Quack. Whine. Quack.
Anyone who knows me, knows I hate summer. Today I remembered what I hate more than summer: being sick in the summer. I had this whole “ducks” metaphor thing laid out in my head to share with you, and now my head’s so stuffy I can’t even tell if it makes sense. Here goes, anyway:
I really love a pretty turn of phrase. Most people do. The other day I said “reading Hemingway’s sentences is like getting hit with literary buckshot” and I liked it so much I had to write it down and save it (which is the only reason I can remember it this morning, please pass the tissues, yes, again). And it’s great when we use those turns of phrase in our writing, those perfectly crafted sentences that say exactly what we mean but like, much more hilariously (or sweetly, or eerily, or some other adverbily) than we sound when we just say things out loud.
The problem is when these phrases start overwhelming the rest of your writing, like unruly ducklings. Who doesn’t love a duckling? They’re soft and yellow, and they make the most improbable noises while they bumble around. But fifteen ducklings starts to get a little overwhelming. And when you hit thirty or forty, it’s hard to tell if they’re even headed for the pond.
Just checking in, here: the ducklings are your sentences. The pond is your plot, or your so-what. Still with me?
One of the curses (and blessings) of being a professional editor is always looking for the pond. And it’s hard to tell people who are getting accolades from their peers about their writing that there’s no there there. That it’s pretty writing, but it’s not a pretty story because there’s no story. The ducklings have gotten out of control, and the pond is nowhere in sight. This is why I suggest that people try to summarize all the action in their story, or articulate the so-what in their essay. If all your action is “Anna walked into the room and had a feeling” or your so-what is “I wrote this essay about writing this essay” you might have too many ducklings.
Ducklings aren’t darlings: it’s not necessary to kill them. I would never suggest killing a duckling. That’s horrible. But you can herd some of your ducklings into other stories or essays. Start a “group chat” with your other email and save them there. Make a document called “ducklings” where they can thrive, waiting for the right pond.
But don’t let them crowd out your story or essay. At the end of the day, especially here, you only have about 750 words to… get your ducks in a row.
I promise that whole metaphor wasn’t a setup for the pun. But the cold meds are kicking in and I think it’s hilarious. Tell you what. While I crack myself up, why don’t you go see who won the popular vote?
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 the trends we’re seeing. 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 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 #426 Weekly Writing Challenge Staff Picks:
Fiction|Poetry
In this realistic story, Sanch gives us an older, cantankerous main character who is an antagonist, without revealing her age or appearance. The reader isn’t encouraged to like Mrs. Hooke. Instead, through revealing her often hyperbolic thoughts—for example, “Back in my day, we were not seen nor heard”—the reader is given clues that she is an unreliable narrator. Unreliable narrators are a fantastic literary device, but it’s easy to be heavy-handed when writing them, to make sure the reader knows that they’re not telling the entire truth. But rather than using unrealistic descriptions, the hyperbole acts here to reinforce the absurdity of the main character’s seemingly perpetual bad mood, and encourage the reader to question whether we should believe her account of events. The relationship between the characters is well established through the children’s changing reactions to Mrs. Hooke, and the main character’s uncertainty about what to do when they children do finally leave. She also gives us subtle hints of the main character’s loneliness (she knows the exact time the children start making noise, she doesn’t know what to do with herself when they aren’t there, she makes a cup of tea to fill in time), and reinforces her unreliability as a narrator. By not providing a redemptive arc for the main character, Sanch allows the reader to take the story “off the page.” We are left exploring numerous possibilities; is Mrs. Hooke grateful for her neighbours’ intervention? Does she soften her approach to the children in the future? Is she even capable of/willing to change? Sanch leaves it to the reader to decide.
Rowan’s Roundup: YeahWrite Weekly Writing Challenge #426
With the nonfiction Super Challenge coming right up, this is a great time to be making the grids. If you’re new, or returning, and you’re not sure how to get more robust feedback on your work, just let us know at the bottom of your post that you’re open to constructive criticism. You can write a couple words (we won’t count them toward your total, just be brief) or slap that constructive criticism badge on your writing. It’s right over… um… **gestures vaguely to the side of the screen**
Just remember to return the favor, and to keep it constructive. Not sure how? Check out this page, and the list of links at the bottom!
Genre tropes: love em or hate em? Me, I’m kind of fond of tropes. Knowing what’s common to your genre lets you play with those themes in unexpected ways. It also serves as a bit of a signal to your readers what’s coming. That is, if you’re writing from a hardboiled detective’s point of view, someone’s probably gonna die today. If Bella the Bumblebee is blipping through bluebells, it’s a lot less likely that anyone will be graphically murdered in the story (but hey, it could happen). And on the flip side, it’s interesting and hilarious to read a noir-styled story about taking a little kid out for ice cream (and that’s all that happens). So learn your tropes, play with them, and if you’re going to subvert them… consider dropping in a content warning before Bella the Bumblebee gets medieval on Bobby the Bluebird.
That’s it for this week! Remember, we don’t always give out a pick on each grid; 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, next week’s challenges kick off at midnight tonight!
Congratulations to the Crowd Favorites at YeahWrite #426
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.
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