The Last Word
If you read the winner’s post from last week, you’ll know why I have to take this opportunity to give a shout out to our Managing Editor, Rowan. It’s not because I feel like I need to reciprocate or because I can’t think of anything else, it’s because I need to have the last word. For all the nice things Rowan said about everyone, all true by the way (except the part about me because I’m not admitting to anything), she said nothing about herself. She never would. But I will: Rowan is my right hand, my left hand, and every hand I never knew I needed. She will always tell me when I’m wrong and I don’t make that easy, but I can count her to not put up with my nonsense. She grounds me when my thinking gets too wild and she adds practical steps when my ideas are all over the place. She helps me pick the right Post-It to work on, but she never tells me not to add one to the wall.
Honestly, I love everyone on this team. They are the best people. I can’t take credit for bringing them together, but I know my world is better because they are all in it. Alright, enough mushy crap. Go write something.
Note: I wouldn’t put it past Rowan to sneak onto this post after I’m already asleep on the east coast and add some sort of note so that she can have the last word. Please understand if she does that it’s cheating and my last word is the ACTUAL last word. [Ed’s note: of course it is, Boss. /rbg]
Welcome to Week 346
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
I’m Wrong; You’re Write
If there is one thing I can admit do doing wrong lately it’s that I am having trouble adjusting to my newish duty of having my little piece of this post ready by midnight on Sunday. In my defense, I’m on a 5-day holiday so there is plenty of room for confusion. But I’m more responsible than that (normally). So I’m just going to second Michelle’s praise of Rowan and the love of our writing community and encourage you to unleash your creativity and tell us your most heart-felt mostly true story this week. I know you want to!
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
Fellowship of the Blog
One of the things I love most about the YeahWrite community is that it’s supportive and encouraging enough to allow writers to experiment. I’m always delighted to see y’all trying new forms, different genres, and experimenting with voice or perspective. Sometimes it works, sometimes it misses the mark, but it’s safe to try. To me, that’s the mark of a good community; one that allows you to stretch your wings, but not crash. I’m proud of all our contributors and editors who make this a space that allows for trial and error while still embracing everyone into the fold. This week, I hope y’all push out of your comfort zones, and have fun, knowing you’re supported.
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.
Rowan made stuffing with her partner in A story with cheese in it. This week’s prompt, taken from her essay, is: “We get frustrated with each other.”
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
Our sixth Super Challenge is officially over! Congrats to Laura Duerr who took the top spot and to Christina Grant and Gail Webber for rounding out the top three! Did you miss out? Sign up for our email blast so you don’t miss out on any announcements for the upcoming Super Challenge #7 (Nonfiction!). Registration is opening soon!!!
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.
