Squad Goals
Remember what babes in the woods we all were at the beginning of 2018? I think I may actually have dared 2018 to “COME AT ME.” It did. Now that we’re at the nub end of the year, I’m bowing in supplication to 2019, that it might be kinder and gentler than its fiery younger sibling.
I’m not traditionally a New Year’s Resolution maker, but I do like to set some goals for myself. One of my writing goals for 2019 is to submit works of fiction or poetry to at least 8 well-recognised, paying publications. What’s on your list of writing goals for the New Year? Let us know in the comments, or drop in to the Coffeehouse on Facebook to see what everyone else has on their list.
-Asha
Welcome to Week 403
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 Saturday 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.
Technique Toolbox: Prologue to a Year of Fearless Writing
Ready to take yourself seriously as a writer? Not sure how, or not convinced you’re ready? We think you can, and are, and will be. Next year is our Year of Fearless Writing, and we’re going to warm up this December by setting a few resolutions. Share yours with us, and they might make the list!
Nonfiction: Optional Prompt
The nonfiction grid has no mandatory prompts. However, each week, we will give you an optional prompt in case that helps your mostly-true story juices flow. This week’s prompt is to write about your most memorable New Year’s Eve. It can be memorable in a good way, in a bad way, in a humorous way, in any way. Happy New Year!
Fiction|Poetry Mandatory Prompt
Prompt Up is our mandatory weekly writing prompt for the fiction|poetry challenge! Here's How It Works!
It’s a new month and a new year! In celebration, we’re returning to the compulsory two-prompt format in January; the first prompt will come from from this list of personality traits (click the link to go to the list), and the second prompt (a genre prompt) will come from YeahWrite Editors! Both prompts are compulsory and should be identifiable in your story.
2019 is the Year of the Pig according to the Chinese Lunar calendar, so we’re asking you to write a main character that embodies a personality trait of people born in the Year of the Pig chosen from this list.
Remember if your main character is lazy, for example, don’t say “she’s so lazy”. Instead, show the reader how she reclined on the couch, the TV remote inches from her left foot, and called out to her husband in the kitchen to fetch it for her — and could he get her a glass of water too? I’ve chosen a negative trait as an example, but there are plenty of positive traits to choose from. Include the personality trait you choose in your tags for your post, or as a very brief note or hashtag at the end of the story so your reader can see how well you conveyed it.
The personality trait prompt, from YeahWrite #401 fiction|poetry winner Nathan James, is: generous.
The genre prompt, from YeahWrite Editors, is: Noir.
Need a refresher on Noir and how to write it? You can find a guide here.
Poets: You have so many options this week! January’s mystery slam kicks off on the first, and you can incorporate it as your prompt starting then. Or you can use December’s slam, and write a poem using any of the techniques we explored in 2018. OR? If that’s not enough, you can also write a poem incorporating a personality trait of someone born in the Year of the Pig using one of the styles from this list.
Poetry Slam - 2018 Roundup
Sad about your sestina? Regretting your rime royal? Don’t worry! You’ve got another shot at all of 2018’s poetry slams this month. If you missed a month, why not jump on in? We’ve got a handy list and roundup of poetry forms right here! Or you can hold out for January’s slam, coming on (you guessed it) the first of January!
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Loading InLinkz ...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!
YeahWrite Super Challenge
Super Challenge #11 (nonfiction!) is now open for registration! Our next contest kicks off in 2019 so sign up today to ensure your spot. 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.
About the author:
Asha keeps moving from one side of the world to the other. Her most recent move has taken her back to Perth, Western Australia where she grew up. She lives near the beach but hates sand between her toes. It’s a real conundrum. Asha began blogging at YeahWrite in October 2014 with this post, and YeahWrite was lucky to pull her on board as a Contributing Editor in December 2016. She is currently working on a novelette that grew from a series of flash fiction pieces. Asha is published in a variety of places including Modern Loss, PANK, Dead Housekeeping, and SheKnows. You can find her inconsistent blogging at Parenting In The Wilderness, or at her fiction blog, FlAsha Tales.
Written for the weekly fiction and poetry challenge:
Surprise pick ups,
just like that.
Joy rides.
Heading straight from office
to our favorite cozy-niche.
Our evenings littered
with laughter and smiles.
Warm hugs, copious kisses,
and those cliché declarations of love.
Lavish shopping sprees.
Out of the blue.
Compliments and loads of them.
Pampering vacations.
What not?
You name it and we had it.
Perfect relation.
In every sense.
Picture – perfect.
Just like the one
he painted with you
in the hours he was near you.
He spoiled you silly.
Didn’t he?
Don’t worry.
He spoiled me too.
And we never realized,
he was but a barren silhouette.
Hi Ruby! This is lovely! I hope you’ll post it to the fiction|poetry grid this week!
Hello Christine. Thank you for your kind words. I am sort of hitchhiking this week. Though probably I will start posting for challenges regularly.