I agree, Sarah. I found writing on Vocal to be a soul-crushing experience, especially when some of the winning entries weren’t all that good. I only made money from milestone rewards. Once I got my 50 stories in to get the bonus, I stopped writing there. It’s too much like those writing contests with entry fees. The fact that many of the challenges are sponsored by advertisers puts an additional level of gatekeepers in your way. You have to appeal to the editors, the judges, and the sponsors.