Less Than Thrilling
As an Amazon Prime member, I get to choose a free book each month for my Kindle e-reader. I typically wait until the end of the month, so I can base my choice on reviews. Occasionally, the books are great reads. More often than not, though, they are merely okay. I just read my pick, a thriller, from last month. Whereas the plot kept me fairly interested, the writing was not great. Seriously, the author wrote “a single tear rolled down her cheek.” Plus, I find that often when men write characters that are women, sexism tends to creep in: the characters are one-dimensional standins for ideas the writer wants to have, not fully realized people with their own ideas and dreams. [ed’s note: this also applies to any dominant group writing about a proportionally marginalized group. It doesn’t mean don’t write the thing, but consider hiring and listening to a reader with experience in that marginalization if you want your character to ring true. /rbg] I enjoy all kinds of genres. I like thrillers because they tend to be mindless, entertaining reads and sometimes that’s a much-needed escape. I only wish a higher percentage of them were well-written.
Reading broadly and often is a great way to improve your writing because you learn what works and what doesn’t. That’s part of the reason I read when I can’t write. Also, I just love books!
-Stacie
Welcome to Week 414
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 and working with an editor
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 March focus is on finding and working with a professional editor. No matter how good you are at writing, your work needs the final polish that comes from having an outsider review it for your habitual tics, grammar errors, and blind spots. But not all editing is equal: learn how to find an editor who helps you sound like the best version of you, 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 a tutorial about how to do something you, personally, are bad at. Have fun!
Fiction|Poetry Mandatory Prompt
Prompt Up is our mandatory weekly writing prompt for the fiction|poetry challenge! Here's How It Works!
This year is Marching on (see what I did there?) and we’re looking back to go forward this month! Some of you may remember when there was an Ultimate Question to answer as a prompt for all three grids; Fiction|Poetry, Nonfiction, and Micro. Some of you may also remember a time before Google and online searches, when librarians were our go-to source of all knowledge. In July of 2015 the New York Public Library began releasing its records of the questions that librarians were asked. You can check out all the questions at their Instagram account, at their Twitter account, or by following #LetMeLibrarianThatForYou on Twitter or on Instagram. You can also find compilations of the questions in this article from the Daily Mail, or this one from The Guardian.
For March we’re asking you to answer one of these questions (chosen by the weekly winner) somewhere in your story. We’re leaving the interpretation of the question and how you answer it up to you. You only have one prompt this month so be creative, surprise us, but you must answer the question in a way that will be obvious to others who know the prompt.
The question prompt, chosen by our YeahWrite #412 fiction|poetry winner, Michael, is: What does it mean when you dream you’re being chased by an elephant?
Poets: In March we’re working with synesthesia – playing with sensory input to pack additional meaning into your work. Write a poem using this device (learn more about it here). Or you can write a poem that answers our question prompt. Or both!
Poetry Slam - Synesthesia
This month’s poetry “slam” isn’t going to focus on a form, but on a technique. Learn about incorporating a literary device called synesthesia to pack more meaning into your poetry this month!
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Our tiniest challenge with the biggest bang is open the first Wednesday of every month from midnight to 10 p.m.
YeahWrite Super Challenge
Super Challenge #12 (fiction!) is now open for registration! Early registration is open until April 3, so sign up today to take advantage of the discounted rate. Make sure you also sign up for our email blast so you don’t miss 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:
Stacie joined YeahWrite as its Fiction Editor in early 2013 before becoming YeahWrite’s Executive Editor in 2016. She blogs at Stacie’s Snapshots and Tidbits and was thrilled to be honored as a 2015 BlogHer Voice of the Year (VOTY) for this post. Before retiring, Stacie’s career involved developing new medicines for cancer and autoimmune diseases, work that resulted in more than twenty publications in scientific journals. Now, she enjoys daily hikes with her dogs and spending more time with her youngest son while her oldest is off at college.
