I’m baaaaaaack
Didja miss me? That was a heck of a road trip, y’all, but we made it. Came back with some stories to tell, and some that we’re not ready to tell yet, and some that we may never tell. That’s the nature of stories, right? I even made it back in time to read and vote on the grids.
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 #432 Weekly Writing Challenge Staff Picks:
Fiction|Poetry
Strong metaphors are difficult to execute in poetry. There have to be enough similarities between the two comparatives that most people will understand the relationship. Otherwise the reader will have to stop and think, “Wait. How is his face like a Thigh Master?” They have to be surprising, presenting to the reader a completely new perspective on the poem’s subject. Comparing a person’s eye color to the sky isn’t exactly ground-breaking. And they have to fit within the language and tone of the subject: comparing a scary witch’s teeth to dancing ballerinas is an odd message to send unless you somehow convey ballerinas as macabre or the witch’s teeth as elegant. Jenny’s metaphor between the Internet and Alice in Wonderland is a very strong metaphor. And what’s more: she draws the comparison by using very precise words: “cats, domestic and exotic”; “curiouser”; “sometimes I feel too tiny.” I loved how the lists in the poem hold different meanings when the central metaphor is revealed.
Rowan’s Roundup: YeahWrite Weekly Writing Challenge #432
What’s the payoff? That’s a question I ask a lot at work (I mean, if they didn’t have to pay me to do it I’d call it vacation, right?) but I ask it here too, and so should you. Stephen King has said that a story is like a guided missile: you kind of know where it’s going, and if the payload is big enough you only have to get close. Make sure you’ve got a payload – any payload – before you launch your story. If you can’t sum it up with something like “and that’s how I …” that’s a cue that you need to find the payoff in your story.
I talk a lot about what POV adds to a story – this week I want to talk about unconventional POV. Taking the point of view of a character who is not central to the events of the story can give you, in effect, a narrator to filter perceptions and events through. What’s the advantage? Well, sometimes you want to show events that happen where the main characters can’t see them, without having to use a more omniscient viewpoint. Using a minor character to do this can give you a very precise window through which to show (or hide) events and dialogue. That means you can control what your reader knows about your main characters, and when they know it. Think about the possibilities.
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 #432
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.
