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WritingKid -
our newsletter for young writers ages elementary through college. Most
of the markets are for teens. This newsletter is published every two
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SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE LATEST ISSUE! Dear
Hope,
I'm excited to be teaching a creative writing class this semester and
will utilize your wonderful resources often. Our first assignment
was to write about writing in hopes of having some of the students
published in your guest column. Thanks so
much, Dalene Parker, Broome High School
=====
Dear Ma'am Hope, I
am Anupreet K., a 17 year old girl from India.
It is through the Writing Kid only, that I came to know about Skipping
Stones magazine and the Youth Honor Award Program.
You would be
glad to know that my essay was highly appreciated so much so that it
was reprinted by Mix It Up which is a project of the
Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching
Tolerance program.
It was also reprinted by Youth For Change International (YFCI) .It is your newsletter only which encouraged me to
write, and gave me the confidence to participate and submit my work.
I don't have enough words to describe my heartfelt gratitude to you
and "The Writing Kid" for the kind of impact you have made on my
writing talent and my life. You really are the "Hope" for young
writers. ~Yours truly, Anupreet K., India
=====
Hi Hope,
I'm the teenage girl you helped to write a book platform, and I've
written an article for WritingKid e-zine. I thought I'd let you know
that I'm going to have a short story published soon in Long Story Short
(I saw it on your website). Thanks for everything! While I'm not an
author yet, who knows? Maybe someday! :-) But the most important thing
right now is to get published so I can have a "platform" so publishers
will look at my novel. Thanks again for helping me in this area! You are
great! ~Smile! Lydia Rule
* ****************************************************
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WRITING KID
Volume 10, Issue 17 - August 22, 2010
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The zine for future writers today.
Publisher/Editor: C. Hope Clark
Mailto:
Hope@FundsforWriters.com
Published biweekly and free for the asking. Spread it around.
TELL YOUR TEACHERS ABOUT WRITING KID!
Find this newsletter online at
www.fundsforwriters.com/writingkid.htm
Read the archived editions at:
http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?writingkid
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WRITING NOTES
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Blasting the Block - Cures for Writer's Block
by Sean Traynor
Writer's Block is caused by stress due to deadlines or
the importance of the piece of writing to you. Let's
review the causes and solutions to break through these
periods of total emptiness.
1. Lack of preparation.
Take each primary idea for your subject and put additional
points to include below it, making an outline. As you
complete your research, each major point will come to life
with interesting details and facts.
2. Trying to tackle too big of a project all at once.
Brainstorm ideas first, then organize thoughts into
groupings. Make an outline from these and assign due
dates for each area. Breaking the project into many
small ones will give you a feeling of accomplishment
along the way and help you budget your time.
3. You have selected a topic which you find boring or
embarrassing.
Find a side to your topic that you WILL find interesting.
Every subject has something you'd like to find more about.
Next, pretend you are writing to someone new that doesn't
understand something as well you do. Another strategy is
to pretend you are someone else or something else when you
are writing the assignment.
4. You have competing things for your time.
Fill out a "to do" list for the day with times needed for
each. You will not be distracted with the things that come
later because you have committed to yourself that you will
do them as well.
5. You don't understand the assignment.
Rather than being faced with redoing an entire assignment
at the end, complete an outline of how you are going to
approach the assignment, compare it to the requirements,
and have the teacher review it for any key items missing.
This stops you from going down the wrong road early.
6. You have self-doubt phrases that are interrupting the
flow of ideas.
Self-confidence is important to achieving success. Replace
the self-doubt talk with positive things.
7. You are too stressed to relax.
Remember to take breaks during your study time. Stand up,
stretch, exercise or relax to maintain your focus.
8. You have trouble getting started.
Talk over the subject with someone to get their ideas on
the topic. Have someone take notes or tape the conversation.
Start a first draft, remembering it does not have to be
perfect. Another option is to begin in the middle where most
of your research has been centered. Once you see the direction
your assignment is taking, you can add an introduction and
conclusion.
9. You have too many ideas and can't decide which ones to pick.
Write all your ideas down. Which ones keep coming back
to you as the most interesting ones? When you pick the
ideas that you find interesting, your assignment will
reflect this and be more interesting to others.
Remember, all of us have experienced writer's block.
Take a fresh look at yourself and your assignment.
The first step to success is to begin.
Brief Bio:
Sean Traynor is 15 and a Sophomore from Redwood City, CA.
He enjoys writing, reading, outdoor sports and listening
to music. He has won many writing awards and is the Editor-
in-Chief for the Amazing Kids! Online Magazine, a magazine
written by kids, for kids.
=====
Always keep writing.
Hope
PS
We cover elementary to college teens. Each week we
carry 12 or so opportunities for all ages. Read each
market closely. Some cover a wide range and others
address a very small age group. Always read the directions!
We need guest articles. Have you considered writing a
guest article for WritingKid? Are you a student, a parent,
a teacher? All are eligible. Just make sure the topic
touches upon writing and runs no more than 500-550 words.
Those under 16 receive the book of their choice. Those
over 16 receive $10-$20, depending on the quality of the
piece, the amount of editing required and the obvious
amount of research. Send any submissions to
hope@fundsforwriters.com and label it SUBMISSION TO
WRITINGKID.
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1.
SECOND ANNUAL BACKYARD POULTRY/GERTRUDE McCLUCK WRITING CONTEST
http://www.gertrudemccluck.net/2010%20writing%20contest.pdf
http://www.gertrudemccluck.net/
---
Two age groups (7-10, 11-14).
Grand Prize: One year subscription to Backyard Poultry,
Official Gertrude McCluck plush toy, book choice of Storey's
Illustrated Poultry Breeds or Your Chickens ($60 value)
2nd Prize: One year subscription to Backyard Poultry and
Official Gertrude McCluck canvas bag ($40 value)
3rd Prize: One year subscription to Backyard Poultry and
Gertrude McCluck notecards ($30 value)
Honorable Mention: Backyard Poultry "Have you hugged your
chicken today?" t-shirt
All contestants will receive a Gertrude McCluck sticker
with a letter notifying them of the results. Winners will
be posted in the Dec./Jan. issue of Backyard Poultry and
on the Gertrude McCluck website. Write an original story
that includes Gertrude McCluck. You can write about anything
- what happened when Gertrude discovered an ostrich egg in
the coop? Hitched a ride to the fair? Met the poultry in
your flock? Use your imagination to take her on an adventure.
Type the story using 500 words or less. Good stories have
a beginning, middle and an end. Please use 1" margins,
double-spaced and 12 pt.font. Send story in e-mail or
postal mail by October 15. Include your name, age,
address, phone number and e-mail (if you have one) with
the story (not just on the envelope or in the e-mail).
=====
2.
NEXT STEP MAGAZINE TEEN WRITING CONTEST
http://www.nextstepu.com/request-shout-out.aspx?clientId=5707
---
You could win $100 and have your writing published in an
issue of Next Step Magazine! One winner chosen for each
magazine issue.
=====
3.
THE BETTY AWARD
http://www.thebettyaward.com/
---
$15 ENTRY FEE
All entries must be postmarked no later than May 16, 2011.
Winners will be notified by July 15, 2011. Winning 2011
entries will be published on the website after July 15,
2011. Entries must be typed and in English. Maximum story
length is 1,000 words. Contest is open to all children,
worldwide, ages 8-12.
First prize $300
Second prize $200
Third prize $100.
=====
4.
KIDS COM
http://www.kidscom.com/create/write/write.html
http://www.kidscom.com/create/write/write_form.html
---
Try your writing skills, share your imagination, read
fun stories and maybe even get published on the Internet!
Please type your story on the website. Make sure you use the
character, prop and place listed on the site in your story.
Your story may be chosen to be posted next week in the Ballot
Box of Write Me a Story where other KidsCom Kids could vote
for it as one of the best of the week.
=====
5.
KIDS ARE AUTHORS
http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/contest/kaa_about.asp
---
Kids Are Authors is an annual competition open to Grades K-8
and is designed to encourage students to use their reading,
writing, and artistic skills to create their own books. Under
the guidance of a project coordinator, children work in teams
of three or more students to write and illustrate their own book.
Two Grand Prize winning books will be published in each of
these categories: Fiction and Nonfiction. The winning books
will be published by Scholastic and sold at Book Fairs
throughout the country. Deadline March 15, 2011.
Each Grand Prize winning team receives:
$5,000 in merchandise from the Scholastic Book Fairs School
Resource Catalog to be awarded to the public/private school
or non-profit organization of their choice.
100 copies of their published book
Each winning student receives:
Framed Award Certificate
Gold Medallion
Honorable Mentions
Twenty-five books are selected as Honorable Mention winners.
Each of these winning schools receives:
$500 in merchandise from the Scholastic Book Fairs School
Resource Catalog to be awarded to the public/private school
or non-profit organization of their choice
Student Award Certificates
=====
6.
CREATIVE COMMUNICATION ESSAY CONTEST
http://www.poeticpower.com/essay.php
---
NO ENTRY FEE
The purpose of our essay contest is to bring recognition to
student writers. Winners share thousands in cash and prizes.
In addition to the winning entries, other entries of high merit
are accepted to be published in our hard-bound anthology. With
the publication being regionally based, students are competing
against their peers in both age and location. Within the guidelines
of accepting less than 50% of the poems and essays that are entered
in each contest, the contest is selective so that it is an honor
to be accepted, yet not so exclusive that it is discouraging to
enter. Unlike many other organizations who sponsor writing contests,
there is no entry fee and no required purchase in order to become
published. We take pride in the fact that our staff is comprised
of teachers, professors and writers.
Deadlines:
Fall: October 19, 2010
Spring: Feb 17, 2011
Summer: July 14, 2011
Students: For each contest deadline, the top ten entries in each
grade division (3-6; 7-9; 10-12 for essay) will receive a $50
savings bond, special recognition in the book, and a free copy
of the anthology that is created from the contest.
Teachers: Teachers with 5 or more students who give permission
for publication will receive a free copy of the anthology that
includes their student writers. Teachers also can qualify to
apply for one of fifty $250 grants we award each year.
=====
7.
PBS KIDS GO! WRITERS CONTEST
http://pbskids.org/writerscontest/contest.php
---
It's a Contest for all kids in K-3rd grade who want to write
and illustrate their own stories. You can submit your story
for judging, and a chance to win local and national prizes in
addition to having your story featured on this website! Entries
accepted January through March of each year. National winners
from each of the four grade levels (Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd,
and 3rd) will receive these great prizes: Laptops, digital
cameras, mp3 players, and publication. US citizens only.
Kindergarten and first grade stories must have a minimum of
50 words and a maximum of 200 words. Second and third grade
stories must have a minimum of 100 words and a maximum of
350 words. The word count includes "a," "an," and "the,"
but not the words on non-story pages such as the title page
or those that enhance the illustrations. Stories must have
at least 5 original, clear and colorful illustrations.
Original art can include drawings, photographs, collages,
and 3-D.
Each entry must include the official PBS KIDS GO! Writers
Contest Entry Form, with the required signature of a parent/
guardian (and, if appropriate, the optional signature of the
sponsoring teacher), confirming that the story and art are
original, and granting certain rights to the entry materials.
=====
8.
MRS. P's WRITING CONTEST FOR KIDS AGES 4-13.
http://www.mrsp.com/
---
Submissions will be accepted Sept. 1 through Oct. 15, 2010.
Open to kids 4-13. Two winners will be chosen, one in age
group 4-8 and one in age group 9-13. Stories may be any topic.
Fiction or nonfiction. 250 to 1,000 words.
Two grand prize winners (one from each age group) will have
their stories read by Mrs. P herself and an artist will
create original illustrations to accompany the story. Each
winner will receive a bound copy of the illustrated story,
as well as having it posted on MrsP.com. Both grand prize
winners and up to eight runners-up will also each receive
a $25 gift certificate to Powell's.
=====
9.
THE AMERICAN SPECTATOR INTERNSHIPS
http://spectator.org/about
---
The American Spectator takes pride in its history of providing
meaningful experience to young conservatives. Duties give you
the tools and clips necessary to succeed as a journalist. While
there are no requirements, it is highly recommended that
applicants have experience writing for a college newspaper and
a GPA above 3.0. Please send a resume, writing samples, and
references to
editor@spectator.org, with the subject line
"INTERNSHIP."
=====
10.
THE COURT THEATRE YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS INITIATIVE (NEW ZEALAND)
Contact - Elizabeth O'Connor at
literary@courttheatre.org.nz
http://www.courttheatre.org.nz/index.cfm/1,6,html/Education-amp-Training
---
The Forge at The Court Theatre Young Playwrights Initiative is
looking for passionate young writers with a long-term interest
in writing for live theatre. There are four places for writers,
aged between 18 and 35, to join this project for ten weeks
beginning Saturday 16 October. The writers selected will meet as
a group with a script advisor each Saturday afternoon for three
hours, plus receive one-on-one coaching sessions, as they develop
short scripts for public presentation as rehearsed readings in The
Forge to begin the week of 13 December. Send a script to:
Elizabeth O'Connor at
literary@courttheatre.org.nz
The script may be any length, and does not have to have been
performed. A statement should outline your plans for a short
(15 minute) piece of theatre to be developed during the initiative,
and should explain how you expect to benefit from the initiative.
Applicants may be asked to attend an interview on Saturday 18
September. Deadline 9am Wednesday 15 September 2010.
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Contact WritingKid (the Business Stuff)
=====================================================
FundsforWriters/Writing Kid make no warranty as to the
accuracy of the contests, awards, etc. but we do try to
check them out in advance to the best of our ability.
C. Hope Clark
Hope@FundsforWriters.com
http://www.fundsforwriters.com
Copyright 2000-2010, C. Hope Clark
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