On the road again
I spent the last week driving across the country. Along the way I learned some things: Iowa has amazing public restrooms, Wyoming is flatter than you think, and I haven’t been alone for 16 straight hours since the pandemic kicked off almost 2 years ago. For this obligate introvert, that’s a lot. A lot more than I thought. Wow was all that alone time great. I resolved some things that had been bugging me, chased plot bunnies down their holes for a story or two, saw a lot of sunrises, and had a minute to just breathe without anyone needing anything from me (I love my extrovert but being their only human contact is a LOT A LOT A LOT). What are you doing to reset your brain as we move into this new season?
~Rowan
PS: What are you up to this weekend? Nate’s got a special co-working session planned on Sunday that might get you writing if you’ve been stalled! Check out the calendar and the Coffeehouse for more information!
This Week’s Writing Prompt is:
1. The only setting you may use is the interior of a vehicle. (cars, boats, trains, planes, it’s all fair game, we’re looking for an enclosed space that moves people from one place to another)
2. One of your characters must not have conventional employment. (no office jobs, no food service, no employer (not even Uber) but side hustles or craft sales are fair game)
3. A horrible goose. (the goose need not be in the vehicle)
Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story or essay using the above combination prompt. Stuck? We’ve gone into detail about unraveling combination prompts in this month’s Technique Toolbox on Navigating Prompts.
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 Coffeehouse, located both on Facebook or Discord, 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, located both on Facebook or Discord. 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: Navigating Prompts - Combination Prompts (Free Workshop)
In our monthly Navigating Prompts series, we’ll talk you through how to analyze and respond to a specific prompt style. We’ll coordinate the weekly prompts with the monthly post so you’ll have a chance to practice, compare notes with other writers in the Coffeehouse, located both on Facebook or Discord, and get advice from beta readers and YeahWrite editors. You’ll get to hone your skills when you’re not in crisis mode, trying to meet that fast-approaching deadline. And who knows—maybe you’ll end up with a new story or two in your back pocket!
In November, we’re putting it all together with combination prompts. If one prompt is good, two are better, right? But sometimes two (or three, or four) prompts just make your job more complex. Still, a little bit of analysis will help you fit those puzzle pieces together to make a solid, coherent story. Check out the post to see what we mean!
Super Challenge #22 - Flash Fiction
Super Challenge #22 is now open for registration through Wednesday, November 10! This time around it’s our ever-popular flash fiction competition, so be sure to register today. You can also sign up for our email blast so that you don’t miss out on any Super Challenge announcements.
WIP Write-Ins, AKA Co-Working Hours
Last summer, you all joined the YeahWrite editors (and writers like you) for a series of laid-back, low-key co-working sessions. We chatted, we brainstormed, we got to know one another, and arguably most importantly, we wrote actual words! Once summer ended, we weren’t ready for co-working to disappear like the hot weather, so starting in October, co-working is back!
Join Christine every Wednesday from 9:00am – 11:00am Pacific Time and Arden every other Friday from 12:00 – 2:00pm Pacific Time for regular WIP Write-ins. Other sessions will be scheduled in the future, so keep an eye on our calendar and we’ll be sure to post announcements of pop-up sessions in our Discord and Facebook groups. See you there!
[Ed’s note: if you add that calendar to your own Google calendar, it’ll change the times to match your time zone automagically. No more searching “what time is 9am Pacific in Warsaw?” You’re welcome. /RBG]
About the author:
Rowan submitted exactly one piece of microfiction to YeahWrite before being consumed by the editorial darkside. She spent some time working hard as our Submissions Editor before becoming YeahWrite’s Managing Editor in 2016. She was a BlogHer Voice of the Year in 2017 for her work on intersectional feminism, but she suggests you find and follow WOC instead. In real life she’s been at various times an attorney, aerialist, professional knitter, artist, graphic designer (yes, they’re different things), editor, secretary, tailor, and martial artist. It bothers her vaguely that the preceding list isn’t alphabetized, but the Oxford comma makes up for it. She lives in Portlandia with a menagerie which includes at least one other human. She tells lies at textwall and uncomfortable truths at CrossKnit.
