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Simmering summer
I was flabbergasted by the parade of Back to School pictures marching through my social media feeds last week. We’re not even close to Labor Day, I thought. Why are kids headed back so early? Did their parents just decide it was enough, pack lunches, and string backpacks around shoulders this year?
When I posted my confusion on the pictures of the disgruntled elementary students, their fathers and mothers gleefully replied Nope, it’s the third week of August every year! and then I imagine they returned to their celebratory snifters and disco dance parties. I was absolutely sure that growing up we always returned to school on the Tuesday after Labor Day. I had to investigate.
I was right. Turns out I grew up in a state that depends heavily on tourism. Some years ago Michigan legislators passed a law requiring state schools to start after Labor Day to allow the summer tourism season to simmer a few more weeks.
So while kids in other states are starting science projects and memorizing their spelling lists, the kids in my home state are viewing these last few days of summer very much like the subjects in the picture above: one swing at a time.
Chances are all the teachers everywhere will soon have this week’s ultimate question popping up in their minds:
Why did all hell break loose?
The optional prompt above can serve as inspiration for your fiction or poetry. Use the question word for word in your story or poem, or just answer it. Give us a light hearted answer or go all-out Dante’s Inferno. Already have a different story thought up? No problem! Use the prompt only if you need it.
We’ve gone unmoderated until September 20. That doesn’t make it a free-for-all though; posts still need to meet the minimum guidelines listed below, but it does give you some more room to get creative.
Dare to reach the fourth circle?
Hungry for more? This is the last week for August’s focus on fiction and poetry slam. For this month’s focus on fiction, we’ll be turning people into dogs (or any other animal) with anthropomorphism. Where poetry’s concerned, we’ll be highlighting doggerel, a lazy form that doesn’t set too high of a bar for these sticky August days.
Still drawing a blank? You can also find writing exercises in the coffeehouse to get things started. You’ll notice we moved it to a Facebook group: much easier access and interact!
The other editors are packing up to visit the Long Beach Comic Con. It will just be little ole me steering the ship on September 12-13. Read all about yeah write’s first show on the road here.
Is this your first time here?
Check out Sunday’s post which kicked off the week here at yeah write. If you don’t think you can remember to check back every Sunday, sign up for our email blasts. We send them directly to your inbox. No fuss!
Yeah write #228 fiction|poetry writing challenge is open for submissions!
Basic yeah write guidelines: 750 word limit; your entry can be dated no earlier than this past Sunday; fiction or poetry only.
How to submit and fully participate in the challenge:
1. In the sidebar of this week’s post, please grab the code beneath the fiction|poetry badge and paste it into the HTML view of your entry
2. Follow the Inlinkz instructions after clicking “add your link” to upload your entry to this week’s challenge grid
3. Your entry should appear immediately on the grid if you don’t receive an error message
4. Please make the rounds to read all the entries in this week’s challenge
5. Consider turning off moderated comments and CAPTCHA on your own blog
This summer all our grids are unmoderated, which means submissions meeting the basic guidelines will be published Thursday on yeah write. Those entries will be open to a popular vote with the winner celebrated on Friday.
Thank you for sharing with us your hard work! Good luck in the challenge…
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