Are You a Member?
Just over a week ago, we unveiled our new membership program. Did you see it? If not, it’s right here. We think this is a great chance to not only be a part of something fun and exciting at YeahWrite, but your membership also helps us be able to offer more services. In fact, we’re going to announcing another one very soon!
Got an idea for something you’d love for us to offer? We’d love to hear it! Just drop us a note through our contact page or you can email me directly (michelle@yeahwrite.me). Feedback from our participants and members is what sparks our next plans!
Welcome to Week 374
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
Out with the Old
Oh Hi. Welcome to the nonfiction (mostly-true) stories grid. You can write any story you want. There are no required prompts here. But if you need one, you can ask in the comments or in the YeahWrite Coffeehouse! Or you can just go with the flow of what I say and pretend there’s a prompt there. That’s also an option. In today’s news, I sold my 2005 convertible that I had been keeping for sentimental reasons. I’m sort of sad but also, now it’s not MY money pit and the new owner loves it. That’s a happy thing.
Technique Toolbox: Writing About Writing (Part II)
Ready to start reading critically, and learning how to describe what you see when you do read? Check out Part II of our vocabulary and skill-building critique series in this month’s Technique Toolbox! We’re focusing on structural and grammatical issues this month, and teaching you gentle ways to break the news to your friend that their writing needs a little polish, and where.
Nonfiction Challenge Grid: Basic YeahWrite Guidelines
Loading InLinkz ...Fiction|Poetry Challenge
It’s Raining Again
Winter has hit with a vengence in my bit of the world. Horizontal rain buffets me as I gingerly walk the dog around the park, though even the dog isn’t all that keen on walking in this weather. She’s currently curled up on her bed, the covers pulled over her like a sulky child, refusing to even peek out in case I suggest walking. It’s terrible driving weather and great writing weather, a perfect opportunity to try your hand at this week’s Fiction|Poetry Challenge!
June Poetry Slam: Ae Freislighe
Who needs meter when you’ve got rhyme? In this month’s poetry slam we’re working with syllabic quatrains to build an ae freislighe (say “aye freshly”), an Irish poetry form with a straightforward rhyme scheme and a twist at the end. Join us!
Prompt Up!
Prompt Up is our mandatory weekly writing prompt for the fiction|poetry challenge! Here's How It Works!
June is all about being smooth. We’re giving you two prompts that need to be worked into your story without sticking out like a broken mop in a garbage bag. One way to know if you’re smooth is to leave off any notes that tell people the prompts you wrote to. That way if someone leaves a comment saying, “I’m not sure why there are piggy banks in your story at all” (ahem–that might be a direct quote) then you know your story still needs some fine-tuning.
The first prompt to incorporate into your story is the following object: a cigarette lighter.
The second prompt, from YeahWrite #372 fiction|poetry winner Nathan James, is to use the following sentence as either the first or the final sentence of your story: He followed her into the woods.
We’ll let you decide how much you want to practice prompt inclusion. Stronger pieces will match the verb tense and writing style of the sentence prompt, and use it verbatim rather than adding words. They will also use the object prompt in an integral way. In other words, in a way that the story wouldn’t make sense if the object were replaced with another. You may add quotations around the sentence, but those wanting a challenge may want to leave the sentence as is and find a way to work around it.
Poets: Use the object prompt, write a poem using the required sentence, or write an ae freislighe (or any combination of those three).
Fiction|Poetry Challenge Grid: Basic YeahWrite Guidelines
Loading InLinkz ...YeahWrite Super Challenge
Registration for Super Challenge #9 (nonfiction) is open now! Make sure you also sign up for our email blast so you don’t miss out on any Super Challenge announcements.
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.
