Whither the weather?
I have no idea what season it is anymore. My dogwoods are sunburnt and they haven’t even bloomed yet. Last week I was sweating to death and today I’m in a sweater. Still, I’m not unhappy about a few more days where hot tea and hot soup sound like a good idea. Maybe I’m just in need of some comfort food.
Books can be “comfort food” too. Like me, you probably have an old favorite that you come back to and read again, even though you already know how it turns out. Whether it’s a favorite book from your childhood or a book that got you through a rough patch of adulting, it’s a special treat to revisit those pages. But it’s also a special treat to read and vote on the grids here each week, and see all the new writing!
Besides the popular vote, we also have the option of handing out an editorial staff pick to any post on our grids. 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- and we’d love to, so keep that great work coming!
On weeks when we don’t award a staff pick, keep an extra close eye on the Roundup. That’s our rundown of trends we see from week to 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, 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 #422
“What will people think if poems as well as essays show up on the nonfiction grid?” That’s a question someone asked way back when, and I think this month proves that the answer is “they’ll think the poems are a way of speaking truth.” Just remember when you’re speaking your truth through poetry, you should remember that your poem is still a poem, and hold it to the same high standards: use poetic devices like metaphor, keep an eye on where your line breaks fall because they’re another kind of punctuation, and when you read and comment keep in mind that constructive criticism for poetry is really similar to other crit, but with a few important differences. Check out our guide to that here.
So it’s probably time to talk about fan fiction again, isn’t it? Unlike most fiction, fanfic has a couple special rules in play (one of which is why we caution strongly against submitting it for our grids- it’s fairly likely to earn you a rejection).
First, you are in violation of copyright law. Unless the original work is out of copyright for time or permission reasons, fanfic is a copyright violation. (Note that this doesn’t apply to some anthologies soliciting works written about a world/universe because they have permission to play in that ‘verse; we’re not them and Disney’s reach is long.) Putting “I don’t own these characters” on your work isn’t protective, it’s a literal acknowledgment that you know you’re in violation of copyright. Now, that’s a calculated risk that you may be ok with taking, but know what you’re doing. Don’t fool yourself that there’s a fair use argument.
Second, you still need to tell a story. (This, obviously, applies to you once you’ve decided you’re ok taking the risks of copyright violation, whatever they may be to you.) It’s tempting to leave out information because you or, presumably, your readers already know it from watching the show, reading the book, or whatever. But when you leave out too much, or skip the plot entirely, you’re not telling a story. You’re just hanging out with your characters. And I totally get that fanfic is a way to hang out with characters a little while longer – especially if canon is being disappointing – but if you want to write stories you’re going to need to add plot. (With the exception of the #PlotWhatPlot and #PWP tags, and if you don’t already know what I’m talking about I will caution you that those go to NSFW places.)
That’s it for this week! 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! If you’re more the self-help type, remember to scroll through our writing help section for tips and tricks. Even if a post isn’t directed at your favorite grid, there’s probably a handy hint for you in there anyway! Everybody: before you go, please take some time to leave your favorites a little love in the comments, and don’t forget, next week’s grids open at midnight!
Congratulations to the Crowd Favorites at YeahWrite #422
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
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