Have you checked out the lounge communities? The coffeehouse? The summer supergrid?
Before we dive into this wonderfully uncomfortable topic, let’s review, shall we? You all have made the yeah write 2014 summer series a huge hit. Somehow, you have kept your energy up through the first four weeks and I see no weakening in the near future. For anyone that may have wandered in and is just now joining us, feel free to wander around and find the best fit (or fits) for you.
The bronze lounge is all about peer-to-peer critique. Introduce yourself to a smaller yeah write audience than usual and upload a piece you’d like to offer for some constructive criticism. Don’t forget to critique a few pieces yourself! It’s all about getting involved. Register here, then dive in. If you are looking for something even more intimate, check out our silver and gold lounges here.
The yeah write coffeehouse is a place to just hang out and get to know your fellow yeah writers a little better. Here’s the link if you care to stop by.
And, lastly, we’ve got the summer supergrid where all our grids come together into one beautifully cramped place. So if you’re looking for the gargleblaster, the challenge grid, and/or the speakeasy, the supergrid is where you want to be. Scroll to the end of this post to add your submission AFTER reading the guidelines posted directly above it.
we need to talk
Alright everyone, stop squirming. It’s time for one of those uncomfortable talks, like when your mom or dad came in to tell you about the birds and the bees. Stop staring at your hands! This is a safe place, I promise. Let’s dive in.
So every Thursday, the voting post goes live. In that post, we say the same things each week.
yeah write isn’t a clicking contest…
the votes are moderated for fairness…
read each post before voting…
do not vote for your own post. we’ll delete your vote if you do…
We’re not kidding, you know. During the entire period of time when voting is open, we monitor every vote that comes through. We look for self-voters, targeted voters, etc. There are many ways to sniff out nefarious voters … but a magician never reveals all his secrets, right? When we do happen upon some misguided soul who failed to follow our guidelines, do you know what we do? We delete those votes.
We’re not doing this to be mean. We’re not on a power trip, laughing menacingly with our fingers steepled as we take away your votes.
We’re just trying to be fair. There are plenty of writing contests throughout the interwebs where you can ask your mom and your 752 Facebook friends to come vote for your post. If all you want is a popularity contest, then yeah write probably isn’t the place for you. That may sound harsh, but it’s true.
Let’s get real here. A yeah write win doesn’t bank you a publishing contract or a wad of cash. You’re playing for a 200×200 graphic. Yeah, it’s cool to have that sucker up on your sidebar but why would you want it up there if you are fully aware it’s for an illegitimate win? I sure wouldn’t want it that way. But maybe that’s just me.
Like we always say, cheaters never win and winners never cheat. So let’s cut it out, okay? Step back and realize what yeah write is all about. It’s not about the badges; we’re here to help mold you into a better writer.
Let me clarify something. The self-voters and solicitors are in the minority. Most of you are wonderfully honest. You follow the guidelines week in and week out. You are our rockstars and you keep this place running. We thank you for everything that you do. We know that yeah write asks a lot of its community. Not only do you have to write a well-written and well-edited post (sometimes in just a few days time), but you have to come back and read every post and vote as well.
Speaking of that…
by the way, if you post, you should vote.
One other thing I noticed while monitoring the vote is that some people link up a post and then never return for the rest of the week; yet another yeah write faux-pas.
We completely understand that sometimes life gets in the way. An unexpected work project gets dropped in your lap at the last minute or one of your kids gets sick. We get it. However, if you’re constantly linking up and then running away, then you are not participating the yeah write way. If you plan to post, then plan to vote. Got it?
Do we have a lot of guidelines? Sure. But in my opinion, that’s what sets us apart. As writers, we are all searching for validation. We all want that win. It keeps us going. It lets us know that we should keep writing; that it’s what we’re supposed to be doing. If you think voting for yourself or asking grandma to vote for you without reading every other post will get you that validation, you’re wrong. Period.
Sidenote: Let’s play a game. Are you reading this post? Leave me a comment about your grandma. End sidenote.
Your writing will not become perfect overnight. It takes patience. It takes practice. In fact, it will never be perfect. However, you can get pretty damn close and we’re here to help. Utilize yeah write to its fullest if you want to make it onto the top row or take home that crowd fave badge. You still have a week to utilize our silver and gold lounges where you get feedback on a piece from the yeah write editors. You could also consider supporting yeah write where you get the perk of quick and dirty evaluations of challenge grid pieces. Not everything here costs money though of course. You can still hop into the bronze lounge for some peer-to-peer constructive criticism. I have been so pleased with the feedback I have received thus far in there. It’s making me a better writer each week.
That’s what we want from yeah write; a community of talented, polite, and determined writers who are willing to give back what they put in. Sure, a badge every now and then is cool but overall it does nothing for our writing.
Give back what you put in. Be honest. Vote the yeah write way. Once you do that, you may be surprised at what you get in return.
[hr]
Loading InLinkz ...
I must have missed this the first time around but you got me today. My grandma turns 99 this Tuesday. 99!!
My grandma’s dead. (That was dark, I know. But true!)
I never met my grandparents. One of my grandmothers died during the genocide in Cambodia, maybe malnutrition and starvation. My other grandmother survived the genocide and lived to her 80s, in the countryside of Cambodia, but we only met through photos…
I’m loving reading about everyone else’s grandmothers though… 🙂
Hey Arden! My bubbie immigrated from Oman Ukraine at age 14 with her entire three generation family. She lost my grandfather before I was born and lived alone to the ripe old age of 96. I miss her soup.
Both my grandmothers had collections of those Readers’ Digest condensed novels; there were some really good stories in there. 🙂
I tried to add my link tonight at about 11:52, but the badge would not come through. Let me know if there is anything we can do in the morning. Thanks, Lisa (Priscilla Queen of the Dessert) P.S. Maybe this is what I get for procrastinating?
My grandma used to wear house dresses and no grandma panties. Sometimes she would come into the living room of her apartment, kick up her leg and say, “Beeeautiful!” Fortunately for all us, she wasn’t a high kicker.
Great post, Arden and thank you for making me think of both of my grandmothers. Nanny S was the one who wore blue eye shadow and perfume every day until she died at 72. Nanny B was the kindest soul I’ve ever loved. That she wasn’t spared her battle with cancer is beyond me. Why DO bad things happen to good people?
Look at all of you, finding that damn Easter egg! I’m so proud 🙂 Thanks for reading!! Both of my grandmothers were named Ruth (my middle name). I called one RuRu and the other Ruthie. They were honestly the sweetest grandmas a girl could ask for. RuRu has been gone for quite a while now. Over a decade I think. Ruthie is still around though she isn’t the same Ruthie due to dementia. My parents don’t even want me to see her anymore. She’s just not the same. I hate it but I also get to keep this image of my tiny little Ruthie running a couple hundred acre farm by herself. I don’t want that to change.
Thanks again for reading everybody. You guys are the best 🙂
My grandma used to hit my grandfather. With a dachshund.
My Gram was fluent in three languages (Polish, Croatian and English). She was a sweet soul – a devout Catholic and an excellent cook. I was her favorite person, and she was mine.
Great post, Arden! Both of my grandmothers have been gone a long time (maternal almost 16 years and paternal 36 years), but their lives shaped so much of who I am. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately…
My grandma was a school marm and all that obsolete term entails. My knuckles have been rapt with a ruler. My brothers and I were often on the receiving end of some very stern looks above spectacles. As strict as she sounds, she was very loving as well. I remember she and my grandfather argued over whether or not to cut my peanut butter sandwich diagonally. Grandma advocated for it knowing full well that it was my favorite thing about peanut butter sandwiches.
I loved my gran (the stern one) but loved my nan (the smiley one) much more.
While I’m commenting, (and I’m sure others have already asked) is it possible to keep the bronze lounge, or something like it, going after the summer? The critiques have been so much more useful and fulsome (and honest maybe) than comments on the end of posts.
Thank you all for the opportunity presented by the lounges.
I don’t know the official answer, but we can always move our pleas for help to the coffeehouse. That’s slated to remain open after the summer series ends.
My grandmother used to have this recipe book she kept in a composition notebook, I have no idea where it went but would give anything to find that. It’s like a polish food and baking goldmine.
My gram would sew me fancy little outfits for my dolls on an old, gorgeous sewing machine she controlled with her foot. (I have the body of it now, mounted on a stand). She would pay me one dollar to dust her living room, and we always watched “Soul Train” and “Hee Haw” together.
Thanks, Arden. My grandma made The Best Fried Okra. She also made a journal of growing up in rural South Texas in the 1920s and 30s. I want to write her story.
I had two grandmothers. I saw my paternal grandmother all the time while my maternal grandmother lived on another coast for most of my life. They were both very strong, very smart and influential in how well I accepted my life’s choices.
My grandpa was a beautiful writer. I’m talking about his HANDWRITING, not what he wrote, but HOW he wrote. That was back in the time when people actually wrote by hand, before the age of computers. He had the most beautiful penmanship you have ever seen! And no, I’m not kidding! I wish he were still here with us. I think he’d be proud to read my stories today.
My grandparents lived next door to me for many years, so I often rode with my grandma to and from town. Whenever we passed this one house where the owners repainted their shutters, if we weren’t already chatting about something else, Grandma would ask, “Why did they paint those shutters calf sh*t yellow?” Best description of the shade ever!
My Grandma wasn’t much of a writer but she used to brag that she had hot running water in the bathroom. She heated it up in the kitchen and then ran to the bath and put it in the tub before it got cold.
love it! 😀
My granny has a wooden leg 😉