Rituals
Every morning I get up at way-too-early-for-the-West-Coast, because I have East Coast clients that want to have meetings at a reasonable time by their schedule. I hit snooze exactly once. The second time Lizzo informs me that she just took a DNA test, I turn on the light. Then, because my spouse is cool and our house is fancy now, I make the lights downstairs come on. Just the Christmas tree (don’t @ me, I have a spring replacement tree ordered but until then I love the quality of fairy lights and it doesn’t wake the dog up) and the kitchen light over the sink. I come downstairs. I make coffee. And for the past month I’ve put a squirt of whipped cream in an espresso cup for the cat, who now knows the phrase “do you want a catpuccino?”
Then I’m ready to have a day.
Ritual is important, whatever yours might be. Disrupting it can put you off for a whole day. For example, this morning I tried Thus Spake Zarathustra for my alarm. Two stars: will wake you up but you will not wake up happy. As a result, this post is taking the hecking heck forever to write. And it’s taking a long time to get to my point, which is this: a small, efficient ritual can establish that it’s “writing time” for you. Whether that’s a cup of tea, changing into a particular pair of leggings or slippers, or sitting in a specific place, designing a “writing time” ritual can help you focus better, faster, and get into that writing mindset more efficiently. Try it!
In the meantime, it’s a relief to see that y’all have enough of an eye for quality to keep my disorganized nonfic piece well away from the top of the popular vote no matter how much you love me. 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 #457
I spend a lot of time talking about when a piece is done. But not as much talking about what can give it new life. Exploring an idea for an essay in a vacuum can be great: you can focus, you can stay on target, and you can figure out what you want to say. But re-exploring it after it’s been workshopped (or in the case of the weekly grids, commented on) and expanding or redirecting your train of thought is also great. So pay attention to your comments, folks: they’re an endless source of writing prompts!
I keep running across the right prompt at the wrong time. I’ll see an amazing call for submissions that has the same deadline as a client who is definitely paying me. Or there will be a poetry slam I can’t quite get into, or a weekly prompt that I want to write to but not in the middle of this conference call. And yet, when I sit down to write, it often feels like I have no ideas at all! I’ve started keeping a prompt file in self-defense: a list of the cool ideas that I’ve had for stories, prompts I wanted to respond to and couldn’t, and questions I’ve been meaning to explore in essays. Also those neat one-liners that I keep thinking of in the shower (why always the shower?), which can make perfect hooks for stories. What about you? Do you have a list of prompts you want to write to when it’s on your own schedule instead of someone else’s? Should you?
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 #457
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
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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.
