Important
I’ve sat down to write this post about five times now, and tapped out every time. Because part of me is like “look, Rowan, you need to write the [censored] post, ok?” and part of me is like “yes, we know, but like, there’s a civil war kicking off close enough that you could bike to it for lunch and you are very not in biking shape right now,” and part of me is like “also we finally got over our writers block on that one thing, can’t we just be in that world?” And it’s all simultaneously of critical importance and not important at all.
What’s it like in Portland right now? Well, it’s sunny. Temps are supposed to climb over 100F (38C) by the end of the week, and I’m miserable. Also every morning I tap into social media way too early to support friends, to answer questions about “the feds took [name] last night, here’s a video, what’s our next step?” and to pass around information that hopefully helps provide an on-the-ground counternarrative to the story that people are trying to burn down the courthouse (y’all, it was a couple trash bags) or whatever the new “atrocity” is, or that the whole city is on fire and covered in graffiti (it’s two blocks, and skirmishes have run from about 11pm-3am nightly; otherwise people are out walking their dogs or jogging or going to work or whatever). And I’m hopeful in some ways because the nation is watching now. But hopeless in others, because even ignoring the “you got what was coming to you” comments on the livestreams, I’m seeing way too much “why don’t the police arrest the Feds?” (please go look up separation of powers, tho, but also remember what we were protesting that the feds came to stop us complaining about?) and way too much “it’s all federal” when Portlanders have been in the streets for fifty five consecutive nights getting beaten, teargassed, and arrested by, um, definitely not the Feds, for daring to ask the police to stop killing Black people. And way WAY too much “someone’s going to get killed, it’s a matter of time” as though George Floyd wasn’t someone, as though Breonna Taylor wasn’t someone, as if every name on the list all the way back to Crispus Attucks wasn’t someone. Meanwhile, though, the potatoes I planted are about ready to dig, and there’s a squash or two that I’m keeping an eye on. I got a batch of masks sewn for kids and passed off to the appropriate parents. The dogs are due for their rabies shots. Mundane things still happen.
So I sit down to write this post and all that tumbles out, pervasive, intrusive, invasive, and I stop writing because that’s not what I’m supposed to write about. In my fantasy world I write this post and it’s charming and upbeat and it makes a smooth transition into that boilerplate text you like to skip. But the reality is that I’m right here, at this computer, with a job to do, and I’m going to do that, too, and all I have are the words that come out.
But the third part of me, the third thing, that’s the thing that almost feels the most important these days. Because the better worlds we imagine when we write can be our manifesto for this world. Because we can write stories where people are kind to each other, and complicated, and are damaged and heal, and where problems get solved and work gets done. If we don’t believe it’s possible, we’re not going to fight for it. And I don’t know about you, but I think a better world is worth fighting – and writing – for.
Speaking of writing, I’m going to stop doing that and let you go check out the writing on the grid, and how that did in the popular vote this week. 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!
And for our ninth birthday we added a little something new. Our commentariat commendation goes to a writer who has gone above and beyond to offer help and community to someone with work on the grids. You don’t need to post to the grids to earn it, but you do need to read and comment. We’re looking for comments that go beyond “I liked this” to “this is how you can make your work the best version of itself” by pointing out issues kindly and giving praise where it’s warranted. You can check out our Critic’s Guide for examples of what we mean, but we don’t limit the commentariat commendation to posts with the concrit badge on. There are definitely still ways to help and support authors who don’t feel confident asking for robust criticism, and we trust our community to find them. On weeks when we see a comment to commend, we’ll let you know in the Roundup section.
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 #484 Weekly Writing Challenge Staff Picks:
Nonfiction
Rowan’s Roundup: YeahWrite Weekly Writing Challenge #484
What are you writing about?
No, not a summary of your essay. What’s it ABOUT? Take out all the names, and dates. Take out all the facts and lists and events. What’s left? If your answer is “nothing” then you probably don’t have a strong so-what. If your answer is something more like “learning to fail” or “finding language for the things we need to discuss” then you have a so-what, and congratulations, it’s a baby essay. But baby essays have to grow up, so as you start letting it grow up by putting those facts and dates and events back in, make sure they all connect back to that so-what idea. You can do that with a metaphor that runs through the essay, with an anchor idea or phrase that you keep returning to, or just by writing an essay the way you learned in eighth grade, from thesis through support to conclusion. But make sure that if someone was handed a couple random paragraphs they could at least glimpse that so-what.
I spend a lot of time reminding people not to fight the prompt. Lean into it. Write the thing it makes you think of, even if you’re sure someone else is also going to write that.
But I guess I don’t talk very much about why that’s important. In one sense, it’s important because it centers the prompt, and if you’re in a judged competition you’re going to do better if the prompts are easy to find and you work with them cleanly and strongly. But in another sense it’s important because not messing around for three days trying to come up with an idea nobody’s thought of before gives you the time to write and then edit your story. It gives you the time to build fully-realized characters with interesting backstories and wants and hopes and connections, who move through a world that’s more than casually mentioned, but is fleshed out with mythologies and histories. It also gives you time to look back and make sure you’re writing a story and not just copying a trope either in your plot or your characters. Because that will feel exactly like every other story, and can lose reader interest fast. Take the energy you didn’t spend fighting the prompts, and use it to make real people that readers can connect to in a world they care about. Yes, even if you’re writing about talking bunnies.
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 #484
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.
