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Writing Contest Age 13 and Up – Quiet Moments

 

To enter:

  • Describe a special quiet moment and email it to [email protected] by May 15, 2010.
  • You can send us a drawing as an attached file as well, if you like, but please try to keep it under 40K.
  • If you’re affiliated with a bookstore, school, or library, be sure to let us know which one!
  • NOTE: You must be 13 or older to enter this drawing.

Here are some of your quiet moments:

“Walking to the beach in the early morning quiet.”—Beth, librarian, Norwich Public Library

“Before the public library first opens its doors in the morning.”—Susan, librarian, Dearborn Dept. of Libraries

“Skiing down an empty slope on a cold winter morning quiet.”—Sarah, reader

“Snow falling in the woods quiet.”—Vicki, librarian, Stark County District Library

“The moment between the asking and the YES.”—Wanda, Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance

“Smelling my baby’s head quiet.”—Amy, librarian, Doyle Library

“Staring at the stars quiet.”—Nancy, bookseller, Unabridged Bookstore

“Power outage quiet.”—Jane, reader

“Watching the bookseller unlock the front door quiet.”—Carol, bookseller, Eight Cousins

“After the birthday party quiet.”—Joanna, reader

“First sip of tea quiet.”—Paula, bookseller, Covered Treasures Bookstore

http://www.hmhbooks.com/quietmoments/

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California Writers Club Young Writers Contest

This week everyone who entered the contest should receive something from the California Writers Club.  All the letters and honorable mentions have been mailed.  The students who have placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd will receive their honorable mentions (if they received any in addition to their main award) at the banquet.

If you don’t get anything in the mail this week from us, it means that your address was misread and typed incorrectly.  Some of your printing is less desirable than your creative writing talent.

I called one child’s home and discovered the father printed his child’s form. 

“Do you happen to be an engineer?” I asked him. 

“Yes, why?” he asked.

I sighed.  “Because my husband is an engineer and no one can read his printing either.” 

So if the letter comes back to us in our  California Writers Club box, then I’ll call or email you to learn the correct address. 

But otherwise, you should hear this week.

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Got a Yen to Haiku?

Pen a haiku to the pet peeve of your choice.  Send it – – three lines in a 5-7-5 syllable pattern, extra points for wit – – to [email protected] by noon May 31.

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California Writers Club Young Writers Contest

If you entered our contest but your name isn’t up here, you may have won an honorable mention.  Everyone will hear from us within the next month.  And if you didn’t win, it just means that at this moment in time, the judges chose another piece other than yours.  That is ALL that it means. 

All published authors have entered their manuscripts into contests or tried to get their books published and their manuscripts have not been chosen at one time or another.  What do they do?  They try again.  They keep writing. 

Some students who entered this year and won, have entered this contest in previous years and came close to winning, but didn’t carry away a prize.  However, they kept writing and entering, and now they’ve succeeded. 

If you are a sixth or seventh grade student, please enter again.  You may start writing your next year’s entries now!  If you are an 8th grade student, there are other contests you can enter.  I post them here on this blog when I find them.  And you 6th and 7th graders, keep entering other contests too.

You can ask for advice on how to make your stories, essays and poems  better.  Write your questions here.  Attend writing workshops to help you.  Ask your teacher for advice.  Start a writing critique group with your friends.  Each of these ways will help improve you writing craft. 

College teachers tell me that the most sought-after students are the ONES WHO ARE GOOD WRITERS.  Believe it or not, this is the skill that many kids lack.    Employers also are thrilled when their employees can write.   (Many adults really can’t write well, even if they are wizards in math, science or other subjects.) 

So congratulations to everyone who has participated in this contest.  Writing itself is a risk.  You put your soul on paper!  And it’s not easy, either, is it?  Thanks for entering.  Hope to see you at a workshop, our banquet, or another reading or writing event.  And hope to see you here, asking questions and giving advice about good books you read.    Liz

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California Writers Club Mt. Diablo, Young Writers Contest

Congratulations to all!

2010 Young Writers Contest  Winners  

6th Grade Poetry

1st  Amelia Harrison   “At Night”

Charlotte Wood:  Jamelle Angelelo

 2nd  Priya Canzius   “I am from . . .”

Athenian:  Chris McCulloch

 3rd  Maximilian Jennings   “Firelight”

Athenian:  Meg Freedman

 7th Grade Poetry

1st   Gita Mallya    “Writing Blocks”

 WCI:  Linda Linton

 2nd  Melissa Rivera    “Morning Bird”

Sequoia: Susan Sutherland

 3rd  Piper Mik    “The Ocean”  

Dorris-Eaton:  Terry Salteil

 8th Grade Poetry

1st Carissa Yen   “Pen”

Iron Horse:  Lynette Gonzales

2nd  Sejal Jain    “Dancer”

Gale Ranch:  Deborah Bernard

 3rd  Caitlin Kloess    “Bandstand”

Windrush:  Kai Marks

6th Grade Short Story

1st  Michaela Peterson   “The Winter of the Snow Fairies”

Sequoia Middle: Jane Enloe

 2nd Belle Goodson     “1906”

Pine Valley:  Robin White

 3rd   Mikaela Magwili   “The Dream to Dance”

Queen of All Saints:  Katie Perata

7th Grade Short Story

1st  Sarah Sweeney   “Death Song”

Joaquin Moraga:  Patti Forster

 2nd  Zhill Olonan  “Stranded”

Adams:  Mrs. Griggs

3rd  Andrea Ouyang   “Escape!”

Iron Horse:  Cheryl Keller

 8th Grade Short Story

1st  Gabriel Ostler   “The Thin Line”

OI:  Barbara Gunderson

 2nd Sean Lee  “The Soul Within”

Windemere Ranch:  Jennifer Sabri

3rd Katherine Alfaro  “Fallen Doves & Crumpled Letters”

Dorris-Eaton: Deenie Schoenfeld

6th Grade Essay

1st Gabriella Respicio    “The Tsunami”

St. Patrick: Karen Francis

 2nd Sarah Joo  “Now I Miss Her”

Diablo Vista:  Bonnie Meyers

 3rd   Jenna Grigsby   “A Helping Hand “

Pine Hollow: Leeat Medina

7th Grade Essay

1st Isadora Palmer-Collins Stern      “Intertwined “

Orinda I:  Ceci Kilmartin

 2nd  Bianca Palmer-Collins Stern       “Riptide”

OI:  Ceci Kilmartin

3rd Vanessa Tang     “Vertical Velosity, V2”

Dorris-Eaton: Terry Saltiel

8th Grade Essay

1st   Varun Iyengar   “Medusa”

Windemere Ranch:  Robert Loney

2nd Tiffany S. Zheng    “The Athlete’s Dream”

Dorris-Eaton:  Deeni Shoenfeld

 3rd  Barbara Montano  “Nothing Was the Same”

St. Jerome:  Margo Watson

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Melissa Manlove From Chronicle Books Speaks at California Writers Club, Mt. Diablo Branch

The California Writers Club ~ Mount Diablo Branch

“One Hundred Years of Excellence in Writing”

Welcomes Award-Winning Middle School Writers and  Guest Speaker

 Melissa Manlove, Editor, Chronicle Books

 May 15, 2010

 Melissa Manlove is passionate about children’s books in all age groups and most genres. Her pursuit of that passion has led her to the position of  acquisitions editor of children’s books for Chronicle Books (San Francisco).

For the past 11 years, she has also been on the bookseller’s end of the children’s market. When acquiring for Chronicle, she keeps an eye out for something unique and new, while also seeking fresh takes on familiar themes. With many of our members and guests writing and publishing for the youth market, this is an outstanding opportunity to get insider tips on how to query, submit, and succeed in today’s competitive atmosphere.

 April Meeting Details

Date & Time: Saturday, May 15, 2010, with sign-in at 11 a.m., followed by viewing of prize-winners’ displays.

Location: Zio Fraedo’s Restaurant at 611 Gregory Lane (near the corner of Pleasant Hill Road and Gregory Lane in Pleasant Hill). Parking is available both in front of and behind the restaurant. Zio Fraedo’s phone number is (925) 933-9091.

Cost: $20 for both CWC members and guests

Menu: Zio Fraedo’s sumptuous buffet.

Reservations: Reservations are required and must be received no later than noon on Wednesday, May 12. To make a reservation, contact Jean Georgakopoulos, via e-mail at, [email protected], or by phone at (925) 934-5677. Expect confirmation only if you e-mail your reservation.

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You Be the Judge

Pretend you are the judge of a contest.  You will choose 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place of your favorite books or stories of all time.  What ARE your favorite books/stories? 

First, you’ll have to re-read them.  As you read them, write notes to yourself.  What kind of notes? 

What do you love about this story?  Be specific.  What grabs you?  What holds you and doesn’t let you go?  Does the author do a great job with word choice, setting, character or suspense?  Make you laugh?  Let you feel like you are the character?

Along with what you love, you must be honest and realize there may be something the author might be missing.  What does the story lack?  Anything?  Or is it almost perfect?  What could be better? 

After you’ve read your stories and made your notes, it’s time to evaluate. 

Which story stands out as the best?  You don’t know?  They all are great?  Re-read your notes.  Does that help?  If not, you’ll have to read your stories again or ask for another judge’s opinion.  You’ll need to discuss your notes with the other judge.  You may debate! 

This is similar to what we do as judges in the California Young Writers Contest.  Trust me, it isn’t easy.   When you are faced with a stack of terrific writing, it’s tough choosing only three. 

The process continues. 

And as you read for pleasure, practice your critiquing skills.  These will help you grow as a writer so that you’ll be able to critique your own work better.  You will grow as a writer too.

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Contest Deadline Approaches!

Attention Contra Costa Middle School Students!  The California Writers Club Young Writers Contest deadline is Monday, April 12!  That means your manuscripts must be POSTMARKED (mailed) by that date.  (Not after the post office closes on April 12.  They will stamp it April 13.)

Send us as many entries as you like, as long as you follow the guidelines.  I’ll be checking the post box next week and organizing the manuscripts into the appropriate grades and categories.  Next, I deliver them to the judges.  (I judge a couple of categories myself.)

Reading the wonderful stories, poems and personal narratives/essays are fun and inspiring!   After we read them several times, we talk and e-mail each other about the submissions. 

We try to judge them as quickly as possible.  When they judges get back to me, I call the winners personally.  Then I announce them here.  Some judges are more quick at their jobs than others.  Don’t worry if you don’t hear right away.   It does take time to read all of the submissions several times. 

Good luck!

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Question from a Student Writer

Question:
I was just wondering, if you were writing a story, would the place your story is set have to be in existence?
Answer:  No.  If you are writing a story you can make up anything you want to. It’s fiction.  However, you can also choose to place a story in a real town too.  That’s your choice.  It’s up to you.  That is what is so great about fiction and why we writers love it!
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California Writers Club Young Writers Contest Questions

Yesterday I visited two classes at a local middle school.   I think I need to hang-out with this age-group more often.   The kids were funny, insightful, and asked great questions!  

Here are some of the questions that popped up regarding the California Writers Club Young Writers Contest.

1.  Can we enter more than one story in the contest?  Yes!  You CAN enter more than one story.  You can also enter more than one category. 

2.  How do we mail them?  Separately?  Together?  Either way.  Just follow the guidelines. 

3.  Is it all right if the teacher gives us extra credit or bonus points for sending in our creative writing to you?  Yes! Absolutely! 

4.  Do the poems we write have to rhyme?  No. 

5.  Can the short story we write be UNDER five pages?  Yes.   Just don’t go over five pages. 

6.  Can the personal narrative/essay be UNDER three pages?  Yes.  Just don’t go over three pages. 

7.  Can we send in the entries now?  Yes!  Get them in by April 12.

8.  Are you reading them already?   No.  I’m opening them and glancing to see if kids are following the guidelines. 

9.  Are they?    Most of them are.  Some of the short story writers are not double-spacing.  They seem to be double-spacing between paragraphs but not each line.  This means you didn’t follow the guidelines and you can’t win.  If you  did this, send it in again to us before the deadline.  We will disregard your other story and will read the story that follows the guidelines!

10.  Do you have any other tips on how we can win the contest?  Yes.  See the pages on short story, personal narrative, and poetry, at the right on this blog.

In the second class I talked to, we had a little more time so I got to ask THEM some questions.   Since I’m writing books for kids younger than anyone I’m around on a regular basis, it’s difficult to know what is “in” or what is “out” today.   What slang do they use?  What would a middle schooler do and say?  A lot has changed since my son was that age and since I was a teacher.

 I discovered some kids are writing longer works of fiction.  One boy is writing a novel staring lots of characters!  Oh my.  I’m amazed.  I wish I had begun writing like that at his age.  What ambition!  He’ll be able to polish his book and enter it in the Scholastic Contest. 

One boy had his nose in an Orson Scott Card novel.  I hope he’ll send us a fantasy or science fiction story.  What is your reading passion?  If you like to read mysteries, you’d be great at writing them. 

What is your passion?  Enjoy softball?  Write a short story, a personal experience you had about the game, or a poem about softball.  Or perhaps all three!

Good luck!

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