Writing as Respite
When things are difficult, write. For many, it’s a rough time right now. Write, my friends, and let it heal you. Whether it be something extremely personal that you never show a soul, a response to what you see around you, a scathing op-ed or a self-care listicle, write. Know that releasing your thoughts, fears, triumphs, everything else can be the catharsis you need. It can also be the thing your reader needs to see, should you choose to share.
Take care of yourselves, today and always.
Welcome to Week 390
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
Happy Place
By the time you read this, I will be in my happy place, Healdsburg, in Sonoma County, California. So while you write your mostly-true stories to post to the nonfiction grid this week, I’ll probably be wine tasting and eating really good food. Go me! If the idea of a “happy place” inspires you, go ahead and write about yours. If not, there are no required prompts on the nonfiction grid. You can write whatever you want! If you prefer prompts and “happy place” doesn’t do it for you, feel free to request a different prompt 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!
On October 1, check out our Writing Help page to see what’s up next!
Nonfiction Challenge Grid: Basic YeahWrite Guidelines
Loading InLinkz ...Fiction|Poetry Challenge
Pull Out Your Calipers And Sextants
Have you noticed this month’s prompts are getting progressively more complex and abstract? Yeah, we planned that. As a good friend told me last night, writers don’t improve unless they venture outside their comfort zones.
That means adopting the voices of characters unlike ourselves, experimenting in genres we’ve never attempted, forcing us to ask “How would I write a dystopian historical fiction piece from the point of view of a burning zeppelin?” We encourage you to think outside the obvious story in the prompt. Or write that story but veer off the unexpected course with an unforeseen but credible twist. Try a story structure that’s new to you. Risk everything. It’s okay; you’re safe here.
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!
With this week overlapping the first of October, the October poetry form is also fair game. See if you’ve got what it takes when the slam goes live on Monday!
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. Your job is to match your writing to it. If they use a word or phrase you would never use, then create a writing style that would use that phrase.
The first prompt, from YeahWrite #388 fiction|poetry winner Hema, is: If you wanted to set your life on fire, there wasn’t a better combination.
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 angry 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: Death.
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 – or October’s new poetry slam form, starting Monday.
Fiction|Poetry Challenge Grid: Basic YeahWrite Guidelines
Loading InLinkz ...YeahWrite Super Challenge
Super Challenge #10 (fiction) is officially underway! Good look to our first round contestants as they furiously finish their stories. Did you miss out on registration? Make sure you 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.
