Let your creativity soar
Stacie’s off on an adventure, and I’m still trying to install a sink. But the great thing about writing is that we’re both able to visit the same wonderful worlds between the covers of a book. And if the book we want to read doesn’t exist, well, we’ll make our own. Creativity is amazing and valuable, and you do have it. Even if, like me, the most creative thing you’ve done this week is convince Spare Kid One that it takes ten days to die of starvation but only eight minutes to cook ramen so he definitely is going to survive this one. That’s a story, all right, but it might not take me to the top of 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!
Rowan’s Roundup: YeahWrite Weekly Writing Challenge #437
The really cool thing about personal essays is that they give us a chance not to just reflect on the events of the past, but on how we’ve become someone who isn’t the same person who experienced those events. Buuuut (you knew there was going to be a but) this means it’s important to examine our essays and look at the assumptions that person made and whether they were reasonable or need to be called out specifically. Whether it’s believing someone at a bus stop was dangerous because of how they looked or were dressed, assuming the gender of a passerby, or saying something that we now know better than (but which is an important line of dialogue that the reader needs to understand the rest of the story), we have an opportunity to roll our eyes gently at our past selves and show how our understanding of the world has grown. That is, just because you had a thought at the time doesn’t mean the thought was an accurate or kind perception of what was going on around you—watch out for places in your writing where what you thought and the facts you’re relating stand in contrast.
(Because we have a lot of new folks, I’m going to remind everyone that I rarely specifically call out a piece on any week’s grid; I’ll discuss patterns among what’s on the grid, or maybe I’ll see something that reminds me tangentially of a trend that’s been going on for a few months. So if you see something that reminds you of yourself in a roundup, yes, it’s about you, but it’s also not about you specifically. I might not even be thinking about you! Trust me, I’m not above sending you a private note if I think you’re representing yourself poorly on the grid and might want to reconsider. Got it? Good. Let’s write!)
Time time time… (Ok, maybe I’m just looking forward to everything actually being a hazy shade of winter. We’re having another hot spell here.) Time jumps are often critical to short story writing: you have to cram a lot into a small space, and you can’t waste time on every detail of a car ride, or write out the 20 years between then and now. But time jumps can also disorient your reader. Make sure you’re signalling those jumps well, whether you offset paragraphs with “***” or say “twenty years later” or even just include details early after a jump that tell the reader the time is different, like “as the sun slipped over the horizon.” Except don’t say exactly that unless you’re writing a parody, because it’s as clichéd as “a single tear rolled down my cheek.”
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 challenges kick off at midnight tonight!
Congratulations to the Crowd Favorites at YeahWrite #437
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 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.
Hello! I enjoyed participating in this week’s challenge! This was my first time. I’m definitely wondering if the feedback was for my essay? If so, I’m not sure how to make changes. Also, are the essays with comments from Yeah Write the ones that received the editor’s choice award? Thanks! Newish here and learning the ropes. I would love to participate again!
So glad you participated, Alexandra! The Editors Picks are featured prominently on the winner’s posts. If you go back two weeks in the winner’s posts , you’ll see an Ed Pick for a fiction piece.
Im not sure what you mean by _feedback_. (The quotation mark/apostrophe key on my computer isn’t working. Do you mean Rowan’s round up? That’s generally a distillation of the editors comments about the submissions as a whole and not meant for any one writer.
Okay, thanks! I think I used the wrong word there (feedback.) I’m interested in doing your Tier 2 membership to get more detailed feedback and editing. Thanks!