Falling for…
fall. It’s finally here: weather that makes me want tomato soup with rosemary in it, and grilled cheese cut into soldiers for dipping. Nutmeg in everything (yes, in my coffee this morning) and cardamom and ginger and thick socks and piles of quilts and fireplaces (not that I have one but an editor can dream) and oversized sweaters and fuzzy mittens and… I love the way the sun feels this time of year, precious and not fugitive instead of harsh. I love the rain on the dying leaves, and the way that the grass pokes its head up again like “oh, Second Spring? let’s do it!” And the harvest, although I do not love the way my eyes were bigger than my processing capacity while I was picking apples and plums (does anyone like apple butter? I have some extra). I also apparently love parentheses. (What can I say? I’m feeling cozy, and they’re like a little hug for your words.) So grab a warm drink with me, cuddle up with your blanket, and get ready to find out who won our popular vote this week!
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 #496
It’s ironic that a barely-visual medium like writing (and it doesn’t have to be visual at all if we’re talking about audiobooks or braille) often revolves around the quest for the perfect image. How can I, without drawing, make someone see what I saw? But there’s a trap there: we can get so drawn into trying to nail that image down, we forget to also communicate why it’s important to us. When you see a painting or a sculpture or even a photograph or moment in real life that captures you visually, it’s because it connects to an emotion or experience for you. So don’t forget to put that in your essay, too, or you won’t give your readers… wait for it… the whole picture.
So there I was, browsing fanfic (don’t judge) and I saw it: my least favorite tag. “May be OOC.” That’s “out of character” for folks who don’t read fanfic. And I browsed right on by that one. You know why? Because for one thing if the writer can’t even tell if the character’s actions are in-character, I worry about the quality of the writing. For another, it means the writer didn’t understand the character or, possibly, the story. At all. See, it’s not enough to force your character to do the thing that makes the plot go. You need to make them WANT to do it, or they’ll feel out of character to the reader. If you can’t figure out why your character would go upstairs in the haunted house, or adopt the stray dog, or put the boat in the lake, then it’s going to seem unnatural when it happens. Don’t just give your characters things to do. Give them reasons to do the things.
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 #496
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.
