for writers who blog and bloggers who write
Near miss on a cluster-whoops
So there I was, in bed with a book, exhausted. My phone buzzed with a message from fellow editor Arden letting me know my kickoff post was all proofed and ready to go… so I just need to write my intro. So here I am, writing an intro with virtually nothing to say. Sorry about that. It’s been a nutty week. You know why, right?
Yeah write super challenge!!!
[Flails arms!]
We’ve been talking about this new challenge for weeks now. We’ve been telling you we were so excited and how we couldn’t wait to share it with you, except that we kept on waiting to share it with you. But now it’s finally here.
If you missed our big announcement on Friday, you can read all about it here. If you’re looking for a nonfiction essay challenge to really up your game, this is it. We’ve got prompts and prizes. Really, what more could you ask for?
But while we are extremely pumped about the new challenge, we know where our bread is buttered, so to speak. The weekly challenges you’ve always loved are right here where you’d expect them. Let’s get to them!
The basics
Yeah write gives you two competitive challenge grids — nonfiction and fiction|poetry — both of which are unmoderated. Everyone gets to the voting round on Thursday. (Remember, your post must be dated appropriately, not be offensive to our audience, and cannot be over word count.) Got a question? E-mail us, tweet us, ping us on Facebook, or visit our online community, the yeah write coffeehouse. You can learn more about yeah write in our FAQ. Please make sure you are familiar with our submission guidelines before you enter. We don’t have a lot of rules, but we do enforce them across the board. We’d hate to see anyone get disqualified by a technicality.
Bring us your personal essays and creative nonfiction!
The nonfiction challenge grid opens on Monday at midnight EST. This is the best place on the ‘net to showcase your best writing. Make us laugh, make us cry, make us think, and above all: make us care.
Nonfiction know-how: editing
When editing a story or essay, think about it on two levels: structural and technical. The structural side is “what is this story I am telling and how am I doing it.” Technical editing is more about commas, spelling, grammar, and word choice. Of course there’s some overlap between the two.
Whether you’re writing a new piece or touching up an old one, though, here’s what you should be looking at, at a bare minimum. Let Rowan tell you more. Fictioneers, this applies to you too, so don’t miss this one!
Is fiction more your thing?
The fiction|poetry grid opens on Tuesday. Grab a mic and join our monthly poetry slam or check out our weekly prompt up!
Prompt up!
Prompt up is our optional weekly writing prompt for the fiction|poetry challenge! Here’s how it works: we choose a sentence prompt from last week’s winning nonfiction post and announce it in the kickoff. It’s your job to use that prompt as the first sentence in your poem or story and then run with it. The prompt is just a springboard, though: feel free to keep it as your first sentence, move it, change it, or float down it to other territories.
This week’s sentence comes from Rowan’s winning post, The Good Guy With the Gun. The prompt up is: It wasn’t fun.
June poetry slam: the asefru
This month, it’s all about the asefru! If scansion isn’t your cup of tea, then this might just be the form for you. Don’t think you’re getting off the hook though! Like all our poetry slams, there are plenty of rules that need to be followed. Rowan tells you all about it here.
Winners’ round-up
In case you missed them, you can find last week’s yeah write staff picks and crowd favorites all laid out for you on Friday’s winners’ post. Leave the winners some love in the comments. They will love you right back, we guarantee it.
Weekend writing showcase
The weekend’s not over: the moonshine grid is still open. Have something to add? Old posts and new are welcome. No moderation, no voting. It’s a laid-back relaxed kind of place. Just leave your commercial or sponsored posts at home. Drop by, share your work, and while you’re there, visit your fellow yeah writers.