Attitude adjustment
I bought a new notebook the other day. [Insert joke about writers and blank notebooks here.] It’s not just any notebook, though – it’s a goal-setting journal specifically intended to help me improve my martial arts practice. Yes, this mild-mannered writer is also a veritable whirlwind of fists and feet! OK, not really.* But that’s the point: I could be. I want to be. And so I’ve got some specific short- and long-term goals in mind. Number one on the list came directly from a comment from my instructor as I executed, imperfectly, a particular kick. He said, “I hope you’re not as disparaging of your writing as you are of your kicks.”
It was an eye-opener.
This really is something I do all the time in taekwon-do. I make excuses for my failures. I apologize for my imperfections. And this habit gets in the way of improving, because it means I treat every mistake as a judgment of my own character. My new journal is intended to get me to look that attitude in the eye, so to speak, and set some goals to overcome it.
I’m not saying we shouldn’t acknowledge our mistakes and failures. I’m saying we shouldn’t dwell on them. Yes, I made a mistake. Yes, my story was rejected. Yes, my editor handed me a massive list of rewrites. It’s not a moral failing; it doesn’t mean, “I’m a terrible person and everybody hates me.” It just means there’s room for improvement. This week I’m encouraging you to look your own negative attitudes in the eye and set some goals to mitigate how you talk to yourself about them. Let yourself feel those feels, and then step back onto the mat with renewed energy.
~Christine
* I can, however, smash my hand through two boards at once, so that’s pretty cool. Just don’t ask me to demonstrate jump spinning kicks.
This Week’s Writing Prompt is:
Genre: Action/adventure + Setting: A boxing match or martial arts tournament
This week, 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 this sort of prompt style in this Technique Toolbox posts on genres (here and here), settings, and combination 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
There are only a few days left to register 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:
Christine Hanolsy is a (primarily) science fiction and fantasy writer who simply cannot resist a love story. She joined the YeahWrite team in 2014 as the microstory editor and stepped into the role of Editor-In-Chief in 2020. Christine was a 2015 BlogHer Voices of the Year award recipient and Community Keynote speaker for her YeahWrite essay, “Rights and Privileges.” Her short fiction has been published in a number of anthologies and periodicals and her creative nonfiction at Dead Housekeeping and in the Timberline Review. Outside of YeahWrite, Christine’s past roles have included Russian language scholar, composer, interpreter, and general cat herder. Find her online at christinehanolsy.com.
