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Talent? We got your talent right here

Every year the mega-blogging community BlogHer recognizes a number of bloggers with a Voices of the Year (VOTY) award. We’re proud to say that yeah write participants and editors always make a good showing. This year eight VOTYs out of a total of forty went to yeah writers.* That’s 20%, people. Here they are:

• Bill Dameron for Don’t Say It
• Jan Wilberg for Blindsided
• Kirsten Piccini for Be. {Pour Your Heart Out.}
• Kristin Wald for The Night I Didn’t Get Shot (Prank Edition)
• Susannah Lewis for My Single Mother
• Stacie Dalrymple for Radiation Therapy
• Cindy Reed for The Layered Look Only Works If You Wear Layers

Congratulations, everyone! We love you all.

A note from the heart

Wait. There’s only seven on that list. Hang on. Here’s where it gets awkward. Because I won one too, for a personal essay I wrote and posted here. And it turns out I’m one of five people who will be reading their essays at the annual BlogHer conference in New York City in July. It is, quite literally, a once in a lifetime opportunity – you only get invited to read once. And I would never have had the courage to write it in the first place if I weren’t surrounded by talented folks like those folks up there and the rest of this community.

Look. There are dozens of places you can link up your writing around the internet. Lots of them are tons of fun, and I encourage you to check them out. Myself, I’ve played in a bunch of different playgrounds, from the now-defunct-but-beloved Trifecta Writing Challenge to Studio30 Plus, from Storydam to Velvet Verbosity’s 100 Word Challenge.

Thing is, yeah write is not just a playground. This is what makes us different. We’re not just a link-up. We’re a place for writers who want to get better. We’re a place for writers who want to be taken seriously. Look at that list up there. Most of those VOTYs won for pieces they submitted here first, and all of them are or have been regular contributors.

Yeah, we have rules. We have submission guidelines. We have love letters and constructive criticism and an opportunity for our members to get personalized feedback. We even have a place to ditch the rules and let off steam. There’s a reason for that. Look at that list again and you’ll see why.

* Honorable mention to yeah writer Marcy Light, who won a VOTY for a video she produced and posted to her blog![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]

Bring us your personal essays and creative nonfiction!

The nonfiction challenge grid opens on Monday at midnight EDT. This is the best place on the ‘net to showcase your best writing. Make us laugh, make us cry, make us think, and above all: make us care.

Is fiction more your thing?

The fiction|poetry grid opens on Tuesday. Grab a mic and join our monthly poetry slam, or check out our new focus on fiction! The coffeehouse is the place to go to keep up on these special events.

This week’s ultimate question: How fast were you going?

Answer this question in exactly 42 words for the gargleblaster micro challenge, or use it to inspire your submission to the other competitive grids.

Tips for your microstories

This week’s question requires only one thing for a good answer: a sense of speed or motion, either literal (“We were only going 25 when we crashed.”) or figurative (“First it was a drink a day, then it was a bottle. I was sliding downhill, fast.”). Comparative answers are okay: “We were racing the train, but it pulled away from us.” (Answer: not as fast as the train) You don’t have to be exact, but you must convey a sense of motion in the past tense.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]

Winners’ round-up

In case you missed them, you can find last week’s yeah write staff picks and crowd favorites all laid out for you on Friday’s winners’ post. Leave the winners some love in the comments. They will love you right back, we guarantee it.

The weekend’s not over: the moonshine grid is still open. Have something to add? Old posts and new are welcome. No moderation, no voting. It’s a laid-back relaxed kind of place. Drop by, share your work, and while you’re there, visit your fellow yeah writers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]

How yeah write works

We’ve got three competitive challenge grids — nonfiction, fiction|poetry and microstories. They are all moderated. Submissions which do not meet our editorial guidelines will not be passed through to the voting grid.

You can learn more about yeah write in our FAQ.

More than just a weekly writing challenge

Sure, the competitive grids are our bread and butter, but there’s more on the menu. We’re building a community of writers who are continually striving to get better at their craft. The challenge grids are one way to do this. We’ve also got the moonshine weekend writing showcase, which is a great place to let loose and try something new, plus the yeah write coffeehouse — the hippest place on the ‘net to find a writing partner, talk about writing or just hang out with other yeah writers. Head barista Nate serves up a couple shots of espresso every week, specially formulated to get your creative juices flowing. Grab a chair and start chatting up your neighbors!

More questions?

Want to ask a question? Start a conversation? Brand new to yeah write and need some clarification? Please visit us on social media!

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