R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Here’s what it means to me. “We value inclusivity, and we respect the diversity and dignity of our audience.” This statement is right there on our front page, and it’s part of our internal mission statement. It’s very important to us that not only do we help give voice to emerging writers, but we do so in a way that is as safe and respectful as possible. We hope this is something you value, too. As you’re writing, consider your readers. Could they find your work upsetting even if you don’t mean it to be? If so, stick a warning on it.

It’s always important to read the room in any community to determine what kind of space you’re in. How far can you push the envelope? Where is the line between edgy and unacceptable? We’re writers – we’re always trying to do something new and stand out. But standing out for the wrong reasons is no better than fading into the background.

We know that this is going to differ from person to person and perspective is everything, so there may be times when you think your piece is totally innocuous and we are all like, “Hey, hold the phone, put a content warning on that, please!” We’re all growing and learning every day. We hope you’ll see our request for what it is: A conscious effort to make the world a little bit better with everything we do.

Welcome to Week 371

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

Music and Muses

Thanks to Michelle, I now have an Aretha earworm! I won’t complain though. I like that song. And earworms can be so much worse (Hello, Barney!). Ah, why did I have to go and mention Barney? Sorry about that.

But let’s talk more about music. I love music but not in every situation. For example, I love to listen to favorite songs in the car or when socializing. Yet when I’m reading or writing, I prefer the quiet. My husband likes to have music on all the time. I find it distracting when I’m trying to concentrate. That’s why I almost never turn on music (or the TV) during the day. Does music help or hinder your writing? Do whatever it takes to engage your muse and post your mostly-true story to the nonfiction grid this week!

Technique Toolbox: Writing About Writing

While nobody wants to read another essay about how hard it is to be a writer, everybody wants your valuable comments, concrit, and beta reading skills, which doesn’t start with a C, we’re sorry. But how do you read critically, and how do you describe what you see when you do read? Check out Part I of our vocabulary and skill-building critique series in this month’s Technique Toolbox!

Nonfiction Challenge Grid:  Basic YeahWrite Guidelines

Fiction|Poetry Challenge

Worth A Thousand Words

Writing to a photo prompt is tricky. Since stories aren’t usually published with an accompanying photo of the author’s choosing, writers have to make sure their stories don’t rely on the photo prompt to convey important plot points.

Say, for example, that the photo prompt is of a seal attacking a fisherman on a boat. If the story assumes the readers have seen the photo and just jumps in at the fisherman’s reaction to the attack, then any reader who hasn’t seen the photo is going to be lost. Readers need to know what’s attacking the fisherman, and they need to know how the seal got there. This situation would be very different if it happened in a grocery store. Incorporating details of the photo into the plot is also a good way to tell judges of a writing competition, such as the YeahWrite Superchallenge, that you’re squarely hitting the prompt.

As a writer who frequently gets constructive feedback about adding unnecessary details, however, I will warn you that you can have too much of a good thing. Don’t feel obligated to describe every single pixel of the photo. Pertinent details only, please. Let us readers fill in some of the picture ourselves.

April Poetry Slam: Odes

Who (or what, or where) do you love? Tell us this month as we explore the ode, a lyrical poem that uplifts something you care deeply about. With three levels of difficulty to choose from, you’ll be churning out Sapphic stanzas before you know it!

Prompt Up!

Prompt Up is our mandatory weekly writing prompt for the fiction|poetry challenge! Here's How It Works!

This month, we’re deviating from the path a little. Both prompts are still mandatory, but, instead of having a word or phrase that you must use verbatim, you have an emotion to convey through your writing. This prompt is a good challenge to see how well you can show, rather than tell emotion.

The first prompt to incorporate into your story, a photo prompt, is this image by Vicenzo di Leo at Pexels.com.

The second prompt, from YeahWrite #369 fiction|poetry winner Northie, is to use the following emotion: relief. Remember with the emotion prompt not to use the word itself in your story. Instead, try to convey a sense of the emotion in other ways; show, don’t tell.

Poets: Use the photo prompt, write a poem conveying relief, or write an ode (or any combination of those three).

Fiction|Poetry Challenge Grid:  Basic YeahWrite Guidelines

YeahWrite Super Challenge

The Final Round of Super Challenge #8 is currently underway! Good luck to all our participants as they anxiously await the final 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.

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.

michelle@yeahwrite.me