[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Winners and tigers and bears, oh my!

Folks, the grids were gorgeous this week. Does that mean everyone’s all warmed up and ready to go for tonight’s persuasive essay prompt at the super challenge? Also, now that I know what you can do, I expect to see more of it, even though it’ll be a tighter race to the top of the popular vote!

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. If you got a staff pick this week, grab your badge from the sidebar and wear it with pride!  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.

Speaking of reading the grids, keep an eye on our roundup for a quick rundown of trends we see each week. We try to highlight the good stuff and point out problems that more than one writer is struggling with. This month, Cindy and I are playing tag with the nonfiction grid: she’ll give you some tips on Monday, and I’ll look to see who successfully applied them each week in the roundup. There’s probably a handy tip in there for you right now, so check it out!

Once you’re done reading through the staff picks and roundup (and congratulating the winners in the comments), 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? Both grids 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 #304 weekly writing challenge staff picks: nonfiction

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remember these things by amy

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]To successfully undertake experimental writing requires a knowledge of standard writing conventions so that when you break the rules, you are still able to convey mood, tone, and meaning despite your unconventional grammar and story structure choices. That’s why I wanted to highlight this piece by Amy at lion by the tail as my editor’s pick this week, because it illustrates the highs that can come from trying something wildly different. If I were to quibble, I’d suggest that the story would benefit from editing perhaps a hundred words and losing the all-italic font, but overall it succeeds in reaching the heights to which it aspires with a writing style that is novel and not a mere novelty. The story is also a model of showing versus telling. Too often with stories about traumatic events the writer has the urge to comment to the reader about the experience itself, rather than simply conveying what happened. Never does the author here break out of the forward-moving action with an aside to the reader, making the scene all the more poignant, powerful, and claustrophobic. As the author’s mind races with the things she can’t forget, we can’t get away, and the result is a story that we, too, will long remember.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”22658″ style=”vc_box_circle” title=”cindy”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Yeah write #304 weekly writing challenge staff picks: fiction|poetry

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hope: a practicum by ruby bastille

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]In a week of strong poetry, Ruby Bastille’s piece still stood out for me. She created powerful images with burning baskets, paved roads, and steely women wearing signs. She used precise language to deliver a strong emotional and mindful message. She thoughtfully placed line breaks at pivotal places in her thoughts, calling attention to what we will do (we’ll sear right through) and what we won’t do (lose hope) and when we’ll do it (soon). Judging by the comments, she moved us; she made us look at current events in a different way. She made us say “Yes” after we finished reading her words, and to me, that’s what makes a successful poem.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”22650″ style=”vc_box_circle” title=”nate”][/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 #304

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nonfiction

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]”Tag, you’re it!” Cindy chirped, and went merrily on her way, leaving me to somehow discuss developmental editing without having seen a first draft of any of the posts on the grid. On the other hand, I’ve seen the end result, and it’s clear that some thought went into selecting a strong central theme for most of these posts. Whether the post revolves around an evolving definition of seeing yourself or around a physical place (the car) that anchors what would otherwise be a list of too-brief explanations, it’s clear that most writers took a serious look at structure this week. The strong theme doesn’t have to be static, either – you can flip from, for example, words coming easily to losing your words, so long as you remain focused on “words between people.” The real trick in writing nonfiction is to trim away the deadwood and see what supports that strong theme and what makes the camera slip out of focus. Take a minute to read back through the grids and see if you can find examples of a paragraph that reads smoothly and one that wanders away from the writer’s theme. How did you identify them? Can you see that happening in your own work?[/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]Poets. Y’all. I love you. And the fiction writers this week had poetry in their souls, so I’m going to write this roundup through that lens. Let’s talk about something that I’m not sure you realize is a commonality between poetry and lyric prose: breaks.

When you write a poem, your line breaks are another form of punctuation. But that’s not just in poetry; the same lesson applies to prose. Think about how your punctuation breaks up each line. Do you favor long sentences or short? Try to match your sentence and paragraph structure to your subject matter the same way a poet matches line breaks to important themes. Are you writing a story for young readers? Keep your sentences simple and declaratory. Of course, the same rule applies if you’re writing a hard-boiled detective story. A modern take on a fable or fairy tale may read better with a more ornate Victorian sentence structure. And of course, think about where you break up your dialogue. That’s when you can really use the lesson of line breaks: the reader will place more emphasis on the last couple words before that quotation mark, so throw your ‘she murmured’ right in the middle of that long dialogue explanation, just after the spot you want the reader to pause for breath too.[/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 both grids; if we were impressed by several posts on one grid we’ll give them all picks, and if nothing really stood out for us 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 #304

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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