[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Welcome to the 213th winners’ post here at yeah write. Before we talk about the good writing this week, can I interrupt for a minute (j/k you don’t have any options, I write the posts) to talk about bad writing?
Let’s take everyone’s current favorite example of terrible writing and mine it for a few quotes, shall we?
He’s said such loving things today … But how long will he want to do this….
Feel it baby.
His voice is warm and husky like dark melted chocolate fudge caramel… or something.
Oh the sweet agony… his hands clasp my hips.
What do these quotes all have in common? That’s right. They abuse commas and ellipses terribly, and not in that fun, kinky way. Sometimes there is a totally gratuitous… ellipsis and other times a comma that really should be present is missing which creates a monotone effect. Or, conversely, sometimes commas can, well, be, overused.
It’s tempting to write the way we talk- even more so in blog posts. While writing should have a natural “voice,” it doesn’t have to extend the metaphor to inserting a comma or ellipsis every time you would pause for breath or thought while speaking. Ellipses especially should be treated carefully, observed from a distance and gently lured into occasional captivity. With deliberate husbandry, your commas and ellipses will help create emphasis in your writing, rather than… slowing… everything… down until… someone… in a red… shirt… dies.
But now it’s time to discuss good writing. You want to know the results of yesterday’s vote, right? Me too. So, just like every Friday, I’m going to give you the results on all three of our grids – nonfiction, fiction|poetry, and microfiction – right here!
But it’s not all about the popular vote, folks. We also have our editorial staff picks to hand out. Every week our editors comb through your submissions looking for their favorites. Picks are based on writing quality, how successful the author is in conveying information, and just plain style. If you got a staff pick this week, grab your badge from the sidebar and wear it with pride!
Once you’re done reading through the staff picks (and congratulating the winners in the comments), keep scrolling down to check out who won the popular vote on all three grids.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Yeah write #213 weekly writing challenge staff picks: nonfiction
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q and a with a seventies single mom by red’s wrap
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”22652″ style=”vc_box_circle” border_color=”grey” img_link_target=”_self” title=”michelle”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]When I see open letters, lists, and other unconventional formats, my first inclination is to roll my eyes. These styles often come off as gimmicky or cutesy when a simple narrative would have yielded a better result. It’s hard to pull off a quality essay in this format, especailly for our nonfiction grid, where the essential elements of central conflict and the so what can get lost in the mix. Jan’s submission this week, written in a question and answer presentation, nails it. We really get a sense of her life as a single parent, a glimpse of how things were different from today, and a conclusion that wraps up the story with evidence of the narrator’s shift in perspective. It’s a lighthearted look at a sensitive subject and the style supports that. We always support a writer’s quest to stretch outside of the comfort zone but these attempts often end in love letters. Not so in this case. Well done, Jan.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_separator color=”grey”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Yeah write #213 weekly writing challenge staff picks: fiction|poetry
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a problem of etiquette by michael
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]I enjoyed Michael’s spin on the classic damsel in distress tale. He left out the gallant knight altogether and gave the distressing dragon a code of ethics and a penchant for passive aggression. The wit felt like an honest result of the situation he’d created and stayed true to the character’s voices–which is hard to achieve, since sometimes humor in writing can poke through the veil between the character’s voice and the author’s. The scene is written in such a way that it seems natural for the dragon to be proud of his profession as a hit-dragon and, until the dragon opened his jaws to incinerate the heroine, I was rooting for him to complete the job he’s obviously very good at doing.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”22650″ alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_circle” border_color=”grey” img_link_target=”_self” title=”nate” img_link_large=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_separator color=”grey”][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Congratulations to this week’s winners!
Editors’ picks, grab this badge and add it with pride:
If you earned the highest number of votes in either challenge, you are this week’s crowd favorite. Here’s the code to add your badge:
If you came in first, second or third, you get “top three” honors:
The fiction|poetry, nonfiction and microstories challenges all have the same winner, staff pick, and top three badges. It doesn’t clutter up our sidebar, and they’ll still look pretty on yours!
Everybody: before you go, please take some time to leave your favorites a little love in the comments.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
Weekend moonshine grid opens today at 6 p.m. eastern time
C’mere. Grab hold of the blog in front of you. OK, now the blog behind you hangs on. Tap your right shift key twice. Tap your left shift key twice. Caps Lock. Tab. Space, space, space.
Then keep on doing the writer version of the bunny hop – albeit with more words and punctuation – on down to the moonshine grid, where Natalie will put on her ears and tail and unlock the doors at 6:00 EDT today! The only thing you can’t bring with you to this dance is commercial posts – they breed like… well… ellipses.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]
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