[Ed’s note- The YeahWrite editors extend our sympathies to those affected by the catastrophe in Beirut. It is our urgent hope that the injured heal and that the missing are returned alive to their loved ones. You are in our hearts this week and we grieve with you for your losses.]
Scattered Debris
The much-dissipated version of what was Hurricane Isaias hit New England yesterday. I’m relieved that it wasn’t as bad as predicted, but it was still quite a storm by the time it reached me. In the aftermath, branches and debris litter the ground near my home, and trees rest where they fell–at least until crews can clear them. That said, I was lucky: my area didn’t lose power or experience flooding, unlike many, and no-one I know was injured or killed. Having experienced Superstorm Sandy when I lived in NJ, I remember what it’s like to be in a disaster area, and I hope that relief efforts for those who need it are swift and thorough. We’re not a cleanup priority where I live because we don’t need to be: none of those fallen trees are on my power lines. In the meantime, all the debris reminds me of what my scattered brain feels like these days: addled and disorganized. Fortunately for you, there are still people able to focus enough to write and submit to the grids. Take a minute to read along with me and be grateful for this little community we’ve built, strong enough to weather the storms.
Popular voting for the YeahWrite #486 weekly writing challenge is now open! Vote by 10pm ET on Thursday for your favorite nonfiction and fiction|poetry entries!
Before you vote
The feedback from the vote is great to have, but without your personal touch, we won’t know what we’re doing right and what areas we can focus on to do better next week. Please take a moment to make a thoughtful comment on each post you read. This is about community. We want to encourage constructive criticism as well as applause. We all want to improve our writing and you can help! Don’t just say “I liked it” – get specific!
What are you looking for?
- For nonfiction, a strong “so what.” This is the reason to care what happens, and can make or break a personal story.
- For fiction, a well-told story that incorporates the prompts smoothly. Prompts should feel like they belong there, not were shoehorned awkwardly in at the last moment, and should ideally be integrated into the plot and characters in a way that makes the prompts important enough that the story would turn out differently if they weren’t there.
- For poetry, a work that’s more than just a sentence broken up with the enter key. Poems should either incorporate at least one of the prompts in a meaningful way or follow this month’s slam form. Whatever form the poem is in, it should follow the structural rules of the form like rhyme and meter (whether that’s the no-rules of free verse or the strict rules of a sonnet).
- On the micro grid, a story that doesn’t feel like it left anything out, or wasted words. Microprose should fit naturally and comfortably within the bounds of the tight space and strict prompt requirements. It should also center the prompt rather than avoiding it. If you have to squint to see the prompt, consider letting the author know in comments where you got lost and why.
- On all grids, a good balance of emotion and some show-don’t-tell. Good writing makes you have feelings without over-cueing you, and avoids cliche.
- Balanced structure and storytelling style, without overdependence on gimmicks like ellipses, short sentences, long paragraphs – all of these things are great, but no one technique should overwhelm the writing.
- Work that has not only been written but edited on a more-than-casual basis.
Tips for constructive criticism that doesn’t hurt:
- Do more than say you liked what the story or poem was about. The writer worked hard to deliver their message in a certain way and it’s useful to them to know if that technique worked for them or if they should try something else.
- Open with a positive comment or idea.
- Pick out a sentence or paragraph that really worked for you and explain why: instead of “I love ‘the sky turned the color of Pepto Bismol.’” say “Using an unconventional metaphor for the color of the sky helped bring out more of the narrator’s background and culture.” Bonus points if you identified that song lyric without looking it up.
- If there’s a spot that’s unclear, bear the burden of the misunderstanding: “I struggled a little in the middle when you used a lot of pronouns. For a minute there I couldn’t tell if Gwen was with Art or Lance.”
- Try to steer toward positive or neutral feedback unless you know the writer welcomes public criticism. (hint: do you see our constructive criticism badge?) You can convey a lot of useful information about what they did right rather than focusing on what didn’t work!
- Don’t forget: each week our editors comb the grids looking for a comment that exemplifies what we’re about. You don’t need to post to the grids to earn our commentariat commendation, but you do need to read and comment. We want to see comments that go beyond “I liked this” or “I related to this” to “this is how you can make your work the best version of itself” by pointing out issues kindly and giving praise where it’s warranted.
How do I vote?
Both challenges are open below for your voting pleasure. The rules are simple:
- Everyone gets three votes on each grid. Use those votes to pick out the best writing for the popular vote!
- Self-voting is not allowed. That’s cheating. You want an honest win, right?
- Targeted votes (social media contacts coming in and voting just for you) are not allowed. That’s also cheating. Voters must read all the entries on a grid before voting for their top three.
- Votes must be based on the quality of writing, not your friendship with the author. If you’re torn between two posts, vote for the one that has better writing. That means grammar, punctuation and spelling as well as sentence structure and concept. The hard work of becoming a better writer structurally is important, and we want you all to feel like you earned every vote!
To vote for a post, scroll down to each grid and click on the heart within the thumbnail. Once you’ve voted for your favorites, you will be able to view the vote tallies after refreshing the page.
Have fun!
Nonfiction Challenge
Loading InLinkz ...Fiction|Poetry Challenge
Loading InLinkz ...Microprose Challenge
Loading InLinkz ...About the author:
Stacie joined YeahWrite as its Fiction Editor in early 2013 before becoming YeahWrite’s Executive Editor in 2016. She blogs at Stacie’s Snapshots and Tidbits and was thrilled to be honored as a 2015 BlogHer Voice of the Year (VOTY) for this post. Before retiring, Stacie’s career involved developing new medicines for cancer and autoimmune diseases, work that resulted in more than twenty publications in scientific journals. Now, she enjoys daily hikes with her dogs and spending more time with her youngest son while her oldest is off at college.
