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No mo’ NoMo!
November is over, December is here, and you know what this means? We have prizes to give out!
Congratulations to everyone who completed yeah write’s NoMo November writing challenge. Writing a post a day isn’t easy–believe me, we know!–but 25 out of 52 of you hung in there till the bitter end. Were you one of them? Shout it out in the comments!
Prize winners
We promised prizes, and we’ve got prizes! We randomly drew 3 names from the list of NoMo challenge finishers. With no further ado, our prize winners are:
Congratulations, you three, and thanks for playing along! Email us at getsocial@yeahwrite.me to claim your prize![/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 — all of which are moderated. Check them out below. 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. 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: flashbacks
Flashbacks aren’t just a cool special effect or a momentary sense of deja vu; they’re an effective literary technique that can really help set your story in context. This month we’re encouraging you to try it out in your own writing – but it’s completely optional. Need a little more detail? Read Rowan’s writing help post on flashbacks.
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!
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 nonfiction winner was Meg’s sobering post on climate change, Time and Temperature. The prompt is: I want to grab the man by his collar and tell him to snap out of it.
December focus on fiction and poetry slam
Tune in to the fiction|poetry opening post on Tuesday to read all about what’s in store for December. You’ll want to polish up your sword and shield for this month’s focus on fiction–myths! And check it out: we’re revisiting the poetry form that started it all, the tritina.
This week’s ultimate question: what are you singing?
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
You can sing a song, can sing the blues, can sing joy, can sing your confession to the cops… Just make sure it’s clear to the reader what you are singing, and if you include actual lyrics, remember to include attribution links for any part of your work that isn’t your own. Format them like I did above, as text links. Do not add your attributions separately as they will count toward your 42-word limit.
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]
So grateful for the yeahnomo push. I posted 31 poems in 30 days! Thanks to my awesome rowmies for the support. 🙂