfamiliar territory, with a dream, a goal, a determination. I planned and still plan to reach the end of the primeval and reach the inner sanctum of a place that is not easily traversed. I am a writer, and I want to write as a career.
By Alexandra Grant19 days ago in Writers
Going Back A Bit
Introduction When I was unable to publish, I started going back to find stories that I could repurpose, but then I saw old pieces that I thought were still excellent but had very little interaction from other Vocal creators. So I had a thought....
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred 19 days ago in Writers
