Holy Smokes
You all brought it last week! I’m super impressed! Nothing makes me happier than to see lots of participation, commenting, and community spirit. When I was first starting out at YeahWrite as a participant, it struck me how the group of people I was competing wanted to be read, but also wanted to read the work of others. We all learned from each other and helped one another succeed. No matter how many writers come and go, that spirit lives on and it’s wonderful.
Now sally forth and write something magnificent!
Welcome to Week 349
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
Not A Charm
December is notoriously busy and you guys still brought your best stuff! Let’s keep at it, shall we? I get that curveballs happen. I had to take my car to the shop not once, not twice, but THREE times this past week. And the problem is still not fixed so I’m going back again on Monday. I’m mad, mostly because those were hours I could scarcely afford to lose, especially during this holiday season. But you all made me smile with your energy and engagement on the grids last week. I’m looking forward to more of that this week!
Nonfiction Know-How: How I Spent 2017
It’s been a long year, and you’re almost ready to write about it. Get started with Rowan’s roundup of some of our favorite technical knowhow posts from past months. She’s even organized them into pre-writing, writing, and post-production tips to make your journey through your essay smoother than 2017 has been.
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
Testing Grounds
Lately the YeahWrite Editors have been brainstorming ways to better align our weekly challenges with the Super Challenges we host every quarter. We’d like the fic|po grid to be a place for writers to hone the techniques needed to get published and/or win some cash. We want to hear from you about it! It is, after all, meant to get you writing every week.
Just email us at editors@yeahwrite.me. Thanks!
December Poetry Slam: It’s a free-for-all!
Got a favorite form of poetry? So do we. Rowan rounds up some of our best-loved poetry tutorials for the end of the year, including short forms for those stolen holiday moments, and a few refrains for the carolers out there. Catch her in the coffeehouse if you need a prompt or line!
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 knew something was wrong in Without Words. This week’s prompt, taken from her essay, is: “It was a surprise when we found the tote bag empty.”
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! Ready for the next one? Registration for Super Challenge #7 (Nonfiction) is open now, and make sure you sign up for our email blast so you don’t miss out on any announcements for the 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.
