[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Well, my kid sister one-upped me in a big way by having a baby last weekend, but the joke’s on her – yeah write has a new baby too! We’re the real winners! Keep an eye out right here at 2pm today for the announcement that’s got me nauseated in the morning and unable to sleep at night.
In the remaining two hours before you explode with excitement, though, let’s check out this week’s grid winners, staff picks and roundup. It’s been an intense couple weeks on the grids; big emotional news sparks big emotional reactions, and it’s hardly surprising that a community of writers has a lot to say! Let’s check out your favorites. (It’s actually incredibly embarrassing to write that this week, guys. I’m a little blown away.)
But it’s not all about the popular vote, folks. We also have our editorial staff picks to hand out. Every week our editors comb through your submissions looking for their favorites. Picks are based on writing quality, how successful the author is in conveying information, and just plain style. If you got a staff pick this week, grab your badge from the sidebar and wear it with pride!
Once you’re done reading through the staff picks (and congratulating the winners in the comments), keep scrolling down to check out who won the popular vote. If you earned the highest number of votes in either challenge, you are this week’s crowd favorite! If you came in first, second or third, you get “top three” honors. Grab your badge from our sidebar!
Looking for your badge? Both our challenges have the same winner, staff pick, and top three badges. It doesn’t clutter up our sidebar, and they’ll still look pretty on yours![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Yeah write #270 weekly writing challenge staff picks: nonfiction
[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]
bubbles break by superhero lunchbox
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The thing that I carried away from this essay isn’t the thing that struck me first. On first read, this is a well-told story, a comparative essay of experiences, a linking-up of structures and spaces into a ladder that unsympathetically demands empathy. But like each micro-story contained within it, it’s more than the sum of its parts. The sturdy structure and phrasing of the post mimics the structures we build for ourselves against the world, and the final two sentences shatter that careful buildup of words as surely as they remind us of the fragility of our own bubbles.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”22653″ style=”vc_box_circle” title=”meg”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Rowan’s roundup: yeah write weekly writing challenge #270
[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_single_image image=”19872″ alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_circle_2″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]
nonfiction
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]This week’s takeaway is, well, takeaway. The little pieces of the puzzle that stick with you, and how to make them, er, extra sticky. From “bubbles break” in our editor’s pick to Anusha’s “boy so thin and lanky he could be called brittle” there were some fantastic images on this week’s nonfiction grid. The trick to using images like these effectively is to use them sparingly. Think of it like getting dressed: you can overwhelm your outfit with too many accessories, or you can showcase one great necklace against a little black dress. Both can be gorgeous, but if you want your reader to remember a specific necklace, the latter is the more effective technique.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”29344″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]
fiction|poetry
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Whose story is it?
As writers, whether of prose or poetry, we strive for empathy. We’re willing and even sometimes able to insert ourselves into imaginary lives, imaginary worlds. But when we start inserting our own experiences into the real lived experiences of people in the real world, we have to tread a careful line. It’s too easy to overwrite what people are actually feeling with how we imagine we might feel in their place. And when you’re talking about marginalized populations, there’s a lot of experience that you as a writer from a different background will probably be entirely lacking. It’s a great idea to empathize, but just like probably the world doesn’t need one more old dude trying to write about the experiences of a 14 year old girl, you need to make sure that what you’re writing rings true not to you, but to the people whose lives and experiences you’re crawling inside. If you don’t have friends within the community you’re imagining yourself a member of that you can ask if you’ve got it right, number one, make some, we all need a more diverse group of friends to call us on our bull#$%^. Number two, be open to the possibility that you might have it so wrong as to be more hurtful than helpful. (Don’t worry. If you put something actively hurtful on the grid, we’ll tell you and take it down so you don’t embarrass yourself. We’re all in the process of learning and growing.)[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”29345″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][vc_column_text]That’s it for this week! Remember, we don’t always give out a pick on every grid; if we were impressed by several posts on one grid, we’ll give them all picks, and if nothing really stood out for us on another grid, we’ll hold off. If you didn’t get a pick this week, read back through the roundup to see if you can use some of this week’s tips and tricks.
If you’re lost in the middle of the grid and wondering how you can get a little more feedback on your posts, check out our membership perks!
Everybody: before you go, please take some time to leave your favorites a little love in the comments, and don’t forget, our weekend grid opens tonight at 6pm Eastern US Time![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Congratulations to the crowd favorites at yeah write #270
The thumbnails are now sorted in order of most votes to fewest. Ties in the overall number of votes are broken by number of editor votes.
Congratulations if you’re at or near the top! Writing well is hard work, and we’re honored you’ve chosen us this week to showcase your entry.
If you’re at or near the bottom, don’t be discouraged. You’re in the right community for learning and growing as a writer, and we are always available with resources for those who ask nicely.
To our readers and voters: thank you! See you next week.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
Loading InLinkz ...
Loading InLinkz ...
