Editor picks on the invitational and the popular vote on the challenge grid are open!

We made it to 30+ submissions on the challenge grid, so that opened the invitational grid, which is for yeah write editor-only submissions. Until 6 p.m. US eastern time today, the editors will be choosing their favorite entries from the challenge and adding them to the invitational. For you newbies, this is where the top weekly writing award, the jury prize, is selected. So if you happen to see that little blue button that says “add your link” that’s not for you. Scroll down to the yellow stars beneath the thumbnails on the challenge grid, and start your voting there.

The jury prize will be announced Friday by noon U.S. eastern in the yeah write #110 winners’ post. Congrats to all the editor picks!

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Challenge grid voting

The challenge grid crowd favorite and top row five winners will be determined by popular vote.

Everybody gets five votes

Depending on your browser, there will be a yellow star above or below each thumbnail. Click on the thumbnail to read the post before voting, click on the yellow star to vote for the post after reading.

Read the posts before voting

We are responsible voters here at yeah write. Read, evaluate, vote on merit. We’re still writing the yeah write way, and we want the votes to reflect it.

Voting is open until Thursday, 10:00 p.m. EST

Winners’ post published Friday by noon EST

Once the voting ends, the challenge grid will sort itself from highest number of votes to the fewest. Ties are broken by number of page views. Until the winners’ post is published, none of the sorting will be official, but you can still get a good idea of where everyone ended up until the votes are validated.

Yeah write #110 voting is open…

Is this your first time here? Writers are readers!

Welcome! If you have a well-told personal essay or traditional blog anecdote to share with us, and it’s no longer than 600 words, please feel free to join us for our friendly little writing competition. Check out our FAQ and other details on our how yeah write works page. If you’ve read and read and you can’t figure out, please email us and we’ll help start you on your way. Read and read some more before sending us the crankiest email you’ve ever written, though. It’s the kind and courteous thing to do.

If short fiction and poetry is your gig, please head over to the speakeasy for some prompted goodness. This week and next week will be the final speakeasy grids for the summer, so make the most of it.

Our basic mission—to develop and showcase the writing talent of our community

Wait. Maybe we have two. One is to showcase the talents of the best writers who come our way. The other is to help our beginning and emerging writers find their talent. Most of the year, we accomplish this dual mission by setting and displaying examples, but it’s over the summer we take the time to be very hands-on about it. For the entire month of July 2013, Sundays included, we’ll be hosting the yeah write version of ProBlogger’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog series. 

You know us: we’re not gonna just teach you to be a better blogger, we’re gonna teach you to be a better writer and, possibly, a better person, mainly because your Aunt Selina specifically wrote to us about the thing last holiday. Don’t act all surprised: you know what you did. And we’re gonna handle it all month long.

Stay tuned for details. For those of you who budget for good things ahead of time: the ProBlogger book we’ll be following is $29.99. The yeah write narrative sessions will be $45 a week. Take one weekly narrative session along with the 31DBBB series or take all four. Take the writing session and skip 31DBBB, follow along with 31DBBB and skip the writing sessions. Whatever your calendar or budget will allow, all scheduled within the month of July. Watch your yeah write email blast for the registration form.

Are you a yeah write supporting subscriber at the $10/mo. level, originally signed up for at least 12 months? Are you planning on becoming a yeah write supporting subscriber at the $10/mo. level, signing up for at least 12 months? If this is you by June 15, you can register for one of the four narrative session at no charge. Perks have perks. Watch your email.

Yeah write #110 weekly writing challenge is open

The grid is open submissions. What’s the grid? It’s the array of thumbnail avatars right below this body of text you blew past on the first read-through. You can add what you want as long as it meets our submission guidelines. If it doesn’t meet the guidelines and you add it anyway, please wait by your inbox for a love letter from our submissions editor. The letter will contain everything you need for a properly edited submission. And love. It may contain love.

Speaking of love

Please leave any questions, concerns or sweet talk in comments. We always want to know when you’re reading or listening or just hanging out. Need a super secret, I’m-paying-attention phrase? Um, lessee. How about “We’re out of lobster already?”

Odds, ends, reminders

• Your post can be no longer than 600 words
• Your post can be dated no earlier than May 19th, the day the yeah write #110 badges were officially posted
• The grid is open from Tuesday at 12:01 a.m. to Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. US eastern [-4 GMT]
• It is limited to 50 bloggers
• Voting will take place Thursday from midnight to 10:00 p.m. US eastern [-4 GMT]
• The winners’ post will be published by noon on Friday
• Our new weekend moonshine grid will open Friday at 6 p.m. and close Monday by 12:01 a.m. US eastern [-4 GMT]
• No self-promotional posts are allowed on the yeah write grid, including those containing links to other blog events and Internet contests
• Combining your yeah write post with other blog events meant to maximize your exposure and minimize your effort is a no-no

Grab your badge

We know that sometimes going right for the grab of the badge for yeah write can be intimidating. So, go on over to the right side of this page, check it out, fondle it a bit, and then take it home to your own blog. We think you’ll make a very nice couple. Keep in mind that today is the earliest your yeah write #110 weekly writing challenge grid post can be dated. And if you’re a virgin ready to make the leap, are you feeling a tad confused? Email us if you run into trouble and let us know which step is confounding you.

Challenge v. speakeasy

The grids open Tuesday and we know you have some traditional blog anecdotes and  life-stories for us to savor and admire.  Submit your fiction and poetry over at the speakeasy, where your first line is written for you — thanks to last week’s winner, Stephanie. There’s also an image prompt to get you revved up. Not in the mood for creative fiction and poetry this week? No worries, but still visit and vote on Thursday to honor the hard work your writing colleagues have put into their poetry and fiction.

600-word limit

Less is more. Less will always be more. We know our grids shine at their best when individual entries are limited 500 words. Our writers are better, our readers are happier, our voters are more efficient and more likely to use all five of their votes. So from here on out, we are going forward with a 600-word limit—that’s 500 words plus grace. Use that grace wisely for a brief intro or a small footnote, if you like, but try to stick closer to 500 words when you can. We’re not trying to limit your creativity; we just know you can keep it tight and hold your readers’ attention.  You’ve got six days of the week to write as long as you like. Give us this one day.

The yeah write way

Yes, it is open submissions at the challenge grid, but editors are still monitoring posts. If yours is returned to you this week, it’s not a comment on your writing, but a reflection of the yeah write guidelines. For more information, or a refresher, visit how yeah write works. We’re always looking for a so what — and we love character development. We want you on the grids showing your very best revision of your very best.

We offer quick editor previews of your challenge grid post each week

Did you know that? If you are a yeah write supporting subscriber, you can email us your planned submission before the grid opens on Tuesdays, and one of us will read it and offer quick edits and suggestions on structure and tone, giving you a better chance in that week’s challenge. We don’t rewrite it, we don’t change your voice or your intent. It’s called a quick and dirty, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t take advantage of it as many times as your subscription level allows. We will tidy you up.

As you start your winning submission

Choose your topic wisely. Start with and answer to “What is my so what?” and move forward from that. Your year write editors look forward to being moved by trauma, amused by unintentionally awkward hazards, sighing deeply at family drama, and welling up with tears brought on by anecdotes that reflect life lessons. Let your strengths guide you—choose any topic (pollen allergy kerfuffles, anyone?)—and let it reflect you. As you re-write your drafts, always make sure to craft a tightly written introduction, a well-defined story line, and  a clear so what? by the end. Our regulars know that writing well about everyday life is the challenge of the challenge grid.

Calm the bloated story lines, read your post aloud, and make sure to triple-check for grammar and spelling, especially if you want to be plucked up to land on the invitational grid.  It’s possible that it’s just not your week — or maybe you just need a nap before trying again.  Recruit your favorite writers around the Interwebs…it’s so much more fun with an invitational grid! We always run that when we hit 30 or more posts on the challenge grid. Bring us your best stuff when you know it’s gonna be the best on the grid.

Weekend moonshine grid

For those of you who don’t fancy yourself storytellers, but who still love the community spirit found here at yeah write more than any other place you’ve been, we have the yeah write moonshine grid on the weekends, just for you. Starting at 6 p.m. eastern time on Fridays and closing by 12:01 a.m. on Mondays, the moonshine grid will be here for you to hang out, find some new-to-you-blogs and write without the anxiety of being judged, evaluated and voted on by the yeah write editors. Unlimited space, unlimited joy. Still no promotional or commercial posts.

It’s open for the rest of the day. Link it up!

Read well, write well, rewrite often

Yeah write #110 weekly writing challenge grid opens Tuesday. Until then, dearies!

It’s finally the weekend!

Was it just me or did the weekend take its own sweet time showing up today? Well, no matter. We celebrate its entire catalogue, so we’re just happy it’s here.

Open submissions, open everything

This is the only time yeah write turns into an actual link-up. Link up whatever you want as long as it’s not a commercial or commercially sponsored post. I love the culture that’s developed here over the past 20 weeks or so. Laid back, yet all visit-y at the same time. Y’all have fun.

This is the badge you are looking for

Over in the right sidebar is a list of yeah write badges containing the codes you need to satisfy the backlink requirement (also called a permalink) of the Inlinkz app. The badge for the moonshine looks like this:

Under the badge is a few lines of code. Copy that exactly then paste it into the “text” or HTML view of your post editor. If you don’t copy it exactly, you will get an error message from the Inlinkz app. If you get confused or your browser is uncooperative, visit the Inlinkz step-by-step instructions here. If all else fails, contact Inlinkz customer support.

The weekend moonshine grid will close Monday by 12:01 a.m. U.S. eastern daylight time [-4 GMT]

Enjoy the weekend moonshine. Tuesday will open the yeah write #110 weekly writing challenge grid.

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Welcome, virgins!

There were three newbies on the grid this week, and we hope each one of you felt as welcome and as thoroughly confused as any of our regulars.

Thanks for jumping in with both feet, everybody. See you next week!

Jury prize winner

“Not a mother figure” by Cyn at Cynking Feeling 

Mother-guilt and self-blame were two strong subtexts running through the grid this week, and the yeah write #109 jury prize winner wrapped up both in two separate dialogue-driven narratives, one between Cyn and her sister-in-law, the other between Cyn and her husband. Her central conflict—man v. self—demonstrates nicely the tangle of emotions we feel when life doesn’t go quite the way we planned and we get caught up in the workaround solution. 

Congrats, Cyn, on the win. And thank you for promoting our weekly challenge nearly every chance you get. Don’t forget your winner’s badge in the right sidebar.

Editors’ picks

Congrats to those who made the invitational grid! Each week the challenge grid hits 30 or more entries, the editors swoop in and grab their favorites. Yes, yes, this week we were at 25 entries, but rules are made to be broken once you know how the rules work. Or something like that. Please display the editor’s pick badge on your blog for everyone to see.

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Crowd favorite

“How Magic Works” at the eponymous Rarasaur

What a cool little snapshot of Rarasaur’s parents and neighborhood and childhood told in one story about a magical gardener named Jim. The setting, the characterizations, the narration, all simply and wonderfully revealed and, as the ending implied, we were told just enough, not a detail more, to love everything about it. Well done, Rarasaur. Please grab your winner’s badge in the right sidebar.

Weekend moonshine grid opens today at 6 p.m. eastern time!

Yeah write is now open on the weekends—no editors, no voting, no writer’s block—just hanging out in the clearing among the trees and discarded moonshine jugs. Use this chance to show the yeah write community the other side  of your blog—your top 10 lists, your stream-of-consciousness posts, that hilarious text message exchange with your brother. No commercial or sponsored posts allowed, but this will be a good space for letting us all know when you have a cool blog event coming up.

The moonshine grid opens at 6 p.m. eastern time each Friday and will close by 12:01 a.m. each Monday. Grab the badge from the sidebar and go find the perfect post to share!

Win-win

The thumbnails are now sorted in the grid from most votes to the least. In the case of a tie, the thumbnails are additionally sorted by page views. Part of the top row five? Please grab a winners’ badge from the sidebar and display it proudly on your own blog. Congrats!

Do not be discouraged if your blog has landed near the bottom of the grid; it is always a tight race. The fun lies in getting better exposure for your blog and in the spirit of competition as incentive to improve your writing and blogging skills. It’s a win-win for everybody involved.

Thanks again, everybody, for linking up, for reading, for accepting the weekly writing challenge. And for making yeah write the most welcoming spot on the Interwebs for writers who blog and bloggers who write.

Congratulate this week’s winners in comments. Yeah write #110 opens Tuesday…