Pocket Full of Sunshine
Daylight Saving Time ends here in the US today. Apparently there is a whole lot of clock-changing happening around the world and my heart goes out to those affected. Messing with time is really absurd to me, even if this is the part where I get an extra hour. I never really understood the concept of daylight saving time – is it like when you wrap up a half-eaten lollipop to suck on again later? How do you save daylight? Put it in your pocket? Anyway, if you’re like me and you get an extra hour today, use it wisely. Write something for the grids!
Welcome to Week 343
We’re kicking off the week in style at YeahWrite with both our competitive challenge grids in one post, plus prompts, tips, tricks and more. You asked, we answered! Keep scrolling down cause it’s all right here.
Submissions for this week’s challenges open on Monday at 12 midnight and close on Wednesday at 10pm ET. Voting will then open immediately thereafter and close on Thursday at 10pm ET. The winners, as always, will be celebrated on Friday.
Having trouble getting started? Hop on over to our quick guide. And don’t forget to doublecheck the full submission guidelines before you hit that button.
Looking For Microprose?
Our tiniest challenge with the biggest bang is open the first Wednesday of every month from midnight to 10 p.m.
Nonfiction Challenge
Cheer Me Up
I dislike this time of year, the darkness squeezing out the light, and winter breathing down my neck. My productivity plummets with the lack of daylight and colder temperatures. I can’t even hide inside because dogs (and kid, but mostly dogs). Nearly a month ago, I broke my pinky toe, and closed-toe shoes still hurt. October was mild, but it’s starting to get too chilly for flip flops. I’m grouchy. Why don’t you cheer me up by submitting some creative nonfiction to the grid this week?!!
Nonfiction Know-How: Rhythm
Writing – like music – demands a strong sense of rhythm if you want to get and hold your audience’s interest. Learn how to drop the beat from Rowan in this month’s Nonfiction Know-How.
Nonfiction challenge grid:
Basic YeahWrite guidelines: 750 word limit; your entry can be dated no earlier than this past Sunday; nonfiction personal or persuasive essay, creative opinion piece or mostly true story based on actual events.
Check the submission guidelines for our full set of rules. If you’re not sure how to link up, hop over to our quick tutorial for getting started at YeahWrite! Otherwise, click that blue button when the challenge is open, and good luck! Come back to vote starting Wednesday at 10pm, and check out our winners on Friday!
Loading InLinkz ...Fiction|Poetry Challenge
Forced Perspective
If you ever get the chance to judge a writing competition, I highly recommend it. Not only do you get exposed to a myriad of different authors’ voices, you are also forced to explain why you think a specific technique works or why it doesn’t. My critical thinking skills are definitely getting a workout reading your fabulous pieces.
November Poetry Slam: Cascade Poem
A cascade poem has no required rhyme or meter scheme, but is built on a simple structure that recycles lines from the first stanza into each succeeding stanza, dictating both the length and content of the poem.Learn more about cascade poems and how to structure them from Rowan.
Prompt Up!
Prompt Up is our 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. It’s your job to use that prompt in your poem or story and then run with it. The prompt is just a springboard, though: feel free to use it as your first sentence, move it, change it, or float it down to other territories.
Margaret put herself in the shoes of a woman about to give birth in her essay Expectations. This week’s optional prompt, taken from her piece, is: “I looked like Tweedledum or Tweedledee.”
Fiction|poetry challenge grid:
Basic YeahWrite guidelines: 750 word limit; your entry can be dated no earlier than this past Sunday; fiction or poetry only.
Check the submission guidelines for our full set of rules. If you’re not sure how to link up, hop over to our quick tutorial for getting started at YeahWrite! Otherwise, click that blue button when the challenge is open, and good luck! Come back to vote starting Wednesday at 10pm, and check out our winners on Friday!
Loading InLinkz ...YeahWrite Super Challenge
The second round of our sixth Super Challenge is officially underway! Best of luck to all our participants as they anxiously await their results. Did you miss out on registration? Sign up for our email blast so you don’t miss out on any announcements for the next Super Challenge.
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 last Friday’s winners’ post. Leave the winners some love in the comments. They will love you right back, we guarantee it.
Last call: This week’s Weekend Writing Showcase is still open for business until the challenge grids start at midnight! 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.
About the author:
Michelle submitted her first entry to YeahWrite in March 2012 and they haven’t been able to get rid of her since. After nearly 20 years in the insurance/employee benefits industry, she decided to give it all up to pursue writing full time. Her work has been featured on The Huffington Post and xoJane, as well as several local sites near her northern NJ home. She blogs at Michelle Longo.
