The Winter of my Summer
An understatement: This summer was pretty nervous.
In addition to *gesturing vaguely at the world*, I lost my desire to write outside of work. Just nothing in the tank. A much stronger desire overwhelmed me to comfort myself by rewatching Parks & Rec episodes and play Best Fiends on my phone. I’m sure I’m not the only one.
I mean, dry spells happen from time to time, I usually assume it means I need a break. But this one lasted much longer than usual. Welp, I thought, this is my life now. I am no longer a fiction/poetry writer.
You may have noticed I’ve been on the grids again the past few weeks. One day, I was washing dishes and a poem idea popped into my head: the idea that we’re all 98-point-something degrees inside; we’re carrying around a hot August afternoon inside us all year long. That started it. And since then I’ve gotten back on the horse.
Over the “creative winter” I just went through these past 6 months, I chastised myself for not doing the thing. But then I decided to cut myself some slack. If there was ever a time to be distracted from things that usually bring me joy, it would be during a pandemic/economic depression/authoritarian take over of my country. It’s completely understandable to be spread too thin to write.
–Nate
Welcome to Week 493
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.
They say it’s not the story but who tells it. For September we’re exploring how the story is told and how that in turn affects the reader’s perception. Explore your story again by telling it with a different voice.
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 to write about zombies. After all, we’re having all the OTHER apocalypses, why not zombies, too? Remember, this is the nonfiction grid, so figuring out how to get a zombie in there (is it your sleep-deprived teen after too many Zoom classes? You before coffee? A movie you saw?) is going to be the real challenge. If you want to take it, of course. If something else eats your brain this week, write about that. The important thing? Have fun!
Fiction|Poetry Mandatory Prompt
September’s here and we’re in the last third of the year. It’s the home stretch, y’all! If you squint, you can almost see the end of the year up ahead. This month, we’re giving you two mandatory prompts.
The first prompt is a character. The given character does not have to be your main character, but does need to be identifiable and integral to the story.
The second prompt is an action. The action can be done by any character in your story, but must be easy for your reader to locate and must be integral to the plot. For example, if the prompt is “find a coin” the story could be about someone literally stumbling over a pile of gold coins, looking for pirate treasure, or holding onto the lucky coin they found in order to do well on a test. A character digging through their purse and finding two pens, a quarter, and a movie ticket is going to be considered tangential to the plot, unless they then use that quarter to break out of jail or something.
This week’s two prompts are:
character: a massage therapist with autophobia
Remember: this character does not have to be the main character, but must be described well enough that they’re easy to identify, and should be integral to your story.
action: smoking a cigarette
Remember: any character may perform the action, not just the main character, so long as the action is important enough that the plot would be very different without it.
Poets:
In September, we’re shifting our gaze from the poem to the subject in a type of poem called persona, narrated by a chosen person or object (Check it out here). Write a persona poem, or use one of the above prompts (hey, look, a character!) in a poem of your choice.
Poetry Slam - It's Personal
In 2020, we’re turning from “how to write a poem” to “what is a poem?” with technique-based slams. In September, we’re shifting our gaze from the poem to the subject. To really know someone, you should supposedly walk a mile in their shoes. These quarantined days we don’t get out that much, but we can still walk in each other’s shoes in a type of poetry called persona where each poem is narrated by a chosen person or object. See whose shoes you’ll walk in (or write a poem from the POV of your own shoes) in this month’s slam! 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!
Loading InLinkz ...
Loading InLinkz ...Looking For Microprose?
Our tiniest challenge with the biggest bang is open the first Saturday of every month for exactly 48 hours.
YeahWrite Super Challenge
Congrats to Renee Boyer, our Super Challenge #17 champion, and to EJ Sidle and Paige Vest for rounding out the top three! Want to get in on the next Super Challenge? 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:
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.
