Your words matter
My writing bag has a Ray Bradbury quote on it: You must stay drunk on writing so reality doesn’t destroy you. People would see it and ask, “Are you a writer?” I used to answer, “Well, I like to write.”
At the heart of it, YeahWrite is about moving from “I like to write” to “I’m a writer.” Are you published? It doesn’t matter. Are you struggling to get your story out? It doesn’t matter. What matters is your voice and the words you put on the page. Whether you wrestle words for fun or for profit, your voice matters. Your words matter. And in the end, it’s your words—your voice, your stories—that make you a writer.
So here goes. Take a deep breath and say it with me: I’m a writer. Let’s get to it!
—Christine
PS: The weekly posts won’t always be this long, I promise!
Welcome to Week #501
Here’s where you’ll find everything you need to get yourself ready to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard)! Use our prompts—or don’t—and share links to your essays, stories, and poems in the Coffeehouse.
The next chapter
Just because we’ve retired the grids doesn’t mean we’ve retired. We’ll still provide weekly posts with prompts and other news. The difference is, you’ll share your responses (and more!) in the YeahWrite Coffeehouse. You’ll get even more visibility, and hopefully, even more engagement—with readers, with each other, and with the YeahWrite staff.
Before we turn the page (see what I did there?), I want to thank Michelle for being the best boss, for leading YeahWrite into new and exciting territory, and for trusting me to represent this team in her place. And it is a team. We wouldn’t still be here, 500 posts later, without Rowan’s tireless drive to make all of us better writers, Arden’s behind-the-scenes social media and tech wizardry, Stacie’s unflappable support, Nate’s creativity and faith in this community, Natalie’s critical eye, and Asha’s optimism and carefully crafted feedback. This is a world-class bunch, and I’m proud to be associated with each and every one of them.
The schedule
This is the last weekly prompt post you’ll see on a Saturday midnight. Starting with YeahWrite #502, we will release a new prompt on our blog every Friday at 12pm Eastern.
Then it’s up to you! Write your response to the prompt on your own blog or website and share the link in the Coffeehouse. If you prefer to keep your work under wraps (and away from the eyes of potential publishers), you can still ask for beta readers in the Coffeehouse and share your work privately!
Every Monday, we’ll check in to see how you’re doing and what your writing goals are for the week.
Wednesdays are “Work-in-Progress Wednesdays.” Share a few sentences or even a paragraph or two in the Coffeehouse (no more than 250 words, please). Even if you’re not done writing, this could be the boost you need to stay motivated.
Did you publish a book? Do you have a story in a magazine? The First Friday of every month is for self-promotion, where you can share commercial links to your work for purchase. (You can always share the news that you’ve been accepted for publication, though!)
And of course, the entire community is here 24-7 to share your victories and setbacks, challenges and accomplishments. So come on in, pull up a chair, and say hello. We’re all writers here.
This Week’s Writing Prompt is:
When did our elephants leave?
Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to answer this question. There are no word limits. You can write fiction or nonfiction; you may interpret the prompt any way you like. Share your response in the YeahWrite Coffeehouse by linking your blog post, Google Doc, or other file. Check out your fellow YeahWriters’ responses, and don’t forget to leave them some love in the comments!
Looking for our weekly grids? After nearly ten years, they’ve been retired. Read more about the latest changes to YeahWrite in the #500 Weekly Writing Challenge Kickoff Post.
Upcoming and Ongoing
Sign up for our email blast so you don’t miss out on any upcoming classes, workshops, or competitions.
NEW! Class: No More Puppets
Do your characters feel wooden? Do you have to jerk their strings pretty hard to get them to participate in the plot? Delve into motivation and how to keep your characters in character while convincing them that yes, they do need keep doing the things that advance the plot, in this one-day class taught by Rowan.
Get all the details and register now!
For more information or to inquire about other class topics, please email: editors@yeahwrite.me.
Ongoing: 20/20 Hindsight (Free Workshop)
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.
In November we’re playing with how setting affects your characters. You’ll take the same ideas, motivations, and people, and move them to another location (or even another time!), making the changes you need to in their jobs and lives to fit them in. How would your coffee shop conversation go if it took place on the bridge of a starship under attack? What if your fight with your significant other happened in the Land of Oz? What if your Captain was actually a literature professor and the crew were her students? The sky isn’t the limit as we play with alternate universes.
Check out this month’s challenge and some suggestions for how to succeed right here.
Ongoing: Poetry Slam
Essayists aren’t the only writers who get to end on a zinger. Poets have been doing it for centuries. Whether you call it a tornada, volta, or just “that thing I did at the end of the sonnet,” there’s a technique that encourages you to make your reader re-evaluate everything they just read. That’s what we’re digging into for November’s slam. Check it out! And make it count: this is our last slam.
Super Challenge #18
Good luck to everyone participating in Super Challenge #18 this weekend! Watch this space for news about Super Challenge #19 for creative nonfiction, which will open for registration later this winter.
About the author:
Christine Hanolsy is a (primarily) science fiction and fantasy writer who simply cannot resist a love story. She joined the YeahWrite team in 2014 as the microstory editor and stepped into the role of Editor-In-Chief in 2020. Christine was a 2015 BlogHer Voices of the Year award recipient and Community Keynote speaker for her YeahWrite essay, “Rights and Privileges.” Her short fiction has been published in a number of anthologies and periodicals and her creative nonfiction at Dead Housekeeping and in the Timberline Review. Outside of YeahWrite, Christine’s past roles have included Russian language scholar, composer, interpreter, and general cat herder. Find her online at christinehanolsy.com.
