Greetings, Earthlings!
It’s time for another round of gargleblasters! How’s everyone feeling? Last week you really stepped up your game, even with only 24 hours to post after the grid opened. We’re betting you can pull it off again. Time is on your side. (See below!)
Want to make sure you don’t miss the prompt? Sign up for the yeah write weekly e-mail blast.
The ultimate question
This week’s ultimate question was suggested by Erica M, and comes from Alice Munro’s short story A Real Life.
Have all your clocks stopped?
Give us your answer in 42 words. You don’t need to include the question in your response, but make sure your answer stands alone. What do we mean? Write down the question. Write down your response. Now cover the question with your hand and read your answer out loud. Does it still make sense when you don’t know the question? That’s what we’re looking for. Be creative, and remember: no family allowed!
The grid opens at midnight on Monday and closes at midnight on Tuesday. Yes, that’s only 24 hours to post, so you’d better get writing now! We’ll announce winners on Wednesday.
Recipe for a proper gargleblaster
- Entries must be 42 words exactly. We count. (Tip: don’t trust your word processor – use your eyes!)
- Non-fiction, fiction, and poetry are all welcome.
- Let your post speak for itself. If it needs an explanation, it’s not really 42 words, now is it?
- Link to the individual blog post, not your main blog page.
- Include the gargleblaster badge and accompanying backlink. Scroll down to get this week’s badge.
- One post per person, please, and no cross-posting to other link-ups. We want you all to ourselves!
Any submission deemed not to meet the guidelines will be removed from the grid and the author will be notified. Read the gargleblaster FAQ for more information.
Remember: the grid is limited to 42 (of course!) submissions. If you miss the grid, don’t panic! Leave your link in the comments of the voting post and you may be eligible for the hitchhiker prize, which may be awarded at the editors’ discretion to someone who missed the grid, but wrote up a particularly excellent response to the prompt. However, to be eligible for the hitchhiker’s prize, you’ve got to stick around for the whole ride, not just hop on, drop your link, and hop back off. After leaving your link, go forth and read, comment and vote on the grid as usual.
Family-free month continues
We’re on week two of family-free month. We want you to write about anything and everything except family relationships. This goes for fiction as well as non-fiction! You have a really great family-centered post? Submit it to the moonshine grid, where anything goes and the grid is always rules-free.
Badges are ready!
Please be sure to include the proper gargleblaster badge in your post. Not sure how to add the badge? It’s simple. Copy the code under the badge below and paste it into the html or text view of your blog editor. Having trouble? Contact christine@yeahwrite.me for tech support.
<a href="https://yeahwrite.me/gargleblaster-159/"> <img src="https://yeahwrite.me/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/gargle159.png"> </a>
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What next?
You’ve posted your gargleblaster. You remembered the badge. You linked it up. Next step? Read, comment, share the love. Voting opens on Tuesday!
Who’s on fourth?
We keep talking about the yeah write community and what an interesting, diverse group you are. Here’s a chance to get to know one of our members in a little more depth. Our Who’s on Fourth interview series comes out on the fourth Monday of every month. This month, Arden interviewed one of the challenge grid’s regular contributors, Bill Dameron of The Authentic Life. Take a few minutes to read about him. We promise you won’t regret it.
I’m new here and forgot to do the backlink, too. Here is my attempt: http://thewizardsword.com/2014/05/05/breakfast/
Thanks!
Darn it, I was late! Oh well–I enjoyed the attempt.
http://www.notjustanothermotherblogger.com/2014/04/a-to-z-yeah-goodbye-whatever.html?m=1
Alice Munro is one of my writing heroes so I had to participate this week :)) http://goingforcoffee.net/nuance/
I missed the Gargleblaster Grid, but this is such a great prompt that I had to hitchhike into it 🙂 Here’s mine: http://consciouscacophony.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/the-silent-clock/
Too late to link up, my story’s here: http://sarahannhall.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/a-new-home-gargleblaster159/
I didn’t do the back link thing, so Here is my Hitchhiker entry!
http://www.mommaosmusings.com/2014/04/yeah-write-submission.html
You’re good, momma0! Welcome to the gargleblaster. 🙂
Hey, everyone! Don’t forget: Like the challenge grid and the speakeasy, the gargleblaster is still family-free this week! We want you to focus on other sources of tension and conflict. Questions? Let me know here or via e-mail: christine@yeahwrite.me.
Turns out I missed the bit about keeping it family-free this time and didn’t make it on to the grid. So here’s my entry, folks:
Title: And the clock struck…
Answer:
“Isn’t he the most precious thing?” she purred.
“Yes, he’s adorable,” the mother replied uneasily.
She’d never told anyone but, the moment he was born, the lightning bolt had struck the house and every single clock had stopped at the witching hour.
My link here: http://momdiary.blogspot.in/2014/04/and-clock-struck-microfiction-42-words.html
Thanks for hitchhiking, Shailaja!
Thank you for using my suggested ultimate question this week! I was ridiculously excited when I saw it in the kickoff post.
I’m a nerd, so I keep a spreadsheet to track the grids so I can remember which posts I’ve read and which ones I want to vote for. Still, I’m loving that the entries are numbered and not being randomized. Thanks for listening to the feedback from others and trying this out.