Short and Sweet
As I write this, I’m cramming to get four days worth of work done in one while also packing to head out to our first ever YeahWrite Corporate Retreat in Seattle this weekend. For example, I normally write this on Friday, but it’s only Thursday. This has resulted in me not knowing what day it is at all. What’s my point? It’s that I didn’t think of something constructive to say here.
Oh wait, here’s something: Always make sure you’re writing for a reason and you have something to say (the so what, if you will). Otherwise people become disengaged and feel like you wasted their time. Keep reading because there’s definitely important and interesting stuff below. And just know that as you read this, a bunch of us are working on the next new and exciting stuff to roll out to you!
Welcome to Week 365
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
Tutor Us!
Welcome to week two of YeahWrite’s birthday celebration month and optional seven-themed prompts on the nonfiction grid! By the time you read this, I’ll be home, but right now I get to write this intro while sitting on Arden’s couch, along with Rowan (and Arden). Michelle and Lisa are also nearby. How great is that? We’ll be brainstorming all day about how to make YeahWrite even more awesome! Did you enjoy last week’s winning post from Unfolding From the Fog as much as I did? Then you’re in luck! This week’s optional nonfiction prompt is to write a tutorial post containing seven steps. Not sure where to start? Check out this super-helpful post by Rowan for some handy tutorial tricks and tips!
Technique Toolbox: What’s in the Box?
Every time you write, there are three groups of people involved: Writers, Readers, and Characters. The quickest way to confuse all three of them is to forget who knows what at which point in your story. Check out our tips and tricks for keeping that straight with a Se7en inspired question in this month’s Technique Toolbox!
Nonfiction challenge grid:
Basic YeahWrite guidelines: 777 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
No Formal Formats
Teaching this poetry class has really gotten me excited about finding new ways to tell stories. In my research, I’ve found The Logic of the Loaded Heart by Amber Sparks, a short story written like the most fascinating story problem you’ve ever read. I found White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi, a multigenerational tale told by multiple POVs, including the house in which the family lives. And I found The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan, a novel in which the story is told through definitions of words. So many authors are experimenting with forms that will shake up your conception of prose. Check them out and tell me what you think!
April Poetry Slam: Rime Royal
It’s our seventh birthday and we’re celebrating with a seven-line form, the rime royal. This form’s heyday stretched from Chaucer to Shakespeare, but we think it’s time for a revival. With only three rules, what could go wrong? Stretch your poetic muscles and join us this month!
Prompt Up!
Prompt Up is our weekly writing prompts for the fiction|poetry challenge! Here's How It Works!
Since it’s our 7th birthday, we’ll be giving you prompts associated with the number seven all month.
The first prompt is: incorporate the Pleiades into your story in some way. Seven stars or seven sisters. Literal or figurative. Find a way to bring Maia, Elektra, Taygete, Alcyone, Celaeno, Sterope, or Merope along for the ride!
If you’re unfamiliar with the Pleiades, you can click this link for more information, or you can find good resources here, here, or here.
The second prompt, from YeahWrite #363 fiction|poetry winner MM Schreier, is a 7-word line of dialogue that your story must contain unaltered: “Sorry, but it’s not on the menu.” Note that this is dialogue. A character in your story must say or think it. This is not narration.
Poets: Use the line of dialogue (“Sorry, but it’s not on the menu.“), write a poem based on one more of the Pleiades or Seven Sisters, or write a rime royal poem (or any combination of those three).
Fiction|poetry challenge grid:
Basic YeahWrite guidelines: 777 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
Early registration for Super Challenge 8 (fiction) is closed, but there’s still time to register! 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.
YeahWrite in the Wild
You read their words every week, but it's not often you get to see the people behind those words. Browse through our gallery and see if you can spot regular contributors or editors.
If you'd like to be featured in the gallery, simply head over to our Swag shop, make your purchase, then when it arrives send us a photo of you in/with your YeahWrite swag to editors@yeahwrite.me.
About the author:
Michelle submitted her first entry to YeahWrite in March 2012 and was brought on staff shortly thereafter. Over the years, Michelle has been an integral figure at YeahWrite, but in 2016, we were thrilled to have her step into the role of Editor-In-Chief. Personally, she has worked in the insurance/employee benefits industry for over twenty years and also fills her time as a freelance writer. 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.
