You Can Do It!
I’m a sucker for a good motivational speech. Yesterday, I was listening to someone I know on FB Live talking about how he grew up in a really bad area but wanted to be successful and get out. He was told numerous times that for a number of reasons he wouldn’t be able to do that. It only compelled him forward and now he does quite well for himself. Have you ever been told you can’t do something? It’s too hard, or you’re not the right kind of person, or you’re not smart enough, or whatever? How did you feel? For me, it always made me rage when people told me my goals were too hard.
Here’s the thing: anything worth having will be hard to attain. If you want to write a book or get published or break into a new industry or form a company with amazing people from all around the world and make it successful, YEAH, IT’S ALL HARD TO DO. But who better than you to do it? Who better than me?
It won’t happen overnight and you’ll fail many times along the way. Keep going. Don’t let the naysayers be right.
Welcome to Week 361
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
It’s Always Something
After my burst of writing in January, my blog has been accumulating dust. This time of year is so hard. I had back-to-back trips, which is a good thing when it comes to fun, but being away definitely cuts into my ability to write. I’m back now but busy organizing and scanning all of my tax forms. Blech. I know from experience that there will always be another thing that interferes with writing. I need to power through these hurdles and post to the grids! Have you paused too? Let’s do this! Or at least try.
Technique Toolbox: Pitch and Submit
Got a great piece of writing but not sure how to find a home for it? Know you’re a good writer but not sure what to write or who wants it? Check out our tips and tricks for pitching, submitting, and even getting ideas (plus three bonus rants from Rowan) in this month’s Technique Toolbox!
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
I’ll Be Your Igor
This month we’re writing in different genres. Writing out of one’s comfort zone can be an uncomfortable process, I know. But, just like when shopping for new clothes, trying on new styles can help us define ourselves as people or writers. How would capital-Y You dress to attend your ex’s wedding? How would You, a staunch Sci-Fi author, approach writing a romantic comedy? There could be a great story waiting for you in that combination that thrives with your voice. And if not, you can always take what you learned attempting the genre and apply it to future works. Because we’re always going to learn something when we experiment.
March Poetry Slam: Acrostics
Take one of the building blocks of learning poetry to new heights as we play a new game with the old acrostic form in this month’s poetry slam. You’ll learn one way to integrate your title into your poem with a little bit of nuance and a lot of fun! Get your spellcheck ready and let’s go!
Prompt Up!
Prompt Up is our weekly writing prompt for the fiction|poetry challenge! Here’s how it works:
For Fiction
- there will be two prompts each week: a prompt generated by the YeahWrite editors and a prompt generated by a previous winner of the fiction|poetry challenge. That’s right! Winners decide one of the prompts! If you’re a crowd fave winner on the fiction|poetry grid, keep an eye out for an email from us. If we don’t hear back from you by the deadline, we’ll pick our own prompt, and what fun is that? Generally, winners will decide the prompt for the challenge two after the one they won (so 349 picks 351, and so forth).
- the two prompts are MANDATORY for flash fiction submissions.
- the two prompt styles will vary month to month; they may include emotions, specific words, a specific sentence, genres, photographs, etc. There is no limit to how we can change it up.
- the prompts will be posted in the kick-off on Sunday. Submissions will be accepted through Wednesday at 10pm EST (same as before). Everyone will have a little less than 4 days to write and edit a story.
- YeahWrite editors reserve the right to alter the winner’s prompt. We’ll give you some suggestions for what makes a prompt inspiring and functional, but we’ve noticed that some work better than others, and if we think folks will struggle with yours, we might need to tweak it.
For Poetry
- You’ll need to incorporate at least one of the three possible prompts. Each fiction prompt counts as a single prompt, and the poetry slam counts as a prompt.
- This means you can write poetry about one of the two fiction prompts, in any form you like, or about anything you like, using the form given in that month’s poetry slam.
- Yes, you can use more than one of our prompts in your poem!
We’re very excited about our new challenge, and we hope you are, too!
The first prompt is: Use one of the definitions of the word below in an INTEGRAL way in your story. In other words, your story wouldn’t work if the idea of the defined word were taken out. To be clear, you do not have to use the word in your story, but one of the definitions of the word must be a pivotal and identifiable element in your plot.
Definition of wardrobe
1 a: a room or closet where clothes are kept
b: a large trunk in which clothes may be hung upright
2 a : a collection of wearing apparel (as of one person or for one activity
b : a collection of stage costumes and accessories
3 : the department of a royal or noble household entrusted with the care of wearing apparel, jewels, and personal articles
(definition source: merriam-webster.com).
The second prompt, a genre prompt, comes from YeahWrite #359 Fiction|Poetry winner, LaissezFaire. The genre that your story must be written in is: Horror. Here is a basic definition, but we encourage you to research the genre more widely.
Poets: write a poem that incorporates the prompt word (wardrobe), fits within Horror, or is an acrostic. You are free to incorporate all three if you wish.
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
Congrats to Donna-Louise Bishop, our Super Challenge #7 champion and to JJ Mikel and Nisha Mody for rounding out the top three! Well done! Did you miss out on registration? Well you’re in luck! Registration for Super Challenge 8 is now open! Make sure you also 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.
