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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I’m sitting here a little drunk on the feeling of history being made.

Hillary Rodham Clinton is a little like an essay. A really good essay. See, whether you agree or disagree with her, you can recognize and understand what she did tonight. The US doesn’t have a Queen Elizabeth (I or II) lurking around our corners. We don’t have a Margaret Thatcher (however you feel about her), or, well, you know. We have a whole bunch of old white men and that one black guy. So sitting here tonight watching her accept the nomination gave me all the feels – for the girl I was, the woman I’ve become, and the little girl my sister brought into the world a couple weeks ago.

Now we just have to wait and see how Hillary, like an essay, does in the popular vote.

But it’s not all about the popular vote here at yeah write, folks. 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 we don’t give out a staff pick on a grid one week, it means nothing really stood out for us. Maybe the best stories had a bunch of typos or the grammatically perfect ones didn’t have much there there. You’ve really got to nail both elements – structure and storytelling – to earn a staff pick.

If there isn’t a staff pick, check out Rowan’s Roundup. I’ve decided we have to call it that even if someone else writes the darn thing. Probably there’s a clue in there why that post you liked didn’t make the cut. Then keep scrolling down to check out who won the popular vote on both grids. If you earned the highest number of votes in any 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? Our challenges share 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 #276 weekly writing challenge staff picks: fiction|poetry

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silence by danielle

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]I don’t usually love writing about writing – even if I’m guilty of doing it myself – but Danielle’s poem deserves a mention for its crisp, clear scansion (trochaic tetrameter, people!) and its understated metaphors. Yes, last week Danielle received an editor’s pick for her lush language; in this case, it is the sparseness that makes the poem work, the staccato rhythm of the words and the silences between the lines.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”18905″ alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_circle” title=”christine”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][vc_column_text]

Rowan’s roundup: yeah write weekly writing challenge #276

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nonfiction

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Time out – stay tuned this weekend for a special roundup from the first round of the super challenge, with some additional tips and tricks. I now return you to your regularly scheduled roundup.

Don’t overprocess. What does that mean? Well, it’s easy to take a compelling story from bold to bland with a few word choice issues. If you’re writing a compelling or fast bit of action, try using short words and clipped sentences. Keep your writing moving. Don’t explain twice what you can show once, and just… guys, trust your reader. Your reader is at least as smart as you. If you’ve already shown them something, you don’t have to tell them again what you just showed.[/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]Here’s a sharp left turn: have you considered formatting when you look at your writing? The structure of your paragraphs, the space between them, even whether you choose to use quotes or italics to indicate thought – all these things affect how your reader interacts with your story or poem. Don’t just make these choices because you’ve always done it that way. Seek out different ways to visually convey meaning, and try them on for size. They may work better for you than what you’re using now. Remember, the goal is to draw your reader into your world; you can’t do that if they’re struggling to get past an impenetrable curtain of format.[/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 #276

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]

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