Where there’s smoke…
First off, an apology to everything east of the Rockies, where you’re about to get the smoke from the Northwest fires. If it’s any consolation, it doesn’t look like it’s going to be nearly as bad there as it still is here even with a stiff breeze (please don’t blow that fire around) coming in from the ocean. It’s amazing how much the poor lizard brain doesn’t want to do anything when it can smell smoke. Danger! Danger! Get out! Even when there’s no reason to move. So if your creativity’s a little sapped next week, think about changing up the smells around you. It might help? Who knows! But you can’t win the vote if you don’t get on the grid, so give it a shot!
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? 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 #492
I love a full grid. Y’all must be recovering from the Super Challenge. Don’t worry: we’ll find out who won that this afternoon! In the meantime, though, here’s a guest tip from Editor Asha for your nonfiction writing.
Not everything has to go into your essay — not every detail needs to be included. Pick the most important point you’re trying to convey and then re-read your essay. If there’s anything in your essay that doesn’t ardently support your One Big Point, eliminate it. Excise your darlings. Keep them for another essay.
Sometimes it’s hard to figure out how much story is in a story. Is it complete? Will readers care? You can often answer these questions by asking “what does my main character need and why do they need it?” If the answers to those questions leave you feeling “meh” then consider ramping up the plot in your story by making the need more urgent, or the thing less attainable.
It’s been a minute since I did a prompt roundup, but with two weeks left in September’s prompt set I wanted to talk a little about this one. Although this looks like a twofer prompt, it’s actually three: a character, a trait that must belong to that character, and an action that can be performed by any character. And in that sense it’s almost four prompts, because unless you put the character in a situation where the trait is relevant, you’re going to be struggling to integrate the trait prompt. One good way to get ideas for a prompt like this is to think of the situation as the plot: the character will have to encounter the situation on the way to their goal, so what do they want, and how would the situation make it hard for them to get it? There are other ways to showcase the trait, of course, but this is one good way into a difficult prompt set: think of what must be included to show off at least two of the prompts, and focus on that.
Find the comment on:
This week, we loved Michelle’s comment on How to Survive. The comment did a couple things that we think are super helpful: it gave meaningful feedback about tone, but it also pointed out specific instances of writing technique that were working well within the post and explained why they were effective. More than just an “I liked it,” comments like these help you focus on and build on the best parts of your writing. Commentary doesn’t have to be negative to be critical, and Michelle showed that this week with her solid feedback. Grab that badge from the sidebar and wear it with pride!
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 #492
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.
