Mastering your craft
Last week there was a live-on-stage interview with David Suchet in my city that my lovely husband had acquired tickets for. Suchet is probably best known for his television and film portrayal of Hercule Poirot, but like so many of his compatriots (Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Laurence Olivier, Vanessa Redgrave, and Ben Kingsley amongst others), he began his career as a stage actor, performing Shakespeare. During the three-hour event, he discussed his life and his approach to acting, and he demonstrated his technique. He went into some detail about how Shakespeare used language to convey emotion — using more plosive consonants and alliteration when he wanted to convey anger, using softer sounds to convey deep sadness. He showed the physical transformation of inhabiting a character, how he changed register and locus of his voice, how he used emphasis to define accents. I was enthralled. It was like being in a masterclass, and I secretly wished I’d continued acting beyond high school and the occasional community production. David Suchet is a generous teacher, and watching him transform into different characters, watching him take direction from the language a playwright used, was a keen reminder of the power that writers have. So, now I’m on a campaign to urge every writer I know to take an acting masterclass. Listening to how actors use words is a good way to reflect on how writers use words, and the power that we hold. Quick! Go find an acting masterclass near you!
– Asha
Welcome to Week 459
We’re kicking off the week in style at YeahWrite with 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: 20/20 Hindsight
For 2020 we’re looking back at stories. Well. We will for the rest of the year, anyway. This month your challenge is to write the story or essay you’ll be looking back at, and re-envisioning in creative ways. Sound interesting? Check out our 2020 workshop 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. It’s the Year of the Rat now, so your prompt is “rats, mice, and other rodent shenanigans.” Have fun!
Fiction|Poetry Mandatory Prompt
January’s prompt is about plotting. Here’s how it works: We give you a decision point in which a character (probably your main character) must make a decision, and you set up and follow through on the consequences of that decision. Think Choose-Your-Own-Adventure!
For example, say the prompt is “A character must decide whether to take the dog for a walk or continue watching tv.” As a source of conflict in the story, you could put your MC’s leg in a cast. Does the MC avoid using their leg and continue watching tv? If so, have them slip in the dog poo on their kitchen floor. If not, have them fall into a creek in the park because their dog darted for a squirrel.
This week’s decision point is:
Your MC sees their doppelgänger,* who is someone they don’t know, somewhere in public. Do they confront them?
Your story must contain a point where the main character either confronts their lookalike, or makes a clear choice not to. Good stories will build significance to the decision made, invoke emotion from the consequences of the choice, and not end before the decision is made.
* Not sure what a doppelgänger is? Click this link for an explanation.
Poets: Check out our technique-based January slam, then explore that technique to write a poem of your own. Or write a different style of poem incorporating the prompt above. Or both, we’re only mostly the boss of you.
Poetry Slam - This is Just to Say
In 2020, we’re turning from “how to write a poem” to “what is a poem?” with technique-based slams. This month, deconstruct line breaks with William Carlos Williams, and use them to good effect in a short poem. There’s even a bonus round! Check it out.
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, and are looking into alternative services. Thank you for your patience!
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Our tiniest challenge with the biggest bang is open the first Saturday of every month for exactly 48 hours.
YeahWrite Super Challenge
Registration is now open for Super Challenge #15 through February 5! We are heading back to the realm of flash nonfiction this time, so 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:
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.
