What’s in a name?
There’s a kid with the same name as me. Maybe this happens to you all the time. Maybe your name is Christine, or Jessica, or Ram, or Sunita, or Akeyla. But it doesn’t happen to me. And I find myself watching this kid for similarities (lots, they have a whole lotta attitude) and differences (not a lot? race? emotional security?) and just. You know? It’s weird, thinking about what goes into a human, and what aspects we focus on and don’t both in our friends and our characters. Do you have naming schemes for your characters? Do you pick names that have something to do with their personalities, or where they come from?
~Rowan
This Week’s Writing Prompt is:
A character whose name has the same meaning as yours.
This week, your job, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story or essay using the above character. They don’t have to, but can, have the same name as you. Heck, it can BE you. Otherwise: Do you know what your name means? Look it up, then pick another name with the same meaning from a baby book. Stuck? We’ve gone into detail about unraveling this sort of prompt style in this Technique Toolbox post on character 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 March we’re getting lost in the woods. Or rather, we’re making sure you don’t. As writers and as readers (and what is an editor but a reader who’s paying attention), we’re often enchanted by perfect phrases, curious characters, and wild worlds. And we should be! They’re what makes a story great! But they’re not what makes a story. Get too caught up looking at these pretty trees and you will soon find yourself lost in a trackless wilderness. This month we’re stepping back to take a mile high view of your work. As a writer, you can make sure there’s a nicely groomed forest with clear paths through it. And as an editor, it’s your job to prune trees and mark trails. Want to find out how? Come take a look! (Yes, we are very committed to this metaphor. No, we will not be taking questions. At least, not until the meeting!)
This month’s meeting is coming up on Sunday, March 13. Sign up for a membership today to automatically receive the Zoom link and password. One-off meeting tickets can also be purchased on Kofi.
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). Check out our YouTube channel for more.
Super Challenge #23 - Flash Creative Nonfiction
That’s a wrap on Super Challenge #23! The top three will be announced just a few hours after this post goes live, so in the meantime, let’s give a big round of applause to all our participants for their hard work during this entire contest. We hope to see your stories again soon!
Did you miss out on this Super Challenge? 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 Saturday (sometimes Sunday!) from 11:00 – 1:00pm 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:
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.
