Welcome back from family-free month
Fine. Tell us about your kids. Don’t forget the so what. Kidlet themed posts will attract the most scrutiny in the moderation queue mainly because people think they are the first ever parents of a cute two-year-old and assume we all want to hear about it. If you can come up with clever turns of phrase and an interesting perspective to share your toddler’s first steps and your teen’s first dance, lay it on us. If there’s nothing new under the sun in your post, it’s still family-free month for you.
Grab this week’s badge over in the sidebar.
Change is coming to yeah write, and you should be used to that by now
Erica is constantly fine-tuning the yeah write franchise for your benefit. The hangout was born to accommodate those who didn’t meet the criteria for the challenge grid. Then, it morphed into the speakeasy, for those who didn’t want to meet the criteria for the challenge grid.
Lately, the challenge grid has been going in a new direction because many of you are branching out and taking risks with your writing. While we love, applaud and encourage that, short fiction is being judged against anecdotes and humorous commentary. It’s not fair to either group.
The challenge grid is going back to its roots, hosting traditional blog posts and personal essays. If you submit to this grid and your post is returned to you, your choices are to either skip the week or edit your post to meet the challenge’s guidelines. The speakeasy won’t invite your post to its grid because the purpose of that grid is changing.
The speakeasy is turning to a fiction-and-poetry-only format
This week will be the last free-for-all, park-whatever-you-like at the speakeasy. At the end of the week, I will send a reminder email to speakeasy participants that, beginning October 9, your post only makes it to the grid if it is short fiction or poetry. Next Sunday, I’ll fill you in on the the speakeasy’s criteria for these submissions.
While you’re thinking about that, think about this
We’ve done some of the thinking for you with regard to what you can write about in October.
Three days ago, Eric Sipple, of Saalon Muyo and yeah write alum, released his self-published novel, Broken Magic. He’s graciously agreed to host a four-week celebration of spooky fiction at the speakeasy, beginning October 9. His success is your success, because he has four copies of Broken Magic to give away to each popular vote winner over the four weeks.
The theme for yeah write #78 through yeah write #81 will be “Tales of the Strange, Supernatural or Unexplained”
The meaning of words like “strange” and “supernatural” is interpreted differently by everyone , so don’t feel dejected about this not being your style. Mysteries, like that of the missing sock, cat or spouse can be spooky. Recounting a favourite home-made Halloween costume could fit the theme. Ghost stories, close encounters, twilight zones – I won’t argue with how you interpret the theme. Be playful, be terrifying, be creepy, but bring us your best stuff, accompanied by a clear so what: fiction at the speakeasy, creative non-fiction on the challenge grid.
There will be a pictorial prompt each week to get your brain going, and it will be vague enough for you to refer to it as you feel appropriate. Moderation will look for properly dated entries, central conflict and some reference to the theme. Popular voting will arrive at the speakeasy and winners will receive a copy of Broken Magic delivered to their tablets or mail boxes. Pretty fancy stuff, right?
The first two chapters of Eric’s novel can be found on Saalon Muyo. Broken Magic is available for purchase at Amazon.com and goodreads.com
Helpful links
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- FAQ
- a blogger’s guide to writing a yeah write post
- what yeah write is, what yeah write isn’t
- weekly winners’ posts
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When the grid gets back to 50 published entries, we’re offering one writer a $100 Amazon gift card
Once we get back to a full grid of 50 published submissions, we will kick off a four-week challenge for the blogger with the most accumulated points to earn a $100 Amazon gift card which I would recommend go toward the purchase of these 10 books suggested in this Brain Pickings article How to Read Like a Writer. We’ll get there with or without you. May as well be with you ‘cuz you’re witty and can tell a pretty good story.
Yeah write #77 opens Tuesday.
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- Do not mention anywhere in your post, either as intro or footnote, that you are writing to a prompt.
- We want the story the furthest away in your imagination from the original prompt. Let your imagination loose.
- Keep your writing style! Do you tell stories with humor? Prose? Verse? Photos? Illustrations? Keep doing that.
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Ahhhh – now THAT’s something to make me interested in the speakeasy. Not that it didn’t sound like a pretty cool place before, but it just didn’t feel like the right fit for me. But spooky fiction? SOLD.
Interesting! I like the idea of separating fiction from nonfiction (especially because sometimes I can’t figure out if a post is fiction or not). So, where would something like my retelling of Noah’s Ark go?
If it’s not a personal essay or anecdote, I think Erica would say Speakeasy! (And for a godless heathen like me there’s no question.)
I really like the distinction between the challenge grid and the speakeasy with fiction/non-fiction. It kind of makes it easier for us to tell where we’re supposed to go. And my tired, old brain needs all the road signs it can get.
Love spooky story month. Am going to try and write one, but will definitely be reading when I can!
Change is torture for the obsessive-compulsive.
Would you rather have me as your post curator or as your mother? My OCD princess just rolls with it. If the brain-injured can do it, so can you. (You’re not directly affected by this set of changes, btw)
I’m an INTJ (Myers-Briggs type indicator), and it’s a TJ’s nature to moan. Our first reaction to any change is to complain about it, then we adapt. We also had a saying in the Navy: “A complaining sailor is a happy sailor.” I must be very happy.
INFPs shrug it off and make it work. Just don’t let us handle the money.
Love it! It all sounds great. Question: starting with challenge 78, will the challenge grid AS WELL AS the speakeasy be spooky/strange? I’ve read and re-read the above and this simpleton still can’t figure that one out. Thank you!
Yes, both grids are going supernatural: non-fiction at the challenge, fiction/poetry at the speakeasy. The copies of Broken Magic will be given away at the speakeasy. It’s not your brain as the reader, it’s mine as the editor of Flood’s explanation 🙂
Love that everything keeps changing for the better. The time and attention spent keeping this community moving towards better writing truly is a gift.
I was thinking of your dream post as an inspiration for people. You should tweet it out as assistance to those who are stuck. (Like how I give you orders?)
Today is one of those days where I appreciate being told what to do. It’s also one of those days where I appreciate having it done for me even more. So thanks for the tweet.
Love the changes. Looking forward to a great series from Eric at the speakeasy, and separate showcases for nonfiction and fiction. I am already feeling all mysterious and stuff in prep for the new theme.
Love these changes! I’m so looking forward to spooky month! Now I just need some ideas 😉