Posts filed under ‘Get published’
We’re Moving!
{photo: 123rentahome.com}
WriteLikeCRAZY is packing up and moving to a new home!
Because my goal is to focus on writing and teaching fiction, I decided to merge my two blogs into one powerhouse of information and inspiration!
What will change:
- WriteLikeCRAZY blog will still be here so you can find archived prompts, tips and links like before
- Writers Inspired will be home to how-to tips on the craft of writing and submitting your fiction work, for both young adult and adult writers
- Writers Inspired will occasionally host published authors through interviews or guest posts on the writing, organizing and publishing processes, plus awesome Book Giveaways!!
- Writers Inspired will also offer games, exercises and prompts for young adult writers (and their teachers!!) to use
- Writers Inspired will be like an online writers group where you can read and share helpful topics, like: unique ways to find ideas, dealing with procrastination, the latest in writing contests and new markets, tools and resources for fiction writers, tips on tracking submissions and all aspects of the fiction writing craft.
- Writers Inspired will have one page for young writers with links, prompts and advice PLUS one page for teachers with lesson plan ideas, games to energize the class and notes on what I’ve learned as a Creative Writing Teacher
- Writers Inspired will also have a list of events for young writers and teachers in the DuPage County (IL) area
What you need to do:
- Go to Writers Inspired
- Click “Follow”
- Be surprised by the updates you get in your email inbox or Google Reader every time a new post appears
- Leave lots of comments! This new blog is for you – the readers-and I want to provide content that you’re interested in reading: )
- Send your friends and teachers!
So, thank you to my current and future followers! Now, let’s get on the ROAD!!!
Student Writing Contest and Scholarship
Amazing opportunity for young writers! Can’t you just taste the salty sea air already? Good luck!
The Black Dog Tall Ships & Merlyn’s Pen Writing Contest
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sails’ shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.
I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied. . . . “ from
“Sea Fever,” by John Masefield
CONTEST TOPIC: NATURE AND THE SEA
Has something in nature ever called to you? Has your soul been tugged by something not quite seen, only felt? Have you seen a place in nature that you’ve never forgotten? Have you been outside in a storm or shower and felt, yes, I belong here. Writers, artists and adventurers share a sensitivity to nature’s claim on us. In their art and exploration, they are attuned to a hidden, even incomprehensible connection to the natural world.
For the young poet John Masefield, whose phrase “down to the seas” is never far from a sailor’s mind when he or she has been too long on land, it was the ocean that tugged at his soul, called out to him. For others, it might be the sky that beckons, or the mountains, a desert, or a grove. Or the tug could come from a simple tree, a creek, a pond, a garden, a country path, an arrangement of stones. This contest asks: What in nature calls, or has called out, to you?
ELIGIBILITY & PRIZE
Writers 12 to 17 years old as of July 11, 2010, are eligible. Poetry, personal narratives (nonfiction), and creative nonfiction are welcome.
The winner earns a full scholarship, plus a travel stipend of up to $400* to attend The Black Dog Tall Ships “Kids Cruise–Writers’ Week,” the writing & sailing adventure for teens this July in Martha’s Vineyard.
HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST
Go to www.merlynspen.org, and on the home page click Submit Your Writing Here, or click “You Write,” then “Submit Your Writing.” Writers may submit up to three poems or two personal narratives during the contest period. (If you enter poetry and prose, send no more than two poems and one narrative.)
Click here for inspiration! See how some teen authors have written about nature and the sea.
Another young writer to inspire you
Can you imagine being awarded the “best writer in the state”?
Well, this 7th grader received that honor. Kayla Staten wrote a poem about Maya Angelou: (You can read the whole story here.)
Maya Angelou
My, my Maya,
You sure have come a long way
From being the insecure little girl
You were back in the day.
A spirit so pretty
Like a cover on a magazine,
She’s altogether
A fluent poetry writing machine.
Bright as a flame
Her wisdom shines.
Courage in her words
You’re sure to find.
Millions of awards won-
Poetry is just her thing;
No iron fist could ever keep her quiet;
This caged bird was born to sing.
Cocoa colored skin-
She wished it was lighter.
Little did she know
It made her a fighter.
Boom! Her words explode
Off the page
Inspiring generations
No matter the age.
Though her childhood was hard
And tough at times,
She learned to cope with it
Throughout her poetry lines.
“Ain’t I a woman?”
That’s what she asked.
She refused to hide
Behind a mask.
When she writes,
The pen sings a song
And causes the paper
To sing along.
She stands for realism and strength;
She has paid her dues.
She reminds us all that
All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes.
She loved to write but also dance.
And she did it well
Whenever she got a chance.
Maya is loved by everyone-
By no one disliked,
And through her stories
She has no problem sharing her plight.
Since she’s basically lived
On her own,
She’s taught herself
Well and grown.
When you glance her way
You see a pretty poetic dame-
Author of the book
Gather Together in My Name.
From the back woods to Hollywood
This poet has come
To bring hope to many
And happiness to some.
By:
Kayla Staten
Market Monday
|
Another Market for young writers {courtesy of Hartford Courant, Courant.com} Connecticut Young Writers Competition Seeking Entries in Prose and Poetry |
| School Stuff |
| Submitted by Bernard Kavaler on 2009-10-23. |
Teenage writers of prose and poetry from across Connecticut are being encouraged to submit original entries to an annual literary competition which awards winning entrants with cash prizes and the possibility of having their work published in the literary journal CT Review.
The literary awards competition, for youngsters ages 13 to 18, is a project of the Connecticut State University System and the Connecticut Young Writers Trust. The awards competition is specifically designed to encourage young writers and poets throughout Connecticut.
During this academic year, two young writers from each of Connecticut’s eight counties will win cash awards for either prose or poetry. Entries must be nominated by a teacher in a public or private school, and postmarked on or before February 1, 2010. Home school entries are also accepted.
Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, and Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, will receive the initial entries and host county award ceremonies in April 2010.
Last year, more than 580 entries were received the third-largest number in the competition’s history.
From the select group of county winners, a distinguished panel of judges will select the state’s top poet and writer to be announced at a special awards ceremony next spring. (Last year, the ceremony was held at the Mark Twain House & Museum.) The two winners will each earn an opportunity to be published in CT Review, the literary journal of the Connecticut State University System.
For more information, including entry forms, visit http://www.ct.edu/ctyoungwriters.
Market Monday!
Time for another market Monday. This one is a contest with a word count and date deadline – and restricted to FL residents:
Enter the Times-Union’s annual holiday short story contest
It’s the 30th anniversary of the T-U’s annual writing competition.
Dust off your writing skills: The deadline is approaching for the Times-Union’s 30th annual Holiday Short Story Contest.
Two years ago, we started the story and you had to finish it. Last year, we gave a list of a dozen words that had to be included in your stories.
This time around, we’re leaving it a little more open. Your story can be happy, sad, uplifting, depressing or just plain weird, as long as you can do it in 1,000 words or less.
But there is one restriction: Since this is the 30th anniversary of the contest, all stories this year must be set either 30 years in the past or 30 years in the future.
There are separate contests for students and adults. For the young writers’ competition, each elementary, middle school and high school in the Northeast Florida/Southeast Georgia Times-Union readership area may select one story per grade level to enter in the competition. Schools that send in more than one story per grade level will be disqualified. Homeschooled students are eligible. Judges will select three “best-in-show” stories to be printed in the T-U. The top student author will receive $100. Runners-up will each receive $50.
Adult writers should submit entries directly to the T-U. Winners will receive the following: first place, $300; second place, $200; and third place, $100.
Stories in adult and young writers categories should be no longer than 1,000 words, and should be typed. Work must be original, and it must be fiction, not a memoir, recollection or personal essay.
Each manuscript should include the writer’s name, address and telephone number. Student entries should identify the school, the student’s grade, age and teacher’s name.
Deadline is 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20.
To submit manuscripts, go to jacksonville.com/holidayshortstories, where you can copy and paste your story into the online form. All stories submitted online will be posted on jacksonville.com. Stories can also be mailed to Holiday Short Story Contest, The Florida Times-Union, P.O. Box 1949, Jacksonville, FL 32231. Please submit online or by mail, but not both.
Inspiration from other Young Writers
Are you a young writer who wishes to be published? Maybe even win a writing contest?
So many young writers don’t think there’s a place for them. But that’s not true. Do your research! Opportunites are out there!
Check out this young writer and read her inspiring interview. This could be YOU!
What inspires you to write and submit your work?
Markets for Monday!
It’s Monday, so how about some writing markets to pursue?
Guidelines for Young Authors
A Fly in Amber invites submissions by young authors and artists under the age of 18. Make sure you have parental permission to submit works to our website — we will need to work with them as well as you in the event your piece is accepted. Please indicate that you are a young author by checking the appropriate box on the submission form.
Response Time, Rights Selling and Payment Rates
- A Fly in Amber buys First Exclusive Electronic Rights to all works we accept for a period of six months. After that, any and all rights revert to the author. We ask, though we do not require, that you allow us to maintain a copy of your piece in our archives. However, you may request that we remove your work from our site at any time after our initial six month period expires.
- We pay a flat rate of $10 per piece. Artwork pays $20 per piece. Works selected as our features receive an additional $10 “prize payment.” Payment method, as well as any additional per-submission considerations, will be negotiated at the time of acceptance.
- Make sure to provide current contact information with your submission, as this is our only means of getting in touch with you should we accept your piece for publication.
- We strive to give every submission a response within 60 days of receipt. If it’s been more than 60 days since you submitted your piece and you have not heard back from us, please send us a query at aflyinamber@gmail.com. In all probability, the absence of a response indicates that something went wrong with our response email — perhaps we filed the wrong address or otherwise could not deliver to the address you provided.
Bookworm Magazine publishes the stories, poems, essays and artwork of kids ages six through fifteen. It is edited by Sophie McKibben, who founded the magazine in 2004 when she was in sixth grade and noticed that there weren’t a lot of places for kids to get their work into print.
Bookworm comes out four times a year and has featured the writing and art of kids from all over the United States and, so far, five foreign countries.
Bookworm is always on the lookout for writers and artists. You can submit your work electronically to bookworm.mag@gmail.com. You can also send submissions by mail using the address on our Be a Contributor page.
Young Writers Scholarship
The 2nd Annual Lisa Rector Young Writers Scholarship
Postmark Deadline: July 30, 2009.
1st place, SIWC Full Scholarship, 2009.
2nd place, critique by a Literary Agent
3rd place, critique by an Editor or Writer
The winner will be invited to attend the Surrey International Writers’ Conference October 23-25, 2009 in Surrey, Canada. 3-day conference pass includes entry to an awards banquet announcing the winner and a consult with a participating agent or editor attending this year’s conference. Scholarship does not include meals, travel or accommodation.
Students between the ages of 12-18, currently enrolled in a junior high, senior high or college program, are eligible to enter. Contest is open to Canadian, US and Worldwide residents
Postmark Deadline: July 30, 2009.
Thumbs-up Thursday!
Last week, I took my 5-year-old to his end of year preschool picnic. His teacher said they had nicknames for the days of the week and Thursday was, you guessed it! “Thumbs-up Thursday”
So, not that you all are preschoolers, cause you’d be exceptional if you could log online and read my blog, but I thought we could give “thumbs up” to our favorite books and writing resources.
Warning: your participation is needed here!
My fav’s? Whew, the list would go on forever, but here are some of my favorite writing books and websites for writers:
Writing books:
Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott: Want to know the true life and struggles of a writer? Ms. Lamott tells it like is, but adds a dose of humor throughout the tips she gives to keep your writing spirits high. (warning: mature language and content)
A Writer’s Book of Days, Judy Reeves : My copy is dog-eared from so much use. Chock full of writing prompts, tips and quotes from authors who are household names.
A Young Writer’s Guide to Getting Published, Kathy Henderson : I used this book as a resource in my latest class, Publish Me!Filled with writing ideas, how-to’s on searching for markets and formatting your manuscripts, for every writer, for every genre. Tons of books referenced here.
Favorite writing sites/blogs:
This one, of course!
Capitol City Young Writers http://www.capitolcityyoungwriters.com/
(Meet authors, editors, literary agents in person! Apply to be an editor or writer for the Young Writers’ Literary Journal; plus mentorship opportunities and Quarterly Newsletter – fee to be a member)
NaNo’s Young Writers Program http://ywp.nanowrimo.org
(tips, tools and chat rooms are a buzzin’ during National Novel Writing month in November, but active throughout the year as well)
Smart Writers http://www.smartwriters.com/content/blogcategory/87/57/
(lists of contests and tons of links to other young writers’sites)
WritingKid http://www.fundsforwriters.com/writingkid.htm
(Free newsletter for elementary thru college writers with great contests!)
Share your favorites with us!
Do you want to write a Book?
Stop on over at Writers Inspired today and read the advice from author, Danette Haworth (Violet Raines Almost Got Struck by Lightening) and especially what she says to young authors !
And she’s looking forward to talking to you! Be sure to leave a comment or question and Danette will reply to you! (Comments can be posted on Writers Inspired, at the end of the interview.)
