for writers who blog and bloggers who write
How Not to Goal
I have a stack of papers under my desk and on top is a sticky note that says, simply, “Edit.” This is quite possibly one of the least useful notes I’ve ever written myself. The stack is my manuscript, sitting tall at over 300 pages, with notes from beta readers and editors and I get nauseous just thinking about it. The problem is that I cannot sit down and edit this much work in one sitting, so there’s no way for me to reach this large goal. And if I can’t finish, why start, right?
Wrong. The actual problem is that I haven’t broken this down into simpler steps. Edit part one. Revise the introduction of the cat (actual problem in the book, no joke). Lighten up some scenes. These are attainable goals. These steps would let me work toward the end goal of finishing the rewrite without the pressure of finishing it all at once.
My challenge to you this week is to think about what incremental steps you can take to reach your ultimate goal by the end of next year. Make a list of these tasks so that you can start to cross them off one by one. If you need to inject a due date or a timeline or some other mechanism to keep yourself accountable, go for it. Just don’t skip this step.
Your thoughts in comments.
Who’s on fourth
This month we invite you to learn more about yeah write’s very own executive editor, Stacie Dalrymple! The interview will publish Monday at 12pm ET, but in the meantime, head over to her page and catch up on all of her awesomeness.
Yeah write super challenge
The yeah write super challenge #2 may be over and done with, but stay tuned for news for the next one coming in early 2017! Make sure you sign up for our email blast so you don’t miss out on any announcements regarding super challenge #3.
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: class is in session
What do you remember from learning to write in school? Did you have a particular teacher who made writing interesting? Did you read a story or article and think “oh, I wish I could write like that?” We get so used to the structured learning in school that sometimes when we’re out on our own in the Real World we’re not sure how to continue – or even begin – the learning process. That’s what this month’s nonfiction know-how is about: finding the master class that’s happening all around you.
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.
Jan brought us to a statue in a park this week in her essay Cold Reality. The prompt up is: “There are spin-outs everywhere, cars smashed, people standing off to the side waiting for police.”
December poetry slam: the ballade
A ballade is almost more a recipe for a poem than an actual rigid form. There are two or three absolute requirements, but each one has some options for you to choose from. That gives you a little freedom to work with, but hopefully not so much freedom that the form is intimidating. If you get overwhelmed, just flip a coin for any of the choices, and use that answer to dictate your form! Learn more from Rowan 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 weekend writing showcase 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.