What We Can Do in Six Days

This is what happens when a friend writes to you and a local artist with "this has your name on it" and a link to the contest. At first, I thought, there's not enough time. But I thought, if Kris is willing, I can write it. I can write fast about things that are a very part of my cellular makeup. So, I contacted the brilliant Kris Manning and she said, "Why the heck not?" and we got to work. I love artists--Kris' style is so appealing and she made something that's complex easy to understand. I had so much fun working with her. I love that gecko so much! And have you ever seen a virus with attitude?

I uploaded the complete package with an hour to spare before deadline. I almost had a panic attack because I couldn't figure out how to do it...but Michael came to the rescue! Sometimes we PhDs really struggle with the simple things. lol. Here's a link to our page--Why in the World? It has the cover and a hastily replied interview. And here's the gallery of submissions. Lots of sweet covers.   

I hope we win!!! Pray for us!!!

You Are Enough

I’ve been blogging for ten years, yet never entered a writing contest on someone’s blog…until now. Positive Writer is hosting You Are Enough writing contest: http://positivewriter.com/writing-contest-you-are-enough/  I hope my entry achieves what it’s meant to do—to make you believe in yourself and your writing abilities.

You. Are. Enough.  

Read those words slowly. Believe. If you have a desire to write, know that you already have what it takes to write. I know because this truth has been borne out in my life many times over and I have observed it in others as well. I’m not a brilliant scientist, yet I foster my curiosity about the natural world. I’m not much of a musician, yet I sing and make a joyful noise, lifting my heart and mind to God. I’m not a great writer, yet I have stories that only I can tell, and so I write. I believe that every deep desire is written upon our hearts by our God and He would never place that desire without the necessary graces to make them happen. However, we must cooperate with Him. 

What does cooperation look like? It’s working towards those dreams. You want to be a writer? Then write! No time? Steal it. Write during a lunch break. Get up fifteen minutes earlier. Treat it like you would a lover. No space? Write at the kitchen counter. In your car (when it’s parked!). Or your bed. No money? You only need a cheap notebook and pen. You can get a free education at the library. Sacrifice something else. When people say they have a passion for something, it means they are willing to suffer for it. That’s passion. So. No excuses! Remember, you are enough. Take the example of Mother Teresa, who did what she could, where she was, with what she had, and God blessed it enormously. 

We tend to be our own worst enemies. We have doubts. Fears. These are all real and legitimate. But when we make decisions based on our doubts and fears, we end up choosing the wrong thing. I know because this truth has also been borne out in my life many times over. I love medicine, but was afraid to be in debt, so didn’t pursue it. I love children, but was afraid of the time they take to raise, so stopped having children. I have stories that burn inside me, but I’m afraid of what others might think of them, so tear them up when they show up on the page. But I feel the most alive when I’m cultivating the gifts God has given me, when I write what I believe, what I know to be true, even if it frightens me. So I’m learning to place my trust in God, asking him to be with me when I write. Who shall I fear when God Himself is with me? 

You say you want to write. Then write!

You. Are. Enough. And may God bless and prosper the work of your hands.

 

Dappled Things and a Contest

Dappled Things: a quarterly of ideas, art & faith is a beautiful literary Catholic magazine. The three issues I perused were lovely and I kept thinking a subscription would make a lovely Christmas gift for a Catholic writer with poetry, articles, fiction, and art to inspire their own. My favorites in the sample issues were Daniel Mitsui's article about medieval art and his own gorgeous art, Michael Rennier's interview with Sally Read, author of Night's Bright Darkness, which I'd reviewed earlier. Lots of good poems.

They hold two annual writing contests and the deadline for fiction is coming up -- Nov. 24th. See submission guidelines here. No entry fee. Nice prizes! Good luck, all y'all.

 

 

 

Stretching and Winning

Tooting my own horn here:
From the web archives: Stretching and Winning

I’d never won anything in my life – the lottery, a door prize, or even the booby prize. I’ve come close in contests. When I was in graduate school, I won an honorable mention for my poster. The judges enjoyed playing with my removable model of a protein twisting and folding with the help of another protein. How I longed to win.

My days of scientific pursuit are long gone. I exchanged them for children and children’s literature. To stretch my writing this past year [2004], I have been entering the Institute of Children’s Literature (ICL) contests. I tried writing a mystery story, but failed because I only had some dead chickens, a couple of dogs and a boy. I had no plot, no motivation; therefore, no story. I’m definitely not a mystery writer. But I tried. In other categories, like picture books and nonfiction, I thought I submitted a good story, but when I read the winning entries, I knew I wasn’t even close. When the sports stories came up, I thought, I am not athletic, never have been and don’t know a thing about sports except how to play with ropes and sticks and stones. But I took the challenge, writing about a game that I played with sticks as a child in India. It placed in the top twenty. [And was published in Fun for Kidz in 2006.] Wow! I was stretching. Getting better. Perhaps I should draw more upon my own experiences.

I bought Writing from Personal Experience by Nancy Davidoff Kelton. It made me examine my own life and draw upon it for emotional truths. I suppose I’ve always done this instinctively – all my stories have some element of truth in them. But I didn’t dig too deep. Too emotional. Too painful at times. But I’m learning that there’s gold deep down. For one of the writing exercises, I wrote about the time I taught my mother to drive. It made me laugh. And cry. I miss my mother, even now, after she’s been gone from this world for twenty years [now 30 :( ]. 

When I saw the ICL contest for contemporary young adult fiction, I knew I could write a story about a girl teaching her mother how to drive. It felt fresh – it’s not the typical teenage experience – the tables were turned. I anchored it in Pullman, WA, where I spent many years, and the details made the story come alive. Perhaps because I was missing my mother so much, the story, which started out funny, took a sharp turn with the mother heading to her grave. I drew upon those memories when I knew my mother would die. I cried when I wrote the first draft. Two Advils later (I always get a headache when I cry), I knew I could shape it into a story that was cohesive. It took me a month to polish and I submitted “Driving Lessons” to the ICL contest, with all my hope.

The day that the Caldecott and the Newbery winners were announced, I got an email as well. Sandy Stiefer was one of the ICL judges. I knew then, that I was in the top five. Why else would she want to talk to me? But imagine my happiness and inflated ego when she told me that I won! I cried again. Quietly and quickly. After all, this was going to be my first time to be interviewed as a writer. Sandy told me that there were over a thousand entries. And my story stood out the very first time she read it! My kids peeled me off the ceiling. I carried this wonderful secret inside me for a few hours. That night, I wrote to my family and friends. I wished and wished that I could talk to my mother. She would’ve been proud of me. I dug deep, stretched a bit more, and won my first writing contest.

I have stories to tell. You do, too.

"Stretching and Winning" was first published in June 2005 issue of Kid Magazine Writers.

 

Update: Oddly enough, Driving Lessons story hasn't sold. There aren't many markets for YA short fiction. But this may become a chapter in a book (it's half baked right now). Too many ideas, not enough time. LOL.

Catch a Judge's Eye

It's only fitting I post a picture of myself with my best helper. Hmmm, I think here I was judging a school writing contest.

From the web archive: Catch a Judge's Eye

Last year (2007), I had the pleasure of serving as one of the judges for the Magazine Merit Awards to recognize outstanding works of writers and illustrators published in 2006. Over Christmas vacation, after the deadline for nominations had passed, I read by genre, made notes and concluded that all stories aren’t created equally.  Some were merely competent.  Many were good.  But there were the exceptional few that stayed with me, transformed me, wowed me.  It was truly an educational and eye-opening experience for me as a writer.

What caught this judge’s eye?  Stories and articles that surprised, educated, and entertained me.  Poems that begged to be read out loud and illustrations that leaped off the page and into my imagination.  Let me give you some examples.

FICTION

What separates a good story from an award-winning one?  Voice.  It’s seems so elusive, but voice is how you or your characters say things, see the world, choose what to pay attention to, and ignore. 

Consider Rosie the dog, narrator of “Stinky Treasure” by Jacqueline Adams (Highlights, Apr. 2006).  Rosie’s (mis)interpretations drive the story.  She thinks: “Garbage is so special that no one is allowed to touch it.”  In the end Rosie concludes: “A dump must be a place where people store their garbage after it gets stinky.  So a dump is ... the most wonderful place of all!”  You’ll have to agree that Rosie’s voice is unique, fresh and funny. 

Highlights for Children editor, Marileta Robinson, remembered this piece fondly.  “It was our fiction contest winner, which means that it rose to the top amongst 1,500 entries.  We all enjoyed the sly good humor of this lovable character.”

There are no new stories, right?  Only old stories told in a new way.  Consider folktales.  What makes them fresh?  Evocative language.  A new setting.  A different viewpoint.  In Patricia Bridgman’s retold Chinese folktale, “One Thousand Dragons,” (Cricket, July 2006), a young girl discovers her power and uses it to escape an evil emperor.  I literally felt ten thousand dragon wings flap as they came to life when Ling painted their eyes.  Deborah Vetter, Editor at Cricket, said, “It reflects a powerful folktale motif in which the character brings a painting to life and escapes death or slavery.”  She added, “At Cricket we love folktales, and we love seeing the same motifs crop up in stories from all over the world.”

“The Wednesday Club” by Anna Levine (Cicada, Jan./Feb. 2006) touched all of our hearts with its honest and hopeful portrayal of a young girl whose mother battles cancer.  Later, I discovered that Levine’s sister had passed away from breast cancer.  The story was written in her honor. Vetter said, “Anna was determined to get it right.  She and I worked through several revisions, and I was so proud of her when she nailed it.  She poured herself into the story.”

Passion.  It’s the heart of a story.  Revision.  It’s work that lets the reader feel your heart.

NONFICTION

The best nonfiction articles were highly focused.  “Treasures in a Pinecone” by Jan Black won my heart (Highlights, Dec. 2006). The author wondered, like a child, why pinecones are sometimes closed and sometimes open. It was a personal account, simply told, a great introduction to science and to the power of observation.  Melanie Hope Greenberg, my co-judge said, “Lovely visual language, calling seeds ‘treasures’, hearing pinecones ‘crackling’ open.”  Robinson summed it up in one word: “enthusiastic.”

Children enjoy reading about famous people.  And little-known facts about them make great magazine articles.  Both Trish Early and Barbara Kerley wrote focused articles about famous people: “Ben Franklin: Fit for Life” (Highlights, July 2006) and “Josiah, the White House Badger,” (Highlights, Apr. 2006) respectively.  Both articles were meticulously researched, evidenced by their vivid and telling details.

Many articles started off with a bang, then lost steam and momentum shortly afterwards.  Compelling nonfiction grabs you by the throat and reels you in with every tasty morsel.  Two outstanding articles that succeeded in keeping my interest to the very end were “Libby or Liberty” by Tracey E. Fern (Cricket, July 2006) and “The Town Underground” by Claudia Cangilla McAdam (Cricket, Apr. 2006).  Cricket’s Vetter remembered these pieces vividly.  “Tracey Fern is an author who knows how to find the ‘story’ in ‘history’,” said Vetter who also commented on how astounded everybody was by the idea of an underground town.  She said, “What ingenuity, what novelty, what an exotic life in the Australian desert!”

A great magazine piece keeps the excitement, the sense of awe and discovery, no matter its length.  Vetter said, “We look for a premise, excellent research, the ability to explain difficult concepts, and a creative approach that will bring the topic alive for young readers.” 

ILLUSTRATION

Pictures that jumped off the page were my favorites.  I could literally feel “Winter Clothes” (poem by Karla Kuskin) that Mary Bono illustrated (Highlights, Jan. 2006).  It had texture.  Robinson remarked that Bono had knitted all the adorable little clothes herself.  

Judge Greenberg, herself a visual artist, said of Karen Lee’s cover art for Highlights for Children: “Delightful characters that are alive, everything is in motion, not static.”

POETRY

Anna Levine’s “Saxophone Summer” (Cicada, May/June 2006) sizzled.  We loved the syncopated rhythm that sounded like red hot jazz.  In contrast, Cynthia Porter’s “How Many Moons?” (Spider, Feb. 2006) was quiet and reflective.  Natalie Rosinsky, my co-judge said, “A small gem, where every word is aptly chosen and emotions of awe, appreciation, recognition of fleeting time, and a sense of place are conveyed so vividly and economically.”

Both Robinson and Vetter confirmed our gut reactions.  Poetry is the shortest, most precise form of writing, and you either get it or don’t.  There seems to be no middle ground. “Editors tend to disagree wildly on any manuscript submission.  Poetry is especially subjective; so is humor.  What makes me laugh out loud can leave my Editor-in-Chief scratching her head – and vice versa!” said Vetter.

WINNING STORIES

My favorite pieces stayed fresh even after repeated readings.  The passion for the topic shone through.  Months later, I’m still thinking about them.  So, write what you love, what piques your interest, and publication and recognition will surely follow.

 
"Catch a Judge's Eye" was first published in the Jan-Feb. 2008 Bulletin.

Cover art by Thacher Hurd.

It Can Wait Texting and Driving Winners!

I am so proud of all these boys for taking the initiative to spread the word on not texting and driving. You can read the full essay and watch the videos here: http://scpress.org/ItCanWait/ 


We got the news yesterday just before Max got home from school. I could see the smile on his face well before he got home ... he had his cell phone out. "Look up," I whispered. We had a great time reminiscing about all his writing adventures before he headed off to film a football game. He remembered how he wrote a 20-page story about magic basketball shoes in fourth grade. I remember how he wrote and wrote, with utter concentration. The assignment was for 2 pages and he didn't look up until he had about five pages. He remembered how much he liked the story he wrote about the Egyptian scribe, his first historical. We cracked up thinking about his salmon story, how the males fought before spawning. Suspense till the very end! And I remembered the story he wrote in first grade, where the twist was so great, I wanted to steal it for a magazine article. He's given me permission!

Ah, Max! I pray you live up to this essay. You bear a greater responsibility because you've been given much. You have the hand of God upon you. May you always let Him lead you.

ICL Writing Contest

ICL is sponsoring a YA short-story contest (any sub-genre: adventure, historical, Sci/Fi). Read the specifications. In brief, it's for 13-14 yr-olds, under 1,500 words, due by Halloween. So put on your thinking cap. Maybe a new story is coming to the surface, or maybe an excerpt of a novel can be reshaped into a short story. Perhaps you already have a story in the works that just needs a polish ... so what are you waiting for? Spit-shine it and send it off.

If you already subscribe to the Children's Writer newsletter you don't need to pay an entry fee. If you don't, the small entry fee is worth it because you will also get a subscription. This is one of the few contests that I feel is worth the fee (they actually give you something for it).

The prize is nice: $500 and publication in CW. You can then re-sell the story to another magazine. Years ago, my short story, Driving Lessons, won first prize in the YA contemporary category. It was such a thrill and the check that arrived in the mail even more so. I was so happy, I wrote about it here.

Contests are a great way to hone your writing skills, and some have excellent prizes. Some unusual ones are your story on a soup can, gift cards to writing supplies shops, kitchenware, etc. If you've not done this before, I encourage you to do so. Even if you do not win, you might get an honorable mention.

I wish I could enter ... but I teach for ICL so I do not have this privilege anymore.

Good luck to all who enter.

SCBWI Carolinas Writing and Illustrating Contest

I am so happy to share the names of my fellow-Carolinians whose work has been recognized. Congratulations!!!

I hope to meet some of you at the conference (scroll down for details) and with such a fabulous line up of writers and editors, it's going to be great!

Bad News and Good News

I was flossing my teeth this afternoon and a part of my half-crown fell off. I just had this work done -- it's an old cavity that was deteriorating and you don't want bugaboos getting behind and damaging any more of the tooth. But they had. More than a quarter of my tooth was missing after the dentist was finished with me this spring. She fitted me with a half crown and I was quite pleased with it. So imagine my surprise when I had a little hole in my molar again. Oy! Luckily, they were able to see me this afternoon and give me a temporary.

I was planning on writing this afternoon because my children went bowling with a friend, and what a sweet friend, because I told my kids that the only way they could go was if they found a ride to the bowling alley given that I'm still not out of hot water with those headaches -- I have been having aspirin with some coffee every afternoon to ease some of the pain. God has other plans sometimes.

But I returned home from an envelope from the SCBWI Carolinas. I was hoping it's a letter to say I won first place, because that meant my tuition for the conference would be paid ...  alas, it is third place. But it is still so wonderful to have my writing rise to this level. I had polished off the first chapter of my first novel -- a YA historical. I guess I'll have to polish the rest of it. Gee ... I hope no more teeth parts  fall out.

I highly encourage you all to enter contests. Not only do they help you to prepare your manuscript to specification (that in itself is a big accomplishment) but you can win money (as I did with the ICL contest years ago -- with a contemporary YA short story) or a trip to a conference that helps you to meet wonderful writers and editors (I had the pleasure of going to Chautauqua and to Barbara Seuling's Workshop) and even plain ole recognition is nice to have. I can say that my kids are not the only ones who like my stories.

This reminds me to start submitting more stories. After all, we've been in SC for nearly a year. I have run out of excuses. I can't have a good mail day if I don't send anything out! So send your stories out! I promise the teacher in me is going off-line for the day now.

I know several of my readers are contest winners -- Bish, Faith -- who else? Chime in please.
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