The Owls in My Life – – The Universe Speaks

Many years ago, my mother gave me a stuffed owl for Christmas. He is perched on my bookshelf in the living room. She knew how much I loved Jane Yolen’s Owl Moon. Soon afterwards, I found a tiny stuffed owl for her.

At that point, we began noticing them everywhere. Although unfortunately I never saw them living, other than in a wild animal museum, I’d see figurines, insignia, stickers, or toy versions here and there.

The live owls in my backyard seemed to know when I’d need comfort, for they’d choose those nights to hoot a personal greeting to me. Like the day my mother passed away.

Last week my walking friend and neighbor, Hilde, and I discussed this and how sad we were about it.

The next day, a Great Horned Owl sat serenely on a tree stump in the open space behind our houses. His gray and white striped feathers blended in perfectly with his surroundings. He seemed unpreturbed that we stared at him with binoculars and then even my husband’s telescope.

Magnificent.

And then it hit me.

“The universe was listening!” I said to Hilde.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“We were just talking yesterday about how we have never seen one in person and now here he has come for us.”

A favor granted; a blessing bestowed. The universe is listening. All you have to do is ask.

Exercise: 1. Are there moments of serendipity in your life? What is your special animal, symbol or blessing you find comfort in receiving? Remember to send it into the universe.
2. Play the Universe Library Game. Go to your library. Close your eyes. Randomly let your hands search for ANY book. Pull it off the shelves and open it to a page and point. What is the universe’s message for you today? Feel free to share here!

Mine: Mary Poppins Comes Back
“And all the time she felt astonished at the way she was behaving. It was as if there was another person inside her – – somebody with a very bad temper and an ugly face — who was making her feel cross.”

*I have to write a scene with some internalized emotion today. AND I felt this way just the other day. Two messages in one.

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Contest for Ages 16 and older – Highlights Fiction Contest

HIGHLIGHTS 2010 FICTION CONTEST

Fiction based on a true story from your family.
PRIZES:

Three prizes of $1,000 or tuition for the Highlights Foundation Writers Workshop at Chautauqua.

ENTRY DATES:

All entries must be postmarked between January 1 and January 31, 2010.

RULES:

No entry form or fee is required.

*Entrants must be at least 16 years old at the time of submission.

We welcome work from both published and unpublished authors. All submissions must be previously unpublished.

Stories may be any length up to 750 words. Stories for beginning readers should not exceed 475 words. Indicate the word count in the upper right-hand corner of the first page of your manuscript.

No crime, violence, or derogatory humor.

Entries not accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope will not be returned.

Manuscripts or envelopes should be clearly marked FICTION CONTEST. Those not marked in this way will be considered as regular submissions to Highlights.

SEND ENTRIES TO:

FICTION CONTEST
Highlights for Children
803 Church Street
Honesdale, PA 18431

WINNERS:

The three winning entries will be announced on Highlights.com in June 2010. These stories will become the property of Highlights for Children and will be published by Highlights. All other submissions will be considered for purchase by Highlights.

* We’re sorry that we cannot consider contest entries from children under the age of 16. Young writers are welcome to submit their work for consideration elsewhere in the magazine. Guidelines are available on HighlightsKids.com.

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A Time of Apologies

With an out-of-control singer on stage insulting a Grammy-award winner as she receives her reward, and an elected congressman shouting “You lie,” to President Obama during his health care address to Congress, both were prime examples of outrageous behaviors that called for sincere apologies.

Were they given? We heard the two offenders apologize, but sincere wouldn’t be the descriptor I’d use.

What makes an apology sincere? The tone of voice, body language, word choice, context, and timing. Tweak these and you could create a scene of conflict quite easily.

Writing Prompt: 1. Write a scene with your major character giving or receiving a sincere apology. 2. Write a scene with your character giving or receiving an insincere apology. 3. Write about a time you had to apologize for something you did. 4. Write about a memory of receiving an apology and mending a relationship. Show how the relationship grew and became stronger. Or – – perhaps if the apology wasn’t sincere, or the act too damaging, show how the relationship didn’t survive.

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Contest for Teens

If you are a teenager and volunteer your time in some way, check out this contest in Next Step Magazine:
http://www.nextstepmagazine.com/nextstep/super-teens.aspx

Due Date for the Contest is Nov. 27th, 2009.

Writing Prompt: What would be your dream writing contest? Your dream writing subject? Your fantasy winning prize?

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Creative Morning Quirks

One of my favorite columns in the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle is “On the Couch.” It features a couple in the Bay Area, how they met and how their relationship works.

Why does this appeal to me? Because it’s all about character! It’s why I read stories.

Why do you read stories? Think about this as you are reading. Why does this particular book call out to you? Or why doesn’t it?

Writing Exercise: The title of this Sunday’s “On the Couch” column was Creative Quirks a Definite Perk. Use this as the title for your writing today.
Or if this doesn’t excite you, open the newspaper and choose another article title to employ as the source of your story.

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Missing Somone Dear to You

“Did you catch your rat?” asks another walker at our park this morning.
Hilde and I have become famous . . . or infamous . . . for our rat escapade.

Maybe we should put a stake in the ground near his hole with a sign. “Foreclosed.” Or . . . “Change of Address.”

Perhaps we could be more positive and attach the new picture Rat Lady has sent. “Bogey in her new home.” We could cross out her old name and put in her new name. “Little Baby Boo.”

There IS one problem with Little Baby Boo finding a new home. It means that every time we walk by her hole, we have a little twinge of missing her. No more cute white, wiggling rat with a sniffing nose waiting to be fed. . .

Writing Exercise:
1. Make it personal. What or who do you miss? Besides Bogey, I miss deeper relationships, like people who have passed from my life. My mother, my father, aunts, cousins and friends who have died and I long to spend real earth time with again. Write about who you’d choose to see if you could. What would you do? What would you discuss?

2. Write about a character in the short story or book you are working on now. Who does your character miss or long to be with? Write your character’s feelings and create a scene where the character has interacted with this person before.

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Bogey is a Boo! Writing Contests for Kids!

News from the Rat Lady about Bogey! She is settling into her new home quite well. Although she doesn’t bite, she’s not really comfortable being handled, which tells us she hasn’t had a lot of cuddling in her previous home.

Rat Lady has changed Bogey’s name. First it became Boo. Then Baby Boo. Now it’s Little Baby Boo. She’s getting comfortable with her new cage, and will soon meet her “adopted brothers and sisters.” We’ve been promised some pictures, which I’ll post.

Many thanks to the heroine – – three cheers for Rat Lady!

Writing Exercise: Do you have just the right name for your characters? Try them out very carefully. If the name doesn’t “feel” right, experiment with other names until you’ve got the perfect fit. You’ll know it when you have it. Names say a lot about a character.
Where do you find names? I’ve discovered them in movies, books, name books, telephone books, and school roll call lists! If I need a name for a child in 1936, I’ll just open my dad’s diary or yearbook.

I keep a list of unusual names for future stories. Ever hear a name and get a perfect image of a character to go with that name?
*Open a name book and point your finger to a name. Now write a quirky story about that character!
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Writing Contests for Kids!

READ’s annual student poetry contest. Open to grades 6–12. Six winners will receive $100 each and will be featured in a special electronic issue of READ. All submissions must be postmarked by Dec. 31, 2009.

Send poems (maximum of two) to:
Ann Arlys Bowler Poetry Contest
READ Magazine
1 Reader’s Digest Road
Pleasantville, NY 10570-7000

READ’s annual essay contest. Open to grades 6–12. Students are asked to imagine waking up 100 years from now. What is the year 2109 like? What do they see? What is the current technology? How do people live? Four winners will receive $100 and have their essays published.

Send essays to:
“Write Into the Future” Contest
READ magazine
1 Reader’s Digest Road
Pleasantville, NY 10570-7000
All submissions must be no longer than 500 words and must be postmarked by Dec. 31, 2009.

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Bogey and Me

Now we’ve done it. We’ve provided room service to the rat. The first day, I got the little guy to come right to me to get his food. Sure, he’d scamper back to his hole in the brush to eat it, but at least he came out to us.

The problem was when we showed up for lunch. Who in his right mind would come out of a cozy, dark, cool place for broiling temperatures and hot sun?

But then again, you might say, who in his right mind would feed a rat in the first place? But I digress . . .

So we did what any self-respecting crazy ladies would do – – we dropped the food within sniffing distance from his hole.

Now our twice daily feedings are not producing the brave Bogey we once knew.

And how did we get the name Bogey? All because of my poor memory.

“What shall we call him?” I asked Hilde the first day we met him.
“I hardly think we should name him. What if . . .” she trailed off.
“What if what?” I asked.
“What if, you know . . . something happens to him?” she asked.
“We probably won’t know. If we’re going to take care of him he needs a name,” I said.
My love of old movies instinctively came to play.
“You dirty rat,” the famous screen legend’s voice replayed in my mind.
“Let’s call him Bogey! The actor who said, “You dirty rat!” I said.
Hilde was already agreeing by the time I realized is wasn’t Humphrey Bogart but James Cagney who said that immortal line.
Hmm. Big problem. Cagney was NOT a cute name.
So Bogey it was.

Tonight is the big night.
Why?
We’ve called in the experts.
After contacting Gary Bogue at the Contra Costa Times, he put me in touch he knew a guy who knew a guy . . . .
“Psst! Over here! Me! The shady guy with the raincoat in the dark alley!”
And after a few email attempts and phone calls, I found someone associated with a rat rescue group. That’s right. There IS such a thing.
She’s coming tonight and bringing a cage.
Shall we take bets to see if Bogey comes out of his hole?
This morning we didn’t feed him very much to make sure he’ll be hungry.

Writing Exercise: 1. So you’re having writing difficulties with the hardest part of your story? Call for help! Show a writing expert or trusted advisor and see what they have to say. Sometimes listening and acting on good advice can help solve your problems. Other times listening to your OWN instinct is what will be right for you. 2. Brainstorm possible solutions. 3. Write your way out of this problem, trying some of those possiblities.

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A for Action!

Does your writing put you to sleep? Do you need action in a scene? How CAN you create action?

1. Use action verbs. Cut out the passive ones, the “ed” endings and make it happen NOW!

2. Keep your pacing fast by using short sentences.

3. Remember specific sensory description. Make the readers feel they are IN the scene. (But cut any unnecessary words.)

4. Dialogue – Get your characters talking if they have something meaningful to say.

However, even with action, you can’t have the break-neck speed go on too long. You will need to slow down the moment. How do you do THAT?

1. Character THINKS. Internalizes. FEELS.
2. Character’s PHYSICAL REACTIONS.

Remember to read the scenes you write out loud. This will help you with your action scenes and slowing-down-the-moment.

Exercise: In the project you are working on now, write an action scene followed by a reflective slow-down-the-moment scene.

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Join me in a trip to Mars!

Please check out the Jet Propulsion Laboratory site for the Mars Mission at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/participate/index.html.

Writing exercise: Now write about your trip, of course!

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