Picture Book Writing Tips

Writing picture books is similar to that of poetry. Employ an economy of words and lots of rhythm. There are differences, too. In poetry, visual and musical images are vivid, but in picture books, writers should think visually but write musically with a cadence and rhythm so the words leap and dance across the page. Leave the visual images for the illustrator to depict. Write each sentence with the idea that it can be illustrated.

Voice (word choice + rhythm) is necessary for picture books because they are written to be read aloud. Write in a word pattern that sometimes surprises the reader. If readers can anticipate the next line, there’s no surprise, no thrill, no excitement to the word choice.

Humor is universal. Kids of all ages respond positively to funny situations, actions, and words. Hard consonants add tickle appeal. B, C, D, G, P, K, T, blast off the tongue as they are read aloud. Pickle is funny. Underwear is not as funny as underpants. The “P” sound is comical. Try saying these aloud: Pollygoster. Filibuster.

           In my next blog, I’ll continue with tips for writing picture books.

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

New Moon Girls. Ideas, Articles, Inventions, Fiction, Gardens, Poetry, Music, Opinions, Apps, Global Villages, Recipes, Plays, Buildings, Puzzles, Projects, Jokes, Speeches, Games, Screenplays, Sports, Emotions, Equations, Painting, Art, Experiments, Costumes, Activism, Photos, Rockets, Crafts, Designs, Gadgets, Dances, Solutions, Hats and Everything Else You Imagine and Make.

Submission guidelines: https://newmoongirls.com/girls-get-published/#more-4731 

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Short Edition. ·  Submissions must be short stories and poems of maximum 8,000 characters, spaces included or children's stories of maximum 7,000 characters, spaces included.

·  Works must be previously unpublished in print or online, including on personal blogs.

Submission guidelines: https://short-edition.com/en/contest/general-submissions-rendez-vous-july-2019-issue/guidelines

Nancy Kelly Allen has written 40+ children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK. Check out her blog at www.nancykellyallen.com

Writing a Book with a Relatable Theme

The theme is the dominant idea of a book, the author’s statement on which the story hangs. It is often expressed as the character’s learned experience, such as friendship, hope, love, sacrifice, or good over evil. Think of it as the main topic at the center of the story.

When I’m developing a story plot, I don’t think about theme. Instead, I focus on telling the story. If the theme becomes dominate at that stage of the writing process, it may force the characters into actions for the sake of the theme, rather than the plot.

After I finish the first, sometimes the second or third draft, I usually develop a feeling of the theme that lies between the lines of the story. In Forty Winks, a bedtime story, multiple themes exist: fear of the dark, fear of monsters, benefits of sharing. The themes evolved from the story line, rather than the writing adhering to a particular message. When we write to promote a particular message, the story often becomes didactic, too instructive. My first rule for writing a fictional picture book is to focus on the entertainment value.

I also ask the following questions:

Is the theme relatable with wide appeal? Publishers want books that resonate with a large audience or age group. If a child enjoys a book and can “see” himself in the story, he wants to read it again, or another similar book.

Is the theme an issue that’s important in the child’s world? Children often fear the dark, want to adopt a pet, or play with a friend. Consider the age of the audience before writing the first word. Themes vary with age groups. Fitting into a social group is a viable theme for middle grade and young adult readers, but don’t work as well for preschoolers.

A theme is expressed through the ideas, thoughts, and actions of the character and is what the character learns in the journey of the story.

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Hanging Loose magazine. High School Submissions.

Since 1968, every issue of Hanging Loose has had a section of high school writing. We’re always looking for new writers. Here’s how to submit your work:

* Send all work to High School Editor, Hanging Loose, 231 Wyckoff Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217. Please also send us a note identifying yourself as a high school age writer, and telling us your age. Include an email address—and include a self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient return postage. Otherwise, your submission cannot be returned. Be sure your name and address appear on each page of your work.

* Send up to six poems or short stories, or an equivalent combination of poetry and prose.

Hanging Loose has long been known for its special interest in new writers. We read manuscripts throughout the year and we look forward to reading yours.

Submissions guidelines at http://hangingloosepress.com/submissions.html 

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Nature Friend. "Nature-loving children and families get Nature Friend. We are primarily about wild nature. Can be animals, plants, birds, insects, rocks, ocean life, astronomy, gardening, learning by doing activities and experiments." Welcomes new writers. Circ. 7500. Monthly. Pays on publication. Period between acceptance and publication varies. Buy first rights. Accepts reprints. Responds quickly. Sample articles on website.

Submissions guidelines at  https://www.naturefriendmagazine.com/index.pl?linkid=12;class=gen.

Nancy Kelly Allen has written 40+ children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK.

Leave a message or check out my blog at www.nancykellyallen.com

 

How to Create Memorable Characters in Picture Books, Part 2

To become memorable, the main character needs not only to do something, but do something unexpected. Surprise the reader and keep the reader wondering what will happen next. The wonderment builds interest in the character. Figure out what motivates the character to behave this way so you can keep the action going. In FORTY WINKS the main character was unwilling to share a book that both he and the monster, who lived in the closet, wanted to read, separately. Refusing to share led to a chain of actions and reactions that created the conflict.

Portray what your character is thinking and feeling. Emotions are powerful and can also motivate actions and reactions. Anger can lead to protectiveness or laughter or combat. Get in touch with the character’s emotions to lead the character into action. 

Allow your character to wander off the path of reaching the goal. Introduce complications that force him to make mistakes while he’s trying to find his way back, but allow him to learn from the mistakes.  

Next week, I’ll discuss more ways of creating memorable characters. 

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Teen Ink is a US-based teen magazine, book series and website devoted entirely to teenage writing, art, photos, and forums. Since being first established in 1989, Teen Ink has published more than 55,000 young writers, with the magazine distributed across the country in schools and libraries. To be eligible to submit you must be aged between 13 and 19. Be aware that submissions may be edited and published without the writers’ prior approval.

Submission guidelines athttps://www.teenink.com/submit 

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

FrostFire Worlds publishes original science fiction and fantasy short stories, poems, art, articles, reviews, and interviews. Preferred are adventure stories, space opera, and magic opera [like space opera, but fantasy]. Also preferred are stories that take place on other worlds. Stories must have the following: characters the reader cares about, plots and subplots, and settings that draw the reader into them. Must have.

Remember, FrostFire Worlds is intended for younger readers, from ages 8-17 and up. Therefore, the magazine will not publish work that has bad language or adult themes in it. Period.

Submission guidelines at http://albanlake.com/guidelines-frostfire/

 

Nancy Kelly Allen has written 40+ children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK. Check out her blog at www.nancykellyallen.com

To Outline or Not, part 4

More reasons why I outline a manuscript before writing:

Avoid Writer’s Block. An outline helps me break down the story into manageable parts and to see the story from beginning to end. Little by little, I know I can complete the manuscript without feeling so overwhelmed that I completely give up. 

More comprehensive coverage of a topic. When I write biographies, I add every major event to the outline so I won’t overlook or eliminate an important issue. In my dual biography, HAPPY BIRTHDAY: THE STORY OF THE WORLD’S MOST POPULAR SONG, I wanted to relate how the two Hill sisters’ parents influenced their work. I also wanted to showcase the impact of the song on national and international levels. Just a line or two on my outline allowed me to quickly determine that I included these elements. 

Writer motivation. Earlier, I discussed how an outline helps develop character motivation. It also offers emotional advantages. When the outline is staring back at me, I am more motivated to write, since I don’t have to sweat bullets in trying to figure out what the character will do next or what obstacle pops us to hinder his/her efforts. This is already thought out and all I have to do is write the scene. For me, the outline makes my work so much easier and simpler. Easy and simple win. I know what to write next, and all I have to do is figure out how to write it.  

Call for submissions for Young Writers:

"It's All Write!" Teen Short Story Contest. Restrictions: Open to Grades 6-12. Genre: Short story, and flash fiction, unpublished. Prize: 1st Place $250, 2nd Place $150, 3rd Place $100. 

Deadline: February 24

Submission guidelines at http://www.aadl.org/events/itsallwrite

Call for submissions for Adult Writers:

PER DIEM PRESS will publish a single chapbook of poetry in early 2017, eight 4” X 5”pages, saddle-stitched, with a cardstock cover. The poet will receive $1,000 and copies. Poets of every stripe are encouraged to submit eightish pages of previously unpublished poetry in English to Per Diem Press, 912 Cole Street #331, San Francisco California 94117. Submissions need to be received by February 28, 2017. All rights, of course, will be retained by the poet.

Submission guidelines at https://www.facebook.com/daniel.handler/posts/10154017560371837 

Nancy Kelly Allen has written 40+ children’s books and a cookbook, SPIRIT OF KENTUCKY: BOURBON COOKBOOK.

Dealing with Rejection

Rejection hurts. That’s the simple truth. But if a writer garners contracts, s/he has to put up with rejections. I was asked to blog about ways to deal with rejection by several people, so here’s what I do. 

I moan to my critique partner, who understands completely because she, too, is a writer. (Hugs to you, Sandi.) Understanding that I’m not alone in the volume of rejected queries allows me to have more perspective. All writers receive rejections. 

Sometimes I mumble and gripe to my literary muses (two miniature schnauzers) that the editor didn’t “get” the story (but of course she “got” enough of it to understand it wasn’t right for the publisher). My reasoning can be a little warped when the rejections pour in, but the mental warp makes me feel better.  

I don’t fret beyond the day I receive the rejection. I move on with another project or send the rejected manuscript out to another editor. Remember, it only takes one editor to love the work and deem it contract worthy. Different editors have hugely different opinions about what is a great story. 

If a story is rejected several times, I store it away, temporarily. After a few months (sometimes, years) I reexamine the manuscript with fresh eyes. If my story seem to have merit, I rewrite and resubmit. (That’s what I’ve been doing the last few months and snatched a few contracts.) Sometimes the rewrite bears little resemblance to the original story. AMAZING GRACE began as a picture book (rejected). I rewrote it as a chapter book (rejected). After I rewrote it as a middle grade novel, it found a home with a publisher. 

Next week, I’ll look at other ways I deal with rejection. 

Call for submissions for Young and Adult Writers:

Submissions for Wee Tales and Refractions must be age appropriate for the journal (7 to 12 for Wee Tales, 13 and up for Refractions). If you have something more geared toward an adult market please still submit it for our next possible run of Deep Waters. General and Refractions short submissions should be between 1000 and 5000 words, Wee Tales submissions should be between 600 and 2000 words. Adult and teen writers are invited to submit. 

Submission guidelines at https://goldenfleecepress.com/refractions/

Let’s Talk Picture Books, Part 3

In picture books a compelling story must be told in 32 pages. If you read a few or a lot of these books, the task of writing one seems easy, but don’t let their simplicity deceive you. Picture books can be tricky to write. In a short span, you must to develop a character and situation and write the story in such a way that the reader will embrace it. 

Language and imagery work in unison to create a story. Some books are written in verse. There’s not an ounce of rhyming ability in my DNA so I don’t attempt it. Also, many editors don’t request rhyme because it is so difficult to carry over the entire story. If you are excellent at writing in verse, remember to think story first, verse second.

Many editors do not like stories written in verse because some writers may be tempted to choose a particular word that fits the rhyme rather than promoting the plot. When this happens the story loses momentum, sometimes takes a detour, and the dramatic core is sabotaged for the sake of the rhyme. Stories should unfold organically not forced in order to get two words to rhyme. Many common rhyme schemes have been overused: he/she/be/tree/me. If the child can guess the next word, that may take away the element of surprise and be less engaging for the audience.

When writing or marketing your first picture book, stick to prose. If you’ve written several picture books in prose and decide to write one in verse, experiment with the story. After you’ve written the rhyme version, write another in prose for comparison. Which works better?

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Hanging Loose Press welcomes high school submissions. "We feel a special responsibility to those young writers who look to us not only for possible publication but sometimes also for editorial advice, which we are always happy to give when asked. Our work as editors is of course time-consuming, but we feel a strong commitment to give as much time and attention as possible to the work we receive from high school age writers."

Submission guidelines at hangingloosepress.com/submissions.html

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

BABBLE. Indicate in the subject line of your email what section of Babble your piece would run: Mom, Pregnancy, Baby, Toddler, Kid, Body + Mind, Work + Money, Home, Relationships, Entertainment, Beauty, Food, or Travel. Pays roughly ten cents/word for articles up to 1,200 words.

Submission guidelines at http://www.babble.com/write-for-babble/

Ways to Improve Writing

Today, I’m continuing the series “Ways to Improve Writing.”

Play into a character’s emotions as you write. By showing the reader how the character feels, the character seem more real, and that is the goal.

Fear flooded my entire body as I watched the bear walk closer. The reader is not going to feel the character’s fear because the character isn’t feeling it. The emotion has not been revealed. Stating that a character feels fear is telling.

Show how the character feels and reacts. The bear walked closer. My hands trembled and my heart pounded so hard, it hammered my ears works much better because you have placed the reader in the middle of the action. Emotions trigger a body’s physical reactions.

Thoughts and dialog also suggest emotions.

Thought: Why can’t he just shut up? And dialog: “You think I did what?”

Use such mental and verbal responses to showcase a character’s feelings. The more real the character, the more engaged the reader.

Website for Young Writers:

The only way to become a storyteller is to tell stories. The way to become a better storyteller is to learn new storytelling skills. And the way to become the best storyteller is to develop your own storytelling techniques. The best way to do all this is to explore many different kinds of storytelling. To find a storytelling project, with a story, craft, and activity, that you can do right now, stop in at the ClubRoom Page to learn about telling a Story Sprite Story with Storytellling Cards.

Details at http://www.storycraft.com/index.html

Call for Submissions for Adult  Writers: CHICKEN SOUP: HOLIDAY EDITION

Everyone loves holiday stories and that’s why our holiday books are so popular. In fact, we create a new edition for Christmas/Hanukah every other year. We are now collecting stories for our Holiday 2015 book and we are defining Christmas as the entire December holiday season, including Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and the New Year’s festivities too. We want to hear about your holiday memories and traditions. If your story is chosen, you will be a published author and your bio will be printed in the book if you so choose. You will also receive a check for $200 and 10 free copies of your book, worth more than $100. You will retain the copyright for your story and you will retain the right to resell it.

Deadline January 31, 2015.

Submission guidelines at http://www.chickensoup.com

Writing a Middle Grade Novel/Calls for Submissions

Today, I’m continuing the series, Writing a Middle Grade Novel.

Help! I’m suffering from stuck-itis on chapter 8. I’m staring at my plot outline and it just doesn’t seem to work. We’ve all been there, the place in out manuscript in which we wonder where to take out character next. The ideas in the outline no longer seem viable. We also read those books with a sagging middle, the excitement of the beginning just wanes and the story dulls rather than delights. What is a writer to do?

I asked some writer friends for advice.

Write. Just write. Ideas will begin to mesh and some will sparkle and work.

Don’t stress over the quality of your writing. All first drafts are bad. In fact, they stink. That’s what revision is for, to turn bad writing into good. At this point my manuscript is the literary equivalent of the aroma of limburger cheese. (Caution: No deep breaths, please.) Be content with the fact that you’re doing something right, you’re writing.

Put the story aside for a period of time. Give your ideas time to percolate and steep. Ideas need time to form. Later, you'll go back to the story with a fresh perspective.

In the meantime, begin working on a new writing project. When you return to the original story, you may be happy to discover that stuck-itis has changed to idea-itis.

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

The Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose are awarded annually to two students of secondary or undergraduate status whose written work "inspires the masses to believe beyond feeling the work." In other words, we strive to receive the absolute best work from emerging young writers in high school and college, and the best of the best will receive these two lovely awards.We accept submissions for these prizes in the regular submissions pools throughout the entire year. For more information regarding submission at this time, please see our submission page.

The 2015 Adroit Prizes for Poetry and Prose will open for submissions on December 1, 2014, and will close on March 13, 2015.

Submission guidelines at http://www.theadroitjournal.org/adroit-prizes

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Hopscotch is a magazine created for girls from 6 to 13 years, with girls 8, 9, and 10 the specific target age.

HOPSCOTCH looks for articles, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that deal with timeless topics, such as pets, nature, hobbies, science, games, sports, careers, simple cooking, and anything else likely to interest a young girl. We leave dating, romance, human sexuality, cosmetics, fashion, and the like to other publications. Each issue revolves around a theme.

Submission guidelines at http://funforkidzmagazines.com/hs_guidelines

Writing a Middle Grade Novel/Call for Submissions

Readers enjoy fiction because they are emotionally involved with the character and plot of the story. If the reader’s emotional experience is powerful, the writer has succeeded. If not, it’s time to relook the scenes. 

The fundamental unit of fiction is the scene. A novel is basically a series of scenes strung together like beads on a necklace. The scenes form a beginning, middle, and ending with the character trying to reach a goal. Each scene needs conflict and change. 

In writing each scene, keep the following in mind: 

Is this scene carrying the plot forward?   

Quickly get the character involved in the action. This is the stimulus, the something that happens to the character. The something should cause conflict. (No conflict, no story.) The conflict should result in some kind of problem or disaster when the character fails to meet the goal.  

Hook the reader with surprising action. A lost dog or an embarrassing experience or a big disappointment or worse trouble. If the reader can guess the character’s every action and reaction, the story will seem trite and dull. 

Next week, I’ll continue to discuss scene development. 

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

BOP readers, it's a dream come true! It's time for you to be a BOP reporter! Tell us your stories and one might be printed in a future issue! We can't wait to hear from you!

Submission guidelines at http://www.bopandtigerbeat.com/be-our-bop-reporter/

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Creative Nonfiction magazine is seeking new essays for an upcoming issue dedicated to WAITING. We want your well-crafted true stories of delays, postponements, and pauses that explore and examine our relationship with time. Whether you're waiting patiently or not, on tables or for Godot, however you approach the subject, we can't wait to read your work. 

Submissions must be 4,000 words or fewer. $1,000 for best essay; $500 for runner-up. 

Deadline: September 22.

Guidelines at www.creativenonfiction.org/submit

Show vs. Tell/Call for Submissions

Today, I’m continuing the series, Writing a Middle Grade Novel and focusing on describing the action. 

In the early stages of our writing, we sometimes tell the action rather than show it.  

Tell: Lucy feared the dark night held something dangerous, something lethal. 

Show: A tingle crackled along Lucy’s spine, a tingle that grew into an all-out fear that sent a pounding throb deep inside her brain so she couldn’t think. Something was out there…in the dark…waiting…waiting for her.  

Showing allows the reader to feel that s/he is in the middle of the action along with the characters.  

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. In transitions, such as moving the character to a new location, tell works well. Example: Julie stomped out of the room and slammed the door shut behind her. 

When writing action scenes, take the reader along on the journey with the character by showing what is happening as it happens. The Russian writer, Anton Chekhov said it this way:  Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Ordinary Guru Project Contest. In the international bestseller, And Then I Met Margaret, real estate entrepreneur  and founder of Mind Adventure, Inc. Rob White recounts 21 stories of personal transformation brought about by his encounters with everyday, ordinary, unassuming gurus who crossed his path over seven decades of living. 

 

We’re looking for short stories, essays, memoirs, photo essays, graphic stories, cartoons, and poems about ordinary gurus. Ordinary gurus teach us what we  need to know in order to expand our view of ourselves and the world. These gurus aren’t just people— they can also be anything in nature that offers you an insight or life-lesson, perhaps a pet, a wild animal, or even a tree that helps you see yourself or life differently.

Whomever/whatever the ordinary guru, your story must embody a personal experience. Entries must be previously unpublished, no longer than 1,200 words, and can be as short as a few sentences. Your story must be an original creation.

PRIZES:

§ First Prize: $5,000

§ Second Prize: $2,500

§ Third Prize: $1,500.

Deadline: August 31, 2014.

Submission details at http://ordinarygurus.com/contest-entry-form/

Writing a Middle Grade Novel/Call for Submissions

Today, I’m continuing the series, Writing a Middle Grade Novel.

 

When writers consider characters and plots for a children’s novel, they must also consider the theme. The theme is the topic of the story, the message. In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the theme is “home is where the heart is” or “there’s no place like home.” The plot revolves around Dorothy’s trouble as a tornado drops her in Oz and she has to figure out how to get back home.

Rather than deciding on the theme as you outline or consider the plot of the story, allow the theme to grow out of the character and plot. If writers plan the theme from the conception of the story, it may be so message-y, so strong, that readers are turned off.

Books may have more than one theme. One rule to consider is to keep the theme or themes appropriate for the age level of the audience. Middle grade readers are beginning to understand who they are as individuals and are developing opinions. They are introspective. Readers of middle grade fiction like characters that

·         Accept and respect differences in others

·         Overcome fears or take risks, courage

·         Deal with morals and values, justice, and compassion.

These readers enjoy books that mirror their personal experiences.

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Fan Story. ABC Poetry Contest. Participate in this free writing contest. Cash prizes. Deadline: July 15, 2014.Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad

Submission guidelines at http://www.fanstory.com/contestdetails.jsp?id=100086 –

Remove husks from corn and grill over medium heat for 10 minutes. The corn should have some brown spots and be tender and not mushy. Cut the corn off the cob then scrape the cob with the back of your knife to get the juices. Set aside and let cool. Slice the tomatoes in half. Dice the avocado and chop the cilantro.
Honey Lime Dressing

1
Add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
2
Combine the sliced tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and grilled corn and honey lime dressing and mix gently so everything is evenly coated. Be careful not to mash the avocados. Let the salad sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors mingle

 

Writing a Middle Grade Novel, part 11/Calls for Submissions

Today, I’m resuming the series,Writing a Middle Grade Novel.

AMAZING GRACE, my first middle grade novel, was just released. This book’s road to publication is somewhat unusual in a couple of ways.

First, the story began as a picture book but the subject matter was too advanced for that age group. I rewrote it as a chapter book. Again, the subject matter worked better for an older reader. What can writers learn from this? Know your audience. When writing, imagine a particular age, or even a particular child. As you write, continually ask yourself, does this (dialog, character action, word choice, plot) work for my audience.

The second unusual aspect of the book is the length of time—15 years—the story percolated in my mind. I began the book 15 years ago. That’s right, fifteen loooooong years ago. I never gave up on the story but it took me years to learn how to write it. What can writers learn from this? Perseverance is the key to a successful career in writing. Don’t give up. I’ve seen so many writers work hard and through the process begin to excel, only to become so frustrated with rejection, then quit writing.

For years, I’ve written picture books and now have 30+ published. I love writing for that age group, but it’s also fun and an exciting learning experience to move away from my comfort zone and write for an entirely different audience. If we try writing in a genre new to us or for a difference audience, we’ll grow as writers.

Call for Submissions for Young Writers:

Storybird. Your words. Our art. Amazing stories. Simple tools help you build books in minutes. Let the art inspire and surprise you as you write. Readers will encourage you along the way.

Submission guidelines at http://storybird.com/

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:

Clarkesworld Magazine is a Hugo Award-winning science fiction and fantasy magazine that publishes short stories, interviews, articles and audio fiction. We are currently open for art, non-fiction and short story submissions.

Submission guidelines at http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/submissions/

Sensory Description: Smell/Calls for submissions

The sense of smell has a strong emotional pull. Certain scents linger in our minds for years. Thinking back to my childhood, I remember how a new doll smelled or the delectable whiff of Mom’s chocolate cake baking filled me with scrumptious anticipation. Decades later, all it takes is a fanciful thought about those aromas and I feel warm and cozy. When you write a description about the smell of a cake baking, the reader will be instantly transported back in time to his/her own memories of a sweet smelling kitchen. When readers connect the story to their own experiences, they make an emotional investment that draws them deeper into the plotline.

The sense of smell can also be used to get a character to remember a specific detail or to transition into a flashback. The smell of fresh-baked bread spreads a smile over our faces and one hint of a skunk spray has us running for cover, yelling puuuuuuuuu. Does your story take place on a farm? Let the reader smell the barn. Or the hay. Or the flowers.

Using smell in narrative scenes is a way to stir up emotion in characters and readers. Through our senses we encounter daily life, whether we enter a musty basement or breathe a honeysuckle-scented breeze. Create characters that reflect real life through descriptive language.

Call for submissions for adult writers:

· Gotham Writers’ Workshop has launched a “91-Word Memoir Writing Contest.” This contest “celebrates longtime Gotham student and friend Norma Crosier, who died in July five days shy of her 91st birthday….She embraced the principle of memoir – that it is not the story of the writer’s entire life, but rather one story among many.” Prizes: “The winner will receive a 10-week workshop, $91 cash, and bragging rights.”
Deadline: October 15, 2012.
Submission guidelines at
http://www.writingclasses.com/ContestPages/91W.php
Call for submissions for young writers:

Cyberkids. To submit your work, email it to: editor@cyberkids.com. In the email, tell us your name, age and country. If you are sending artwork, save the art in JPEG or TIFF format if possible, and attach it to the email. We do not pay for submissions, but if we use your work, we will send you an email telling you when it will be published.

Submission guidelines at http://www.cyberkids.com/he/html/submit.html

Check out more contests on my blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/

Picture Books: Cumulative Stories/Contest/Call for Submissions

The cumulative story is a popular picture book format. The rhythm and beat of the text fall easy on the ears. These stories follow a repetitive pattern or text structure. Each page repeats the text of the preceding page and adds a new line or plot. The details continue page after page until the story builds to a climax. Stories such as There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly and This Is the House That Jack Built are examples.

The text in a cumulative story can begin as one word, a phrase, or a sentence. As new events happen, the previous events are repeated with additional words added. The story builds and so does the anticipation. This type of story works well for young children, ages 3-5, because the predictability of the story allows them to become active participants.

Word count is important in this type of writing. Keep the phrases or sentences short. Use strong nouns and action verbs to keep word count low and the action high. A specific character and his/her actions is a typical subject and plot for cumulative stories.

Contest for young writers:
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO’S NEW COSMIC FRONTIERS INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE ESSAY COMPETITION
The New Cosmic Frontiers International Science Essay Competition On the Nature of our Universe and its Habitats is open to high school and college students. Its purpose is to inspire students to consider careers in science and to nurture their enthusiasm for the subject, and to engage young minds in creative, intellectual activities essential in scientific endeavors.
Winners will be awarded significant monetary prizes to support their education and given an extraordinary opportunity to meet today’s world-renowned scientists and scholars at a conference and award ceremony, held in Philadelphia, on October 12-13, 2012.

CATEGORY 1: ESSAY THEME FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Are we alone in the Universe? Or, are there other life and intelligence beyond the solar system?
First Prize – $25,000 cash prize. Second Prizes – Two essays will be chosen for $10,000. Third Prizes – Five essays will be chosen for $5,000.

CATEGORY 2: ESSAY THEME FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS
What is the origin of complexity in the universe?
First Prize – $50,000 cash prize. Second Prizes – Two essays will be chosen for $25,000. Third Prizes – Five essays will be chosen for $10,000.
In addition, up to 10 honorable mentions of $3,000 each will be awarded in either category.
Deadline June 15, 2012.
Details at http://www.newfrontiersinastronomy.org/

Call for submissions for adult writers:
ASK Magazine is a nonfiction magazine for children 6-9 years old who are curious about science and the world they live in. Each edition of ASK is built around a central theme on some question or concept in the natural, physical, or social sciences, technology, mathematics, history, or the arts. Feature articles are usually 1200-1600 words, with sidebars. ASK also occasionally commissions photo essays (400-600 words), humor pieces (200-400 words), short profiles of people, inventions, events, or the arts (200-400 words), and theme-appropriate experiments.
Details at http://www.cricketmag.com/19-Submission-Guidelines-for-ASK-magazine-for-children-ages-6-9

Check out more contests on my blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/

First Draft/Calls for Submissions

Staring at a blank page or bare computer screen can be a scary endeavor for any writer. But it can also be exciting. After all, you’re starting a new adventure called a first draft. The mind set plays a crucial role. Sometimes, we’re afraid we can’t get the story to unfold in a logical, engaging manner. At this point, don't worried since you can’t get it wrong. The first draft is SUPPOSED to be chocked full of mistakes. This won’t be your best writing but it will be a start in developing the idea.

The first draft is the place to let creative juices flow. “Get it down; then get it good” is an expression some authors use. Experiment with the plot and dialog. Mistakes, and lots of them, will pile up. Our words are not chisled in stone. If they were, corrections would be difficult if not impossible. But since we can erase or delete mistakes, no risks are involved. The most important aspect of a first draft is to simply get the story told. Turn off your internal editor. Metaphors? Descriptive language? Sensory images? If you don’t write any, that’s okay too. Those can come later with revisions that add sparkle to the story.

A writing associate gave me this sage advice: The first draft is the starting point, not the finish line.

Call for submissions for young writers:
Stone Soup, the magazine by young writers and artists
CURRENT NEEDS: "Send us stories and poems about the things
you feel most strongly about! Whether your work is about
imaginary situations or real ones, use your own experiences
and observations to give your work depth and a sense of
reality." Pays $40.

Call for submissions for adult writers:
Birds and Blooms
Do you have a funny birding or gardening story to share from your backyard? We want to hear it! Send us your best “backyard blunder,” and the winning story will receive $500.
To enter, email your true story to contests@birdsandblooms.com. Please put “backyard blunder contest” in the subject line. All Entries must include your full name, address, city, state, zip, telephone number and email address (if you have one), in addition to your essay which may not exceed 400 words.
The winner of the Contest will be determined by judging all the entrants’ submissions based on the follow criteria: originality 20%, quality 60% and personality 20%.
DEADLINE: March 15, 2012.
Details at http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Contests/Backyard-Blunder-Contest

Check out more contests on my blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/

Keep Them Laughing/Call for Submissions/Contest

Wouldn’t you love to know what type story an editor is looking for? That would certainly put us a step ahead of the competition. Many editors say they don’t know what they’re looking for until they see it. Oh, well, there goes that idea. But one aspect of writing most editors are looking for is humor. Like editors, children of all ages enjoy humorous books.

Writing humor for children can be difficult. What is funny to a two-year-old may seem silly and boring to a five-year old. Humor must be geared to the child’s world so he will know and appreciate the words, actions, and plot. The child must understand what is happening before it the story can be appealing and funny. Humorous writing is difficult because what is funny is often subjective and personal. One reader may crack up laughing at a joke and another might see little or no humor in the text. Even though writing humor can be difficult, it is not impossible.

Here are some ways to create humor in books for children:

1. Dialog offers an opportunity to add humor seamlessly. “We’ll be batburgers!” is a line one of my characters said when lost in a cave.

2. Humorous narrative creates interest in a story. Another of my characters, Liz, is telling the story in The Munched-Up Flower Garden so her thoughts are expressed in a way to tickle the reader. I looked at my brother and said nothing. My look must have said plenty because he hightailed in back in the house.

Next week, I’ll discuss other ways to incorporate humor into stories.

Call for Submissions for Adult Writers:
Kaleidoscope Magazine, which “creatively focuses on the experiences of disability through literature and the fine arts,” is planning an issue “on the theme of ‘Appreciating the Small/Simple Moments in Life.’ In the midst of our daily struggles there can be moments in which a small kindness, or the simple gesture of another, makes us feel as if all is right with the world. They are the instances that usually do not involve much, if any, preparation or planning. These are the small things that can make the biggest differences. These can be times of joy experienced in the midst of sadness, or of peace and contentment in the midst of chaos. They can be shared or solitary experiences, moments of transcendence that fulfill us. They are also those moments that, if we are not paying attention, can slip right past us. Share one or more of those moments with us, in poetry, fiction, or personal essays.” Deadline is March 1, 2012. Pays: $10-$125. See http://www.udsakron.org/news/detail.asp?id=10 for more information

Contest for Young Writers:
PUBLISH-A-KID CONTEST-We invite young readers to write book reviews. Winning entries will be published in the pages of Moment. And yes, there will be prizes. We’ve selected a list of books for you to choose from. Pick one
or more that you enjoy or find intriguing and tell us why! Anyone ages 9-13 is eligible. We encourage children of all faiths to enter. Each review should be 1 to 2 pages double-spaced, 250-500 words. Each child can send one review for each book on the list.
Deadline: Deadline February 15, 2012.
Details at http://momentmag.com/moment/contests/pak.html

Check out more contests on my blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/

Improving Word Choice/Contest/Call for Submissions

In children’s writing, especially picture books, every word must be necessary so the importance of word choice is paramount. How do we learn to develop a writing style in which we select the best words for the story?

Read widely. Let books by numerous authors serve as a learning experience. Notice how authors choose particular words to convey an idea.

Write in a variety of styles. Try using figurative and lyrical language in all types of writing.

Keep sentences clear. Short sentences are less confusing. If you use longer sentences, retain the meaning by writing in a direct manner. Clear, precise, detailed writing gives life to words. The goal is communication.

Avoid clichés and stereotypes. “Mad as a wet hen” is a cliché and the words don’t resonate with a fresh expression. If you write your first thoughts when describing something, you may be using clichés. Play with the words to develop your own phrases for comparison. Avoiding stereotypes isn’t easy but aim for writing original phrases and descriptions.

Vary sentence length. A paragraph composed entirely of long sentences tends to bog down a story. Varied sentence lengths adds interest to the flow and pace of the words.

Experiment. Try writing the same story using different perspectives. If the story is about a lost cat, try telling the story from the child’s point of view. Retell the story from the cat’s perspective. Which works better?

Have fun. After you get past the dreaded first draft, have fun with the words. If the story is playful, choose upbeat words. The best choice of words will reflect the tone of the story.

Contest for Adult Writers
Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest.
Write a poem, 30 lines or fewer on any subject or write a short story,
5 pages maximum length on any theme, single or double-line spacing,
neatly hand printed or typed.
Writing First Prize: $500, 2nd: $125; 3rd: $100
Poetry First Prize: $250, 2nd: $125; 3rd: $50.
Entry fees: $5 per poem, $10 per story.
Postmark deadline: December 31, 2011.
Details at http://www.dreamquestone.com


Call for Submissions for Student Writers
New Moon Magazine
34 Superior Street, Suite 200
Duluth, MN 55802
800-381-4743
www.newmoon.org
75% written by girls, ages 8-14: fiction, non-fiction,
poetry, book reviews and articles.

Check out more contests on my blog: http://nancykellyallen.blogspot.com/