Everything Old Is New Again
For me, there was nothing like the YeahWrite grids* to motivate me to write every week. The grids provided everything I needed: a hard deadline, a built-in audience, and friendly competition to challenge me to submit my very best work.
Not gonna lie: I miss them. But I’ve noticed on the YeahWrite Discord server, some folks are posting quick little 100-250 word writing challenges and sharing their entries. Reading through them felt like old times to me.
Have you tried a spontaneous challenge yet? Check out the “spontaneous-prompts” channel under GENERAL WRITING. To receive notifications for any posts in that channel just click the “Join” button on the top right. Hope to see you there!
~Nathan
*If you’re new here, YeahWrite hosted weekly competitions where writers posted a response to a prompt on their blog, added that post to a big blog-share party called the grids, and voted for their favorites. We stopped them because of the lack of reliable blog-party hosting sites that supported voting.
This Week’s Writing Prompt is:
She clung to a piece of driftwood, waiting for daylight.
This week, your job, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story or essay using the above sentence as the first line. Stuck? We’ve gone into detail about unraveling this sort of prompt style in this Technique Toolbox post on word or phrase prompts.
There are no word limits. You can write fiction or nonfiction; you may interpret the prompt any way you like, but you must use it exactly as written. 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: Scarlet Quill Society (Free Workshop w/ Optional Paid Benefits)
Welcome to the secret back room where the Scarlet Quill Society meets. In this year-long workshop, the YeahWrite editors will help you hone your own editing skills so that you can feel confident that the work you are submitting is at its absolute best. We’re experimenting a little with our workshop format in 2022, and offering a couple add-ons to our always-free posts that we think you’ll find exciting and worth a few bucks a month: The Scarlet Quill Society will have actual face-to-face (okay, virtual) monthly meetings to delve into the topics and answer your questions, and an editorial backroom on Discord!
In February we’re discussing what you can do before you start writing to make your or your editor’s life easier later. Whether you’re a plotter or a pantser, you can save time, money, and a million headaches. Want to find out how? Come take a look!
And don’t forget: this month’s meeting is Sunday, February 13. If you’re not a member of the SQS you can still come; get your ticket right here and we’ll send you the Zoom link and password. Can’t make it? You can email us questions!
At YeahWrite we believe information wants to be shared. If you can’t afford to join us for society meetings, we post the recording about a week later, and you’re welcome to leave the tip you can afford (even if that’s just a nice thank you comment).
Super Challenge #23 - Flash Creative Nonfiction
Super Challenge #23 is now open for registration through February 9! Join us for one of the best competitinos for creative NONfiction and personal essays out there. You’ll get a unique and (we hope) interesting essay prompt, tons of great feedback, and you may even win cash prizes! Sign up for our email blast to get notified when registration opens, or keep an eye on our website.
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]
Spontaneous Writing Challenges
Looking for a bit of inspiration? Missing the grids? Then join the Coffeehouse on Discord (where the stories are made up and the points don’t matter) and head to the #spontaneous-challenge channel. Each day, anyone can post a micro writing challenge (but just one per day!). Share your responses within the thread and earn XP within the server. We hope to see you there!
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.
