Coincidences in Your Life

A few weeks ago I dreamed my dad visited me while I was asleep in bed.  I opened my eyes but before I could say a word, he crept out, not wanting to awake me.  He wore his old work jacket and Wisconsin winter cap which I hadn’t seen it in years.  It reminded me of  times when we shoveled snow together, built snow forts, or went tobagonning.

Then I awoke from this dream.  It was just a brief moment of Dad, but it brought his smile, his warmth, and his thoughtfulness. 

First thing on my schedule that morning was a dentist appointment.  As I sat in the reclining chair, the first strains of Christmas music filled the room.  Tears filled my eyes.  With Dad, Christmas was his favorite thing next to church!  As a youth Dad would ask me to play Christmas music on the piano, or they’d be heard all through the house from the record player or radio.

In his later years, he had us set his transistor on KOIT, the station that played nonstop Christmas carols from December 1 – 25.  He listened to it constantly.   If the knob got bumped, we’d get a call to come over and “fix his broken radio.”  Bob or I would become an immediate hero when we did. 

So there I sat in the dentist’s office, the first time I heard a Christmas carol without my dad by my side.  Tears were in my eyes. Maryanne, the hygenist, saw me and patted my arm.  “Just want to let you know that I thought of you and your dad on All Soul’s Day.  I said a special prayer for him,” she said. 

That did it.  We hugged and I shared my recent dream with her.  

The song lyrics at that moment?  

” . . . I’ll see you in my dreams.”

Writing Prompt:  1. When have coincidences occurred in your life?  Write about a special one that holds meaning for you.

2.  Keep a journal of these interesting moments of serendipity. 

3.  Keep a dream journal.  Try to figure out what symbols that reoccurr in your dreams can represent in your life.  If you have dreams that happen again and again, your inner self is trying to give you a message.

/0 Comments
, ,

The Past and the Future

When you were young, how did you envision yourself all grown up? When I was an eighth grader in Wisconsin, our English class assignment was to interview each other and write up the interviews about our classmates in the far-away future space age . . . the year 2000. Someone made a booklet cover with a space ship flying among the stars and we were all set.

As for the article about me, I was to be a teacher, with a terrier, who lived in California.

Although I no longer teach, I did for many years. And the photo of my Yorkshire Terrier, Zoie, is at the right and also on my website. I came to California for college and never left, except for visits to the Midwest.

But as a child I never dared dream I’d be a children’s book writer. That wasn’t an available choice. The closest thing offered on the guidance counselor’s form was “newspaper reporter,” which was of no interest to me.

Fortunately today, young people see authors in classrooms, bookstores, and online as examples of what they may become. There are contests and opportunities for them to become published in magazines, newspapers and even books. So although many of us lament what has happened to the “good old days,”  opportunities have been created for writing and the arts.

1. What about YOU? Write your history of what you wanted as a youngster and how it has differed. Or has it?

2. If you are a student, what do you hope for your future? You can write about your career, or your family, the world situation, your spiritual growth or any topic you choose.

3. How can you help advance writing and creativity today? Can you sponsor a contest? A brainstorming session at your school or library? Start a book or writer’s group?

/0 Comments
, , ,

The Penguin Parade

        Besides announcing writing contests and workshops, a reader reminded me that I said I’d write more about our trip to Australia.  Remember to use your own life  in writing too, if you are a student, a teacher, or a writer. 

        The most amazing experience on our trip that we had was on Phillip Island. Located Southeast of Melbourne and North of Tasmania, it’s the home of the famous Penguin Parade, where at dusk, hundreds upon hundreds of little penguins come out from the sea to bed down for the night in their on-land burrows.

       People sit on bleachers on the beach while we wait for the small penguins to arrive. We’ve been told that penguins are creatures of habit. The first time they make their way from the water to their new burrow will be the path they use every single time from then on.

       When the penguins come up from the sea, a few seagulls swoop down and scare them off. They chase them back to the water, but more penguins arrive, enough to make a mass statement against the gulls!

       As the penguins waddle up the beach, several in a group, more and more clusters swim up from the sea. When they reach the bleachers, we observers quietly rise and walk behind our seats to a lighted board walk. There, we watch the penguins closely while they toddle up hill on the sand.

       We’ve been prepped ahead of time by a ranger. Everyone whispers; no photography at all is taken to disturb their natural habitat. All we hear are the ocean waves and now the penguins talking with each other.

       So how do penguins talk anyway? Chirp. Squeak. Mews. Donald-Duck-Quacks. A mixture of all of these sounds. And as they settle into their burrows, they can be heard in the hills. Dots of their white vests show throughout the blackness.

       Penguin sounds. Ocean waves. Only whispers among us.

       Darkness everywhere, with only lights from the fence illuminating the Penguin Parade, the experience feels spiritual. There is something special in the air and we all sense it.

       As I look on in awe, I wonder if we sent warring beings here, would the world have a better chance for peace?

       When it’s time for Bob and me to get back up the hill to meet the tour group at our van, we hike briskly in the same direction as the penguins on the board walk. They keep up to us, stride for wobble.

       At the top of the hill, the ranger announces a penguin must cross over to the other side of the blacktop to his home. She moves us behind a painted white line and she lifts up a gate for the penguin who is patiently waiting his turn to cross.

       With his quiet audience in place, he shuffles across and waits on the other side for the ranger to open this gate which she does. Next, she closes them both and people resume their own walks.

       Two separate worlds. One understanding.      

Writing Prompts:  1. Write about the best part a trip you took.   It can be visiting a neighboring town, a trip to the park, or an overnight camping trip.  What was that special moment for you?

2.  Write about a moment that was special between you and another person.  It could be you and a good friend, you and an animal, or you and a relative.  What made it wonderful?

http://www.soundboard.com/sb/Penguin_Sounds_audio.aspx     Penguin Sounds

/0 Comments
, ,

Holiday Writing Contest, Dog Writing Contest and MORE!

Thank you Judith Marshall, a writer from California Writers Club who told us about a great website call helium.com. On it, they have a lot of writer’s contests. I couldn’t see any age requirements. Check for the various entry dates and topics for submissions.

(And if you decide not to actually enter, this site may give you ideas for writing prompts too.)

Example topics:
Celebrations Creative Writing Contest
Hot Earners Contest
Long-Term Earners Contest
Professionals Contest
Seasonal Earners Contest
Teachers Without Borders Contest
Title Madness Contest
Wide World of Sports Contest
Dogs

When I clicked Dogs, these topics appeared:

Autoimmune disease in dogs: Symptoms and treatments
Best breeds of dogs for runners
Best dog breeds for kids
Causes of Addison’s disease in dogs
Causes of skin irritations in dogs
Common dog pregnancy symptoms
Dangers of dogs eating table food
Dog breeds that don’t bark
Easiest breeds of dogs to train
Guide to using homeopathic remedies for dogs
Homemade dog food ingredients to avoid
How a dog gets worms
How to choose the right dog breed for you
How to crate train small dogs
How to train a dog to sit
Kidney failure in dogs: What to expect after the diagnosis
Overview of extra-large dog breeds
Tips for cleaning a dog sprayed by a skunk
What is dog mange?
When is a puppy considered full grown?

http://writing-contests.helium.com/

/0 Comments
, ,

KQED Radio Show’s Commentary, Video or Photo Slideshow Contest for Youth

Attention All of You Ages 13 – 27 in California!

KQED is looking for young people to share their Perspectives on two themes: “Coming Out” and “Friday Night.” Perspectives may take the form of a short commentary, video, or photo slideshow.

One grand prize, an iPod Touch, will be awarded to the best overall entry for each theme.

Selected Perspectives will also air on KQED Public Radio and be published on kqed.org throughout the months of January and March.

The deadline for the “Coming Out” theme is December 15, so don’t wait!

If you’ve got something to say (and we hope you do!) read the details below:

—————————————————————————–

THE KQED Youth Perspective Competition Rules and FAQs
1. Tell me more about the themes.

Coming Out: Submit your reflections on coming out as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, or revealing some other important personal secret about who you are or what you do that changed your life. Pieces should explore topics such as why you came out or how you changed, obstacles you had to overcome, help that you received or outcomes that you didn’t anticipate. Pieces from friends or family members of those who have come out are encouraged.

Friday Night: Friday nights mark a transition from the school week to personal time, sparking a change in many people. How does Friday night represent your world as a whole? What do you do, or not do, on Friday night that represents how your life is changing or how your life is unique? What does your Friday night say about you, your family, neighborhood, city, age, etc?

2. What is the prize?

One Perspective for each theme will be awarded a grand prize, an 8GB iPod Touch.3. Who can enter?

Anyone between the ages of 13 and 27 years old may submit a Perspective for possible publication or broadcast, however, you must be a resident of California to be eligible for the competition to win a prize. (If you’re under the age of 18, be sure to get your parents’ or guardians’ permission before entering!) Employees of KQED and their relatives are also not eligible to win prizes.

4. How long can my Perspective be?

Your Perspective can be anywhere from 20 seconds to two minutes long. For written Perspectives, that usually translates to 350-375 words, depending on your rate of speech.

5. When is the deadline?

Perspectives for the “Coming Out” theme need to be received by KQED editors by December 15, 2009. Perspectives for the “Friday Night” theme must be received by KQED editors by February 8, 2010.

6. What is the process for submitting a Perspective?

Step 1: Make a video, create a photo slideshow (with audio or without), or write a short commentary. However you express yourself, do it. Use the themes, “Coming Out” and “Friday Night” as a jumping-off point to reveal something about yourself or the world you live in. Read more about the themes below and listen to some Perspectives at kqed.org/perspectives to learn more about the series.

Step 2: Send us your Perspective. Email your entries to Mark Trautwein, Editor of the Perspectives series, at [email protected]. For text commentaries, simply email them as an attachment. For video commentaries, upload your video to an online video sharing site, such as YouTube, and send us the URL and embed code. For photo slideshows, create a slideshow using a photo sharing site like Flickr and send us an email, including a link or URL to the photo set. If you want to include audio, simply include the accompanying audio in your email.

Remember: Be sure to hold on to your original photos, video, and audio. When you email your entry, include your name, city, age, and a phone number and email address where we can reach you. When you upload your work to a video sharing site, be sure to set permissions to allow embedding on third-party websites. Also be sure to tag your video with the phrase “KQED Youth Perspectives Contest,” and your theme, “Coming Out” or “Friday Night.”

Step 3: If your written commentary is selected to air, an editor will contact you to schedule a time for you to record your Perspective in a studio. If your video or slideshow is chosen to be featured on kqed.org, an editor will contact you as well.

7. For slide shows, can I simply upload my photos?

A photo slideshow uses images to tell a story. Just as a writer is careful about what words she uses, a photographer gives thoughtful consideration to the photos selected, the order of the photos, and the captions that accompany each photo. A photo slideshow should have a narrative structure.

8. For videos, should I simply videotape myself talking?

Only you know the best way to tell your story, but we encourage you to get creative. Think of the images in your home, city, or neighborhood that communicate your ideas. While we love your pretty face, we want to see the world you live in, too. Most importantly, have fun.

9. Can I enter multiple Perspectives? Can I enter Perspectives on both themes?

Yes, but remember that each entry must be original. Participants may only be awarded one grand prize.

10. What information must I supply when I enter?

Each entrant must supply their name, city, age, phone number and email address.

11. What type of file format should I use?

Prepare your content in the highest resolution you can, and hang on to the original files. For audio, we prefer MP3 files.

12. Do I need to save my original video, audio and photo files once I’ve uploaded my submission?

Yes. KQED may need to edit your photos, video or audio using specific applications. We may also recommend small editorial changes.

13. How will entries be judged?

Entries will be judged in their submitted form on creative expression, originality, and storytelling. The judges will include, but will not be limited to, KQED staff. Winners will be notified by February 29, 2010.

14. Can my friends and I enter together?

While group entries may be broadcast or published, prizes will only be awarded to entries submitted by individuals.

15. What if I still have questions?

Send questions to Amanda Stupi at [email protected] or call (415) 553-2414.

16. What else do I need to know?

Well, the really legal stuff might come in handy, so here it is:

A. Once you have entered your Perspective following any of the methods noted above, KQED may edit and publish or broadcast your entry without paying you any compensation:

By submitting your entry into this competition, you hereby grant to KQED and its assigns the royalty-free nonexclusive right to copy, sublicense, edit, modify, publish, transmit, make derivative works, distribute, delete or display the content of the entry and elements embodied within the entry, in whole or in part, worldwide, in any media including television broadcast and via Internet download, streaming, transmission, exhibition or distribution by any computer-mediated networked communication systems, whether now existing or later invented in perpetuity, without limitation and without consideration or acknowledgment to you, including for advertising/publicity purposes without further permission, notice or compensation, except where prohibited by law. You understand, however, that KQED is not assuming any obligation hereunder to broadcast or distribute any Perspective submitted into the contest.

B. Your entry must be original and you must have all rights necessary to grant KQED permission to use the entry.

By participating in this contest, you warrant that your entry is an original work and that KQED’s use of the entry will not infringe upon or violate the rights of any third party. Just as one example, you must have the permission of any people pictured in your Perspective. Winners and selected entrants and/or their parents may be required to sign a statement confirming this.

C. Promotion and Publicity.

By entering, in addition to granting KQED the right to publicize portions of your entry, you grant to KQED the right to use your name and likeness in advertising and promotion without further compensation or permission.

On any companion website for your Perspective maintained by or on behalf of you, you agree, for the duration of the competition, to place in a prominent manner that the entry is being entered in the “KQED Youth Perspective Competition,” and to tag your work accordingly on YouTube, Flickr and other media sharing sites. Failure to do so may result in your entry being disqualified from the competition. You also agree not to claim or imply for any reason that KQED is a producer or co-producer of your video.

D. Responsibility for Acceptability of Entries.

You are responsible for ensuring your eligible entry is received by the deadline. KQED is not responsible for incomplete entries or technical difficulties of any kind that may prevent you from timely submitting an eligible entry.

E. Agreement to be Bound

By entering, you agree to be bound by the decisions of the judges and these official rules and to comply with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations as well as all rules and terms of use posted on KQED.org and the photo or video sharing sites used.

F. Entry and Compliance Disputes

Entries which are mutilated, incomplete, illegible, inaccurate, forged, irregular in any way, or otherwise not in compliance with these official rules are void. In the event of a dispute concerning who submitted an entry, the entry will be deemed to have been submitted by the authorized holder of the e-mail account from which the entry is made on the photo or video sharing site used. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person to whom an email address is assigned by an internet access provider, online service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address.

Automated entries of any kind, including but not limited to entries submitted using any bot, script, macro, or contest service, and third party entries are not permitted and will be disqualified.

KQED will validate all entries and will determine, at its sole discretion, whether each Perspective meets the entry criteria detailed herein for acceptance as an entry into the contest.

G. Release from Liability

You agree that KQED and related individuals or entities shall not be liable for losses or injuries of any kind resulting from acceptance of prize(s), participation in the contest, individual, joint or collective technical malfunctions of the telephone network and/or transmission line, computer on-line system, computer dating mechanism, computer equipment, hardware and/or software, or any delay or distortion of an entry resulting from data transmissions that are garbled, incomplete, misdirected, lost, mutilated, delayed, corrupted, mechanically duplicated, illegible or otherwise not in compliance with these official rules. You also agree that KQED is not liable for damage to a user’s computer system (including, without limitation, any server failure or lost, delayed or corrupted data or other malfunction) due, either directly or indirectly, to an entrant’s participation in the contest or downloading of information in connection with the contest. KQED reserves the right to modify or cancel the contest in the event that any portion of any website used to administer any aspect of the contest becomes technically corrupted.

H. Contest Sponsor

Northern California Public Broadcasting, Inc., the owner and operator of KQED, is the sponsor of this contest and is referred to throughout these rules as “KQED.” Any reference to KQED includes Northern California Public Broadcasting, Inc. and all stations owned and operated by it.

For more information:
http://www.kqed.org/radio/programs/perspectives/youthcontest.jsp

/0 Comments

Need a Writing Exercise?

Writing Exercise: Here are the top ten words of the year followed by the top ten phrases of the year. Your job? Choose one or more and use them in an essay/personal narrative, short story or poem.

Or try and be funny and use them all!

1. Twitter
2. Obama
3. H1N1
4. Stimulus
5. Vampire
6. 2.0
7. Deficit
8. Hadron
9. Healthcare
10. Transparency

Meanwhile, the 10 top phrases were:

1. King of Pop
2. Obama-mania
3. Climate change
4. Swine flu
5. Too large to fail
6. Cloud computing
7. Public option
8. Jai Ho!
9. Mayan calendar
10. God particle

List by Melanie Kramer, AOL

/0 Comments

Beneath Australian Outback Skies

Upon arrival (finally) in Darwin, our first full day we headed out to the track to see the MIT kids and our son with Eleanor, their race car in the World Solar Challenge. They readied their car and drove it in scrutineering trials so the safety engineers could make sure the vehicles passed all of the tests.

Our son has completed this race as a driver of the solar car in a few previous years while he was a student. This year, now as a graduate, he drove the lead car, responsible for communicating with the solar car and the chase vehicle behind it. The drivers of the solar car this time were the small, slender girls of the team. (the lightest of all possible weight!)

I recall watching the slightly cheesy movie about the solar car experience in Australia, RACE TO THE SUN, where they showed the road trains – – those huge trucks barreling down the highway. They’d do a real number on a solar vehicle, and I’d imagine a roo or a misplaced wallabye could get in the way of the race, too. But since we didn’t actually go through the outback with the kids, and instead flew down to Adelaide to meet them at the end, we had to ask them about their journey.

Beginning in Darwin and following the Stuart Highway, through the outback to Adelaide, the group bedded down beneath the starry skies. Without the glare of cars and electric lights below to diminsh their power, the night sky’s stars really illuminated the blackness.
And their sleep “mates?”
“The kangaroos aren’t shy,” says Tofer.
They’d hop or even sit right by their heads as they slept.

Meanwhile, we toured a river via small boat to see the crocs and lovely birds near Darwin before flying to the Adelaide destination. After the cruise (47 degrees centigrade . . . we were told 37 degrees C equals 100 degrees F!) we hiked in the forest, while swatting bugs and viewing Aboriginal rock art.

Writing Exercise: Can you imagine a place you’ve never been by listening to someone else’s story? Reading a book about it? Write a scene in a place you’ve never been or in an unfamiliar time period. Discover details by reading or interviewing someone who HAS lived in this place or time era.

I apologize for the lack of pictures on this site. It is due to my lack of technological expertise!

/0 Comments
, ,

Of Wiles in Oz

Every geographic area has a language all of its own. Sometimes it’s an accent. Other times it’s a unique slang. Either way, communication may become muddled and amusing. On our first trip to Australia in 2005 for our son’s World Solar Challenge Race, we visited Kangaroo Island by way of ferry. Upon arriving, we met our tour guide and group in a van.
“Did you see any wiles, mate?” asked the guide.
Bob and I scratched our heads. We didn’t have our “wiles” about us at that moment.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
The guide repeated his question.
“Did you see any wiles?”
Again, Bob and I eyed each other. What now? Play charades?
Then it hit us. The guide was asking if we had seen any WHALES while we were on our ferry ride.

This time we noticed signs in Darwin. POKIES. Poker is a big game in Australia. With a British influence, Bob ate bangers (sausages) one day and I had fish and chips for lunch.
We hiked in the bush (Australian’s country’s wildlife area) and saw a willy willy. (dusty wind that spirals upward) Saw a kiwi (person from New Zealand) and ate a dog’s breakfast. (messy!)
Upon entering an early morning tour bus, the guide greeted us and said, “Don’t worry, we’ll stop for a bit of breaky soon.” (breakfast)
I took a picture of a kangaroo and with a “joey” in her pouch and she examined me closely for any signs of food for sharing. Alas, they don’t recommend feeding them, so I couldn’t give her anything at all. But she still did a thorough search.

Writing Exercise: What slang is prominent in your area? Are “your people” known for an accent? When I came from Wisconsin, I was teased here in California not only for my Midwestern drawl, but for my “Milwaukee-ease.” Later, I turned this type of slang into a humor article for a San Francisco newspaper.
1. List as many various slang words from your region as you can recall. You may begin this list today and continue it for awhile. Ask friends to help you! It might consist of phrases as well as words themselves.
2. What about the accent? Try and describe the accent and how it varies from other dialects you here.
3. Work your unique area into a short story, personal experience piece, poem or article. It can be humorous, serious, or a mixture of the two styles. Feel free to share any part of your dialect and slang. We’d love to hear the fun way the world communicates differently!

/0 Comments
, ,

Using Your Past to Inspire Your Writing

I’d like to delve into my own past and use items from them to become stories, poems and maybe a memoir. What can I use to jog my memory?

Open up scrapbooks and photo albums. Use these items and photos to recall your past.

Legacy, by Linda Spence, has many questions which will help you recall events.

Besides chronological remembrances, which might get you to think too much like an autobiography rather than a memoir, remember those instances that inspired emotion.

1. When were some times you cried? Experienced loss and death?

2. What were some of the happiest periods of your life? What motivated those feelings?

3. Did you have any “ah-ha” moments of epiphany? How did they change direction in thoughts, words or action?

4. What were some of the most influential people in your life? Don’t talk general terms. Remember the most specific, tiny details you can. Only through the small, specific, sensual particulars can we approach the universal.

/0 Comments
,

Fragments

Ever notice when you’re the busiest, your life becomes fragmented in your thoughts, words and actions like never before?

Sometimes fragments aren’t good things, because they make you forgetful, jump from project to project without enough care and thought, or cause you to run right into things without realizing it. Maybe it’s with your sentences or perhaps you stub your toe into your bookshelf. (Second time this week.)

Then again, there are the times fragments are a good thing. The first time I learned this was when I freelanced humor and opinion for the San Francisco Examiner.

I wrote a piece on my sensitivity to perfume, and created a scene about what would happen if we tried to regulate it in church. In the original version, I wrote the last line as a complete sentence. I don’t recall it now, but the editor called to tell me he was cutting it to two words.

Would they hire specially trained personnel to handle the problem?
Sniff bouncers.

“Two words?” I said. “That’s a fragment. Can we do this?”

“Of course,” the editor said. “We do it for emphasis.”

This is true in writing for humor, suspense, or depth of meaning.

As you sleep, if you have a long-drawn-out dream, it may not have important meaning for you, as if you have one stark image or line of dialogue that stays with you all day.

Write down the image or sentence of your dream. Describe it or how it made you feel. How does it relate to your life now?

Ever have a fragment of thought at an odd time and you wonder where it came from? If you think about it, you’ll realize it’s a key to something else. Could be a solution to a problem you’ve been pondering. An idea for a project. But when you’re NOT thinking about it, that’s when you relax and the mysteries of your soul and the universe can work.

Reading exercise: As you read, find fragments that are there for emphasis.
Writing exercise: In your project, try your hand at a fragment for humor, suspense, or meaning.
Life exercise: Pay attention to the fragments in your life. If they aren’t good fragments, slow down and take care. If they are interesting thought fragments, write them down and see where they lead you.

More Fragments: Recent books I’ve enjoyed: The Evolution of Calpurina Tate by Jacqueline Kelly, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, and Dear Big V by Ellen Leroe.

/0 Comments