Happy Birthday to Us!
As recently as last month, I was saying how it’s hard to believe YeahWrite is 9 years old. I’ve been hanging around for about 8 of those years and I can barely remember what life was like before. So many great friendships, a memoir draft, and a bunch of other things sprouted from clicking on a badge I saw in a blog post one day. I hope we’ve brought you as much fun and happiness as YeahWrite has brought us, and I hope we can continue to do this for years to come.
March has been a heck of a year and it almost feels like I should be announcing YeahWrite’s 45th birthday. I can’t be the only one who has aged more than a decade in the past week. I think it’s fair to say this is a new experience for all of us, so I wanted to take a minute to remind you that there’s really no *right* way to do this (except to stay home for crying out loud). You’ll see people using this time very productively and there will be those who can barely pull it together to do anything. You’ll probably also see lots of people on social media who seem like they have it all under control. Just take care of yourselves and your loved ones and each other as best you can (from afar). Don’t let yourself start feeling bad that you’re not writing enough or whatever. These are hard and weird times. Do your best and know that the grids and YeahWrite are here, looking forward to seeing you.
Stay well, friends.
–Michelle
We have presents for you
It may be our birthday, but we’re giving out the presents.
Remember that Wednesday is April 1: we’re giving you a new poetry slam. JUST FOR THIS WEEK, if you’ve already written for the fiction|poetry grid, you can STILL participate in the April slam with a second post! (Usually we’d make you choose between prompts.)
We also have a new badge coming, and we’ll announce it in this week’s winners post. But just as a hint, if you want a chance to earn this badge? Make the rounds this week, even if you don’t write. We’ve been planning this for a while, and it’s kind of a silver lining that we get to roll out something that says “community” just at a time when everyone needs community most. (Old School YeahWriters, here’s a hint: BOB.)
See you on the winners post!
-Rowan
Welcome to Week 468
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. Didn’t get a chance to write one in January? That’s fine: jump in whenever you can.
If you have a story or essay to work on, tag in: March’s challenge is to rewrite your work using a limited number of adjectives. We’re activating our verbs and participating in our participles this month to try to strip the purple out of our prose.
Check out this month’s challenge and some suggestions for how to succeed right here.
And stay tuned Wednesday for April’s challenge!
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 close enough to you right now that you could reach out and touch it. (Which for me is basically dirty dishes, but you’re probably a better adult than that.)
Fiction|Poetry Mandatory Prompt
March is here! Hooray! We made it.
I [Nate] have noticed calls for submissions lately that use structural requirements, so I thought we should practice those. By “structural requirement,” I mean a cosmetic prompt that does not affect the plot, such as “the last word of your story must be onomatopoeia” or “The opening line must be a proverb.” Our second prompt will be one of our stand-bys. You must incorporate both prompts to enter a fiction story into the challenge.
This week’s structural requirement is:
The first line of your story must mention a color as a color. In other words, characters marooned on a deserted island will not count. Neither will someone feeling blue.
This week’s tried-and-true prompt is: an occupation.
One of your characters must be an office custodian. This character must be INTEGRAL, which means their job must affect the plot in a meaningful way. To test if you have made the occupation integral, give the custodian character another occupation and see if it would significantly affect your plot. If it does, you are approved.
Poets: This month, we’re playing with rhymes in a new way: by moving them from the ends of lines to… well, wherever you want them. Check out our technique-based March slam then explore that technique to write a poem of your own. Or write a different style of poem incorporating at least one of the prompts above. Or some combination of those things, if you’re feeling extra fancy this week.
JUST FOR THIS WEEK, you may participate in April’s slam even if you have already written a poem or story for the grid. That’s right: you get two for the price of one! I mean, if we charged for entries, which we don’t. Look for that post on Wednesday!
Poetry Slam - It Rhymes on the Inside?
In 2020, we’re turning from “how to write a poem” to “what is a poem?” with technique-based slams. This month, we’re playing with rhymes in a new way: by moving them from the ends of lines to… well, wherever you want them. Check it out.
Or check out April’s slam form on Wednesday. You can write an April poem this week even if you’ve already posted one piece to the grid already! (It’s Asha’s birthday as well as ours, so why not?)
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
Congrats to Rachael Elliott, our Super Challenge #15 champion, and to Rosie Clemo and Susan Walker for their top three finishes! Stay tuned for details on the next Super Challenge and 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. In 2016, she stepped into the role of Editor-In-Chief. Outside of YeahWrite, she is a freelance writer working with a variety of corporate clients, primarily in the insurance and employee benefits space. Her work has been featured on The Huffington Post, Cosplay Culture, and xoJane, as well as several local websites near her former home in northern NJ home. She now lives in Southern California, enjoying the sunshine. She sometimes blogs at themichellelongo.com.
