Baby On Board!
It’s okay, I haven’t launched headlong into midlife crisis, there’s no wistful longing for some whimsical memory of raising small children. No, we got a new puppy. Frank. I didn’t name him. He was Frank when we got him, and when I suggested a name change — how about Rajah (to go with our other dog, Rani)? Or Rex? Or Mr. Bigglesworth? What about Bear?* — I was met with a scornful look and a firm no from my oh-so-nearly 18 year-old son. “I like Frank”, he said. “After Frank Sinatra.” This kid has eclectic music tastes. Anyway, “Frank” stuck and the puppy didn’t seem to care. Frank’s adorable and comprised entirely of life and mischief. He’s turning our household upside down in so many ways, but he’s also bringing a calmness and a focus for gentle loving that often gets lost in the hurly-burly of a house containing teens. For all the chaotic energy of a small, bitey puppy, Frank has also brought out the most nurturing in all of us.
–Asha
* This post will give you some background on why Bear is a significant dog name for us.
Welcome to Week 439
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 – MFA
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.”
In September, we’re going back to school. Is an MFA right for you? Or do the cons outweigh the pros? What about that workshop you’ve had your eye on? We can’t make the decision for you, but we can give you some things to think about while you’re weighing your options.
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 we’re celebrating Asha’s new puppy with a one-word prompt: BITE. Use the word or any definition of it (including slang) in your essay, use the notion of biting as a jumping-off point, or… ignore it entirely and tell us about something else you’re inspired to discuss this week. See you on the grid!
Fiction|Poetry Mandatory Prompt
In the spirit of back to school, we’re doing a twofer prompt combo for September and October. Forget pumpkin spice lattes; this fall is gonna be all about CHARACTER.
Here’s how September is gonna work. We’ll give two mandatory prompts: a Western zodiac sign and an animal. Your job is to combine key traits of the two prompts into your main character.
Example: if the zodiac prompt is Libra and the animal is owl, then the main character could be an older judge (Libra is about balance and fairness) who works the night court circuit and keeps her hair cropped to her skull. Or the main character could be a young bright-eyed (owl) man who has a hard time making a decision (Libra) about which muffin to buy at Starbucks.
Active character sketches are encouraged. Not sure what we mean by “character sketch”? Read (but skip the first paragraph after the heading “But first, what is a character sketch?” because it’s just…not helpful) this explanation. But while a character sketch can be as simple as a character staring into the mirror and thinking about their past, an active character sketch conveys this information in part through the character’s interactions with the world around them. The editors will favor submissions that have an active main character. Don’t keep the narrative trapped inside your character’s mind, please. Have them interact with people and things. How would they tell a friend that their dog died? How would they get ready for work in the morning?
This week’s prompts are:
- Capricorn – the sign of Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, the Black doctor who performed the first open heart surgery. Capricorns are characterized as ambitious, practical, tenacious, and goal-driven. They may be perfectionists, and are often very organized.
- Snake – the animal wrapped around the caduceus, the symbol for the medical profession. You probably know what a snake is already, but just in case you want to brush up, here’s a handy (or limbless) link.
You, er, may have guessed that we have an editor in the hospital just now. It’s not serious, but we hope they can go home soon, because hospitals are really hard to sleep in!
Poets: In September we’re looking at your old favorites in a new way as we explore poetry from song lyrics. Get an earworm with us, or write a poem in the form of your choice which includes the zodiac sign or the animal above. At least one of these three things is mandatory! But remember, our nonfiction grid also welcomes poetry that expresses your truth.
Poetry Slam - Lyrics
This September we’re finding poetry in other poetry, deconstructing songs for their meaningful lyrics and reassembling them into poems that have independent meaning. We know you have a favorite song – why not come explore it with us in a new way?
A QUICK NOTE REGARDING OUR GRIDS: Inlinkz, which supports our grid format, is currently upgrading its offerings and website which can sometimes result in a glitch or two. If you upload a piece to the grid and notice it disappears later on, please email us and let us know. This has been happening to one or two pieces each week. We will happily add it manually once we are notified. We apologize for the inconvenience. Thank you for your patience!
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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 #14 (fiction!) is now open for registration! Our next contest kicks off in October 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 lives near the beach in Perth, Western Australia, but hates sand between her toes. She 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. In addition to short stories and personal essays, she is currently working on a novel set in the Perth hills. Asha is published in a variety of places including Modern Loss, PANK, Dead Housekeeping, and SheKnows. You can find her inconsistent blogging at Asha Rajan Writer.
