Greetings, Earthlings!

As you may know, this spaceship is powered by a state-of-the-art infinite improbability drive. And of course, change is the only thing that’s definite in this universe. So of course we should expect some of that around here, no? Well, hold onto your drinks; we’re shifting course a bit. In other words, there are some big changes coming our way here at the gargleblaster challenge:

1. Starting the week of September 12 (yeah write #179), all competitive yeah write grids will be moderated, including the gargleblaster grid. What does this mean? It means that you won’t see your link immediately. We’ll hold all gargleblaster submissions in our moderation queue until the end of the submission period, and then we’ll release our favorites onto the grid. We know it’s a real challenge (see what I did there) getting a whole story in 42 words. It’s a shame when a good idea gets overlooked because the grammar wasn’t good enough to convey your meaning. Think of it this way: we’re giving you an extra chance to proofread. this format means you don’t have to rush to make it onto that tight grid!
2. Starting that same week, the gargleblaster challenge grid will open on Wednesdays instead of Mondays. Don’t worry: you’ll still get the ultimate question in the Sunday kickoff post and in the weekly email blast. The exciting news is you’ll have two extra days to perfect your microfiction or micro-nonfiction. (See point #1 above.) Voting will take place on Thursdays, and winners will be posted on Fridays along with the winners of the challenge and speakeasy grids.

You are fantastic traveling companions, my dear Earthlings, and I hope a little turbulence won’t throw you off. Questions? Post them in the comments below, or e-mail Christine at christine@yeahwrite.me.

The ultimate question

On to the good stuff. I’m not usually a foodie by any stretch of the imagination, but fall is my favorite food time of the year: pumpkin bread, hot apple cider, cranberry everything. Even though we’re still pushing the mid-90’s this week, I’m hoping for enough of a cooldown in the near future so I can pop into Starbucks for some of my not-so-secret vices. In that vein, I give you this week’s ultimate question:

Can I eat this?

Remember that you don’t need to include the question in your response, but you do need to actually answer the question. At the same time, you want your piece to stand on its own. If your readers don’t understand your answer without knowing the question, you’re on shaky ground. This week, trigger warnings are appreciated if your imagination takes you in a more graphic direction. Here are a couple of tips:

• Do not mention anywhere in your post, either as intro or footnote, that you are writing to a prompt.
• We want the story the furthest away in your imagination from the original prompt. Let your imagination loose.
• Keep your writing style! Do you tell stories with humor? Prose? Verse? Photos? Illustrations? Keep doing that.
• Proofread. Just because it’s short doesn’t mean you can cut corners.

On your mark, get set, GO!

Recipe for a proper gargleblaster

• Entries must be 42 words exactly. We count. (Tip: don’t trust your word processor – use your eyes!) Also: hyphenated words count as one (willy-nilly, self-centered, etc.).
• Non-fiction, fiction, and poetry are all welcome.
• Let your post speak for itself. If it needs an explanation, it’s not really 42 words, now is it?
• Link to the individual blog post, not your main blog page.
• Include the gargleblaster badge and accompanying backlink. Scroll down to get this week’s badge.
• One post per person, please, and no cross-posting to other link-ups. We want you all to ourselves!

Any submission deemed not to meet the guidelines will be removed from the grid and the author will be notified. Read the gargleblaster FAQ for more information.

The grid is now open, and will close at midnight on Tuesday (one minute after 11:59 PM on Monday).Yes, that’s only 24 hours to post, so you’d better get writing now! We’ll announce winners on Wednesday. Don’t forget to badge your post – the current gargleblaster badge is below.

Remember: the grid is limited to 42 (of course!) submissions. If you miss the grid, don’t panic! Leave your link in the comments of the voting post and you may be eligible for the hitchhiker prize, which may be awarded at the editors’ discretion to someone who missed the grid, but wrote up a particularly excellent response to the prompt. However, to be eligible for the hitchhiker’s prize, you’ve got to stick around for the whole ride, not just hop on, drop your link, and hop back off. After leaving your link, go forth and read, comment and vote on the grid as usual.

Badge up!

Please be sure to include the proper gargleblaster badge in your post. Not sure how to add the badge? It’s simple. Copy the code under the badge below and paste it into the html or text view of your blog editor. Having trouble? Contact christine@yeahwrite.me for tech support.

<a href="https://yeahwrite.me/gargleblaster-178/"> <img src="https://yeahwrite.me/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/gargle178.png"> </a>

New to yeah write?

Welcome! This is a special kind of place, and we hope you will dive right in. If this is one of your first visits to yeah write, please take a look at our page detailing how yeah write works. If you’re having trouble figuring it all out, feel free to email us, and we’ll help get you started along your way. We think this is the best community on the web for writers who blog and bloggers who write. We’re thrilled to have you join us.yeah write #178 weekly writing challenge: the gargleblaster challenge is open!

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