[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]They say the devil’s in the details.
Sometimes that’s details like the textiles depicted in a Safavid manuscript (why did I take this commission, this might be the fiddliest piece of reproduction I’ve ever fiddled with), and sometimes it’s details like the return of the microstory next week (tell your friends! heck, tell your enemies!). It could even be details like those in our nonfiction knowhow posts and poetry slam tutorials.
Details are what take your essay, story or poem from “well, that’s a thing you wrote” to the top of the popular vote each week. But it’s not all about the popular vote at yeah write, folks. We also have our editorial staff picks to hand out. See, while there’s a popular vote winner every week, we don’t always give out a staff pick. Picks are based on writing quality, how successful the author is in conveying information, and just plain style. Some weeks, the editors will comb through the grids and nothing really stands 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 the details of both elements – structure and storytelling – to earn a staff pick. The great part is that we don’t have a finite number of picks to hand out. That means that if two, three, five, or even all the works on one grid are fantastic, we can give them all kudos.
On weeks when the grids are unmoderated, you can check out the Roundup, where I try to identify trends and troubles that show up for more than one writer on the grid. If you’re curious why there’s no pick, there’s usually a clue in the Roundup 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 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? 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 #281
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nonfiction
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Your story is worth telling. No, really, it is. But how do you justify telling a story that’s, well, basically the same as any other person’s experience?
I’m going to tell you a secret: you’ve got something they don’t have. That no-one else has. Your voice. Your perspective. So the trick is, the more similar you suspect your story is to a story that’s been told again and again (potty training? birth story? I don’t mean to pick on parents but there’s a library of similar shared experience that’s closer than any two job interview stories ever are) the more you need to lean on the details that make that story uniquely yours. Use your voice, the way you personally put words together and break the rules of grammar deliberately to sound more like yourself. Use the little things like the exact contents of your purse when your toddler dumped it out in Target just like every mom everywhere has had a purse dumped in the frozen foods aisle by a toddler in a red cart. Find the details that make the story yours rather than painting broad strokes with bland sentences, and your story will stand out.[/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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You have one sentence to make me care about your story or poem. What’s it going to be?
You have one sentence to make me care about your story or poem. This sentence is sometimes called the hook. The hook is an important part of your story or poem and it is critical to put it early in the story. Otherwise your reader may lose interest or simply not engage in the first place.
See, the thing I just did there, setting the hook in the first sentence, that only works if you don’t waste the second, third and even fourth sentences on bland prose that undermines or restates your hook. Don’t do that. It hurts me as an editor when you do that. Also it hurts your story. The purpose of the hook is to keep the reader engaged with the story or poem and its mysteries, to set up an ambiance or tone for what follows. Immediately explaining it, telling-not-showing, or moving on in a completely different voice or tone will disengage, rather than engage, your readers. And you don’t want that.[/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, so let’s move on to the popular vote results. 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 #281
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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