for writers who blog and bloggers who write
Writing is Life
I was thinking about how I have my specific writing goals for 2017 but that I also have my life goals. One of these – one I make annually – is to simplify things. All the things. I don’t know if I’m the typical American working mom or simply a typical human, but my life is filled with too much.
But then I got to thinking about how my writing is often filled with too much. For example:
- how many projects can one realistically work on at any given time? (probably not many)
- how many stories can one cram into one essay? (the answer should always only be one)
- how much introspective narrative can one include in an essay before the reader dies of boredom? (tread lightly here, folks)
As you write, think of how you can simplify things. And as you consider your goals for this year, think about how you can tie these same concepts back to your writing practice. Your connections in comments.
Yeah write super challenge
The yeah write super challenge #3 is now open for early (discounted!) registration! Make sure you fill our your registration form and send in payment before the deadline to be fully admitted to the contest. Don’t forget to sign up for our email blast as well so you don’t miss out on any announcements.
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: connections
This month’s nonfiction know-how is learning the difference between navelgazing and reaching outward. That is, as storytellers we’re at our finest when it’s not about us, it’s about the reader. So when you write an introspective post, think about saying instead of “am I the only one who feels like this,” you should be saying “I feel like this too, you are not alone.” Learn more from Rowan here.
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 announce a sentence prompt from last week’s winning nonfiction Post. It’s your job to use that prompt in your story or poem in some way. Feel free to use it as your first sentence, move it somewhere else, change it, or float down it to other territories.
Cindy felt the fear and said “yes” anyway in her essay The Magical Power of Doing the Opposite. This week’s prompt taken from her work is: “I’ve learned to do the opposite of what my brain tells me.”
January poetry slam: the couplet
A good couplet acts almost like a microstory. Are you able to set up a scene and an interaction all in the space of two lines? For this month’s slam, you’ll be trying to do just that. 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.