Grab your badge
Wasn’t last week’s batch of blog posts lovely? Lots of variety, lots of styles, lots of yummy details and carefully crafted sentences. Let’s do it again, but better! Grab a badge and apply it carefully onto a blog post that shows your very best. And remember: today is the earliest your yeah write #111 weekly writing challenge grid post can be dated. And if you’re a virgin ready to make the leap, are you feeling a tad confused? Email us if you run into trouble and let us know which step is confounding you.
Challenge v. speakeasy
The grids open Tuesday and we are so ready for your traditional blog anecdotes and life-stories. Lay ’em on us! Submit your fiction and poetry over at the speakeasy, where your first line is written for you – thanks to last week’s 2nd place winner, Karen. There’s also an image prompt to get you revved up. Not in the mood for creative fiction and poetry this week? It doesn’t always flow for us either, but still visit and vote on Thursday to savor the hard work your writing colleagues have put into their poetry and fiction.
600-word limit
Less is more. Less will always be more. We know our grids shine at their best when individual entries are limited 500 words. It creates writers who can edit themselves, and it encourages readers to get through the entire grid — and then they VOTE! So from here on out, we are going forward with a 600-word limit—that’s 500 words plus grace. Use that grace wisely for a brief intro or a small footnote, if you like, but try to stick closer to 500 words when you can. We’re not trying to limit your creativity; we just know you can keep it tight and hold your readers’ attention. You’ve got six days of the week to write as long as you like. Give us this one day.
The yeah write way
Yes, it is open submissions at the challenge grid, but editors are still monitoring posts. If yours is returned to you this week, it’s not a comment on your writing, but a reflection of the yeah write guidelines. For more information, or a refresher, visit how yeah write works. We’re always looking for a so what – and we love character development. We want you on the grids showing your very best revision of your very best.
We offer quick editor previews of your challenge grid post each week
Did you know that? If you are a yeah write supporting subscriber, you can email us your planned submission before the grid opens on Tuesdays, and one of us will read it and offer quick edits and suggestions on structure and tone, giving you a better chance in that week’s challenge. We don’t rewrite it, we don’t change your voice or your intent. It’s called a quick and dirty, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t take advantage of it as many times as your subscription level allows. We will tidy you up.
As you start your winning submission
Choose your topic wisely. Start with and answer to “What is my so what?” and move forward from that. Your year write editors look forward to getting glimpses into your emotional drama, physical humor, and life-changing events. Let your strengths guide you—choose any topic (Memorial Day with a twist? Cicadas with a crunch? Winter in May?)—and let it reflect you. As you re-write your drafts, always make sure to craft a tightly written introduction, a well-defined story line, and a clear so what? Our regulars know that writing well about everyday life is the challenge of the challenge grid.
Deflate the painful, bloated story lines, read your post aloud, and make sure to triple-check for grammar and spelling, especially if you want to be plunked down on the invitational grid. It’s possible that it’s just not your week – or maybe you just need to watch a re-run of Law & Order before trying again. Thanks to everyone who has been recruiting favorite writers from around the Interwebs…it’s much more fun with an invitational grid! We always run the invitational when we hit 30 or more posts on the challenge grid. Bring us your best stuff when you know it’s gonna be the best on the grid.
Weekend moonshine grid
For those of you who don’t fancy yourself storytellers, but who still love the community spirit found here at yeah write more than any other place you’ve been, we have the yeah write moonshine grid on the weekends, just for you. Starting at 6 p.m. eastern time on Fridays and extended until late Monday night this week, the moonshine grid will be here for you to hang out, find some new-to-you-blogs and write without the anxiety of being judged, evaluated and voted on by the yeah write editors. Unlimited space, unlimited joy. Still no promotional or commercial posts.
It’s open for the rest of the day. Link it up!
Read well, write well, rewrite often
Yeah write #111 weekly writing challenge grid opens Tuesday. Until then, dearies!
