Dreaming while awake

Each week, our editors are rooting for the challenge grid to reach 30-plus entries. The more, the merrier, as the old saying goes: more people are hanging out reading all the stories, there’s more comment love, there’s a lot of excitement brewing with each visit looking for another post to devour. Plus, the editors just plain old like choosing our favorites and highlighting them. Those who worked so hard to craft a yeah write post deserve the recognition, right? Who doesn’t start his or her post writing toward the jury prize? 

Alas, we didn’t unlock the invitational grid which, in explanation for you newcomers, is an editors-only grid consisting of about 5-10 editors’ picks from which that week’s jury prize is selected. Closing out at 28 stories means it is tucked away for another time.

However, there are three stories we’d like to celebrate apart from the missing jury prize and this week’s crowd favorite. Selected by Flood G, the submissions editor of the weekly challenge, and Erica M, its managing editor, these narratives most closely represent what we’re asking when we ask so what. None is linear. Not one tells a story in a straight line from beginning to middle to end, but, in simple language, they each contain those elements in a way that captured our attention, our interest, our understanding, our imagination as writers and readers. 

Each synopsis was written by Flood, bringing back the lurker’s favorites from nearly two years ago when Flood’s main role at yeah write was to read each post silently and offer up her weekly favorite in email. As an extra treat, we even made a special badge. The code is in the right sidebar.

Lurker’s favorites

Vanessa at My Half-Assed Life: I’m Still Wondering What Happened

I read Vanessa’s post four times, convinced I would find answers hidden between the words I’m Still Wondering What Happened. Maybe I would see something she didn’t allow herself to recognize. But, I couldn’t find the ultimate reason for the sudden, cold end of her four-year relationship, so we all have to live with the not knowing. I both understand and revile this line: “I started to ask why but then pride took over.” In Vanessa’s effort to avoid adding insult to her injury, she protects herself from the why and moves forward having learned the hardest lesson in life: sometimes there is just no good reason.

Karen at Fat Girl in Boxing Gloves: Living the Dream

Living The Dream is a great title for Karen’s essay on entrepreneurship. Most of us only dream of the life we want to live, but two single moms, Karen and friend, turn fantasy into reality. Chats during their down time turn the women into leaders, instead of being lead. “It was during one of those starry-eyed discussions – when our bathing suit-clad children were chasing each other through the living room with a tambourine and a trumpet – that we launched the idea for our cooking and cleaning business.” We’ve all had similar conversations, in similar circumstances, but the difference is these friends actually act on them. Karen goes on to recount subsequent businesses, and characters, that should give her enough fodder for yeah write for years to come. She concludes that life is how she wants it, rather than how others want it for her. Her freedom is inspiring.

Doina at Scratching Itches: The Introvert, Part One

God save us from small talk. The Introvert is an admittedly unconventional post for yeah write. Doina’s daughter becomes the physical manifestation of Doina’s anxiety and introvert tendencies. Doina’s sister is the manifestation of every person who feels their opinions are so valuable, you’re just dying to hear them. Doina’s inner voice gives the reader insight into her true feelings. We’re left panicking with her about what to do with the soccer team’s hot chocolate. Impracticable distractions begin to over take her mind, but Doina, like you, me and most of our friends, is playing the go-with girl and suffering in silence for it. The delivery gripped me, not only because Doina is echoing my own inner voice, but it’s honest in that these sorts of mundane human dramas have no ending when you’re an introvert. The most you can hope for is a nap when you get home.

Crowd favorite

Christie Tate at Outlaw Mama: Who Cheesed My Move? Why You Shouldn’t Hire A Mover Named Cheese

This week, we got to visit Christie as a brand new adult doing grownup things such as hiring day laborers and being propositioned, then extorted, by disgusting humans of questionable repute. Many of us don’t get to reach this milestone until well into our thirties, but Christie has always been a high achiever. Told with Christie’s trademark humor-filled, high drama, the piece certainly has its share of so whats and delightfully churlish WTFs. Congrats, Christie, on the win. Please grab then share your winner’s badge with your faithful readers.

We offer quick editor previews of your challenge grid post each week

Did you know that? If you are a yeah write supporting subscriber, you can email us your planned submission before the grid opens on Tuesdays, and one of us will read it and offer quick edits and suggestions on structure and tone, giving you a better chance in that week’s challenge. We don’t rewrite it, we don’t change your voice or your intent. It’s called a quick and dirty, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t take advantage of it as many times as your subscription level allows. We will tidy you up.

Also for supporting subscribers: don’t forget the BlogHer’s VOTY special promotional grid

We’ve set up a special promotional grid for our yeah write subscribers who would like a little extra promo for their VOTY posts. Add the direct link from your BlogHer entry to the special grid and we’ll help you get a few votes. Our way of supporting the community that supports yeah write.

Weekend moonshine grid opens today at 6 p.m. eastern time!

Yeah write is now open on the weekends—no editors, no voting, no writer’s block—just hanging out in the clearing among the trees and discarded moonshine jugs. Use this chance to show the yeah write community the other side  of your blog—your top 10 lists, your stream-of-consciousness posts, that hilarious text message exchange with your brother. No commercial or sponsored posts allowed, but this will be a good space for letting us all know when you have a cool blog event coming up.

The moonshine grid opens at 6 p.m. eastern time each Friday and will close by 12:01 a.m. each Monday. Grab the badge from the sidebar and go find the perfect post to share!

Win-win

The thumbnails are now sorted in the grid from most votes to the least. In the case of a tie, the thumbnails are additionally sorted by page views. Part of the top row five? Please grab a winners’ badge from the sidebar and display it proudly on your own blog. Congrats!

Do not be discouraged if your blog has landed near the bottom of the grid; it is always a tight race. The fun lies in getting better exposure for your blog and in the spirit of competition as incentive to improve your writing and blogging skills. It’s a win-win for everybody involved.

Thanks again, everybody, for linking up, for reading, for accepting the weekly writing challenge. And for making yeah write the most welcoming spot on the Interwebs for writers who blog and bloggers who write.

Yeah write #108 opens Tuesday…

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