The Timing Is Never Right
I don’t have time to write. I don’t have a good place to write. If I’m going to write, I need a dedicated day to do it. I need to have a perfect setup with nice pens and a cup of tea and, I don’t know, a cookie or something. Not this cookie, though; a different cookie that I don’t have any of in my house. And that’s why I haven’t worked on my manuscript in… Nah, I can’t say. It’s too embarrassing. You know what, though? That’s all crap. None of that is true. The real problem is I’m not prioritizing my writing. I say writing is important to me and yet I’m not doing it. It’s that simple.
If I want to be a writer, I have to write. If you want to be a writer, you have to write, too. We cannot be afraid. We must not hold back, nor keep putting everything else first. We need to just sit down and write. It’s that simple.
-Michelle
[ed’s note: because I’m looking at the schedule, and Michelle isn’t, I’m the one who gets to give you a sneak peek and let you know that “finding time to write when it feels like you don’t have any” will be a Year of Fearless Writing topic. /RBG]
Welcome to Week 408
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: Year of Fearless Writing – Finding a place to submit your work
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. This year is our Year of Fearless Writing, where we’re going to focus on the craft of writing, not the art, to take you from “I write” to “I’m a writer.”
Our February focus will be getting something onto your submissions spreadsheet. We’re talking about how to find a market that wants to publish the things you like to write. You probably have a “dream publication” that you’d love to see your name in, but there are dozens if not hundreds of markets looking for your work right now. Learn how to find them and take this month’s YFW challenge, right here!
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 something a family member or friend does that annoys you. It can be something they’ve done once or that they do habitually. Have fun- but remember to be kind! We don’t want to be the reason you get divorced.
Fiction|Poetry Mandatory Prompt
Prompt Up is our mandatory weekly writing prompt for the fiction|poetry challenge! Here's How It Works!
February is for experimenting! I just made that up, but why not? We’re going to use prompts from Brian Kiteley’s The 3 A.M. Epiphany. Not gonna lie—they’re challenging, but the new year is still fresh and horizons aren’t going to broaden themselves!
The writing style prompt, chosen by our YeahWrite #406 fiction|poetry winner, Ruby Bastille, is: Write a first-person story in which you use the first-person pronoun (I or me or my) only two times.
Paraphrasing from the book: The point of the exercise is to imagine a narrator who is more interested in what is happening around them and less about themselves: someone witnessing but not participating in an event, or a humble person involved in a major event. “Show us quickly who is observing the scene.”
The second prompt, chosen by the YeahWrite editors, is an object that must be worked into the story. The object prompt is: an amulet.
Poets: February’s poetry slam is ekphrastic poetry- check it out right here, and write a poem in that style. Or you can write a poem incorporating our writing style prompt or our object prompt. Or all three! (Just not neither- you have to pick at least one prompt.)
Poetry Slam - Ekphrastic
Tired of writing about writing? Write about art instead, with this month’s poetry slam. Ekphrastic poems take a piece of visual art and envision a scene for it, describing the art and imbuing it with extra meaning. Give it a shot!
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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!
YeahWrite Super Challenge
Round One of Super Challenge #11 (nonfiction!) is now officially underway! Good luck to all our participants as they anxiously await the results. Miss out on this Super Challenge? 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:
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.
