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Take a break
It’s Thanksgiving week here in the US, and you know what we’re thankful for? Unmoderated grids. That’s right: this week, all of our challenge grids will be unmoderated. That means no separate submissions and voting grids. Every post will be eligible for voting! The standard rules apply: stay within the word count, no commercial posts, use proper grammar and punctuation, and microwriters, answer the question.
Who’s on fourth?
Tune in on Monday for this month’s interview with Shailaja of The Moving Quill & Diary of a Doting Mom!
NoMo excuses
Our NoMo writers are still plugging along. Have you taken a moment to read and comment on some of them? Writing every day is hard work. Don’t leave your fellow writers – especially your rowmies! – in the dark. Let them know they are not just shouting into the void.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
The basics
Yeah write gives you three competitive challenge grids — nonfiction, fiction|poetry and microstories — check them out below. Most weeks, the challenges are moderated, which means that submissions that meet our guidelines will be moved to the voting grid; those that do not will get a personal love letter from our submissions editor explaining why. This week, all of the challenge grids are unmoderated!
Got a question? E-mail us, tweet us, ping us on Facebook, or visit our online community, the yeah write coffeehouse. You can learn more about yeah write in our FAQ.
The rules
Please make sure you are familiar with our submission guidelines before you enter. We don’t have a lot of rules, but we do enforce them across the board. We’d hate to see anyone get disqualified by a technicality.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][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.
Nonfiction theme of the month: dialogue
This month we are talking about talking. Tune in and see what Rowan has to say, and if you’re so inclined, feel free to incorporate this optional theme into one or more of your posts this month.
Is fiction more your thing?
The fiction|poetry grid opens on Tuesday. Grab a mic and join our monthly poetry slam, focus on fiction or check out our new Prompt Up! That’s right. We now have three…count ’em, THREE features to help you generate posts for the NoMo challenge:
Introducing Prompt Up!
Prompt Up is our new optional weekly writing prompt for the fiction|poetry challenge! Here’s how it works: we choose a sentence prompt from last week’s winning nonfiction post and announce it in the kick-off. It’s your job to use that prompt as the first sentence in your poem or story and then run with it. The prompt is just a springboard, though: feel free to keep it as your first sentence, move it somewhere else, change it, or yank it out completely.
This week’s winning nonfiction post was about Samantha Brinn Merel’s first realization of what it means to be a mother. This week’s Prompt Up taken from that fantastic essay is: I stood up a little straighter.
Focus on fiction
The end of the world no longer nigh, it’s already happened. This month’s focus on fiction shifts from genre to setting as we explore dystopias.
Poetry slam
Love is in the air, and we’re taking on a new form of love poem called the ghazal.
This week’s ultimate question: where have all the cowboys gone?
Answer this question in exactly 42 words for the microstory challenge, or use it to inspire your submission to the other competitive grids. The microstory challenge opens on Wednesday.
Tips for your microstories
A good answer to this week’s question will talk about absent cowboys and their current location. “I don’t know” is a valid answer, but a lazy one; “they’re still here” does not answer the question. There were cowboys here at one point; now there are not. Where are they? Nota bene, American yeah writers: if you choose to use a sportsball reference, be aware that half of our participants are not from the US, and your answer might not make any sense to them.
Remember: do not include the question in your title or your answer. Do not include extra words – no footnotes, no explanations, no shout-outs. Do not rely on your word processor or blog to give you an accurate word count. COUNT YOUR WORDS WITH YOUR EYES. Posts that do not meet these standards will not be moved to the voting grid.
Questions? Want to talk it through? Grab a latte at the coffeehouse and chat with your fellow yeah writers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][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.
Weekend writing showcase
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. Just leave your commercial or sponsored posts at home. Drop by, share your work, and while you’re there, visit your fellow yeah writers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
