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

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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

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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 3 - February 7, 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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THROUGH THE WINDOW IN MY STUDY

I live many hours per day in my study. It's my writing
place, and it's shared with no one else. That was I
am surrounded with my writing memorabilia, books, pictures
and whatever aids me in my quest to write and publish.

Today is rainy. Out my window, I see the lake and my
bird feeder. Even in this weather, birds flutter and
dart in and out, eating the sunflower seeds, thistle
and suet I keep ready for them in times of cold and rain.
When it's nasty, they tend to guard it all day long.

On my window sill, however, is a young house wren. She's
huddled against the corner of the brick, her eyes half
closed, hiding from the wind and rain.

She's smaller than the rest. Maybe she hatched out late
in the year, when the weather made growing up more difficult.
Maybe she's just a runt from the nest. While I love seeing
a bird up close, less than two feet away from me, I have
to wonder what's wrong. Why isn't she in the thick of the
others, chowing down on the seed in order to build energy
against the chill?

She won't grow sitting here.

Most writers fear the public eye. They love to remain in
their studies, bedrooms and corner desks, writing pretty,
profound or memorable words. The problem is, they have to
enter the public fray in order to deliver those words.

It's scary submitting and getting rejected, but we grow
when we do. We weather the elements, the competition,
the naysayers, and the bureaucracies, finding our ways
to stronger, more successful prose.

We can write in our journals or store pieces on our
computer drives, but keeping them does little to bolster
us as writers. We need feedback to grow.

We can't sit on the ledge and hope for better times.

It's been over an hour since my bird joined me.
No, wait, there she goes.

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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.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BIODIVERSITY POETRY CONTEST
http://www.coolitschools.com/writing-the-world
---
£2 ENTRY FEE
The aim of this competition is to help young people understand,
through their own creative responses, the challenges that the
natural world faces at the beginning of the 21st century. It
is open to young people of all nationalities but the poems
must be written in (or translated into) English.

The theme:
Slip inside some scales, feathers, fur, or shell. Imagine
you are a bird, fish, mammal, plant or insect, even an amoeba,
and write a poem about your changing environment.

Your poem can be funny or serious but, hopefully, it will
tell us something new about how species adapt to a changing
planet. Decorate your poem with paint, crayons, grass or
seeds, whatever material tells us a little more about your
chosen subject. Poems must be a maximum of 14 lines.
They should be illustrated. (Though the poems are judged
not on the illustrations alone, we want them to look lovely!)
There are three age categories 5-10,11-14,15-18 years.
Deadline July 23, 2010.

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2.
STUDENT BLOGGERS
http://www.ed2010.com/jobs/whisperjobs/2010/01/student-bloggers-studentstuff-com
---
StudentStuff.com is seeking committed student writers who
are personally invested in campus life and issues relevant
to college students. An ideal candidate will submit a minimum
of 5 blog posts per week. Applicants must have a strong grasp
of critical analysis and the ability to promote dialogue. Each
writer will be responsible for uploading posts to the site and
social network marketing utilizing platforms such as Facebook,
Digg, Twitter or other blogs. A typical post pays $5-$8 and
incentives are available for writers whose posts reach certain
benchmarks each month.

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3.
KENTUCKY STATE POETRY CONTEST
http://www.kystatepoetrysociety.org/Contests.html
---
The Kentucky State Poetry society is a non-profit organization
founded in 1966 to promote the writing and enjoyment of poetry.
KSPS sponsors an annual poetry contest for youth, grades 3 through
12. The categories listed below carry a cash prize for first,
second and third place for each category. Honorable mentions,
presented at the discretion of the judge, will be recognized with a
certificate. First place winning poems will be published in the
Prize Poems issue (published each Fall) of Pegasus, the official
publication of the Kentucky State Poetry Society. First, second
and third place winning poets in the Student Contest will be
invited to read their winning poem at the KSPS Awards Banquet,
held annually in October. Cash prizes range from $10 to $55.
Deadline March 1, 2010. Not limited to Kentucky residents.

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4.
PAY IT FORWARD GRANTS
http://www.payitforwardfoundation.org/educators/mini-grant.html
---
Pay It Forward Mini-Grants are designed to fund one-time-only
service-oriented projects identified by youth as activities they
would like to perform to benefit their school, neighborhood, or
greater community. Projects must contain a "pay it forward"
focus - that is, they must be based on the concept of one person
doing a favor for others, who in turn do favors for others, with
the results growing exponentially - to be considered in the grant
making process. Note short deadline of February 15, 2010.

NOTE: Consider a literacy, book drive or tutoring project.

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5.
VOYA
http://www.voya.com/submissions/#teensubmissions
---
VOYA invites submissions from teens aged twelve to eighteen for
Notes from the Teenage Underground. This occasional column reveals
secrets of teen culture to the adults who care regarding books,
information, entertainment, media, and identity. VOYA readers are
librarians, teachers, counselors, authors, publishers, and youth
workers who provide services, information, fun reading, and
entertainment for teenagers. What would you like them to know
about your popular culture, your favorite reading, media, music,
hobby, pastime, or craze -or your inner thoughts about just being
you, transforming from child to adult? After publication, you will
receive a check for $50 and three copies of the magazine.

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6.
SKIPPING STONES
http://www.skippingstones.org/submissions.htm
---
Any way you choose to express your dreams and opinions, Skipping
Stones provides a place for writers and artists of all ages and
backgrounds to communicate creatively and openly. The magazine
is read by readers ages 8 to 16. Writings (essays, stories,
letters to the editor, riddles and proverbs, etc.) should be typed
or neatly handwritten and limited to 750 words and poems to 30 lines.
We encourage writings in all languages with an English translation,
if possible. And, we love illustrations! Please send originals of
your drawings, paintings, or photos. Include your name, age, and
address along with your submission.

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7.
STONE SOUP MAGAZINE
http://www.stonesoup.com/stone-soup-contributor-guideline/
---
Stone Soup welcomes submissions by children through age 13.
Stone Soup is made up of stories, poems, book reviews, and art
by young people through age 13. Although all the writing we
publish is in English, we accept work from all over the world.

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8.
NORM STRUNG YOUNG WRITING AWARDS
http://www.owaa.org/contests/youth-writing
---
Outdoor Writers Association of America helps budding writers
via its annual Norm Strung Youth Writing Contest. Cash prizes
are awarded to winners in grades 6-12 for poetry and prose
categories. The work must have been published in a newsletter,
newspaper, magazine, literary collection, etc. during 2009. The
publication can be school or club related, or commercial. At
the time the article was published or accepted for publication,
the author must have been a student in grades 6-8 to enter the
junior division; grades 9-12 (including prep school) to enter
the senior division. The topic must be outdoor oriented (hiking,
camping, boating, fishing, hunting, nature, ecology, canoeing,
etc.). Any prose or poetic form is acceptable. Deadline March
15, 2010. 2010 awards will total $1,700.

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9.
CANADIAN ABORIGINAL WRITING CHALLENGE
http://www.our-story.ca/youthWriting.html
---
Are you a young Aboriginal writer with a story to tell?
Are you between the ages of 14-18 or 19-29?
Showcase your creative writing and win great prizes!!

The Canadian Aboriginal Writing Challenge is fun and easy and
there is no charge to enter. Simply create a short story that
explores a moment or theme in Aboriginal history. The event
selected should be tied to Canada's past and/or your ancestral
history. Deadline March 31, 2010.

1st Place Winners in each age category will receive: a $2,000
cash prize; an all-expenses paid trip for two to a major Canadian
city to receive his or her award at a special reception with a
group of Aboriginal leaders and authors; and an excerpt from his
or her story published in The Beaver: Canada's History Magazine.

2nd Place Finalists in each age category - $1,000 cash prize.
3rd Place Finalists in each age category - $500 cash prize.
4th to 10th Place Finalists in each age category - $100 cash prize.
All Top Ten Finalists in each age category will have their story
published on the contest website, and receive a copy of Our
Story: Aboriginal Voices on Canada's Past (Doubleday Canada, 2004).

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10.
LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL PARK - YOUTH NATURE WRITING CONTEST
http://www.nps.gov/lewi/forteachers/youth-nature-writing-contest.htm
---
The 2010 Lewis and Clark National Historical Park--Youth Nature
Writing Contest is a chance for 9th thru 12th grade students
in Washington and Oregon to write a 500-word essay about water.
It could be an adventure, a moment of reflection, an injustice,
a happy experience, a tragedy, or anything you want to write
about, as long as it’s nonfiction and related to water.

The top 10 entries will be announced and some will be published
during National Park Week, April 18- 24 on the Lewis and Clark
National Historical Park website, www.nps.gov/lewi. On Earth
Day, April 22 some of the winning authors will have their essays
broadcast on the Lewis and Clark website. The winner will
receive $100 dollars, second place $75, and third $25. Fourth
and fifth place will receive water bottles. The top ten entrants
will be awarded certificates of recognition.


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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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NOTE: Want to see more opportunities for your writing? WritingKid carries 12 markets in each free biweekly issue. Sign up here...WritingKid