http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXAy_QU5WE8 

According to the Humane Society of the United States, pet ownership has grown dramatically since the 1970s.  Three times as many homes have pets today than forty years ago.  With the proliferation of pets in our lives, owners spend big bucks taking care of them.  Americans spent more than $50 billion on them in 2012, claim the American Pet Products Association. 

Which is why books, stories and articles about dogs and cats sell well. 

Author Bennett Cerf once said, “If writers want the sure road to success, for heaven’s sake, write something that will make people laugh.”

Combine sought-after humor with pets  and imagine the popularity! Humor’s basic premisses are contrast and surprise.  Placing two unlike things together create a funny juxtaposition. Employing the idea of opposites — two unlike characters interacting, laughs abound. 

Writing Prompts:

1.  Watch the video and let it inspire you to write about these animals together.  Write a scene from the dog’s point of view and then the cat’s.  Next, get into the owner’s head.   

2.  Write an announcer’s narration for this video.

3.  Choose another method of creativity to communicate the result of your #1 writing prompt. 

4.  If you’re a pet owner, pick up your camera and discover humorous moments with your animals.  Allow them to excite  you to for creating other works of art.

Interested in a magazine which publishes students’ creativity?  Discover KidSpirit founded by Editor Elizabeth Dabney Hochman. 

Students can browse the Submissions Page   http://kidspiritonline.com/submit-age-verified/submit-your-work/ for more information about the various KidSpirit writing departments, which range from poetry to essays and stories. Discover their  themes, which change on a quarterly basis. Other needs include art, cartoons and puzzles.  Students can send submissions to: [email protected]. They can also send writing or artwork via regular mail to:

KidSpirit, Inc.
77 State Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
 
The Fall issue’s theme is Progress and Discovery, and the winter issue is The Word. Take a look at their latest issue online before submitting to discover their specific needs. 
 
Storyteller BookstoreStoryteller Junior Editors

Join a lively, opinionated discussion group on Thursday evenings throughout the summer as we read soon-to-be-published books and learn how to write and revise reviews.  This workshop is geared toward kids who love to read, write, share and revise.

 We meet on Thursday evenings throughout the summer.   June 19,  July 10,  July 24,  August 7

 Emerging Editors (grades 2-5):  5:00-6:30 p.m.

 Junior Editors (middle/high school):  7:00-8:30 p.m.

 $115 includes books, materials, light snack + copies of our published reviews.

Wordplay Writing Workshop

For creative writers ages 8-up   $25 /each workshop or  $85 /series package Saturday evenings   5:30-7:00 p.m. June 21: Summertime Rhymes  (poetry) July 5:  Time Travelers (historical fiction) July 12: Archetypes and Emblems (modern mythology)

 July 19: Midsummer Memories (narrative scrapbooks)

 

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2014 California Writers Club Young Writers Contest Winners

The Betty Tenney Memorial Essay/Personal Narrative Awards 

6th Grade

1st  Dalia Horta  for “Lone TreeBeach”

EllerhorstSchool: Michael Gerhardt, Teacher

2nd  Sierra Dabby  “Green Gross Monsters”

Martinez: Sharon Francis

3rd  Joceyln Berry  “Rain: A Blessing from God”

FHEAcademy: Ginger Beckstead

7th Grade  “Planet of Miracles”

1st  Emma Rust

Orinda: Cecilia Kilmartin

2nd  Katie Lyons  “All Tied Up”

Orinda: Cecilia Kilmartin

3rd  Blaire Murphy  “Jumping into My Fears”

Orinda: Cecilia Kilmartin

 8th Grade

 1st  Kiki Immel  “Danger on the Trail”

Orinda: Barbara Gunderson 

2nd  Lauren Russell  “This is It”

Windemere: Robin Russell 

3rd  Yukta Rakesh  “A Heavenly Ballet”

 Windemere: Robin Russell 

Poetry

6th Grade

 1st  Liann Bielicki  “Color the Flowers”

Iron Horse: Rebecca Tenelshof 

2nd  Julia Little  “Writer’s Block”

Pleasant Hill: Lynn Buckingham 

3rd  Enya Pan  “Flowing Like the River”

Windemere: Erika Eastman 

 7th Grade

 1st  Isabel Hinchliff  “To Cross a Cat”

Joaquin Moraga: Stephen Nicolini 

2nd  Elisa Fang  “A Footprint”

Windemere: Susanna Halliday Miller

3rd  Chinasa Mbanugo  “Roses”

Dorris Eaton: Melissa Parker 

8th Grade 

1st Isabelle Jia  “Iced”

Windemere: Mitchell Jensen 

2nd  Isabelle Jia  “Spill the Shots”

Windemere: Mitchell Jensen 

3rd  Victor Wu  “I Play Keyboard for the Internet”

Canterbury: Jeanne Wong 

Short Story

 6th Grade

 1st  Grace Corrigan  “The Mystery of Angelica”

Foothill: Mr. Hoshow

 2nd  Asha Jotwani  “Lost Hearts”

Windemere: Deborah Robinson

 3rd  Liann Bielicki  “Doll”

Iron Horse: Rebecca Tenelshof 

 7th Grade

 1st  Rivca Chaver  “Cherry Blossoms”

Tehiyah Day: Stephanie Piper 

2nd  Aaron Ouyang  “The Spark”

Dorris Eaton: Melissa Parker 

3rd  Emily Moreira  “Ward 21”

PineValley: Mrs. Ciriaco 

 8th Grade

 1st  Benjamin Tan  “Wildflower”

Windemere: Mary Blasquez 

2nd  Ingrid Lam  “Bittersweet”

PineValley: Kimberly Murray 

3rd  Alexandra Reincecke  “The Chasers”

Orinda: Barbara Gunderson

 Humor

6th Grade

 Morgan Micallef  “Butterfingers”

Walnut Creek: Tina Ahmed 

7th Grade

 Hannah Brown  “My Lotus Flower and My Odysseus (The Story of My Life)”

Orinda: Cecilia Kilmartin

Looking forward to meeting all of you at the banquet!

High Schoolers Study
 
 
2014 Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest    
 
Deadline:  July 26, 2014
For International artists’ 10th Annual Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest — Enter Now!
 
 As part of the celebration of National Poetry Month,  the contest presents five new categories: “Once Upon A Time,” “Ten Years From Now,” “It’s A Miracle,” “A Journey Worth Taking” and “People Are Funny.” 
Poets may submit a maximum of three poems, no more than one in each of three of the five contest categories. Poems may be in rhyme, free verse, Haiku or other accepted poetry forms and of any length, up to a maximum of 60 lines.Everyone is encouraged to enter the contest.  Poets do not have to live in Lincoln, CA to be eligible. Young Poets, 18-years of age or under, are encouraged to submit poems and will compete in a special “Young Poets” category.Entry Forms and Contest Rules are can be downloaded from www.libraryatlincoln.org

Entry Forms must be received no later than Saturday, July 26, 2014.  Early submissions are appreciated.

Winners will read their poems on Sunday, October 12, 2014 at the Voices of Lincoln event to be held from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. in the Willow Room at the Lincoln Public Library at Twelve Bridges, 485 Twelve Bridges Drive, Lincoln, CA.  Winners also will be presented with a commemorative chapbook of the winning poems.

Last year, one hundred thirty-three (133) poets submitted 272 poems. We had 56 entrants submit 81 poems in the “Young Poets” category. The 2013 contest had entries from 34 California cities and 10 out-of-state cities from eight (8) states. In addition, the Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest went international again last year. One entry came from Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. 

The Voices of Lincoln Poetry Contest is presented by the Poets Club of Lincoln and is sponsored by the Lincoln Library and the Friends of the Lincoln Library.

Deadline: 07-26-2014
Poets Club of Lincoln
Lincoln, CA

Contact: Alan Lowe, Contest Coordinator
email: [email protected]
Phone: 916.408.1274
Website: www.libraryatlincoln.org

___________________________________

California Writers Club Young Writers Contest: 

I will post first, second and third place winners on this blog after they have been contacted personally.  (Process has begun!  Judging is complete!)  Fabulous entries from all over Contra Costa. 

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How can you write a scene with emotional impact, reader involvement, and suspense? 

Author Jordan Rosenfeld spoke to the California Writers Club, Mt. Diablo Branch and shared valuable tips for writers of all genres.  

 With every scene you create, ask yourself, what is the point of the scene?  Does it move your story forward, or is it just a block of setting description?  In showing setting, make your character interact with her surroundings

Great advice!  I critiqued manuscripts at one conference where a writer created a lovely Victorian Christmas which dominated the first chapter.  I suggested she weave in the setting elements as the character acted and reacted, foreshadowing the mystery ahead. 

She said, “Great idea!  But this house doesn’t play a role in the rest of my story at all.”  So why include it?  Once she began writing with her plot and character in mind, her character acted, reacted, and experienced the setting through sensory images.  It wasn’t overblown this time, and she created a reason for her scene to be there: she introduced characters and hinted at the mystery coming.

Rosenfeld advised writers create tension through emotional complexity.  Characters can experience more than one feeling at a time.  The uncertainty can be showed through their thoughts and dialogue, the writer’s word choice, how a word sounds, and imagery

For more information, read her book, Make Scenes, published through Writer’s Digest, and visit her website:  www.jordanrosenfeld.net  

Writing Prompts:

  1. It’s your turn!  Create a scene by involving your character in the setting shown through the elements above.  Make sure your scene moves the story’s plot forward.  Ask yourself:  Why must it be here?
  2. Tony Serra, attorney for Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Cow, at a federal court appearance said, “Law enforcement is supposed to investigate crime and criminal activity.  In this case, they created crime and criminal activity.”  (Source:  Heather Knight, San Francisco Chronicle.)  Use this quote to create a scene employing Rosenfeld’s advice. 
  3. Write an article, nonfiction piece, or essay with a scene focusing on the tips above.

 

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Watch the humorous video below.  After you stop laughing, write this scene from the point of view of the mailman.  Then write it from the point of view of the cat.   It may be more difficult that it looks.   Sometimes describing actions while communicating humor isn’t easy. 

http://biggeekdad.com/2014/02/mailman-vs-cat/