I Love September

Even though summer for me is pretty much the same as the other months, I always love September. It just screams new start. Personally, I’m the walking embodiment of a new start, as today marks one month I’ve been living in California after 40+ years in NJ*. And even though I still haven’t unpacked my office, I still have the desire to buy pencils and notebooks and set myself up for success. I’m super excited to jump back into writing and working on my WIPs.

What do you think? Is September a new beginning for you or does that happen at another time during the year? Tell us in comments or start a conversation in the Coffeehouse!

*If you’re wondering when I’m going to stop talking about my cross-country move, the answer is probably never.

Welcome to Week 386

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.

Microprose Challenge Opens Wednesday

This week has the first Wednesday of the month, and you know what that means: our tiniest challenge will be open for under 24 hours, starting Wednesday at midnight! Every microprose challenge has different rules, so you’ll need to keep your eyes peeled and your fingers fast. Need a quick link to the challenge? This one goes live when the microprose grid opens.

Micro weeks are moderated weeks!

That’s right – with the microprose grid comes moderation on all three grids. That means that on any grid with more than five entries, we’ll be looking for more than just the bare minimum required to meet the submission guidelines. We want to see your best writing, with a strong so-what on the nonfiction grid and smooth prompt integration on the fiction|poetry grid. We’ll also be checking adherence to the poetry slam form, and keeping an eye out for persistent grammar issues in your work. That doesn’t mean you need to write the way your eighth grade English teacher told you, though! That would be pretty boring. Voice is the way in which a writer breaks the rules of grammar deliberately to advance a point. So break the rules – but do it on purpose and know which rule you’re breaking.

It’s not as scary as it sounds! If your writing is struggling in a moderated week, one of our editors will send you a “love letter” explaining where you lost us and making a few editing suggestions. We won’t move you forward to the vote, but you’ll get specific, personal feedback on your writing. And don’t worry. All of our editors have gotten at least one “love letter” on a post too!

So what are we looking for?

• Posts for the nonfiction grid should be anecdotes that contain one clear idea, the reason for telling the story. More than a journal entry, submissions are required to have what we refer to as a “so what.” Posts can also be personal or persuasive essays that give your perspective on the world and communicate a clear idea to the reader. All nonfiction challenge posts must adhere to the basic rules of grammar and punctuation.
• Posts for the fiction|poetry challenge must be self-contained stories or poetry. Chapters or ongoing work can be submitted so long as the submission tells a complete story and does not require knowledge or understanding of the remainder of the work in order to read the individual submission that week.
• Poetry must be structurally sound within the rules of the form chosen; that is, a sonnet must follow the form of a sonnet and not have errors in rhyme and scansion.
• Posts for the microprose grid must adhere to the microprose rules laid out in that month’s challenge.
• And of course, all the ordinary submission guidelines like word count still apply!

Nonfiction Challenge

Fire Up Your Quill

You really came through last week on the nonfiction grid, many at the last minute (current company included). Let’s do it again, shall we? This is a holiday weekend in the U.S., so I’m sure some of us will be busy with barbecues or mini-holidays. Hopefully you can find time to write no matter where you live though. Remember, the nonfiction grid doesn’t have required prompts; you can write about whatever you want! If you need an idea, how about writing a story about something that happened at a barbecue you hosted or attended? If you want a different idea, feel free to put a request in the YeahWrite Coffeehouse on Facebook. Happy writing!

Technique Toolbox: Pseudonyms

Every writer wants to build a brand – but what’s your brand name? Should you use your legal name? Pick a pseudonym? When and why might you want to use a name that isn’t your legal name, and how do you pick a good one? This month’s Technique Toolbox has you covered!

Nonfiction Challenge Grid:  Basic YeahWrite Guidelines

Fiction|Poetry Challenge

Switching Voices

This month we’re going to work on putting a little more flavor into our stories and poems.

We writers spend so much time developing interesting characters, lush settings, and sizzling conflict that we sometimes neglect a key component to the story: Point of View.

Yes, this can refer to the pronouns a writer uses to tell a story. It can also refer to the personality of the narrator and their relationship to the story’s events. What would Cinderella’s story be like if the narrator’s POV was the apple? What if The Wizard of Oz was told from the perspective of a grizzled old man from New York City instead of a young girl from Kansas?

But we’re not going to flip the voice of stories that have already been written. Because copyright laws.

So think of the last story or poem you wrote. How would it be different if the narrator was the main character’s archenemy? Or their mother? Or YOUR mother? That’s the perspective we’re going to play with for the month. We encourage you to experiment and have fun!

September Poetry Slam: The Golden Shovel

With Back-to-School in full swing, we’re learning about two poems for the price of one in this month’s Slam. The Golden Shovel requires two things: a line from an existing poem, and a little patience to write your own using those words as a prompt. Join us!

Prompt Up!

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

In September we’re experimenting with voice. The first prompt is a mandatory opening sentence. This must be the first line of your story. Your job is to match your writing to it. If it uses a word or phrase you would never use, then create a writing style that would.

The first prompt, from YeahWrite #384 fiction|poetry winner Marcus Gustafson, is: He felt just a little more intoxicated than he’d planned.

The second prompt is the Narrator’s Point of View. It will always be a specific person, animal, or object. This mandatory prompt may or may not have a descriptor attached. For instance, the prompt could be “the main character’s dog” or it could be “the main character’s sarcastic dog.” The Narrator’s Point of View does not have to be a character in the story, but it should affect the way the story is told.

The second prompt, from the YeahWrite editors, is: the main character’s ex.

Poets: Write a poem using the opening line somewhere in your work, or write a poem written from the Narrator’s POV, or use the opening line to write a Golden Shovel poem.

Fiction|Poetry Challenge Grid:  Basic YeahWrite Guidelines

YeahWrite Super Challenge

Super Challenge #9 is a wrap! Congrats to Trish Tuthill, our champion, and to Jennifer Palmer and Danielle Dayney for rounding out the top three! Did you miss out on Super Challenge #9? Well don’t fret! Registration for Super Challenge #10 (fiction) is now open. 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 YeahWriters.

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