Maybe What the World Needs
Sorry for the pretentious title.
I’ve been watching a lot of TV lately. Probably most of us have. There was Killing Eve, Schitt’s Creek, I Am Not Okay With This, Locke and Key, Succession. I’m sure I’m forgetting some.
I kinda got down on myself. Watching all of these well-written dramas and sitcoms reminded me of my joy in writing that perfect thing. I want to create dynamic characters and gasp-worthy twists. Why aren’t I writing more? All the good stories already written. I have nothing to contribute. If I can’t write capital-L Literature, I shouldn’t even try. (Is anyone else’s inner voice kind of a jerk?)
And then I watched and enjoyed Tiger King and realized that people don’t need capital-L Literature. People just want to be entertained. To escape for a while. And I can totally come up with a few stories that will help people cope.
–Nate
Welcome to Week 469
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.
*Note that our microprose grid now opens on Saturday at 12 midnight and closes on Sunday at 11:59pm ET. You’ve got a whole 48 hours to get your submissions in! Voting will open with the rest of the grids on Wednesday.
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: April’s challenge is to rewrite your story using only dialogue.
Check out this month’s challenge and some suggestions for how to succeed 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, in coodrdination with the microfiction grid, is to write about a plant, growing. (Not about a plant you killed, which disqualifies Rowan.) Have fun!
Fiction|Poetry Mandatory Prompt
For April, we wanted to keep things light and simple. So we’re going to give you a prompt (just one) based on the characteristic of a genre of fiction.
We’re going to what now?
As you probably already know, all genres have many or several or at least a few characteristics that define them. Just off the top of my head here: Fantasy stories have witches. Action Adventure stories have twitches. Medical crime stories have stitches. Mmmkay?
So, instead of giving you a broad prompt like “Mystery” and making you come up with a story that invokes all or most of the characteristics that defines that genre, we’re just going to ask you to meet one of the characteristics. Examples include: Write a story that includes a witch. Write a story that includes a bomb explosion. Write a story that involves surgery. See what I did there?
Okay. Now for the prompt:
Write a story that explains a household mystery.
Tell us where the missing mates of socks go (to an island paradise hidden behind the washing machine is my guess) or who keeps drinking straight from of the milk jug (the next door neighbor’s shut-in niece).
Explaining common phenomena is a characteristic of a fable. Did you think the Mystery genre inspired this prompt? Well, yeah, that too.
Poets: For National Poetry Month, we’re playing with metaphor and micropoetry in a slam that should stay fresh all month for you. Check out our technique-based April 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 both? You might be able to do both.
Poetry Slam - 13 Ways
In 2020, we’re turning from “how to write a poem” to “what is a poem?” with technique-based slams. It’s National Poetry Month, and we’re investigating micropoetry and repeated metaphor through the lens of Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird. Check it out.
Microprose Mandatory Prompt
It’s the first Saturday of the month, and that means it’s time for 48 in 48!
Here’s how it works: we give you a prompt, and you have 48 hours to write a response in exactly 48 words. Submissions will close on Sunday at 11:59pm US Eastern time. Voting opens on Wednesday at 10:00pm, which gives you plenty of time to read this grid—and the others!—before you vote.
So far this year we’ve done water, fire, and air. This month’s element, er, prompt is earth. That is, we want a 48-word story that celebrates earth.
- To be clear, we’re talking about earth as in dirt, soil, etc.—not Earth as in The Planet.
- Just mentioning earth (dirt, etc.) isn’t enough; the element needs to be important to your story, and it should be a positive association.
- This prompt is ripe for cliche. See if you can avoid those.
- Speaking of, before you go there: we don’t want stories about digging up corpses, burying people alive, zombies rising, etc. Think in terms of renewal, rebirth, planting, growing instead.
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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Loading InLinkz ...YeahWrite Super Challenge
Super Challenge #16 is now open for registration! This time, we’re heading back to the land of flash fiction. Sign up today! 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.
