I’m Throwing Down a Challenge
Why do we write? I suppose there are many reasons, but I think all of them can get traced back to one simple idea: we want to be read. Whether it’s that we hope to publish a book, or get our short story picked up in a journal, or have our essay run some place, we want eyes on our work. YeahWrite has always been about helping emerging writers get out there and be seen. We want you to read and be read. How do you know when your posts here are being read? The comments are always a good start. And of course, if you want more comments, you have to comment yourself. So this week, I’m challenging each of you to read all the other posts on your grid and to comment on every one. Try to make the comment substantial – what you loved and why or, if the writer has indicated they want it, maybe some constructive feedback. Be open to receiving comments on your piece and respond to the comments that are left. When you’re done, come back here, and tell me you did it. If you feel like it, tell me how the exercise made you feel, both as a giver and a receiver. I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone has to say.
YeahWrite Super Challenge
The second round of Super Challenge #4 is officially underway! Good luck to all of our contestants as they nervously await the results. If you missed out on registration for this particular challenge, be sure to sign up for our email blast so you don’t miss out on any announcements for upcoming challenges.
Bring us your personal essays and creative nonfiction!
The Nonfiction Challenge grid opens on Monday at midnight EST. 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 Know-How: Saving your darlings
Reading someone else’s journal (unless the entry is about you) is about as exciting as looking at photos of a vacation to a place you’ve never been and didn’t want to go. But our journals are an important record of our lives, and as nonfiction writers we need that record to tell our stories. If you’ve ever wondered what to do with your old journal entries, or wanted to turn them into the kind of stories a reader wants to know more about, Rowan’s got some tips for you right here.
Is fiction more your thing?
The Fiction|Poetry Challenge grid opens on Tuesday. Grab a mic and join our monthly poetry slam or check out our weekly prompt up!
Prompt up!
Prompt up is our optional weekly writing prompt for the fiction|poetry challenge! Here’s how it works: we announce a sentence prompt from last week’s winning nonfiction post. It’s your job to use that prompt in your story or poem in some way. Feel free to use it as your first sentence, move it somewhere else, change it, or float it down to other territories.
In Sreeblog’s Yes I lie to you, Mom, a mother and daughter come to an understanding. This week’s optional Prompt Up is: “The rain looked different in that city.”
May ‘Poetry’ Slam: Constructive Criticism
Writing poetry is great, but reading it is better… right up until you’re asked to give feedback. This month instead of trying out a new form, Rowan gives us her hints and tips about what makes poetry poetry, how to read it, and how to offer feedback that’s more useful than “I thought it was pretty.”
Winners’ Round-Up
In case you missed them, you can find last week’s YeahWrite 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 yeah write Weekend Writing Showcase 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.
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