Rip it, ribbit
I haven’t done a lot of writing this week. It’s been one of those weeks where everything I write feels prim and stale and unoriginal. Everyone else’s writing has looked amazing and innovative, and I’ve felt like I’m just churning out the same old pap. So I decided to give myself a break and do some crochet instead. I’m pretty good at crochet, but I’m not great. There are times when I don’t understand a pattern or a stitch and I have to go find tutorials on it, or ask someone (my mum) who’s better at crochet than I am. There are times when, even after a technique has been explained and demonstrated to me, I still get it wrong and I have to undo (yay for frogging; “rip it, rip it, rip it” – get it?) whole rows of work and remake them correctly. And, unlike with my writing, which I can be interminably precious about, I’m fine with doing this! Crocheting is my reminder to myself that it’s okay to get things wrong, it’s okay to suck at something, and it’s okay to redo it till I get it right. How do you give yourself the grace to make mistakes? Come tell me over on Discord; I could use some new techniques.
~Asha
This Week’s Writing Prompt is:
tossing a coin
This week, your job, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story or essay smoothly integrating the above action prompt into your work. The prompt should be integral to the plot (that is, the story would not make sense without the action) Stuck? We’ve gone into detail about unraveling this sort of prompt style in this Technique Toolbox post on Navigating Prompts: Action 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!
Whether as a writer or an editor, there are going to be things that you just aren’t positioned to catch in a story or essay: harmful tropes, outdated assumptions, or unexamined stereotypes. That’s where sensitivity readers come in. Check out our July post, where we have interviewed a panel of expert sensitivity readers to get the scoop on what they do and why.
The July SQS meeting was held on Monday, July 11. The recording has been posted to our YouTube channel! Sign up for a membership today to automatically receive the Zoom link and password for next month’s meeting. 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 #25 - Microfiction
Registration is open for our summer microfiction challenge! This is a one-round MICROfiction competition with all the bells and whistles you’ve come to expect from our contests: fun, unique prompts; feedback on every entry; and cash prizes! We hope you’ll join us. Sign up for our email blast today so you don’t miss any important 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 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:
Asha lives near the beach in Perth, Western Australia, but hates sand between her toes. She began blogging at YeahWrite in October 2014 with this post, and YeahWrite was lucky to pull her on board as a Contributing Editor in December 2016. Asha writes flash fiction, short stories, and creative nonfiction. She is published in a variety of places and you can find links to her work at Asha Rajan Writer.
