One is the loneliest number
Do you collaborate with other writers or other artists? I’m in several writers’ groups (both online an in person), and I’ve contributed to anthologies, beta read for others, and edited fairly extensively, but I’d never really collaborated closely on a joint project with another creative. Recently I had the opportunity to work with an artist (a very dear friend) for the first time on an ekphrastic poem. It was such a wonderfully creative process and it’s sparked a whole host of new projects for us. Even though we’re in different countries (but in the same time zone, yay!) we message daily, bouncing ideas off each other, coming up with new ways to approach problems, sharing works in progress and spurring each other on. This collab has come at a time when I was feeling creatively stale, a bit stuck in the rut, and has been exactly the boost I’ve needed. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Come tell me about what’s sparking your creativity right now over on Discord.
~Asha
This Week’s Writing Prompt is:
This week, your job, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story, essay, or poem incorporating the following prompt:
Trope: Bee Afraid
We’re taking a cue from this year’s Scarlet Quill Society and getting some practice incorporating – or subverting – popular tropes. This week, we’re buzzing with excitement about bees! To some they’re the reason plants are pollinated and we’ve got honey for our toast, while to others they’re spicy flying raisins that bring certain death. Do the bees in your narrative move in vicious, aggressive attacking swarms? Are they a hive mind with a taste for total domination? Bee creative and bring the buzziness. And if you need more information on the prompt, click the link and check out the description! Share your work over on our Discord channel.
What will your take be on this trope? Play with the prompt, and when you’ve got your story down, come tell us about it! Bonus points if you do it on WIP Wednesday! Share snippets of or links to your best story in Discord or on Facebook! Stuck? Check out last year’s — no, year before last! — series on responding to prompts!
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.
Scarlet Quill Society (Free Workshop w/ Optional Paid Benefits)
Check out November’s post, where we jump from tropes to metatropes with the Death of the Author. It’s one way to engage with media when the creator has done their best to Ruin Your Childhood, but is it the best or only way? Find out in our post, and then come see what our experts have to say for the low low price of $5 (or free with your YW membership). This month’s live discussion is TBA, but we’ll keep you updated!
Did you miss October’s post? Hop on over to YouTube to watch the recording and check out what our experts had to say (about monsterfucking) on a pay-what-you-can basis! If you have a good time, leave a tip and we’ll love you forever.
Scarlet Quill Society workshop posts are always free. In addition, we are offering a couple add-ons that we think you’ll find exciting and worth a few bucks a month: face-to-face (okay, virtual) monthly gatherings to delve into the topics and answer your questions, and an editorial backroom on Discord! And for a bonus, if you’re a paid SQS member and you can’t make it to a meeting, you can still send us questions beforehand and we’ll make sure to cover them.
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.
2023 Anthology? WATCH THIS SPACE!
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.
