My Vocal Perspective

“Is it worth it?” — Anonymous Questioner(s)

My answer is yes. Your answer depends on your definition of “worth.”

If you value writing as a craft, then this platform comes with a lot of benefits. If you’re looking for a way to get rich quick, unless you’re a writing phenom with a massive audience, this is not the place. It takes time, patience and dedication to hone your craft and possibly transform it into a career. The opportunities for development of writing as a career is the value I find in this platform. The financial rewards I receive at this point are a small perk, which I love, don’t get me wrong, but remain far from paying the bills currently.

Why I find it worth it

1. Community - The environment is encouraging, supportive, safe and knowledgeable. In a give-take, the relationships build friendships and reliability. I can receive support as well as offer it authentically and enjoyably. Engagement is what creates cheerleaders and confidence. This is what creates growth and development towards being a strong writer, with a good writing career.

2. Practice - Because of the trust and support I’ve found here, I have the confidence to practice, learn and stretch my writing abilities. Because of a willingness to learn, I can find my voice, experiment and work toward developing a niche, within the freedom created by a group of like-minded peers. It helps me nurture my desire for developing my craft to it’s potential.

3. Portfolio - I have a place to keep, and refer, my creative work to interested people and professionals. It’s easy to use and access and is professional looking.

Things to consider

1. Time - Writing for Vocal, or any platform, is not likely to produce overnight success and great financial reward in a matter of days. It takes patience. The timeline to progress as a writer is an individual journey. Do you have the patience for growth? If you are going for financial gain immediately, this is probably not it, but if you have the time to devote to growth, this is a good option. Growing a following takes physical time. Realistically, do you have time for writing and engaging with readers in order to build up to the desired financial rewards?

2. Effort - Building a profitable writing career takes effort. It takes work to write and promote your writing and yourself. It can be done, and Vocal can be a very beneficial part of that if you are realistic about the amount of effort you have to devote to it - the platform and promotion.

3. Expectations - I was lured in initially by the potential to earn mega bucks, as were many. I learned quickly that it wasn’t the case for me. I adjusted my expectations from the pie-eyed notion of being an overnight success, to enjoying the long game. I am happy with the results. My numbers are trending upward consistently. You get out what you put in.

The reality - making money through writing is work. It takes time. But so does anything truly of worth. Worth doesn’t come easy. To me, the Vocal platform is worth dedicating my time and efforts to, for the gains received.

My advice - sign up for the free membership for a month or two, write stuff, publish stuff, get involved with the Facebook Vocal groups. Engage. If it’s a place for you, sign up for the full membership, if not, that’s okay, too. It’s not a competition, and it’s not a race.