Discrepancies
I used to have an entire Tumblr that was just pictures like the one in the header image for this post. Beds, rumpled, white sheets, fluffy duvets. Almost always shades of taupe and light grey. Big windows, no curtains (or just sheers). Sunlight streaming in onto the bed. Nothing else in the image, totally minimalist except for this pristine, artfully crumpled nest-space.
I could never live in a room like that. I need blackout curtains, dark walls, my bedding made with hospital corners on the sheets, and seriously where do these people keep their clothes? But I can appreciate the serenity of the pictures.
It’s the same way with writing. What I read isn’t always what I write. And sometimes I need comfort reading that’s nothing like what I write. Reading and writing in a variety of styles can teach you to appreciate and to critique a wide range of work. It’ll make you a better writer, sure, but it’ll make you a much better editor and critic. People who only read and write in a single genre or style rarely advance the genre or their writing, because they miss out on a lot of chances to use tricks they’d learn elsewhere, and to draw parallels between the work they’re editing and other works outside the genre that can really elevate the one under the red pen to a new level. That’ll help you do more than just win the popular vote.
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 #494
So we’re still working on a meaningful way to catalog the Writing Help section, which was honestly never meant to get this big when I wrote one little poetry slam post like four years ago – or was it five – but I was just reminded that this post about narrative hooks exists. And honestly I could rewrite it here but why? So instead I’ll say if you can’t write your own hook, storebought is fine! Borrow a hook from another medium (I certainly did), tweak it a little, and use it to your advantage to make your essay more memorable.
There are two ways to slow a story down: too much description and too much action. Too much action? That’s right. Your readers will get as bored by five fight scenes in a row (looking at you, Blade Runner II) as they are by five adjective-packed paragraphs describing the ingredients of a meal that’s only tangential to the plot in that characters need to eat sometimes I guess for realism (looking at you GRRM). As part of your editing process, you should be asking yourself: is my story more than half [whatever]? Because if it is, take some of that whatever out to make room for something else. Or take it out entirely and just let the story be shorter. Maybe there’s not enough story there for as many words as you have. Or maybe there’s TOO MUCH story (are you jamming in those five fight scenes to get to your denouement? What if you just, I don’t know, had one adversary?) and you need to take some of that out to make room for your words.
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 #494
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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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.
