Sumer is icumen in
And I’m not ready for it. The quince is flowering, the dogwoods are getting ready to do their thing, and that darn currant is already setting fruit. It’s going to be a good year for blueberries, too. But it’s been a rough spring, in a lot of ways (April is entirely fired) and I’ll forgive you if you’re ready to move on to the next season. Besides, without summer there wouldn’t be fall, I guess. Just like if you don’t write, you don’t get to the popular vote, right?
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. 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 Roundup (and congratulating the winners in the comments), keep scrolling down to check out who won the popular vote on all three 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!
Rowan’s Roundup: YeahWrite Weekly Writing Challenge #420
When we’re writing, sometimes it’s hard to remember that writing isn’t a monologue: it’s a dialogue. You’re bringing your words and experiences to the table, but so is your reader. Every reader. And not all your readers will be just like you. It’s worth taking a minute, instead of posting as soon as you can, to re-read your essay (or have someone else read it) and ask “where in here did I assume that all my readers share my experiences, social class, skin color, or other marginalizations or advantages? And how can I correct for that so that I can connect to the most possible people?” Because without readers… why are you writing?
When you only have 750 words, how do you know you have enough story on the page? It’s a weird space to be in: not really micro but not as long as flash can be. Here’s a tip: every time you write, you (or, ideally, a friend) should read through once to make sure every vital piece of information made it out of your head and onto the page. This doesn’t mean spending the first 500 words explaining what’s going on (in fact, please feel free to jump right into the action) but also don’t assume that your readers know everything about your characters and world that you do.
When you don’t have a lot of words to work with, the best thing you can do is get your reader to (is anyone seeing a theme here) bring as much to the story as you do. For example, Hema’s story invited the reader to bring their knowledge of Pinterest and how the boards are set up to the story without having to do a lot of explanation. This sparse structure used the reader’s own memory as connective tissue, saving words without the old “trick” of dropping articles so that you sound like William Shatner.
That’s it for this week! Remember, we don’t always give out a pick on all 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 #420
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
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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.
