Doing Better
Last night I had the dubious joy of sharing a coffeeshop with two lit-bros. They described in excruciating detail their fascinating and innovative stories, that they were sure nobody had shared with the world. “My story takes place in the 60’s, like, in the sexual revolution. So my protagonist, he’s like, he’s an ugly guy, and now he’s in this very…sex positive world? and it’s kind of a unique and confusing position to be in, where people seem to be having all this sex and you’re not. It’s a unique look at the subject of sexuality and modernity.”
I hope you see the problem. This story lurks in every corner of the internet, the ugly guy who is sure everyone around him is having more sex than he is and he’s confused by it. It’s also the subject of many, many movies. So many movies. And yet this dude thinks he invented it, somehow.
What’s our takeaway here? Before you tell a story, maybe do a little research to make sure it’s as unique as you think it is. The abused wife, the abused child, the ugly dude who can’t get laid, the girl who is prettier than she thinks she is – or she’s prettier to the right guy – all these stories have been told a million times. Especially if it’s a story that’s not coming from your personal experience, so you have to have heard the parts of it somewhere originally. So if you’re planning to tell one (and I’m never going to tell you not to write a story just because something similar is out there) make sure you’re telling it well and telling it in a way that only you can tell it, instead of the way it’s already been told. And if you can’t draw from your personal experience, maybe run it past someone who can, to tell you if you’ve got the feel of the thing right. That’s what elevates your “ordinary day” story to a story that will stick with your readers all the way to the top of 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 three 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 #342 Weekly Writing Challenge Staff Picks:
Nonfiction
In my first life, before I found YeahWrite, I did a lot of technical and scientific writing. That may be why I’m so strongly attracted to essays with clear signposts and precise transitions. This one does a lot of that (the repeated phrases at the beginnings of the paragraphs) while remaining both tender and unsentimental. That’s right – I said unsentimental. In general I shy away from “motherhood” writing because it has a tendency to veer into the dramatic and maudlin, whereas this essay keeps its head, reminds us that there are no-win situations coming up, that our advice isn’t always welcome or needed, and that our internal monologues might be a better fit for an essay about how we’re relating to motherhood than for the moment when we desperately want to center our own experiences in someone else’s story. Really, the last line sums up both the essay and the thoughtfulness that went into its conception: But so many mothers have been unprepared. Everything will be fine.
YeahWrite #342 Weekly Writing Challenge Staff Picks:
Microprose
There are two ways to tell a really good microstory. First, you can use enough double meanings and outlines to contain the full story in a tight wordcount. That’s the Heming-way, if you’ll pardon the pun. The second way is the one Jan employed this week. She gave us a framework of gritty snapshots, visceral images, and enough connective tissue for us to know there was a story happening before and after this preserved moment. On that framework, the reader is invited to hang their own broader story; Jan has set out enough signposts to guide you but you’re on your own for the whos and whys of it. It’s clean, visual storytelling at its finest, and it’s my editor’s pick for this month’s microprose challenge. (PS I’m not taking my Halloween costume off until I have to, so there.)
Rowan’s Roundup: YeahWrite Weekly Writing Challenge #342
Most of our nonfiction was pretty self-consciously meta this week, and it worked really well for everyone. Sometimes when you’re aware that you’re writing something that’s been written a dozen times before (writing about writing? about motherhood? I don’t even want to think how many results I’d get plugging that into a search bar) the best thing you can possibly do is acknowledge the awkwardness of what you’re trying to do, leaven it with a little humor, and push on!
OK, fictioneers. One of us almost got a love letter this week for failing to include a plot in their story. Was it you? Me? Plot is important. If you can’t summarize your story without listing events (a happened then b happened then c happened) or if your summary is “bob went to the store” you might have accidentally edited your plot out of the story. Plot is what happens to make your characters change and grow over the course of the story, so if you don’t see a difference in your protagonist’s heart and worldview between the first line and the last, go do something to them so that they have to change.
When I’m faced with a word prompt and I want to write something that’s not like everyone else’s story, the first thing I do is grab my trusty dictionary. This week’s prompt, haunt, has several meanings. It can be “(of a ghost) manifest itself at (a place) regularly” or “(of a person) frequent (a place) regularly.” Those two meanings showed up a lot in this week’s grid. But it can also be “be persistently and disturbingly present in (something)” or “be persistently in the mind of (someone).” It can even be a noun, “a place frequented by a specified person or group of people.” That last one is the meaning I took off from, and then gave myself a metaphorical, rather than an actual, place, “the edges of summer.” (I ended up back in the “frequent a place regularly” zone after edits, though.) Starting from a different definition can help you innovate in your prompt use while still remaining squarely in the center of the prompt.
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 #342
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.
Thank you for the editor’s pick!