Surprise!
Okay, so remember way back in the beginning of April I told you that you definitely wanted to be here with us this last week of April? (It’s fine if you don’t, I barely remember where I am anymore.) Well, it’s time for me to finally announce the big surprise. I know the suspense has been killing you. [Drum roll…]
EVERYONE IS GETTING A LOVE LETTER THIS WEEK! That’s right, every participant on the grid will get a love letter from Rowan letting you know what’s working in your work and what’s missing the mark. This is not a moderated week which means you get the benefit of the editorial review of a love letter without getting removed from the grid! When it’s our birthday, we love to give gifts and we really hope you love this one.
Make sure you get on a grid this week and then sit back and wait for some feedback on your work. Thanks for celebrating this month with us, and thank you for being here week after week. We can’t do this without you and we are so glad you’re here.
Welcome to Week 367
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
April Showers Bring Optional Prompts
It’s finally starting to feel like spring in New England, now that April is almost over. This winter wasn’t the worst ever, but it felt so so long because we had a lot of snow in March. Speaking of April, it’s still our birthday month here at YeahWrite. Are you sevened out yet? I hope not because we have one more week of seven-themed optional prompts on the nonfiction grid! If you don’t know what to write and want a nudge, this week’s optional prompt is to include a game involving dice (because the opposite sides add up to seven). Craps, Yahtzee, Monopoly, Backgammon, etc. etc. etc. There are so many possibilities; I can’t wait to see what you pick and how you work it into your mostly-true story!
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
Other Planets on my Desktop
I am an instant gratification writer, always have been. I write a story; I post it. Repeat for several years. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s probably a defense mechanism. Like, if I’m only posting early drafts, then I have an excuse to tell myself if people don’t like what I’ve written. “Yeah, but I wrote this in 2 days. Imagine how good it will be when I pour a month into it.” The thing is that month of editing and re-visions never happens. I get distracted by the next shiny new plot and shove the old one in a lonely folder in the arid desert that is the lower left-hand corner of my desktop. There’s a sci-fi dystopian horror story crammed over there, a historical fiction piece about Depression-era circus acrobats in love, a YA story about algae that’s been rotting in there so long I’m surprised it doesn’t stink.
So I made myself a promise this year: submit 16 pieces of writing. Most calls for submission require previously unpublished works, so I’ve been conducting rescue missions into that folder. I’ve been holding back some. It’s pretty difficult for me, not getting that fix of posting. Keeping the motivation to write going on my own. But, ultimately, I hope it leads to me becoming a better (and published?) writer.
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 mandatory weekly writing prompt for the fiction|poetry challenge! Here's How It Works!
The first prompt is to incorporate into your story one or more of the Seven Classical “Planets,” the celestial bodies that can be seen by the naked eye. That’s the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and/or Jupiter. You can find more info here.
The second prompt, from YeahWrite #365 fiction|poetry winner Michael, is to use the following dialogue: “What did you put in that diaper?”
Poets: Use the line of dialogue (“What did you put in that diaper?”), write a poem based on one or more of the Seven Classical “Planets,” or write a rime royal poem (or any combination of those three).
Fiction|Poetry Challenge Grid: Basic YeahWrite Guidelines
Loading InLinkz ...YeahWrite Super Challenge
Round One of Super Challenge #8 is currently underway! Good luck to all our participants as they anxiously await the results. Did you miss out on registration for this Super Challenge? Make sure you also sign up for our email blast so you don’t miss out on any announcements for the next one.
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 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.
