Sink or swim
It’s a good thing Stacie did all those dishes, cause this week kicks off a lot of holidays here in the US and worldwide. In my family, the celebrations start a little early, with my mid-November, firmly Scorpio birthday. Then it’s US Thanksgiving (check out that link for some decolonizing suggestions for your festivities! it’s never too late to ruin Thanksgiving! be the Wednesday Addams you want to see in the world!), my sibling’s birthday, and then a bunch of holidays like Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah, which may or may not be your jam (and which I think my family experimented with celebrating all of at one time or another, not being tied to any particular religious tradition).
It was Thanksgiving that was our big family gathering, though, because after late November the passes in the little mountain valley where I grew up became too unreliable to make travel plans. It was the one time a year we’d see our cousins, and I’d get to sample exotic middle American dishes like greenbean casserole with those weird fried onions and sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top and white bread. The food has changed at our table somewhat (although you can have my canned jellied cranberry sauce when you pry it out of my cold, dead hands) and so have the faces, but it’ll be good to see everyone again next week. And because I don’t host, I’m still not doing the darn dishes. Dishes are the worst.
Maybe I should write an essay about that. It seems relatable enough to do well in the 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 #449 Weekly Writing Challenge Staff Picks:
Nonfiction
The Big Bang at iBrow Studio by Hema Natarajan
YeahWrite #449 Weekly Writing Challenge Staff Picks:
Fiction|Poetry
We Have Ways by Pirate Jenny
I think we can all agree that the man in the photo has a pretty discernible character. What I thought Jenny did well was play that personality against the other people in the story. She gave the young daughter the believably bashful scene meeting the new neighbor and being embarrassed by her father. She included subtle backstories. I especially enjoyed that Amber’s mother learned how to cook traditional Southern fare to ingratiate herself with the father. All of these characterizations together built a rich world that was easily recognizable for the reader and it was easy to imagine that it continued after the story ended.
Rowan’s Roundup: YeahWrite Weekly Writing Challenge #449
Humans are hardwired for stories. That’s a thing I read this week, and it felt true. Does it feel true to you? Probably. Like most of us, it’s likely that you retain information better when it’s set in an interesting narrative. In fact, that can actually be why people struggle with “story problems” in math: we get so interested in what Elliott is going to do next that we forget to count how many apples they have with them or who needs one. Knowing that humans want a story can help you structure your essay, even if you don’t think your essay is a story. Without being coy, can you set up a first paragraph that leaves your reader with most (but not all) of the information they need for the rest of the essay? And then feed them that information in tidbits? Give it a shot. After all, I just did it to you, didn’t I, and you’re still here reading.
It’s always kind of an ego-stroke when people try out a new poetry form for our slams. We take a lot of care choosing the forms and writing the tutorials, and we love it when that pays off. It’s easy to say “well, the kimo is a short form, why not give it a shot” but don’t sell yourself short: the shortest forms can take the most care, because every word has to be exactly right. When you’ve only got a handful of syllables (remember, if you write more than one kimo, they should stand on their own – you’re writing a cycle of poetry, not cheating to get more syllables into your first poem) you have to make them… er… count. That’s enough puns out of me, but if you haven’t tried a kimo yet, why not give it a shot this week? December is right around the corner.
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 #449
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.
