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yeah write #184 weekly writing challenge kickoff: winners’ round-up, editors’ picks and the ultimate question

by | Oct 19, 2014 | Challenge, Fiction|Poetry, gargleblaster, Kickoff, micro challenge, Microprose, Winners, YeahWrite | 6 comments

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Combination #183 writing challenge winners’ post and #184 writing challenge kickoff post with ultimate question: when did our elephants leave?

It’s been a week of Mondays, and every day was Murphy’s birthday as far as I could tell. I’ll spare you my public transit with a toddler nightmare, and skip right to the important stuff: our site went down in the middle of voting. The good news? You got extra time to vote on all the posts (including the 5 virgins- welcome!), and I get extra space in this kickoff post to show off our winners![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Yeah write #183 weekly writing challenge editorial staff picks

Notice a few changes around here? That’s right, our editorial staff is all dressed up for Halloween, but instead of handing out candy, we’re handing out editors’ picks! If you haven’t had time to read all the grids this week, you should take a minute to check out the tasty treats, all of them better than full-sized Milky Way bars.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”grey”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

nonfiction challenge

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Lisa of cheapbohemian: Trigger warning: life

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To the best of my knowledge, compost worms do not experience rage.” Lisa’s opening sentence immediately draws the reader in with an unusual thought that leaves us wondering. Should compost worms experience rage? If not rage, what other emotions might these worms experience? It’s silly, of course, but a very effective tactic to turn a subject that many people might find disgusting into something everyone wants to keep reading about. Lisa goes on to tell a story about her compost bin “Wormaggedon,” complete with revolting details and a humorous account of what composting must be like from the perspective of her worms. You guys, Lisa made me empathize with worms! Her post is as funny as it is educational, which can be difficult to pull off with this type of subject. I loved every word.
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Jenny of sometimestherearestorieshere: Sharks

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Jenny Poore’s essay “Sharks” is the kind that gets under your skin and refuses to leave, perhaps for years. Her descriptive language colors in characters and emotions, like the “bad angels in a racist choir” who sing in “shrill off-kilter harmony.” She uses imagistic comparisons to characterize everything from the conservative setting to the eponymous “sharks,” almost like handing us a snapshot of this teenage moment of discovery. This careful portrayal sets off the sparse dialogue, creating a relief of the harshly racist attitude and the author’s youthful inability to speak up. 
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Asha of parenting in the wilderness: Aliens adrift in a new world

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Asha’s post is simply beautiful. The words are melodic and lyrical as she describes the difficulty in relocating a family from one country to another. We feel the loneliness and the “homesick so visceral that a weeping retreat to the comfort of a Skype call in bed is all that’s possible.” But the last sentence give us the idea that changes, while difficult, can be filled with hope. More than the message or theme though, this piece is striking with its use of language and its rich, descriptive prose. The feel has stayed with me since I first read it and I’ve enjoyed going back a few times since.
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fiction|poetry challenge

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Splendid Sass: Rendezvous in Brooklyn

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Splendid Sass’ “Rendezvous in Brooklyn” gives us a behind-the-scene look at a séance, led by a medium named Myra who calls forth a rookie ghost to help a bossy widow find her dead husband’s will. The pace is brisk, the setting spare. What fills this story and brings the characters to life is Splendid’s deft dialogue – Charles is cheeky for a dead guy and Mrs. Hamilton is greedy and loud. Yet, neither can hear the other, separated by two different worlds. This is a witty, absurd and original take on the prompt with a beginning, middle, and satisfying, slightly vengeful end. Splendid, Splendid!
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Thom of tnkerr: Comfortable together

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The speakeasy allows each writer 600 words to tell a story, from setting the scene to building characters to filling in action. Thom used 90. In those 90 words he laid out a complete scene, from the light on the table to the undercurrents between the two characters. This story reminds us that we don’t have to fill the entire space we’re given to leave the reader wanting more.
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microstories

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Kymm of better lies: Adult education

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Kymm gave us the naked truth about adult education this week. The narrator is completely within herself even as she describes the events surrounding her.

North light fills a row of windows high above the wooden platform where I’m told to stand. Easels scrape into place like a flower blooming around me. I hear easy chatter, lean into the paint-smeared stool, struggle to unwrap this borrowed robe.

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Angie of angieinspired: Corpus Christi

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Picking one microstory to highlight was beyond difficult this week. With an ultimate question that could go in any number of directions, I was so pleased with the different directions everyone went. This week, Angie took me away with her piece, Corpus Christi. Visions of ankle eddies and wooing waves brought me back to my first time seeing the ocean as well. I’m lucky enough to live at the beach and I see Angie’s words on children’s faces all the time. It is hard to build an entire experience with just 42 words but Angie nailed it this week. Well done!
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Congratulations to this week’s winners! If you earned the highest number of votes in either challenge, you are this week’s crowd favorite. If you came in second or third, you get top row honors along with the crowd fave. Grab your winner’s badge from our sidebar!

Looking for your badge? Now that all our writers are under one roof, we’re sharing our badges as well as our drinks. That’s right: fiction|poetry, nonfiction and microstories have the same badges. It doesn’t clutter up our sidebar, and they’ll still look pretty on yours!

Everybody: before you go, please take some time to leave your favorites a little love in the comments.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”grey”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]

This week’s ultimate question: when did our elephants leave?

Answer this question in exactly 42 words for the gargleblaster micro challenge, or use it as an optional inspiration for your submission to the nonfiction and/or fiction|poetry challenge grids:

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Submission guidelines

The yeah write challenge grids—nonfiction, fiction|poetry and microstories—are moderated. Submissions which do not meet our editorial guidelines will not be passed through to the voting grid. Though the focus of each challenge grid is different, there are a couple of things that we are looking for across the board: compelling stories with a strong “so what” that are free from grammatical errors and that demonstrate exceptional attention to structure and language. Posts must be written specifically for the challenge, and may not be dated earlier than today. Yeah write does not accept commercial or sponsored posts.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Challenge schedule

Beginning this week, all three grids will close for submissions at 10 p.m. eastern on Wednesday. Voting will then be open for a full 24 hours, closing at 9:59 p.m. eastern on Thursday.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Presents for you!

So, maybe it was Murphy’s birthday, but the gifts are all for you. Our fall writing contest starts November 2! We’ve got prizes – $200 cash for the overall winner, books, delectable treats and more! Each week, yeah write will announce the ultimate question for the gargleblaster grid which can also be used as an optional prompt for the nonfiction and fiction|poetry grids. Writers will submit their work to the grids and winners will be selected by yeah writer editors. And hey: if you invite a friend to the challenge and your friend wins? You each walk away with the prize basket: your friend for winning and you for referring the winner. That’s double the fun, so go ahead and spread the word! You must subscribe to the yeah write e-mail blast to be eligible.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Talk to us

Want to ask a question? Start a conversation? Brand new to yeah write and need some clarification? Discuss it on our social pages by clicking the icons below. Don’t forget to sign up for the yeah write e-mail blast and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]

Challenge grid final results: nonfiction

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Challenge grid final results: fiction|poetry

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Challenge grid final results: microstories

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6 Comments

  1. KymmInBarcelona
    KymmInBarcelona on [Wed] 22 Oct 14 at 2:04 pm

    Just realized I have not thanked Christine for the microfiction pick, nor the “crowd” for 3rd place. This lapse in no way reflects the gratitude I feel for such honors, which is high. Thank you!
    Also, I enjoyed all the ‘firsts’ this week : )

  2. Splendid Empress
    Splendid Empress on [Mon] 20 Oct 14 at 9:08 pm

    Meg! Thank you so much for choosing Rendezvous in Brooklyn as Editor’s Pick for fiction/poetry ! I am thrilled by the honor, especially amongst such wonderful company as all the other entries.

    PS – you really rock the Velma look for your Halloween costume. Great choice! 🙂

    • Meg
      Meg on [Tue] 21 Oct 14 at 9:27 pm

      Hah! Thanks, Splendid. All the credit goes to Rowan. Congrats again!

  3. Jen
    Jen on [Mon] 20 Oct 14 at 1:06 pm

    Congrats everyone!!!

    PS-I love the editors’ new profile pics!

  4. Angie
    Angie on [Mon] 20 Oct 14 at 12:19 am

    What? It was a complete surprise after my weekend away to find Arden chose my Corpus Christi piece as a stand out! I do enjoy these prompts and community. Thanks.

  5. tnkerr
    tnkerr on [Sun] 19 Oct 14 at 6:04 pm

    Thanks everyone – There was plenty of great submissions this week. I am amazed and grateful. Congratulations one and all. Thanks YeahWrite.

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