Who knew
Did you ever write a story that won’t leave you alone, proof it, give it to beta readers, and then weeks or months (lolsob) later, after you’ve submitted it to a bunch of places and received rejections, you notice that there’s a huge structural inconsistency? No? Only me? Okay. Well, that happened to me recently. I’d been working on this story since around the middle of 2019. I’ve read and re-read it more times than I care to think about. At least eight other people have read it at various stages. Nobody picked up a disappearing character. It wasn’t till I put the story aside for a month, worked on some other things, and came back to it with an eagerness to really figure out where it wasn’t working, that I noticed a character I introduced early on simply disappears, never to be heard from again. Remember in high school, there was always that one teacher who told you to write your essays early and then put them aside so you could edit with a fresh set of eyes? Turns out, they were right. Who knew? Yeah, okay. Literally everyone.
–Asha
Welcome to Week 487
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: August’s challenge is to tell your story. No, to tell it, not write it. Intrigued?
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 “I dreamt about flying.” Unlike the fiction prompt, we mean actual flight, whether you-powered or mechanical, and whether the dream was a daydream or a… you know, it would be really useful if we had a separate word for the dreams that happen when you’re asleep. Or you can dream up a new idea for yourself!
Fiction|Poetry Mandatory Prompt
It’s August and we’re powering ahead to take a chomp out of the second half of the year with two new mandatory prompts. The first prompt is a superpower, and the second prompt is a food. Each week this month we’ll give you a specific superpower and a specific food to include in your story. Both prompts must be integral to the plot. For some tips and tricks about that, check out this post in our writing help section.
This week’s superpower prompt is: supernatural leap (click the link to find out more about what this superpower is and how it manifests. Note: it is not the ability to fly).
This week’s food prompt: chocolate chip cookie (Click the link for a delicious recipe). [ed’s note: and this is where we find out that Asha and I have different ideas about cookies, I guess. /RBG]
Have fun, try something new, and come join us on the grids.
Poets: For August, we’re focusing on words and the sounds they make as ways to play with the form of your poem. 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 - Pros & Consonance
In 2020, we’re turning from “how to write a poem” to “what is a poem?” with technique-based slams. In August, we’re falling in love with words again. Explore consonance, rather than rhyme or alliteration, as a way to add sonic structure to your poem and entrance your reader. 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
The first round of Super Challenge #17 (nonfiction) is officially underway! Good luck to all our participants as they furiously finish their essays. 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. Asha writes flash fiction, short stories, and creative nonfiction. She is published in a variety of places and you can find links to her work at Asha Rajan Writer.
