I Haz Sadz
We are a pretty close group, the YeahWrite editors. Many of us talk daily and I have regularly scheduled video chats with some, but I almost never see them in person. We’re a multinational organization after all! So spending last weekend with Rowan, Stacie, Arden, and Lisa was AMAZING. But we’ve all gone home and I’m not sure when we’ll all get together again. *sniffle*
But, the more important part of this story is that brainstorming in person just blows away our other methods of communication. Even for an introvert like me (I’m still recovering from all the talking out loud I did), getting out among other humans was and is vital. If you’re feeling like you’re stuck in a rut, and your typical MO is to hide in a dark corner like me, I highly suggest meeting up with people who can share your vision and talk through ideas with you. You can go back in the dark corner later, I promise. [ed’s note: I talked my entire voice away. I don’t think I say that many words together in a normal month. /rbg]
Welcome to Week 366
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
What’s in the Box?
Ok, I’m sad too. It was so great to hang out in Seattle with some of my very favorite people! When I’m feeling blue I like to think of happy things in my near future. Like Shane has no school next week and we are going to see a show on Broadway. Like all the little plants poking through the ground trying to make spring happen. Like it’s still YeahWrite’s 7th birthday month so we still have optional prompts on the nonfiction grid! This week’s prompt is: Seven Deadly Sins. Oooh, I can’t wait to read these ::rubs hands together in anticipation::
According to the standard list, the Seven Deadly Sins are: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth. They’re generally thought of as abuses or excesses of things that are normal. That is, it’s normal to be proud and happy when you take home a Crowd Fave or Editor’s Pick. You’re in Pride territory when you lord that over other writers as though it makes you a better person than them instead of a good writer who got a little bit lucky this week and didn’t miss any typos or comma splices when you edited. And it’s normal to want that Crowd Fave, but you’re in Greed territory when you want it so badly that you vote for yourself and then call all your friends and ask them to come vote for your piece without reading the grid.
See the difference? So have at it!
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
Loading InLinkz ...Fiction|Poetry Challenge
Teeth; we sure see a lot of them
Teeth are very much on my mind at the moment. I had some major dental work done last week, and I’m feeling very sorry for myself while I cosplay a chipmunk with cheeks full of winter stores. When I was a kid, there was a community service announcement that ran on commercial TV in Australia all about teeth and how we should look after them. As I nurse my wounded jaw and ego, the jingle from that ad is on loop in my head. Since sharing is caring, you should definitely click that link to the YouTube video of the ad. Don’t blame me for the earworm though <insert malevolent laughter>!
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 prompt 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 Seven Seas into your story in some way. The editors had a long, moderately researched, and wide ranging discussion about this prompt! In our research, we discovered that it was the Mesopotamians who made the connection between the Seven Heavens and Earthly bodies of water. The Romans later used the term septem maria to refer to the lagoons around the mouth of the Padus River/Po River that separated it from the open ocean near Venice. Seafaring Arabs, however, considered the seven seas to be the large bodies of water they encountered on their trade journeys. You can see how complicated this is getting and we haven’t even gotten to the Europeans, the Talmudists, the Persians or the East Indians yet. So, let’s simplify it a little.
For our purposes, the Seven Seas are: the Indian Ocean, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Adriatic Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Red Sea. A little reminder: your story doesn’t have to be historical. You can incorporate this prompt into a futurescape, a sci-fi story, a post-apocalyptic story, or any other genre that allows you to use it naturally, integrally and smoothly.
The second prompt, from YeahWrite #364 fiction|poetry winner Laura Duerr is a 7-word line of dialogue that your story must contain unaltered: “Can you get the lights for me?” 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 (“Can you get the lights for me?“), write a poem based on one more of the Seven Seas, or write a rime royal poem (or any combination of those three).
Fiction|Poetry Challenge Grid: Basic YeahWrite Guidelines
Loading InLinkz ...YeahWrite Super Challenge
Super Challenge 8 is underway (good luck writers), so keep an eye out for our announcements and posts! 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.
