[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The last round of the super challenge opens tonight, and I’m looking forward to having the weekend off.

That’s the funny thing about workflow, isn’t it? If I’m writing, probably the rest of the community isn’t, and vice versa. It’s a struggle I’ve had with my writing partner, too: we’re juggling novel edits, and trying to figure out who’s doing what so that we can both get through the piece without stepping on each other’s toes or creating bottlenecks.

If you’ve got an editor or at least a beta reader (and you should, you definitely should), be aware of how your deadlines affect theirs and vice versa. Especially if you’re not paying them: be respectful of their writing and work time, and try to give them a head up of when you expect to get a piece to them and when you need it back. That way your work can be in its best possible shape, and you’ll both be in your best mood when you’re working on it!

Taking the time to work, edit, and rework your piece can get you to the top of the popular vote much faster than tossing something off and hoping it’s good enough. 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, and not all staff picks win the popular vote. 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 #306

[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_single_image image=”19872″ alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_circle_2″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]

nonfiction

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]There’s no possible way to do a one-paragraph lesson on dangling participles, but they’ve been bungee-jumping their way across the grids this week. When you open a sentence with a participial phrase (like this one), it’s important to make sure that the phrase has a companion that it modifies. For example: Lying in a field, the birds sang sweetly of spring. Are the poor little birds dead and lying on the ground, or do you mean that you were lying in the field listening? The way that sentence is written, it’s dead birds all the way down. So brush up on your dangling participles. Save a bird.[/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]What informs your art? It’s a question you should be asking yourself, whether it’s fiction or poetry that you’re drawn to writing. Do you enjoy looking inside or outside your own experience? Even if you’re writing about something you’ve never done or someone you’re nothing like, your own experience and values will inform your writing. The next time you’re editing (or beta reading for someone else) see if you can find the places in the story that say more about the author than about the characters or plot. Make conscious decisions about those places: how much of the author do you think belongs in this particular story or poem? Is what’s being revealed flattering, or does it kind of make the writer look foolish or prejudiced?[/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 #306

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]

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]