Everything old is new again
December’s often considered a month of endings, but today it sure feels like a lot of beginnings. From our new poetry slam and nonfiction know-how posts in the writing help section to new writers on our grids (welcome, Robin and Srivalli! We hope you’ll stick around!) there’s a lot happening around here. Next week is the first Wednesday of the month, so look out for our microprose challenge. And of course, registration for Super Challenge 7 just opened, and we’re excited to start the new year with that for our creative nonfiction writers.
Whew, with all that going on, it’s easy to see how folks could get busy. Thanks again to this week’s writers for sticking with us (and to those of you who set yourselves tight deadlines, holy crap, I’d love to see what you could do with an extra hour, you know?). Let’s see how all that work shook out in the popular vote, shall we?
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? Both 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 #346 Weekly Writing Challenge Staff Picks:
Nonfiction
Nothing makes me sound older than saying “hey, remember when” but hey, remember when Shailaja was brand-new to our grids? One of the benefits of being here is the constant feedback on what’s working and what isn’t, not just whether someone liked or disliked your work. Shailaja has always excelled at hearing and understanding community critique, and it’s resulted in pieces like this one, so clearly it’s worth it.
Oh, right, I was talking about the essay. When writing about family, we’re often at extremes: over-emotional or over-processed. This “recipe” strikes a balance between the two, more sweet than cloying and more communicative than didactic. Having the framework of a shared activity to come back to allows the narrator to bring the reader with her on trips into memory or analysis and still remain firmly anchored in the “present” of the story. Words and phrases that the author knows aren’t familiar to some readers are clarified with in-story context rather than cumbersome explanations or a glossary. Finally, Shailaja made a careful and considered decision to leave the mystery ingredient a mystery, protecting some of her family secrets while revealing others in a precise balance of what the reader needs to know versus what should remain in the inner circle.
Rowan’s Roundup: YeahWrite Weekly Writing Challenge #346
I’m a procrastinator too, but y’all do know you can start writing on, like, Sunday, right?
Just kidding. Sort of kidding. Hey, holidays are always a weird time for nonfiction writers. So many memories and emotions dredged up and rolling around, to mix a metaphor. If you don’t have a little journal or app to jot notes in, this would be a good time to consider getting one: you’re about to have a ton of ideas about what to write and very little time to write in. Make notes of stories or essays (persuasive essays are always welcome!) to consider developing for the slow period from January to April so you can keep your momentum going!
I know I talk a lot about experimenting, but y’all, I love experimenting. And I love experimenting where I can get feedback. The weekly challenges give me the chance to drill down on one technique or moment in time, like Tara did this week with her voice-heavy, character-intensive story. I love spending some quiet time with my characters doing things that wouldn’t necessarily make a longer story, but which are important to me for understanding their voices and motivations, how they learn from and respond to smaller incidents. Sometimes I get so wrapped up in the thing I’m playing with that I forget to pay attention to things like plot or pacing, though, so if I don’t have my beta readers on board to remind me, my story suffers a little in consequence. (See also: the space serial I’m working on where not only did hardly anything happen in the last story, what little plot there was became unclear. Siiiiiigh.)
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 #346
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 ...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.
Congratulations guys! This is my first time participating in the site (thank you for the welcome in the first para) and I will be sticking around. 🙂
Thank you so much for the warm words in the editor’s pick. It felt wonderful writing for the grid again.