Refreshing finite resources

It occurred to me that the ability to write is a finite resource. Even switching up projects has left me depleted and unable to keep pulling words out of thin air lately. So what is a writer to do when the writing well is dry?

My solution is to seek stories elsewhere. I watch TV (I can’t get enough of Orphan Black lately!), I read outside of my typical genre, and I watch movies. I also try to listen better to the world around me. Inspiration can be anywhere if you’re willing to look for it.

Yeah write can come in pretty handy here, too. Every week you’ll find stories of all sorts across our three grids. Even when you can’t find it in you to write your own, participate in the community here by reading the work of others. You may just walk away with the spark that you needed.

Who’s on fourth?

Since it’s the fourth Monday of the month, it’s time for another installment of our interview series. This month, Arden interviews Erica M, founding editor of yeah write. You won’t want to miss this one! The interview goes live at 12:00 PM EDT.

First time here?

Check out yesterday’s kickoff post to learn everything you need to know about all of yeah write. Make sure you’re signed up for our email blasts so you never miss one again!

If you’re new to yeah write or just new to the nonfiction challenge, please pop over to read our submission guidelines. The rules are a little different for each of our challenges and we’d hate to have to send back great writing on a technicality.

If you found us because you suddenly saw yeah write in your stats, do not be alarmed! Sometimes when community members spot excellent writing out in the wild, they send the post over to us. We hope you don’t mind, but more than that, we hope you’ll take a look around and hang out for a while.

Have questions you can’t find the answer to by poking around the site? Email us or find us on Facebook or Twitter and we’ll happily help you out.

Just the basics

Today the grid opens for our nonfiction writing challenge. There is a limit of 1,000 words, no exceptions. The nonfiction challenge closes Wednesday at 9:59 p.m. US Eastern. Voting opens one hour later for both our readers and our editorial staff. On Friday, we will publish editorial picks and announce the popular vote winners.

The ultimate question: why are you still awake?

Each week our microstories challenge, which opens on Wednesday, gives you an ultimate question to answer in exactly 42 words. Here on nonfiction, we like to offer that question up as an optional prompt. Use it or don’t, it’s all up to you!

Still need a bit of inspiration to get you going this week? Stop by the coffeehouse for a shot of espresso. Every week Nate discusses a technique used in one of last week’s winning posts, and gives two suggestions for how you can incorporate it into your own writing! Check it out!

The yeah write #211 weekly writing challenge is open for nonfiction: personal essays, creative opinion, mostly true stories based on actual events. You can check out the submission guidelines and join us with your essay using the link below.