Hospitality
So last week I found out I was born with an extra electrical pathway in my heart. To fix it, they put me on the table, shoved cameras and lasers into me, and scarred my heart tissue to stop it from racing uncontrollably whenever it damn well pleased. I’m pretty sure all this either makes me a failed superhero or a walking Sci Fi series. In either case, I’m better now.
I managed to find a silver lining through all of that. (Actually, I found several, but I only have so much space here.) Being hospitalized dropped me in the middle of a group of characters I would have never met otherwise. There was a guy across the hall who had a pleasant voice to the nurses, but as soon as he got on his cell with his family he croaked and grunted and swore. It was like Jekyll and Hyde over there. I have already written two stories with him as a character. After not writing for months, it took 6 days in the hospital to inspire me again. Hence the focus on character.
~Nate
Welcome to Week 441
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 – Pitch Perfect
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’s prompt is taken from the equinox: write about a seasonal change. What happened as spring became summer, in your family? Do you have to get out the Decorative Gourds in autumn? Or write about something else entirely, pumpkin!
Fiction|Poetry Mandatory Prompt
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 give you two mandatory prompts: a Western zodiac sign and an animal. Your job is to combine key traits of the two prompts into a single, HUMAN, main character. The main characters of your stories MUST BE HUMAN. (In October we’ll do something exciting with this, hang in there.)
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.
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. Not sure what we mean by “active”? 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:
- The Western zodiac prompt from YeahWrite #438 Fiction|Poetry winner, Margaret, is Gemini. Geminis are characterized as gentle, affectionate, curious and adaptable. They can also be indecisive and nervous, and they don’t like being confined.
- The animal traits prompt is a crow – I’m sure you know what a crow is, and what they’re like, but just in case you want to brush up you can find crow behaviors at this link. Remember, your main character must be human.
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 either of the prompt 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?
[ed’s note: it’s super helpful to the editors looking for your prompt if you can link the lyric you use to a copy of the song!]
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 early (discounted!) registration! Our next contest kicks off in October so sign up today to ensure your spot. Make sure you also 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:
As a professional editor and writer, Nate has published his work in numerous English and history textbooks and in online reading programs. In February 2014, he found his way back to creative writing and began submitting to YeahWrite. Soon after, he became an editor of the Fiction|Poetry challenge. You can read his work at northwest journals, a blog that has been recognized by WordPress Discover, Five Star Mix-tape, Genealogy á la Carte, The Drabble, and BlogHer’s Voice of the Year. He lives in Chicago with his partner and a mini-Bengal tiger.
