The return of Michelle Longo, Internet viral sensation, to yeah write weekly writing challenge

I’ve been off for the past four weeks, recharging my spirit and submitting to the grids. I hope you enjoyed the posts from Rowan and Erica M who have been keeping my seat warm for me. While I was gone, I made a list of articles and ideas to share, and I’m looking forward to doing that. [Ed. note: Also while on break, Michelle was featured at The Huffington Post and iVillage Australia with one of her posts written for yeah write. That’s one way to keep busy ~ehm]

The first thing I want to tell you after a month of others writing the Tuesday post is this:  When you need a break, take it. Your writing does not get better if you’re burning out. I think we all hit a point sometimes where we want to phone it in, but rather than pass off something you know isn’t your best, consider just taking a break. I don’t just mean your yeah write pieces. I’m talking about all of it – whatever project is draining you, it’s okay to say you need a little time away to refresh your perspective. There’s no shame in needing a vacation, even if it’s from something you love.

Everything you need to know, all in one place, every single Sunday!

Every Sunday, we kick off a new week of challenges. If you’re not already a subscriber, sign up here to receive our weekly email blasts, and be one of the first to know what to expect for the week. We also detail the week in a tidy Sunday kickoff post, written by our managing editor Christine, while congratulating the winners from our previous challenges. Stop by if you get the chance. It’s good stuff.

Who’s on Fourth? Yeah write interviews Marcy of (Don’t Be) Too Timid and Squeamish

Marcy has been a wonderful member of the yeah write community for almost two years now. This month, Arden R of Writing While Wineing and Marcy discuss stepping out of comfort zones, newbies at yeah write, and what it’s like to challenge yourself not once, but 101 and one times. Check out the interview here.

Fourth Tuesday of each month is open submissions with no entry moderation

Rowan, our submissions editor usually lines up all the weekly submissions to the challenge grid in a tidy queue. She releases immediately the ones strongly following our submission guidelines. She holds on to the others while crafting a very helpful letter to the submitting writers containing feedback and suggestions for strengthening their pieces, either for this week or the next. But on fourth Mondays, there is no moderation queue, and your post will appear on the grid as soon as you add it through Inlinkz. Exciting!

A suspension of the moderation is not a suspension of the submission guidelines, though. You still must adhere to the word count (500 + 100 grace), the post date (no earlier than this past Sunday), and the basic rules of spelling and grammar (that means you need to proofread). Invite your friends, share this post on your social media pages, and let’s fill up the grid! When submissions are open, it’s a great time to send over new writers.

Registration is open for the 2014 yeah write summer series

We are gearing up for our six-week summer series! Our regularly scheduled programming will be taking a break while we focus on becoming better writers. You choose when and at what level you wish to participate. Get all the details and find out how to register here. You won’t want to miss out on this.

Is this your first time here? Welcome!

Did you follow the link from the badge on a friend’s blog? Welcome! Please check out our submission guidelines, then jump right in. We’d love to have you.

Did you land here out of curiosity because you saw a whole bunch of hits from yeah write in your wordpress.com stats? Welcome! That means somebody at yeah write stumbled over your post, thought it was a good fit for us, and submitted your post for consideration. We hope you don’t mind!

If you like, please grab the challenge badge from our sidebar, install it using the HTML view of your post, then visit the other entries on the grid. Did we mention there will be a vote for the best submissions on Thursday? That’s the fun part. Please stick around.

The invitational grid and editor picks will be unlocked at 30+ entries on the challenge grid

We reached 32 entries for yeah write #166 last week, opening the invitational grid. The editors selected five favorites from the 32 and one jury prize winner emerged from the editors’ picks. Let’s do that again! Please spread the word about this wonderful little writer’s community, and let’s see if we can beat last week’s number.

Kevin the kiwi and Comment Bob: yeah write community spirit awards

Everyone knows Kevin by now! He’s that stylish kiwi with the scarf and hat, rooting around for an exceptional post on the grid. When we have fewer than 30 posts in the challenge grid, Rowan G, our submissions editor, will send Kevin home with her favorite post. If we open the invitational with 30 or more entries, Kevin will gladly sit this one out.

Comment Bob flies through open windows at night and leaves pom-poms under the pillows of the readers leaving the most thoughtful comments on each entry on the challenge grid. Just kidding. Penguins can’t fly. He has a jetpack.  The part about the pom-poms, though, is completely true, so please make it a point to participate in our community as a writer, reader, voter and commenter.

We call it a challenge for a reason, and making the rounds to all the other blogs is a very large part of it.  Remember, a good comment is more than “great work,” it’s a thoughtful response to the post you just read.

Voting on the challenge grid opens Thursday: more entries means more votes

The crowd favorite is determined by a moderated popular vote. That means it’s never a clicking contest. We expect our readers to vote for the best on the challenge grid based on technical and artistic merit. here’s the scale:

• 01-10 submissions: one vote
• 11-20 submissions: two votes
• 21-30 submissions: three votes
• 31-40 submissions: four votes
• 41-50 submissions: five votes

The more submissions, the more votes. Write a blurb beside your yeah write challenge button inviting your friends to join us. Send a personal email. Talk us up in your writing circles. Stumble over a blog post you think would be perfect for the challenge grid? Email us the link, and if it’s a good fit, we’ll add it ourselves.

Odds, ends, reminders

• The badge you will need to add to your planned submission is over in the sidebar
• This immediate past Sunday is the earliest your submission can be dated
• Your post can be no longer than 600 words: it’s 500 words plus 100 words grace
• Personal essays or traditional blog anecdotes only
• There are no mandatory weekly prompts; the topic is yours. Be compelling
• The grid is open from Tuesday at 12:01 a.m. to Wednesday at 11:59 p.m.
• There is voting. Voting will take place Thursday from midnight to 10:00 p.m. US eastern
• The challenge grid is limited to 50 bloggers
• The winners’ post will be published by noon on Friday
• No commercial, sponsored or self-promotional posts are allowed on the yeah write grid, including those containing links to other blog events and Internet contests

Voting is open at the gargleblaster! If you have a chance, stop by, read all the 42-word entries, then vote on the best three of the gargleblaster grid. It’s yeah write’s newest challenge, and we’re quite proud of it! Yeah write #167 traditional challenge grid is open right here… [hr]