TV and Movies
I love TV and movies. Like, really love them. There are times when I think I should read more often and watch less. (I mean, I *should* read more.) I was watching a movie last weekend (Palm Springs on Hulu. You should check it out.) and it did the thing that I love the most about TV and movies – it sparked an idea for something I’m working on. I wish I could say that happened to me when I read, but it doesn’t, or at least not that often. Maybe it’s the slower build when I’m reading or that my brain takes in the information differently, but the more I watch, the more I want to write. Don’t get me wrong, reading is great and it’s essential. But if you’re stuck, try getting your story-fix somewhere else. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m in the middle of rewatching Twin Peaks for the 5th (6th? 7th? I don’t know) time.
– Michelle
Welcome to Week 484
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: July’s challenge is to tell it in a different order. And not just as a flashback: we’re exploring the different structures possible for your narrative arc by rearranging the elements of the story!
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 is grass. Tell us about mowing the lawn, about running in a meadow, about, well. Grass. Just remember, kids, if you’re going to use grass as a euphemism, make sure whatever you’re writing about is either legal or well outside the statute of limitations. And maybe check that your mom isn’t reading your blog.
Fiction|Poetry: Mandatory Prompt
July is here! How is this year simultaneously 500 years, and two weeks long? This month we’re giving you three mandatory prompts to work with; an image, a point of view (POV), and tense. Beyond that, let your imagination go wild. Want to write a steampunk mystery? Sure, why not. Want to write that rom-com you’ve got burning inside you? Go for it. Noir more your thing? Bring those smokin’ dames and smokin’ guns. Why not use this as an opportunity to try a genre, style, or voice that’s unfamiliar to you? Push some boundaries, but make sure you include all three prompts.
This week’s image prompt is this image by Cole Patrick on Unsplash:
You can find the image for download here, or click the image itself. Don’t forget the image credit in your post.
This week’s POV is: first person, unreliable.
- Not sure what that means? Click here. Scroll past the introduction to the First Person banner heading, or read the entire article for an excellent overview of the common POVs in fiction.
- For more about unreliable narrators, check this link out. One thing that people frequently struggle with is how to show that a narrator is unreliable, so remember you’re going to need to set up some tension between what objectively happens in your story and the way the narrator describes or interprets it.
- For an example in classic American literature, think about Huckleberry Finn and the way that he describes the feuding families as high-class and intelligent, while simultaneously describing actions that show them as anything but.
- For a nonwestern example, you can watch Kurosawa’s classic Rashomon, or read the story that inspired it. (CW on that one for sexual violence)
And the tense you should write your story in this week is: past tense.
Have fun, try something new, and come join us on the grids.
Poets: It’s halfway through July and we’re all feeling a little unmoored, so this month we’re exploring how to anchor a poem in space or time. 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: Anchors Aweigh!
In 2020, we’re turning from “how to write a poem” to “what is a poem?” with technique-based slams. For July, we’re exploring space and time, and how to locate your poem on that X-Y axis. Don’t worry, no math is required, just a working knowledge of a date, time, or place that’s important to you. 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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Loading InLinkz ...YeahWrite Super Challenge
Super Challenge #17 (nonfiction) is officially open for registration. 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:
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.
