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Mistaken Identity

The other day I took Zoie for a walk and noticed “my” red-tailed hawk flying low over our house.  Looking for lunch? 

We came inside and heard a CA-THUNK. 

“What was that?” asked my husband. 

We both looked out of the living room windows which over-look the oak trees, the open space, and our deck.  Nothing that we could see had been disturbed. 

“Probably the neighbors,” I said.  So many people around us are either retired or work at home, there is lots of noise and activity around us these days. 

It was time for Zoie to go on the downstairs deck for her good sniffs.  I joined her and glanced down at the small sliver of land we have before it drops off into a sharp hill below.   That’s where Bob perched his beloved plastic $3.99 pink flamingoes. (Sigh) Why?  Partly because he likes them, and mostly to jokingly annoy me.  It sort of matches the fuzzy dice he has hanging from the mirror in his truck.  (Sigh #2)  He USED to have them in his El Camino.  (Sigh #3)  But that’s another story . . .

It was then I noticed that one of the pink flamingoes was lying at the bottom of our hill, leaning against our fence.  Its legs were still standing firmly in the ground at the top of the hill.  Without the fence to stop it, the body of the plastic bird would be in the creek by now.  (Darn that fence . . .)

On its wings were deep gashes . . .    Holes punctured the head. 

I gazed upward and saw the hawk.  “Sorry,” I sent telepathically to him.  “Wish you would have succeeded in carrying it off.  Hope you have better luck with your lunch on your next try.”

Writing Prompts:

1. The dive-bombing hawk at the plastic pink flamingo must have been very disappointed to discover his case of mistaken identity.  When have you ever had a case of mistaken identity?  Ever think someone or something was different from reality?  Write a personal narrative about this happening. 

2.  Write a short story about a mistaken identity.  It could be a comedy, a tragedy, a mystery, a romance or even a science fiction piece. 

3.  Create a poem with that theme.  Remember a poem is not just prose set up into poetry format.  Take out all the unimportant words and replace them with images and concrete words that show and don’t tell. 

4.  Write a newspaper article about a case of mistaken identity in journalistic form. 

How do all of these types of writing differ?  Which one is the easiest for you?  The most difficult?

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Colonial Essay Contest! Grades 5 – 8 Contra Costa County

 Celebrate America’s History!

Are you in 5th through 8th grade? 

You’re invited to participate in an…

   Essay Contest

 Topic:  Memoirs of Paul Revere

 In celebration in 2010 of the 275th anniversary of the birth of Paul Revere, pretend you are Paul Revere writing your memoirs.  Relate various accomplishments for which you wish to be remembered in the annals of American history.

 Open to Grades 5-8

Length:  300 – 1,000 words (depending on grade level)

Essays Due :  November 30, 2009

 To:  Leslie A. Pfeifer, American History Chairman, Daughters of the American Revolution

Anne Loucks Chapter

[email protected]

Essay is to be handwritten in black ink, typed, or prepared on a computer or word processor using black type in non-script font no smaller than 12 point or larger than 14 point. 

All of the essay must be the student’s original work.  Each essay must have a title page listing the following:

Title of Essay:  “Memoirs of Paul Revere”

(A subtitle is permitted if written below the topic.)

Contestant’s full name and address.  If the school’s regulations prohibit providing the student contact information, then school contact information may be substituted. 

Contestant’s telephone number (with area code) and e-mail address, if available.

Name of contestant’s school with grade level.

Name of sponsoring DAR chapter

Number of words in essay

Essay must have a bibliography listing all references utilized.  Internet resources, if used, should be cited in similar format to that used for printed resources.  Add the electronic address used to access the document as supplementary information.  Any essay with information copied directly from sources without using quotes will be disqualified.  

**To be eligible for this contest, students must live and go to school (or be homeschooled)  in Contra Costa County.  Questions?  Contact Leslie at the above e-mail address.  You may also email her your essay before November 30, 2009.  Good luck!

 

 

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Your Brush with Fame and History

Have you ever had known or met a famous person who made her mark in history?   Met a president, an inventor, an explorer or other notable?  Had a discussion, grew up with a person that became famous or infamous?

Known a celebrity?

Share your experience in a personal narrative.  How did this experience change you?  Does the person the world knows differ from the person you met?  Or are they the same?  If it’s a person in history, you may sell this piece to the History Alive column in History Magazine.  Or there are many back pages in magazines that accept first person pieces.

Or you may take this idea another way.  Did YOU almost arrive at fame?  How? 

Remember to put specific details and an anecdote in either piece to make the reader feel like they know you and the other person.

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Poetry and Essay Contests for Kids – Three Contests Yearly for Each Category!

http://www.poeticpower.com/Contest.html

Poetry and Essay Contests for Kids, Grades K – 12 in the U.S. and Canada.

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The Near Future. . . Books on IPAD

http://gizmodo.com/5485150/penguins-incredible-vision-of-books-on-the-ipad-doesnt-look-anything-like-books

Then read the article here:  The Fate of Books After the Age of Print

http://www.truthdig.com/arts_culture/item/steve_wasserman_on_the_fate_of_books_after_the_age_of_print_20100305/

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The First Time I . . .

            Personal Narrative Writing Prompt

            The title of your piece is The First Time I . . .

How will you finish it?  Some possibilities could be . . .

 . . . rode a bike . . . was kissed . . . fell in love . . . told a lie . . . found out a secret . . . had to keep a secret . . . told a secret . . . got punished . . . did a random act of kindness . . . got seriously injured or hurt . . . stayed in the hospital . . . traveled out of state . . . traveled out of the country . . . felt guilty . . . committed a crime . . . failed a test . . . got hurt in a friendship . . . hurt a friend .  . . performed in front of an audience . . . got published . . .saved a life . . . bonded with an animal . . . got a pet . . . found a passion . . . learned how to _______ . . . faced death . . . went camping . . . saw a ghost . . . saw an angel . . .  remembered a wonderful dream . . . had a nightmare . . . ran for office . . . planted a garden . . .

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Writing Workshops . . . Now Write!

Attendance at the Young Writer Workshops were at an all-time high this year, with 33 students participating at the Concord Library’s event on January 30, and 52 middle schoolers creating short stories and personal narratives at Ygnacio Valley Library’s Workshop. 

Students came from all over Contra Costa County and even places such as San Jose, Saratoga, Manteca, Berkeley and Oakland.  Although any middle school student may come to the free workshops, only those who live in or attend schools in Contra Costa County may submit their poems, short stories and personal narratives/essays to the Young Writers Contest.  (Deadline, April 12)

Students wrote, shared their wonderful writing, asked questions about writing technique, how to become writers both now and later in their careers, and discovered tips about writing and the life of a writer.  

As to the contests, manuscripts are beginning to come in now.   We’re looking forward to reading them! 

Writing Ideas for you:

Poetry 

Write in the point of view of an object.  Personify this thing, giving it thoughts and feelings.  Remember, poems do not have to rhyme. 

Personal Narrative

Write about a moment where you experienced emotion.  It could be your first crush, a time you did something wrong and were caught, or a scary experience you had as a little child.  Write about this event, using sensory details.  Next, think about who you were when this happened to you.  Why did this memory stick with you?  Write about why you think this impacted you so deeply, and how it could have changed you for the better. 

Short Story 

Here’s the beginning of the story.  Finish it. 

Flames licked at the door.  “Quick! This way!” he yelled, coughing and ducking low to avoid the smoke.   Someone started this fire, I thought.  But who? 

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Join our free Writing Workshop! Enter our Free Contest!

If you are a middle school student in Contra Costa County, you should join author Sarah Wilson and me on January 30 or February 6 for a free writing workshop through our libraries.  The registration form is on an earlier post below, or at right.

Why should you donate a morning to come to your local library?

We’ll show you how writing can be fun.  (Really!)  We play a writing game, talk about the best secret tips we know, and give you the “inside low-down” on the publishing business. We’ll do some writing, sharing, (ONLY if you want to . . . we never force people to share) and then it’s time for your questions. 

Many of the local English teachers offer extra credit if you attend.  Go ahead – – ask your English teacher.  We’ll be happy to sign anything you need for proof.

 Do you have a question about getting published?  How to write so your reader won’t be able to put your story down?  Want to know what it’s really like to be a children’s author?  (no, we don’t ride in a limo . . .)  We’ll give you techniques, guidance, and help you along your way.  You’ll  meet other writers your age, get a chance to win a free book in our raffle, and learn more about our California Writers Club Young Writers contest.  (guidelines also at right)

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Not Just Any Other Day

It starts off like any other day.  Any writer luncheon.  Fascinating people surround me at our table.  Lynn is teaching a new class in writing.  Hank shares his journey of marketing his futuristic novel. Peter asks me how I got my first book published.        

As I reach for the water pitcher, the friend at my left chokes.  

            “Are you all right?” I ask.

            She shakes her head no. 

            No? 

            That’s not the right answer.  It’s not the expected answer. 

            “Do you need the Heimlich?”

            She shakes her head yes.  Her eyes shine with fear.   

            Our tablemates freeze. 

            Everything moves in slow motion.

Yet everything happens quickly.  How can this be? 

I stand.

Reach around her — make a clasped fist. 

Push up.  Push up.  Push up.

            Nothing. 

            She coughs.  Sputters. 

            She does not gasp.

            No air.   

            How much time does she have?

            I fail.

            I yell into the room.  “HEIMLICH?  HEIMLICH?”

            For a moment, the room is frozen.  

            Now she stands behind my chair.  She leans over.  Pushes against it.  

            Coughing.  Sputtering. 

            Eyes watering. 

            Panic. 

            “HEIMLICH!”  I gesture.  Come!  

            Now people spring into action.  Others try.  Others fail. 

            The restaurant manager comes into the room. 

Terror.

            How long can she last?

            “An ambulance is coming,” I hear someone say.

            Not fast enough.        

            I look at Hank across the table.  My eyes widen.

            Do I gesture? Or does he read my eyes?

            He jumps up. 

            I know I cross myself. 

            Hail Mary Full of Grace.  Hail Mary Full of Grace.  Hail Mary . . .

            And then she breathes. 

            It’s another day. 

Writing Prompt:   1.  When have you had a scary experience  in your life?  What happened?  How did you feel?  You can make a small anecdote like I wrote above into a full length personal narrative by slowing-down-the-moment with more sensory details, dialogue, feelings and thoughts. 

2.  Turn an exciting experience that you have had into a short story or poem or piece of art.  By turning a potential traumatic or negative experience into a piece of writing or art, you can “own” the memory or moment in time and come to grips with it more easily.

3.  How will you move on?  What have you learned from this experience?  How has it made you stronger?  Choose a genre or art form to show this.

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Chicken Soup for the Soul Needs Teen Submissions!

                                                                          

 The stories in this book, written almost entirely by teens, will be stories that you will want to read again and again. They will serve as your guide on topics such as the daily pressures of life, love, school, friendships, parents and much more. We are looking for stories that will encourage you, inspire you, make you laugh, make you cry and show you that, as tough as things can get, you are not alone. The deadline date for story submissions is June 30, 2010.

Recipe for A Winning Chicken Soup for the Soul Story

A Chicken Soup for the Soul story is an inspirational, true story about ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It is a story that opens the heart and rekindles the spirit. It is a simple, inter-denominational, living art piece that touches the soul of the readers and helps them discover basic principles they can use in their own lives. They are personal and often filled with emotion and drama. They are filled with vivid images created by using the five senses. In some stories, the readers feel that they are actually in the scene with the people.

Chicken Soup for the Soul stories are written in the first person and have a beginning, middle and an ending that often closes with a punch, creating emotion rather than simply talking about it. Chicken Soup for the Soul stories have heart, but also something extra…an element that makes us all feel more hopeful, more connected, more thankful, more passionate and better about life in general. A story that causes tears, laughter, goosebumps or any combination of these. A good story covers the range of human emotions.

The most powerful stories are about people extending themselves, or performing an act of love, service or courage for another person.

Guidelines for a Chicken Soup for the Soul Story

1. Tell an exciting, sad or funny story about something that has happened to you or someone you know. Make sure that you introduce the character(s). Please know that your story should be written in the first person.

2. Tell your story in a way that will make the reader cry, laugh or get goose bumps (the good kind!) Don’t leave anything out — how did you feel?

3. The story should start with action; it should include a problem, issue or situation. It should include dialogue and the character should express their feelings though the conflict or situation. It should end in a result, such as a lesson learned, a positive change or pay-off.

4. Above all, let it come from your HEART! Your story is important!

What a Chicken Soup for the Soul story IS NOT:

1. A sermon, an essay or eulogy.

2. An “as told to” story written in the third person.

3. A term paper, thesis, letter or journal entry.

4. About politics or controversial issues.

5. A biography or testimonial.

Story Specifications

1. We are no longer able to accept or consider any submissions sent by fax or postal mail. Please know that the only way to submit your stories or poems to us is via our website: www.chickensoup.com. If you have any problems when trying to submit, please contact our webmaster at: [email protected].

2. Stories and poems should be non-fiction, ranging in length between 300-1200 words.

3. No anonymous, author unknown or “as told to” submissions, please.

4. Send only one copy of each submission.

5. Be sure to keep a copy of the stories and/or poems that you submit to us. Please do not contact us and ask us to send you a copy of anything you have previously submitted. We are unable to do that.

6. Please submit only stories or poems that have not been previously published. The only exception to this is if your work has only been published in a small local publication with limited circulation.  

If the story or poem you wrote is published by us, you will be paid $200 upon publication of the book plus you will receive ten free copies of the book your story or poem appears in.

When you submit your story to us through our website, you will received an immediate response that we have received it. It is the next screen that comes up after you hit the submit button and not a separate e-mail message from us. The message says, “Thank you! Your information has been received.” This is the confirmation that your story has been delivered and accepted into our submission process. It is the only acknowledgment you will receive from us. If you receive an error message when trying to submit, please contact our webmaster for assistance. If you do not have Internet access at home, you can always visit a local library.

It can take up to three or four years for Chicken Soup for the Soul books to develop. Please be patient, as this is an important, yet time-consuming process. If your story is chosen for a future edition of Chicken Soup for the Soul or any other projects, you will be notified and your permission to print it will be requested. Please know that we never publish anything without written permission from the author.

Feel free to submit more than one story or poem to us consider.

Please do not send us any book manuscripts, unless through a literary agent, as these will be automatically discarded

Visit  http://www.chickensoup.com/form.asp?cid=possible_books

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