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Word.
The part of my brain that processes words has been jamming—for a while, actually—but I really noticed it this weekend as I was working on a crossword puzzle. Since my Sunday crossword puzzle habit is over a decade old (yeah, I’m one of those guys), I have a whole system. I always start with the clues that have blanks, like 3 Down: Carpe ___ or 16 Across ___ me at “Hello.” Then I check for any literary, geography, and movie-oriented clues, the topics I’m strongest at. Using this method usually gives me a decent start, but Sunday morning I was just a big ole blank in a robe and Tasmanian Devil slippers.
I put the puzzle down for a few hours and came back to it. Nothing. I guzzled a pot of coffee and then went clue by clue. Nada. When I finally stopped jittering, I decided to put the crossword away. I opened my laptop and tried writing a post instead. Nope.
Probably not the best way to open up a writing challenge, talking about not having words, but this happens to everyone from time to time. Creative energy is cyclical. I’ll take a week or two off of creative writing (my day job would frown on my not-wording for them). I’ll find other things to do to fan the fire. Good thing I have this Christmas gift list to work on. It’ll keep my mind off the buttons I’m temporarily not pressing.
Before you press the “Post” button, be sure to check out the submission guidelines. If you’ve found some other yeah write writers you dig, why not ask them to be your writing partner? Everyone needs another set of eyes to point out the typos, content errors, and awkward phrasings in our posts.
P.S. If any of you reading this are my Secret Santa, consider this post my wish list.
Meet our members
Yeah write is a 100% volunteer run organization, and we couldn’t do what we do without the support of some amazing members. Why don’t you swing by and see who they are? While you’re there, give them a big thank you, or maybe a hug. And if you’re so inclined, consider becoming a member yourself.
Where is the ring?
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. Whether it’s in the elbow joint below the sink or on the finger of your beloved, we want to know! In case that’s not enough to get you going:
New inspiration for you
Introducing Prompt Up!
Prompt Up is our new optional weekly writing prompt for the fiction|poetry challenge! Here’s how it works: we choose a sentence prompt from last week’s winning nonfiction post and announce it in the kick-off. It’s your job to use that prompt as the first sentence in your poem or story and then run with it. The prompt is just a springboard, though: feel free to keep it as your first sentence, move it somewhere else, change it, or yank it out completely.
This week’s nonfiction winning essay is Shailaja’s Faded photographs tell stories too, with its realization of the importance of having printed photographs. This week’s Prompt Up is: You can run your finger over the creases, hoping to iron them out.
Got your own story all thought up? No problem. The ultimate question and the Prompt Up are only there if you need them.
Focus on fiction + poetry slam
Need a bit more? Our finale focus on fiction genre is myth. And we’re re-slamming the tritina. Why? Because we lurve them.
Still drawing a blank? Join the conversation in the coffeehouse. You’ll notice we moved it to a Facebook group that’s much easier to access and share!
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 #244 fiction|poetry writing challenge is open for submissions!
You can check out the submission guidelines and join us with your essay using the link below.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
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