Interesting Times
Remember the old curse, “may you live in interesting times?” Lately it’s felt like it goes with the adage “truth is stranger than fiction,” amirite? I don’t know, folks. I just want to make sure your writing isn’t the first casualty of interesting times. Wouldn’t it be ironic if stuff were finally happening to you and around you that really was the super dramatic fodder for that personal essay you always wanted, but you were too stressed to write it?
Anyway, if you’re reading this, my harangues to write are probably useless because you’re writing already. Go yell at a friend. Encourage them. Beta read for them. And see if you and your friend can hit the top three together!
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, or in weeks with no pick, 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 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!
Rowan’s Roundup: YeahWrite Weekly Writing Challenge #379
I’ve been writing a lot of pitches this week, and editing one very involved and massive client report on a major social issue, so I’ve got myself elbows deep in two questions you should always ask yourself in writing nonfiction:
- Why do I care about this?
- Why should someone else?
Now, it’s not always easy to answer those questions. And the answers aren’t universal. So let’s dissect this week’s winner (she’s my usual proofreader for this post but not this week so I’m throwing her under the bus again).
- Why do I care about this? Because it’s an intimate part of my daily life; I carry it with me no matter where I go now, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. We all have some internalized stigmas about running around with a bunch of meds, even if it’s just not wanting to feel like we’re getting old.
- Why should someone else? Maybe someone else is out there struggling with these feelings, too. I’m obviously not the only person in the world who does this, but it makes me feel very alone to do it; sometimes just knowing someone else is going through the same thing can make you feel a little more normal, less isolated.
See how the second answer doesn’t have to apply to everyone in the world? In this case, the answer is found external to the essay, and it’s the kind of answer that people can draw their own lines to. On the other hand, if your answer is something like “because everyone should care” you might need to bolster your essay with a few more reasons, draw a few more lines between “what about who you are makes you care” and “who other people are so that they can care too”.
Gonna pass on a lesson from my bad old fanfic days here: STOP APOLOGIZING FOR YOUR WRITING. Yes, allcaps. Don’t tell your reader that they’re not interested before you let them read the work. They can figure that out on their own.
Feeling a little at sea with the prompt, or stressing about last weekend’s NYCM story? There’s one week left to register for our class on writing to a prompt. You’ll get valuable insight into how prompts work, how to incorporate them, and how to give and take workshop feedback. I’m not kidding, folks, comparable classes start in the hundreds of dollars for a series, or around a hundred dollars for a single-day class. Take advantage of this one.
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 #379
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.
