Greetings, Earthlings!

In case you missed the intergalactic broadcast, this is your last chance for a straight-up gargleblaster for a while. For the rest of the summer this spaceship is cruising in low gear. We’ll take in the sights and hopefully make some new friends along the way. Starting next week, the three yeah write challenge grids (traditional, speakeasy and gargleblaster) are hanging out at the same place. Don’t fret: we’ll still give you a gargleblaster question every week. The difference is that you can answer it in 42 words as usual, or you can try your hand at a longer speakeasy or challenge grid-style piece using the prompt as inspiration. Everyone will link up to the Tuesday summer grid, and you’ll have the chance to check out some other fantastic yeah writers you may have missed.

In addition, don’t forget about the yeah write summer series! Get ready to hit the gargleblaster grid running in the fall by bringing your works-in-progress to our bronze, silver and gold lounges for some constructive criticism. Practice giving and receiving critiques, and learn from each other as well as the yeah write editors. It’s going to be a rollicking good time!

This week, however, we’re still offering up our standard fare: a 42-word gargleblaster that answers this ultimate question:

What does it all add up to?

Remember that you don’t need to include the question in your response, but you do need to actually answer the question. At the same time, you want your piece to stand on its own. If your readers don’t understand your answer without knowing the question, you’re on shaky ground. Here are a couple of tips:

• 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.
• Proofread. Just because it’s short doesn’t mean you can cut corners.

Recipe for a proper gargleblaster

• Entries must be 42 words exactly. We count. (Tip: don’t trust your word processor – use your eyes!) Also: hyphenated words count as one (willy-nilly, self-centered, etc.).
• 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.

The grid is now open, and will close at midnight on Tuesday (one minute after 11:59 PM on Monday).Yes, that’s only 24 hours to post, so you’d better get writing now! We’ll announce winners on Wednesday. Don’t forget to badge your post – the current gargleblaster badge is below.

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.

Badge up!

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-169/"> <img src="https://yeahwrite.me/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/gargle169.png"> </a>

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