Time keeps marching on
I know it’s not March yet but it sure feels like March. All the bikers were out today, me-powered and otherwise. And I’m impatiently waiting for my seeds to do their thing. If you’re bored by the idea of me planting cotton and dye flowers and trying to do an “earth to hat” project this year, TELL ME NOW or I’m going to be insufferable with it. And I’d prefer to be popular.
But it’s not all about the popular vote at YeahWrite, folks. (NGL that was one of my favorite segues in recent history.) 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 #463 Weekly Writing Challenge Staff Picks:
Nonfiction
Personal essays, by nature, put forward our concerns and opinions. It’s not often in political posts that the writer is able to step back from their own strongly-held convictions and take a broader view. In her essay, Margaret did just that without swaying the reader to one party or another, one position or another. She also did the hard work for the reader (and for her students) of going through the primary sources (the websites which are so full of marketing and fundraising) and summarising positions in a nonpartisan manner. Personalising the analysis by framing it as research for her students was a good hook, and taking us through the steps of the process she used to find information also gave the essay a solid procedural structure. But she never lost sight of the fact that it is a persuasive essay – one about doing the research and making up your own mind on more than a marketing slogan.
Rowan’s Roundup: YeahWrite Weekly Writing Challenge #463
Did I just write about focus? I think I did. If you’re having trouble finding the “so what” in your essay, ask yourself if it’s a question of focus. Sometimes a focus that’s too broad will hide your so-what in the conglomeration of ideas. Step back, take a breath. Can you still see your so-what? No? Think about trimming your essay down. When I was in sculpture class in college, I had a professor who had a piece of paper with a 4cm square cut out of the middle of it. He’d hold it over your “first draft” sculpture until he found a curve or image or idea he liked and then say “That. Make a sculpture of that.” You can do the same thing with your essay. Cut down the amount of time you’re covering, the number of people involved, or the concept you’re trying to convey until it’s a smooth, gorgeous curve that you can present.
POET TAKEOVER, EVERYBODY! Now go read that essay about poetry up on the nonfiction grid. Do you, too, find poetry intimidating to read and critique? We’ve got you covered. Reading and discussing poetry seems intimidating at first, but honestly it’s not. You can do it!
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 #463
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.
