Thwack
We have the stump of a dead tree in our backyard that has to come out. Its roots extend pretty deeply into our clay soil, and we’ve dug up as much of the earth around it as possible. So last week, I went at the stubborn roots with an axe. Feet hip-width apart, using the weight of the axe to carry it through, I swung deliberately, never taking my eyes off my target. I cut through plenty of roots, methodically making my way around the tree. Now, this did not make the stump budge even a millimeter. But, after walking away from the tree, I sat right down in front of the computer and put out an essay, a rather good one. See, as I was tweaking my back and thickening the calluses on my hands, emotions and ideas flew through my head in ways I can’t usually harness by just sitting down and forcing it. Moving around, especially outside, is certainly a magic way to mentally connect dots when it comes to creativity.
~Natalie
Welcome to Week #507
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.
This Week’s Writing Prompt is:
Can you hack it?
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.
The Schedule
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.
Upcoming and Ongoing
Sign up for our email blast so you don’t miss out on any upcoming classes, workshops, or competitions.
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
Super Challenge #18 (microfiction) is officially underway! Good luck to all our participants as they anxiously await the results!
Watch this space for news about Super Challenge #19 for creative nonfiction, which will open for registration later this winter. Make sure you also sign up for our email blast so you don’t miss out on any Super Challenge announcements.
About the author:
An English Professor living in Southern California, Natalie enjoys too many hobbies to be a practical person. When her children give her a minute, she writes essays, fiction and poetry on her personal blog, The Cat Lady Sings. Natalie is a Contributing Editor here at YeahWrite.
