[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I’m trying to figure out what to do with nine stale chocolate cupcakes.
That’s not a setup for a joke (nine stale cupcakes walk into a bar…). It’s an actual dilemma. Do I throw them away? Try to turn them into a trifle? Make chocolate breadcrumbs out of them? Is there something worth saving here?
It’s the same problem I have with the novel I’m editing, and that you probably have with your own writing: coming across old passages and pieces and trying to decide what to do with them. It’s ok to be sentimental about your writing, but it’s also ok to take something old you’ve done, strip it to its bones, and build a new piece around it. Maybe only one sentence is worth rescuing out of that essay you wrote five years ago. Maybe the idea of the story you wrote is fantastic but you weren’t a good enough writer yet to make it the story you wanted it to be. As the year draws to a close, why not revisit some of your writing from 2016 (and 2006, and 1996, and…) and see what good stuff you can salvage as a present to the writer you are now?
Speaking of presents, we have badges to hand out to our popular vote winners this week, just like every week. But it’s not all about the popular vote at yeah write, folks. We also have our editorial staff picks to hand out. See, while there’s a popular vote winner every week, we don’t always give out a staff pick. Picks are based on writing quality, how successful the author is in conveying information, and just plain style. Some weeks, the editors will comb through the grids and nothing really stands out for us. Maybe the best stories had a bunch of typos or the grammatically perfect ones didn’t have much there there. You’ve really got to nail the details of both elements – structure and storytelling – to earn a staff pick. The great part is that we don’t have a finite number of picks to hand out. That means that if two, three, five, or even all the works on one grid are fantastic, we can give them all kudos.
On weeks when the grids are unmoderated, you can check out the Roundup, where I try to identify trends and troubles that show up for more than one writer on the grid. If you’re curious why there’s no pick, there’s usually a clue in the Roundup why that post you liked didn’t make the cut. Then keep scrolling down to check out who won the popular vote on both grids. If you earned the highest number of votes in either challenge, you are this week’s crowd favorite! If you came in first, second or third, you get “top three” honors. Grab your badge from our sidebar!
Looking for your badge? Our challenges share the same winner, staff pick, and top three badges. It doesn’t clutter up our sidebar, and they’ll still look pretty on yours![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Rowan’s roundup: yeah write weekly writing challenge #296
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nonfiction
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]”You don’t know me!” I screamed at my mom.
Sure, I was 17, but the same rule applies to your nonfiction writing. Your reader may or may not know you. So being coy or vague in your writing usually comes across as frustrating to them rather than artful. For example, if you refer to a character as “my girlfriend” for half your essay and then start referring to someone called “Meg” the reader won’t be able to connect the two unless you do the work and help them out. In fact, why be coy at all? You can say “My girlfriend, Meg, opened the car door” way up there in the first sentence and then just call her by her name for the rest of the essay!
Sometimes there’s a reason for not referring to a character by name or obfuscating your location or activity for most of the story: you’re gearing up for a Big Reveal. So I’m going to give you a Big Warning: those stories are rarely as clever or shocking as we think they are. Don’t drag out your foreshadowing until it becomes five- or sixshadowing. Ask yourself if the heart of your story is “oh my gosh it was Christine all along?!!?” or if it’s a story about the small ways we take care of each other with gifts of words or food or warm winter clothing. And then write what’s appropriate to tell that story.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”29344″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]
fiction|poetry
[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]You know what I love the most about yeah write? The community. Second most, I love that our community is always ready to try something new. That’s why we run the poetry slams every month. In fact, if you go back through our writing help archives, you can find some of the same inspirational and informative (ok, it’s really gross writing that about stuff I wrote but whatever, we all need to learn to self-promote eventually) types of posts featuring ideas for fiction.
It’s great to see folks jumping in with tritinas this week – if you didn’t get on the bandwagon, and you’re intimidated by the ballade, check out the coffeehouse for a link to the post, and tag in to get a three-word prompt for next week or the week after! It’s a quick form, as the crew on this week’s grid can attest, and look at all the good lines that came out of challenging yourselves to write quickly and from the heart.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”29345″ alignment=”center”][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator][vc_column_text]That’s it for this week, so let’s move on to the popular vote results. If you’re lost in the middle of the grid and wondering how you can get a little more feedback on your posts, check out our membership perks!
Everybody: before you go, please take some time to leave your favorites a little love in the comments, and don’t forget, our weekend grid opens tonight at 6pm Eastern US Time![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Congratulations to the crowd favorites at yeah write #296
The thumbnails are now sorted in order of most votes to fewest. Ties in the overall number of votes are broken by number of editor votes.
Congratulations if you’re at or near the top! Writing well is hard work, and we’re honored you’ve chosen us this week to showcase your entry.
If you’re at or near the bottom, don’t be discouraged. You’re in the right community for learning and growing as a writer, and we are always available with resources for those who ask nicely.
To our readers and voters: thank you! See you next week.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]
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