Rejection collection
Every writer has heard the advice of collecting a hundred rejections, right? I don’t know what your Rejection Collection [trademark pending] is looking like, but mine’s… burgeoning. The rejections pile up and I feel increasingly anxious that I’m not ‘doing enough’ or being ‘productive enough’. While I do look on the bright side — look at all these great opportunities to revise work and submit elsewhere — sometimes I just want to take my bat and ball and go find a new sandpit to play in. Sometimes quitting feels right. It’s the rest I need, it’s the step back to reassess, it’s the breath released before taking stock. Sometimes quitting isn’t really quitting, it’s repositioning. So this week, my advice is to be gentle with yourself, ignore the lure of the capitalist hamster wheel that has us all stressed out about how if we’re not filling every waking second with work or productivity or busyness, we’re not a useful member of society. Enjoy the down time. Take a moment (or several) to look around and just be in the world before you take up arms and go back to the fray.
~Asha
[Shameless plug: if NaNoWriMo is the thing that’s stressing you out, look up there ^^^ on the menu, and click that NaNoDoMore button, where you can get points for doing literally anything, and come join us on Discord to tell us how that’s going. /RBG]
This Week’s Writing Prompt is:
Genre+Character+Object = detective story + alien (from a planet that isn’t Earth) + ring made of jade
This week, your job, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story or essay using the above combination prompts. Stuck? We’ve gone into detail about unraveling this sort of prompt style in this Technique Toolbox post on 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)
This month we’re talking about your last chance to get it right: proofreading. Check out our November post, where we’re doing all this and more, and then tune in to the live talk with your questions!
This month’s meeting took place on Sunday, November 13 at 2pm US Eastern time. Sign up for a membership today to join the Scarlet Quill Society and automatically receive the Zoom link and password for every meeting. One-off monthly 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 #26 - Fiction
WIP Write-Ins, AKA Co-Working Hours
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
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.
