Gimme a Break
My biggest annual project for my biggest client just happens to fall right at the time of the year that everyone wants to hang out because they have… a break. I’m not sure what that is, actually, at this point, at the end of like my 20th consecutive workday. For one thing, I have a really terrible case of authoritis, which means that even when I’m not working on the project my brain is still working on the project. That can be fun when I’m writing fantasy or sci fi, but right now it means I’m a [censored] depressing human being to be in the same room with, and probably boring as [censored] unless you really want to know the nuances of Timbs v. Indiana and the way that civil asset forfeiture–a process by which police can seize goods they believe are involved in crime even if the person they belong to has been found innocent of the crime, and no matter how much they’re worth–drives certain motives in the criminal justice system.
Hey. Hi. Hello there. Your eyes were glazing over. You ok?
Maybe you should do what I just did and take a break. I walked away from the computer for a couple hours. I didn’t work on this post (I know, it shows). I played a board game with my spouse. And I’m doing my very best to follow my own advice not to feel guilty about it. Instead, I’m trusting that my brain is still doing its thing, and that when I sit down to work again I’ll be full of realizations that I didn’t know I knew. In the meantime, I’m going to check out the results of the popular vote.
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 #453
Start where your story starts. Seems simple, right? But often times we get through an essay or even a fiction piece and read back only to discover that the first third is filler, ideas we were trying to get straight in our heads or things we needed to have down on paper to start but that aren’t essential to the story. Don’t be afraid to cut those and start where the story starts; you can always add them back later.
mwahahhahahaahahahahaha. You know what happens when you’ve got this many poems on the grid? I write a poetry roundup. Everybody’s really nailing the forms, so I want to play a little bit with the idea of poetry. We use poetry to say things that can’t really be said effectively with prose. To stretch the meanings of words and ideas until they fit around the bigger (or into the smaller) things we want to say. Think about The Red Wheelbarrow. Now imagine if the first stanza were just “There is / a” — doesn’t work, right? “So much depends / upon” is critical to changing our understanding of the wheelbarrow, for turning the poem from description to metaphor. The next time you try to write a poem, stretch your words a little. Make them slide sideways until your reader sees the thing you mean and the thing you say.
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 #453
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.
