The Road to 500 Stories on Vocal

Since the Spring of 2018, I've written over 400 stories and had six Top Stories on Vocal as of February 2026. Now, I'm focused on achieving another milestone: 500 stories written. Now you're wondering how I could I possibly come up with topics to write about. It's based on personal experiences and events that are happening in the world. The question is will this feat be achievable by year's end? It's a longshot, but not impossible either. I write everything from sports to video games. One of my goals as a writer on Vocal is to encourage everyone to take something away from any story I write. In early 2018, I was at my lowest point in my life. I was going through mental health issues, including a couple of suicide attempts. One day, I went to my local library and was on a computer. I wanted something that'll lift my spirits up a bit. All of a sudden, I discovered something online where I could freely express myself. That site was called Vocal. When I wrote my first story on there, I was automatically hooked. I kept writing more and the rest, as they say, was history.

Eight years ago, I wrote my first story on Vocal titled My Love of Retro Gaming. In that story, I expressed my love for retro Nintendo games. That passion for video games started when I was two years old. The first game console I've laid my eyes on was the Nintendo Entertainment System, or the NES for short. Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt was the first game I've played on there. Nearly 40 years later, I still love retro games and watching random gameplays of older games. I didn't make many friends growing up, due to me having an autism diagnosis. Also, I was severely bullied by many of my peers. Video games were an escape and also considered them as my best friends. Most of my childhood was great, but the household I grew up in was toxic and abusive. Sadly, I was subjected to verbal and physical abuse by my now estranged parents. So, playing video games were a way to help me get through the difficult times. Not only that, but I could be in my own world.

Writing gave me a sense of purpose, even though I was going through that dark period of my life back in 2018. To me, it was therapeutic and gave me something that a therapist wouldn't offer. My love for writing started back in elementary school. In one of my special education classes, my teacher gave each one of us a notebook where we could express our own thoughts and feelings. Every time we were in that class, we would write down anything that was on our minds and then, our teacher would reply to each one of them. The next time we were in that class, we would see what our teacher would write in each one in our notebooks. I wouldn't have imagined that decades later, I would be writing stories on a wonderful platform on Vocal.

For my final thoughts, I want to extend my thanks to everyone who took the time to read my stories and supporting me. I'm determined to reach the 500 stories mark by the end of this year. I may not be to that halfway point yet, but I'll never give up. The only way that I'll get there is having faith in myself. Writing also gave me a sense of peace, because I knew it was one of the gifts I've inherited. As long as I have the Lord by my side, anything is possible for me. Don't give up on your passion. Share it with others.

On that note, happy writing to all of you.