Can’t can
Or, rather, I can can, and I’m so tired of canning that the five back to back 12-hour days I just worked felt like a respite. I have apple butter, plum butter, sauerkraut (that’s not canned, if you’re keeping score; it’s fermenting), cider, cider vinegar, fig compote, dilly beans, beef, chicken (canning meat is kinda terrifying NGL), and I haven’t even gotten to the elk and onions. When I’m done, I’m going to have enough food for months… and I’m going to want nothing to do with any of it.
Writing is the same way: by the time you’re done writing a story, you’re done. That’s why you need an editor – or at least a good beta reader – to put eyes on it. They’re not tired of your chili con carne characters and plot yet. In fact, a good beta reader can even reinvigorate your own interest in a story. Like making food for someone else feels different than cooking for one. (Remember cooking for other people? In February? Ah, the good old days.)
Anyway, what I’m saying is, have someone else read your story before you publish it or submit it somewhere. Then listen to them. If they say the prompt sentence sounds out of place, it probably does. If they don’t understand how the cat got under the floor, probably other people won’t either. And if they say they don’t like it? Well, that’s not actually useful feedback, go find another reader who cares more about whether you were successful in doing the thing you were trying to do than how popular you are.
That’s why 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 #497
“Make me care” doesn’t always mean “leave me with a positive emotion.” In fact, making your readers hate someone — or something — is also a powerful narrative tool. Just throwing that out there since it’s October and Family Holiday Season is coming up.
Because sentence prompts are so easy to jam in, and because there’s a week of October left, let me share something about prompts. A good friend once said “If you can replace it with a strip of bacon and the story doesn’t change, you didn’t integrate the prompt.” While we only look for the presence of the prompt when we’re making sure stories stay on our weekly grid for the vote, competition judges look for integration: the importance of the prompt to the plot. That’s also critical when you’re responding to calls for submissions, because anthology editors want a collection of stories (poems, essays) that work together as a grouping. The closer they are to each other in principle (but not the nuance that each writer brings to the story) the easier they are to sell as a collection. On the other hand, when you’re just writing for yourself, it’s fun to go wherever the prompt takes you. But being aware of your readership (blog readers? buyers? judges? editors?) will help you hone your writing for acceptance.
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 #497
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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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.
