Deadlines
Do they motivate or terrify you? I’ve got a few major ones this week for my own job, and we’ve got a couple more at YeahWrite: today is the last day to sign up for Summaries class, and next Wednesday registration closes for Super Challenge #6 (guess we better get those prompts finished!). Remember: the more friends you browbeat into signing up, the bigger the prizes get! In the meantime, our new schedule gives you a three day window to get on both of our usual weekly challenges before they open for the popular vote.
But it’s not all about the popular vote at YeahWrite, 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. Our editors comb the grids to find, not just the best writing on our grid this week, but what we think is pretty darn great writing anywhere anytime. 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! 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.
The other benefit of the editors’ pick, of course, is that unlike the popular vote we’ll tell you why we liked that post. So don’t just skip reading the blurb if it’s not about your post; you’ll pick up some handy pointers about what makes good writing great that you can apply to your own work. For more of that critical feedback, keep an eye on our Roundup for a quick rundown of trends we see each week. We try to highlight the good stuff and point out problems that more than one writer is struggling with. There’s probably a handy tip in there for you right now, so check it out!
Once you’re done reading through the Editorial Staff Picks and Roundup (and congratulating the winners in the comments), keep scrolling down to check out who won the popular vote on both grids. If you earned the highest number of votes in any 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? All our grids have the same Winner, Editorial Staff Pick, and Top Three badges. It doesn’t clutter up our sidebar, and they’ll still look pretty on yours!
YeahWrite #338 Weekly Writing Challenge Staff Picks:
Microprose
Phil from Accounting by Hema
There were several standout micro entries this month, and it made choosing one really tough. Everyone who made it onto the voting grid should feel proud of themselves. This month in just 45 words, Hema told a complete story of an unlikely superhero. The detail of having him eat microwaved fish cemented just how much of an antihero he is (there’s a special place in hell reserved for people who microwave fish at the office). The reader is left uncertain whether he’s really been unmasked, or whether he’s so unlikely that his co-workers will second guess themselves.
Rowan’s Roundup: YeahWrite Weekly Writing Challenge #338
One of the biggest advantages to writing in advance of a deadline (or writing when you haven’t got a pitch lined up, or) is that you have a chance to do what I didn’t do this week: get more eyes on your work. Especially when you’re writing something intensely personal – and folks, the holidays are coming up and I know you’re thinking about that – it’s hard to know when you’ve hit the right balance of discretion and information. I missed that mark in a couple spots this week, and I know you’ve missed it once or twice yourself. Get more eyes on your work! And if you’re looking to test an essay or idea before writing a longform piece, the NF challenge grid is a great place to do it – but don’t forget about the Weekend Writing Showcase, too! You can bring longer pieces in for feedback over the weekend.
I’ve been prepping for the summaries class all week, so I have structure on my brain. When you’re done with a story, look back through it for these two things:
- Did anything happen? (This is trickier than you think. “Jenny had memories” isn’t something happening.)
- Can I tell what my main character wants? What motivates your character through the things that happen to them and how does that desire shape their reaction to events?
We’re always tweaking the micro challenge to try to get the best stories that still fit within an extremely restrictive wordcount and prompt. This week it really felt like we were narrowing in on that – even the couple folks who got love letters wrote pretty darn good stories, they just didn’t quite manage to hang them on the framework of the prompt. What do you think? Did the prompt breakdown help or hurt you this week when you were writing? Did you use it? Is that a feature we should keep?
That’s it for this week! Remember, we don’t always give out a pick on both grids; if we were impressed by several posts on one grid we’ll give them all picks, and if nothing really stood out for us we’ll hold off. If you didn’t get a pick this week, read back through the Roundup to see if you can use some of this week’s tips and tricks.
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, the Weekend Writing Showcase opens tonight at 6pm Eastern US Time!
Congratulations to the Crowd Favorites at YeahWrite #338
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.
Nonfiction Challenge
Loading InLinkz ...Fiction|Poetry Challenge
Loading InLinkz ... Loading InLinkz ...About the author:
Rowan submitted exactly one piece of microfiction to YeahWrite before being consumed by the editorial darkside. She spent some time working hard as our Submissions Editor before becoming YeahWrite’s Managing Editor in 2016. She was a BlogHer Voice of the Year in 2017 for her work on intersectional feminism, but she suggests you find and follow WOC instead. In real life she’s been at various times an attorney, aerialist, professional knitter, artist, graphic designer (yes, they’re different things), editor, secretary, tailor, and martial artist. It bothers her vaguely that the preceding list isn’t alphabetized, but the Oxford comma makes up for it. She lives in Portlandia with a menagerie which includes at least one other human. She tells lies at textwall and uncomfortable truths at CrossKnit.
