The unbridled beauty of words
I’ve been reading a lot of poetry recently. I find that when the world is unfathomable, when people confound me, poetry contains joy, beauty, and sometimes answers for me. I’ve also been trying my hand at writing poetry — something I used to feel very self-conscious about (shhh, don’t tell anyone, but I still feel pretty self-conscious about writing poetry). I don’t know if my poetry’s getting better, but I’m getting better at putting myself out there and trying new forms. Why not try the poetry slam for this week’s Fiction|Poetry grid? Or why not try writing your nonfiction essay using select poetry techniques? Not sure what I’m talking about? Take a look at the Editor’s Picks and Weekly Round Up from Week #473. You all read that, right? Of course you did! And those aren’t the only poetic techniques that can be used to improve prose, so see if you can find something that appeals to you.
– Asha
Welcome to Week 475
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: May’s challenge is to rewrite your story from a different point of view. That might mean changing narrators, becoming your own narrator, or a shift in focus. Whatever you choose, it’s time to see how your narrative POV affects the information you can give your readers.
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. As everyone around us finally settles into a homeschooling rhythm and those dreaded end-of-year reports and essays, we want to know: What did you want to be when you grew up? What do you think about that now? Would it have been a good choice for the person you now know you are?
Fiction|Poetry Mandatory Prompt
April showers bring May…writing prompts!
This month we’re transforming flowering plants into characters. Give the qualities of plants to a realistic person or give plants human qualities. For example, how would a red rose behave as a human being? Why is the weeping-willow man so sad sitting near that river? Either way, just make sure to give them a plot.
Okay. Now for the prompts:
- Write a story with a character who is based on the yellow hyacinth. The yellow hyacinth represents “jealousy” in the language of flowers. Hyacinths are perennial and highly fragrant. In fact, the Victorians revered hyacinths for their sweet, lingering fragrance. Interpret that how you wish, but help the editors out by drawing clear interpretations so that we can tell which character you’ve ascribed the qualities to. Hyacinths come in a variety of colors, each with their own meaning. Your story may include other flowers, or other hyacinths, but the yellow hyacinth should be easily identifiable and integral.
- Mention gloves in your story. It doesn’t need to be integral to the plot (you may want to check out the warning under “How to Plant Hyacinths” here to see why it’s a good idea to wear gloves when handling hyacinth bulbs).
Poets: For May, we’re playing with repetition to build poetic structure. Check out our technique-based 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 - Echo Chambers
In 2020, we’re turning from “how to write a poem” to “what is a poem?” with technique-based slams. For May, we’re looking at not one poem but several to explore the different ways that repetition can be used to build structure and interest in your work. 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
Super Challenge #16 is officially underway! Good luck to all our Round 1 contestants as they anxiously await the results. Miss out on registration? 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.
