[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]My writing partner and I changed things up this week.

Usually I drive the plot and she does the character feelings. Usually I talk about the book to strangers and she cheerleads. But right now she’s off at a writing conference talking up the book and I made her drive the plot all week and it all feels a little strange, frankly. But it’s good for us to change it up; we’re stretching our muscles in ways we don’t usually, and it’s getting us out of a big writing rut. So here’s to changes!

Changes can also serve you really well on the grid, especially if you’re stuck in the middle and looking for that elusive editorial staff pick. 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. That means taking some risks, making some mistakes, and yes, not doing as well while you improve. That’s a rough spot to be in, but I promise it’s a good one.

If there isn’t a staff pick one week, check out Rowan’s Roundup (man, it’s weird to refer to myself in the third person). 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]

Rowan’s roundup: yeah write weekly writing challenge #278

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nonfiction

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Know your audience. How often have we heard that one? And yet when we try to implement it, we often end up frustrated by trying to adopt a view that isn’t our own. What’s the magic trick?

Knowing your audience isn’t the same as pandering to your audience. What it means is simply having a sense of what your readership is. For example, if you’re absolutely certain that your entire readership is white US adults between the ages of 30 and 50, probably you can get away with a Saved by the Bell reference with no intro. On the other hand, once your readership diversifies into other countries, you probably need to add a little preface or link so that your readers aren’t excluded from the joke. Similarly, if you know you’re writing for readers who largely fall on one end or the other of a political spectrum, you don’t have to adopt their viewpoint but you should consider familiarizing yourself with what phrases and concepts are actively hurtful or offensive to them and avoid using those to avoid alienating a reader before they can absorb the actual point you’re making.[/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

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The longest ongoing fight I have ever had with a friend is with a… well, she’s been a featured guest at a number of writing awards now so I won’t actually namedrop her, but the heart of the disagreement is “is this good or did you just like it.” Now, there’s nothing wrong with liking terrible things. I love all the Godzilla movies to death and will fight you over whether Hedorah is better than Ebirah. But you should be able to tell the difference between an enjoyable thing and an objectively well-created thing. There are movies I hate that are objectively good movies; I simply didn’t find them enjoyable.

Whether you are reading or writing fiction and poetry, you should be able to critically read well enough to separate “I thought that was a good idea and the story arc was fun” from “that was well-executed.” The best stories, of course, happen where those circles overlap. As a reader, especially in a forum like yeah write, you can help authors reach that spot by letting them know where they’ve slid off to: did you really like the character but nothing happened to them? Was the writing beautiful and stylish but if you stripped away the pretty words what you’re left with is “Jenny walked three feet to the left and looked at a rock?” Or did the author execute a great plot arc with fun characters that was obscured by grammatical stumbles or a total lack of description?[/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! 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 #278

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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