Apocalypse when?
I’m not writing this post from inside an evacuation zone. But it’s close. Close enough that my go bag is packed and I’m sleeping in my clothes tonight. This week, writing is more of an escape than a succor. Also I stress-painted the ceiling? I don’t know. That happened. Whatever you’re doing to cope right now, keep doing it. Me, I’m assembling memories into essays, I guess. I’m writing this while on the phone with a kid I like kind of a lot, explaining to them what it was like to go to Phil’s Frosty (which may or may not be on fire right now) for a butterscotch sundae after a trip to the lake. Maybe I’ll write that one up. It was a good memory. And Phil’s Frosty was (is?) popular, like our vote. (nice segue, right?)
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!
But we don’t limit kudos to posts: our commentariat commendation goes to a writer who has gone above and beyond to offer help and community to authors with work on the grids. 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 find a comment to commend, we’ll let you know in the Roundup section.
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? All our 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 #491
Look, I clearly don’t know how you write about an apocalypse either. Or childhood, or any of the important things. What I do know is that if you’re trying to write about something and you can’t describe it to yourself, concisely, in a sentence or two (tops), you’re going to end up with an essay that rambles. If you can articulate that certain je ne sais quoi, you’re going to end up with a coherent essay no matter how many divergences and digressions you have, because you have something to keep coming back to instead of just heading out aimlessly from your first sentence. Try it!
I’ve got notices and warnings on the brain, so let’s talk about signals. Flags. Clues. Whatever you call them, they’re important to stories. Whether you’re foreshadowing or time traveling, it’s important to give your reader not just textual but visual cues that anchor them in the place and time you want them to perceive the story. Maybe you use *** at every scene jump, or maybe you start new scenes by carefully describing what your POV character sees – but whatever you do, make sure it’s noticeable and consistent, or your reader will get lost between your lines.
Microprose forces you to constantly ask one specific question: What’s a story, and how little of it can you tell while making the reader fill in the rest? Here’s a hint: you need at least a character, something they want, a reason to care, and a consequence (stakes) if they don’t get it. Those are probably the absolute minimum pieces of a complete story. Is this roundup short? Well… it’s a micro!
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 #491
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 ...Microprose 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.
