Behind Already?
Well, I had planned on writing every day in November, but at around 11PM on the 2nd, I realized I had forgotten about that commitment. Or maybe I just forgot it was November. Either way, I guess I’m behind. The great thing about the November challenge here at YeahWrite, NaNoDoMore, is that you can jump in any time and work on any of the items on the list that suit you! It’s a very come-as-you-are approach to this whole November Writing Thing. Are you behind like me? That’s OK! Jump in anytime and hang out with us. We promise it’ll be fun!
Welcome to Week 395
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
Georgia is on My Mind
November is off to the races with all sorts of NaNos. If doing a thing every single day is too stressful, check out our more flexible and very fun NaNoDoMore!
Here in the US, we have a very important midterm election coming up on the 6th. I voted early here in blue Massachusetts, so I’ll be heading down to Georgia to volunteer with a friend helping to get the vote out there. Maybe I’ll have an interesting story to tell when I get back! On the nonfiction grid, there is no mandatory prompt. You can write any story you like. But if you’d like to write a story about volunteering (any type), consider that an optional prompt. Or you can always ask for a prompt in the YeahWrite Coffeehouse on Facebook. Happy Writing, NaNo or otherwise!
Technique Toolbox: Metaphors
Metaphors can take your plain, boring, book-report-style writing to the next level. But overembellishing can be as bad as underreporting, from a reader’s standpoint. How do you use metaphors properly? What are the rules? When do you stop? Find out in this month’s Technique Toolbox!
Nonfiction Challenge Grid: Basic YeahWrite Guidelines
Loading InLinkz ...Fiction|Poetry Challenge
NahNoDon’tWorryMo
I know Halloween is over, and we should all be returning to Very Serious Business, but I love the image that Rowan did of me so much that I wanted to use it just one more time. Speaking of Very Serious Business, we’re in November, and that means NaNoWriMo time for many of us. If you’re not participating in NaNoWriMo this year, don’t fret. We’ve got the most spectacular alternative for you for this month. Have you checked out the checklist on our NaNoDoMore? I’m so excited, and I hope you’ll all join in!
November Poetry Slam: Sestina
It’s Rowan’s birthday month, and we’re celebrating with a poetry slam of one of her favorite forms: the sestina! This unrhymed seven-verse poem depends on rearranging the last words in each line according to a set of easy-to-follow rules. If the sestina sounds overwhelming, you can also join us with its little sister the tritina: a four-verse poem following the same structure with fewer lines. Join us!
Prompt Up!
Prompt Up is our mandatory weekly writing prompts for the fiction|poetry challenge! Here's How It Works!
For November we’re asking you to focus on showing, not telling, in your stories.This month we’re giving you a single one-word prompt and asking you to use the word and its meaning as the basis for a plot element. You cannot use the word itself in your story. For example, if the one-word prompt is “sonar”, then your story could describe how a superhero catches a villain in a dark cave by hiccoughing and interpreting the sound feedback to see the bad guy peeking out from behind a stalagmite (not sure what a stalagmite is? Click here to find out).
The one-word prompt, from YeahWrite #393 fiction|poetry winner Laura, is:
catalyst
noun
cat·a·lyst
/ˈkat(ə)lɪst/
22: an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action
Poets: Write a poem incorporating the meaning of the one-word prompt, or write a poem in this month’s poetry slam form, the Sestina.
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 anxiously await the results. 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.
