Well, heck, it’s time for our annual uncomfortable talk
Back in the day, when YeahWrite was yeah write and we did a summer teaching series instead of the Super Challenge (ask me how that went, while everyone wanted to take a summer vacation) (kidding, it was great, but it was incredibly hard to put on unless at least three editors had no summer plans), Arden said everything I’m about to say, only better. So go read what she said, and then come back for a few pull quotes.
So, yeah, do you notice how sometimes the vote numbers change, even after the vote is closed? That’s this: During the entire period of time when voting is open, we monitor every vote that comes through. We will remove your self-votes and targeted votes. Also sometimes someone accidentally votes for a post they didn’t mean to, so we have to swap that vote to the correct post. Reminder: if you ever accidentally vote for someone you didn’t mean to, just drop us a line on Facebook, Twitter DMs, or email, and we’ll fix it. Let us know who you voted for and who you wish you’d voted for. (You don’t have to include the post URLs but it’s sure nice if you do.)
Which brings me to another point of Arden’s: One other thing I noticed while monitoring the vote is that some people link up a post and then never return for the rest of the week…We completely understand that sometimes life gets in the way. An unexpected work project gets dropped in your lap at the last minute or one of your kids gets sick. We get it. However, if you’re constantly linking up and then running away, then you are not [really] participating … If you plan to post, then plan to vote. Got it?
It’s especially noticeable on these small summer grids, folks. Just sayin. I’m not even saying you should take the time to leave thoughtful comments on the grids, although we notice and appreciate the folks who do!
No cheating, plus lots of voting, equals a popular vote win that’s the most meaningful for you, and that’s what we want: a win that makes you feel really good about what you wrote this week. And 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, and there’s no way to cheat yourself into one. 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 #377 Weekly Writing Challenge Staff Picks:
Microprose
Margaret has given us a saga in four short paragraphs. She accomplishes this with careful word choice, but also by being sparing with the individual “scenes” and details. If the reader doesn’t already know the term “coyote,” the opening paragraph with its single, terse line of dialogue provides context. Each paragraph ratchets up the tension until the – literal – release at the end, and even that release is stained with the titular emotion.
What struck me about this story is how much occurs between the lines. This technique – one of my favorites for microprose – is all about making the right word choices: for example, “over-sized” shirt suggests an unplanned wardrobe change; the “crashing” of Dad’s voice suggests anger. The father’s reaction and the narrator wilting – not from heat of the glaring sun, after all, but from her father’s torrent of words – were in stark contrast with the otherwise cheerful scene. Even though the incident is never explicitly described, we all know exactly what happened.
Rowan’s Roundup: YeahWrite Weekly Writing Challenge #377
Hey, you. Yeah, you. Let me tell you a secret: I read everything you write. Every week, every post, every word. I, personally, me, haven’t skipped a week since you came to YeahWrite. Yes, no matter when that was, and yes, I know I should take a vacation sometime. And I know you don’t see it, because we’re our own harshest critics, and because change is incremental, but you’ve come a long way, baby.
Now, what would it get to start you looking around at your life experiences and thinking not just “there’s an essay in that” but “someone would want to read that essay?” Because, you know… I do.
If you’ve been skipping reading both the intros to the winners’ posts and the voting guidelines, because that seems like a lot of boilerplate language and can’t we just get to the posts, this would be a good week to change that pattern.
This was one of those months where there wasn’t just a pattern on the grid, it was a pattern of good stuff! Everyone did such a great job of really using their title to add context without adding wordcount. This is how it works, folks. Look how much more data you can squeeze in when your reader goes into your micro with an image or emotion already fixed in their mind. 38 words is a short story, but there was room for two complete ideas and a plot twist if you handled your title carefully. (Folks who found yourselves near the bottom this week, pretty universally your issue was that you had a lot of great images but nothing happened in your story. Try to have more than one thing going on, whether that’s the contrast between image and emotion in Red Bikini or the contrast between desire and actuality in Rekindle)
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 #377
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.
The site where the majority of my writing is posted is also run entirely by volunteers. They, and you, work bloody hard for the love of it. So, thanks! For being here, and for the time taken to read, and comment on, my sometimes less than wonderful offerings. 🙂