It’s Octobruary
Mayly? Jugumber? Whatever month of 2020 it is, it must be the first weekend, because there’s a micro grid on this post. If that wasn’t enough micro for you, though, you can totally sign up for our first micro Super Challenge before it sells out – and we’re more than halfway there already. In case you just got paid like I did. And are eligible to enter, like I’m not. I can, however, still try to win the popular vote on our weekly grids.
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? All our 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 #495
I talk a lot about trying to make your reader care about what you wrote. But what about you? Do you care? Why? Ask yourself why you want to share this piece of writing, this slice of your life or opinion you’ve come to embrace. And then go find that in your essay. Make it easy for your reader to find. Turn it up to 11. Make sure that the cool words and the pretty phrases point to it. Because if you don’t care, it’s hard to make your reader care. That’s why ad writers get paid so much and so consistently (relative to other writers, that is): it’s a real skill, and one you should hone, but it’s honestly easier to just write about something that matters to you.
When you write in other worlds – or even in ours – it’s not enough to build a world. You have to examine what’s “normal” in that world. What assumptions are you making? What do you think “everyone knows” and is that actually true? For example, if I told you “picture a city” do you think it would be the same city that I’m imagining? If not, you need to put in the details that I wouldn’t know. If you don’t establish “normal” for your world, you have nothing to set “unusual” off against when your plot starts to happen.
When you’re writing microfiction, you don’t have room to tell the reader every detail. But you probably have room to imply more than you think. One thing that really stood out on this week’s micro grid was how writers used very specific details that let the reader infer the setting of their story: Northie’s spoon identified the egg race; Jen’s invisible horn placed us squarely (and doubly) in a fantasy realm; and Melony’s Hot Wheels put us in a child’s playroom. It just goes to show that lengthy descriptions aren’t always necessary to paint the right pictures in the reader’s mind. And as a bonus prize, this method can be easily transferred to longer pieces, and can help keep the reader engaged without slowing down the story.
Find the comment on:
The entire microfiction grid
Normally, for our commentariat commendation we’d pick a single, specific comment that stands out. We’d look for a combination of positive feedback and solid suggestions for improvement, and we’d check the tone, delivery, and even the placement of each thorough, thoughtful sentence. But there’s another way to be a helpful commenter: work with other commenters to tease out what’s useful and not to the author. This week’s micro grid commenters did exactly that, noting “I saw that too” or “I also liked” before moving on to their unique perspectives. Teamwork? Well, that’s what community is about. So micro commenters…. 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 #495
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
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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.
