Yay November!
As far as I’m concerned, October is over. When I rule the world, all months will start on Monday and the month will be 28 days long so everything is always even and neat. Don’t give me that earth/sun/moon nonsense either. My way or the highway, folks! (I’m kidding, but wouldn’t it be easier my way?)
OK – so why am I yaying November? Well, for us writers, this is OUR month. We’re supposed to be writing every single day and doing these amazing things and all that. But for some of us, that’s just not feasible. So YeahWrite has something new for you – a way to celebrate the month while still maintaining (our lives, our families, our jobs, our sanity… whatever). On Monday, we’re going to unveil our exciting and fun November challenge, NaNoDoMore. Even though it has Do More in the title, this is a come as you are sort of challenge. Trust me, you’re going to love it AND you’re going to love the flexibility of it. So join us in our quest to Do More this November. And I guess you can enjoy the rest of October, if you want.
Welcome to Week 394
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
Let’s Motivate!
My productivity tends to plummet during winter. I hate being cold and just want to curl up under a blanket and read all day. What does me in even more than the cold though is the lack of light. I am not a night person. I am a morning person, but only when it’s light. I don’t like the dark, except for when I’m sleeping. The dark makes me turn into a blob. For me, having daily tasks helps (as long as they are fun). I’ve done the “let’s blog every day in November” thing before, three times to be exact, but that almost killed me every time. That’s why I’m excited about NaNoDoMore too. Maybe I’ll be motivated to write again! I could sure use a kick in the butt. Speaking of writing, there are no required prompts on the nonfiction grid here at YeahWrite. But if you want to use “dark” as a prompt, go right ahead! Alternatively, you can always ask for a prompt or three in the YeahWrite Coffeehouse on Facebook. Happy writing!
Technique Toolbox: The Joyride
Bored? Tired? Can’t figure out who your characters are and what they want? Try taking them out for a joyride in an alternate universe. What would your main character do if everything was the same except the setting? And don’t worry, nonfictioneers, this month’s Technique Toolbox has you covered too, with some tips for how to reframe your personal essays!
Nonfiction Challenge Grid: Basic YeahWrite Guidelines
Loading InLinkz ...Fiction|Poetry Challenge
Greetings From Ohio
I realized a while back that I still had over a week of vacation left in the year—yeah, it’s a nice problem to have—so I booked an Airbnb in a small town in Ohio to research some people way back on my family tree. Here I am in a coffee shop that my ancestors knew as the town train station. I’m about to head out to yet another library to go through records. Then I’ll stop by some castles (yes, more than one) that were built around the time my relatives lived here. Calling them castles might be hyperbole. They’re more mansions with a few castle-like qualities…turrets, ramparts, that sort of thing. The family of the brothers that built them still owns them, so both houses are filled with original furniture and artwork. I’m probably going to imagine my ancestors were invited to dinner parties in these houses. They literally lived just down the street. I’ll try to glean their conversations from the walls and hearths and capstones.
Needless to say this trip has me thinking a lot about legacy. How our writings can be hallmarks of the time we live in. How history is encapsulated in the themes we choose to write about and how we choose to write them.
October Poetry Slam: The Pitch
One of the best ways to learn to write poetry is to read the work of established poets and see what they’re doing. Danez Smith just became the youngest-ever winner of the Forward poetry prize, so this month we’ll be spending a little time with one of their poems, PITCH FOR A MOVIE: LION KING IN THE HOOD deconstructing what makes it work and trying to write our own pitch-style poem. Join us!
Prompt Up!
Prompt Up is our mandatory weekly writing prompts for the fiction|poetry challenge! Here's How It Works!
It’s October and we’ve got two brand new prompts for you. The first prompt is a mandatory line of dialogue that can be used anywhere in your story. 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. Just like September’s opening line prompt, the dialogue prompt should be incorporated smoothly and naturally.
The first prompt, from YeahWrite #392 fiction|poetry winner Michael, is: “That’s a weird place for a goat.”
The second prompt is a theme prompt. The theme is not the plot, it isn’t the rise and fall of action, it’s a more general sense of what the story is about. For example, a theme of Cinderella is good vs. evil.
The second prompt, from the YeahWrite editors, is: redemption.
Poets: Write a poem using the line of dialogue somewhere in your work, or write a poem incorporating the theme, or write a poem in this month’s poetry slam form, The Pitch.
Fiction|Poetry Challenge Grid: Basic YeahWrite Guidelines
Loading InLinkz ...YeahWrite Super Challenge
Super Challenge #10 (fiction) is officially underway! Good look to our final 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.
