Greetings, Earthlings!

This week we tapped into our own archives, going all the way back to yeah write #42 to search for the perfect ultimate question. We found it in kvetchmom’s piece Panic at the Starbucks.

Is something crawling on me?

Give us your answer in 42 words. Don’t go where we expect you to. Don’t write down the first thing that comes to mind. Think, craft, edit, and craft some more. Give us your very best.

You don’t need to include the question in your 42-word response, and you should make sure your answer stands alone. What do we mean? Write down the question. Write down your response. Now cover the question with your hand and read your answer out loud. Does it still make sense when you don’t know the question? That’s what we’re looking for. Be creative, and remember: no family allowed!

The grid opens at midnight on Monday and closes at midnight on Tuesday. Yes, that’s only 24 hours to post, so you’d better get writing now! We’ll announce winners on Wednesday. Don’t forget to badge your post – the current gargleblaster badge is below.

The last family-free week!

We know Mothers’ Day was yesterday (here in the US, anyway), and hopefully this week’s prompt doesn’t immediately conjure up memories of your mothers. But even if it does, remember that this week is still family-free. We want you to write about anything and everything except family relationships. This goes for fiction as well as non-fiction! You have a really great family-centered post? Submit it to the moonshine grid, where anything goes and the grid is always rules-free. Next week, we go back to business as usual, and families will be fair game.

Recipe for a proper gargleblaster

• Entries must be 42 words exactly. We count. (Tip: don’t trust your word processor – use your eyes!) Also: hyphenated words count as one (willy-nilly, self-centered, etc.).
• Non-fiction, fiction, and poetry are all welcome.
• Let your post speak for itself. If it needs an explanation, it’s not really 42 words, now is it?
• Link to the individual blog post, not your main blog page.
• Include the gargleblaster badge and accompanying backlink. Scroll down to get this week’s badge.
• One post per person, please, and no cross-posting to other link-ups. We want you all to ourselves!

Any submission deemed not to meet the guidelines will be removed from the grid and the author will be notified. Read the gargleblaster FAQ for more information.

Remember: the grid is limited to 42 (of course!) submissions. If you miss the grid, don’t panic! Leave your link in the comments of the voting post and you may be eligible for the hitchhiker prize, which may be awarded at the editors’ discretion to someone who missed the grid, but wrote up a particularly excellent response to the prompt. However, to be eligible for the hitchhiker’s prize, you’ve got to stick around for the whole ride, not just hop on, drop your link, and hop back off. After leaving your link, go forth and read, comment and vote on the grid as usual.

Badge up!

Please be sure to include the proper gargleblaster badge in your post. Not sure how to add the badge? It’s simple. Copy the code under the badge below and paste it into the html or text view of your blog editor. Having trouble? Contact christine@yeahwrite.me for tech support.

 

<a href="https://yeahwrite.me/gargleblaster-161/"> <img src="https://yeahwrite.me/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/gargle161.png"> </a>

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What next?

You’ve posted your gargleblaster. You remembered the badge. You linked it up. Next step? Read, comment, share the love. Voting opens on Tuesday!