Writing a Chapter Book, part 9/Calls for Submissions

This article is the ninth in the series: Writing a Chapter Book.

Try these tips for writing humor:

Strange and wacky situations, such as a bird building a nest on a character’s head captures and holds the reader’s attention.

Use comedic timing. Place the punch line or funny word at the last possible moment.

Use the element of surprise. Humor comes from the reader expecting something, but a twist takes the reader in an entirely unexpected (and funny) direction. This works every time, except when it doesn’t.

Self-check the humor. If what you write cracks you up, someone else will probably find it funny, as well. Humor test your work with a group of kids the age of the audience for which your manuscript is intended. If the kids think it’s funny, you’re wheeling and dealing. If not, it’s revision time. Ask the kids where the humor fell flat and what parts were funny.

Call for submissions for young writers:

Spaceports & Spidersilk is an online magazine for younger readers [8 to 17 and beyond].  Formerly it was called KidVisions.  Spaceports & Spidersilk features short stories, poems, and art, as well as brief essays on science and the environment, interviews, quizzes, contests [and, quite frankly, anything else that is genre-oriented and will help encourage the younger generation to read...and to dream, especially about going to the stars].  We at Nomadic Delirium Press hope that younger writers and artists, as well as adults, will submit their work.

The genres for Spaceports & Spidersilk include fantasy, science fiction, and a category we are going to define as ‘shadow stories’.  Shadow stories are mild horror.  We want spooky, not terrifying.  Most of all, we want ADVENTURES!  And especially SF or fantasy adventures.

Submission guidelines at http://www.nomadicdeliriumpress.com/spaceportsgl.htm

Call for submissions for adult writers:

Short Kid Stories. Kids love stories, they can’t get enough of them. Launching in 2013, Short Kid Stories is a site dedicated to short stories for kids and will showcase a huge range of classic and original short stories for children, free of charge. My aim for this is simply to be the best resource available for adults looking for short stories for kids, either to read to them or for kids to read themselves.

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

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

Tips for Writers/Contest

In the past two weeks, I’ve conducted three writing workshops. In each class I’ve asked participants to offer feedback on some of the best tips for writing children’s books. Here are the top four:

1. Create a strong ending that reflects the beginning. The resolution should reflect the character’s problem or goal that was stated at the beginning of the story.

2. Show, Don’t Tell. SHOW the character in action rather than telling what the character did after the action was complete. Instead of TELLing that Timmy rode his bicycle down the road, SHOW the scene by describing how he pumped the pedals.

3. Treat your character badly and then threat the character worse. Place obstacles in your character’s journey to raise the tension of the story. High tension builds high interest for readers.

4. Just get the story written. Don’t be too concerned about the use of voice and grammatical correctness at this stage. Good writing comes from rewriting. Future drafts of the manuscripts can spit shine it.

Contest for adult writers:
Family Circle. Limit 2,500 words of short fiction.
Must be unpublished and never have won a prize. Limit two entries per person.
Must be 21 or older and a legal resident of the US. Grand prize may be published in Family Circle.
One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive a prize package including $750, a gift certificate to one (1) mediabistro.com course of his or her choice, one (1) year mediabistro.com AvantGuild membership valued at $55, and a one (1) year mediabistro.com How-to Video membership valued at $99.
One (1) Second Place winner will receive $250, a one (1) year mediabistro.com AvantGuild membership, and a one (1) year mediabistro.com How-to Video membership.
One (1) Third Place winner will receive $250 and a one (1) year mediabistro.com AvantGuild membership.
Deadline: Deadline September 7, 2012.
Details at http://www.familycircle.com/family-fun/fiction/fiction-contest-rules-2012/

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

Picture Books: Nonfiction/Call for submissions

Many picture books focus on information. Nonfiction text should not sound like a textbook. Instead, mix and stir and serve the information in an exciting, fresh manner.

Ear appeal is vital to a picture book. These books are designed to be read aloud. Before mailing a manuscript to an editor, test drive the story by reading it aloud. Your ears will pick up on the parts that don’t flow easily. Reading silently isn’t as effective.

Aim for lyrical, rhythmic prose to add a cadence to the text and to give an overall tempo to the piece. Listeners will cling to every word when the story has a musical quality. Carefully consider each word to maximize the rhythm, descriptive details, and dialog.

Editors want books that delight the reader/listener so a satisfying ending is critical to a successful manuscript. The story may have a gentle, rip-roaring, or surprise ending. When I’m writing, I know the ending before I ever begin a story. The ending is the last impression a writer makes on a reader so make the ending memorable.

One of the best ways to learn how to write picture books is to read lots of them from a variety of authors. Notice the different styles. Read like a writer and write like a reader.

Good picture books should remain interesting over multiple readings. The depth and richness of the writing and emotions can make a child say, Read it again. Ah, sweet music to a writer’s ears.

Call for submissions for adult writers
Lightspeed Magazine . CURRENT NEEDS: "Original science fiction stories (not fantasy) of 7500 words or less. Preferred length is 5000
words or less." 1000-7500 words.

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

Picture Books: Problem Resolution Tales

The plot structure for Problem Resolution stories has a beginning, middle, and end. The beginning introduces the characters, setting and conflict. Most picture books have a third person point of view [he/she said] but first person [I said] also works. Sometimes dialog is used and sometimes authors choose an all narrative telling. Both work. In my book, Trouble in Troublesome Creek, I used dialog to help develop the individual personalities of the characters and to move the plot forward.

Rising action occurs when the character faces conflict. The Troublesome Creek kids found dead fish floating in their swimming hole. Yuck! That was no place for swimming. To make matters worse, no one knew what was killing the fish. By accident, they opened up a cave and decided to explore. Deep inside the cave, they dropped their flashlight and were swallowed by black. When the light worked again, they kids couldn’t remember the route out of the cave. Bats swarmed them. The way to build conflict is to create problems for the character. To keep the conflict high, create more problems. The conflict continues until the story reaches a climax, where the character confronts the problem.

The resolution comes quickly and suggests that the character has changed or solved the problem. The kids found strange rocks in the cave and later identified them as Minnie balls, Civil War lead bullets over 150 years old. The bullets were removed and the water in their swimming hole was safe for fish and swimmers. Problem solved.
This structure is the most popular in picture books.

Contest for young writers:
Gumbo Teen Magazine, a bimonthly print publication with a multicultural focus, accepts inquiries for submission by 13- to 19-year-olds on contemporary social, political and global issues of interest to teens, as well as news highlighting fashion, sports and entertainment.
Details at http://www.mygumbo.com/gumboteenmagazine/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=48&Itemid=46

Call for submissions for adult writers
Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine
CURRENT NEEDS: "Three general criteria are employed in
evaluating submissions: We look for strong writing, an
original and exciting plot, and professional craftsmanship.
We need hard-boiled stories as well as "cozies.
Details at http://www.themysteryplace.com/eqmm/guidelines/

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

Picture Books: Journey Stories/Contest

The journey story is viable plot structure for picture books. The main character journeys into the world on a quest or with a specific goal in mind. While on the journey the character faces strong opposition and obstacles that s/he must overcome. By the end of the journey, the character experiences growth. This type of story has a definite sense of beginning, middle, and end. Many fairy tales, folktales, and myths are journey stories. Examples: The Three Little Pigs and Jack and the Beanstalk.

The beginning introduces the character and setting as well as the catalyst for the journey. Early in the story, establish the reason why the character is taking the journey. What is the character’s motivation to continue when presented with challenges? The pigs are seeking their fortunes. Introduce the villain, such as the Bad Wolf.

Challenges arise in the middle part of the story. The character is tested. The Big Bad Wolf huffs and puffs and blows down their houses. The character must learn to deal with the opposition so s/he can overcome the final obstacle that leads to the climax.

The ending is short and sweet. The Big Bad Wolf won’t bother the pigs ever again. A satisfying ending is a must for young readers. The pigs are victorious.

Consider how your journey story fits this plot structure. Add your own creative ideas, distinctive characters, and compelling plot to make the story fresh and engaging. As in building a house, the structure of a story provides the foundation, but the details offer the uniqueness.

Contest for young and adult writers:
Tapestry of Bronze "Odes to the Olympians" Spring 2012 Contest
"The Tapestry of Bronze is sponsoring a series of poetry contests to celebrate Greek and Roman mythology and the Olympian gods. The subject of the eighth contest is Ares (also known as Mars), the God of War." Prizes of $50 will be awarded for the winning poem in each age group (over 18/under 18). NB: "All poems remain the property of the authors. However, the Tapestry of Bronze reserves the right to post winning poems and those receiving Honorable Mention on the Tapestry of Bronze website."
Deadline: April 30, 2012
Details at http://www.tapestryofbronze.com/OdeForm.html

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

Story Endings, Calls for Submissions

A teacher in Virginia (Hello, Jennifer) who follows this blog, requested information about story endings/conclusions, so the next two blogs will address endings.

A good ending makes a story come full circle. The ending should reflect and resolve the problem or goal developed at the beginning of the story. When I conduct writing workshops with students, I encourage them to end the story with a zinger. I define a zinger as an ending that zings the reader so s/he is
1. surprised. A twist or unexpected ending enhances the overall story.
2. provoked, to think about the story more. Does the ending leave the reader satisfied?
3. feeling strong emotional attachments to the story and characters.

In this case, what works for student writers also works for professionals. Reread the story and ask yourself if the ending is a zinger. If not, think about how the ending can be rewritten to become a zinger. I like surprise endings, because they make great zingers. Humorous ending make the reader laugh. Those work well, too.

Here are more questions the writer can ask:
1. Does the ending surprise the reader?
2. Will the reader be provoked to think about the story after reading it?
3. How will the story touch the reader emotionally? Will the reader care at all? Laugh? Cry?
4. Are all ends tied up? This means that unresolved problems have been dealt with.

Next week, I’ll discuss things to avoid in writing endings.

MatadorNetwork: They’re launching a print magazine! With *BETA*, their aim “is to publish the best English-language travel writing on the planet.” Pays: “[H]ere’s the bottom line: writing that makes the cut will be paid by the word, at competitive print rates (probably at 50 cents, for now). So every word has to be worth at least a pair of quarters.” Editors recommend reading this post for some additional information: http://matadornetwork.com/pulse/8-reasons-matador-is-launching-a-print-mag/
Guidelines at http://matadornetwork.com/betamag/writers-guidelines

Creative Kids The most exciting aspect of Creative Kids is that it is written by kids. Students from all over the world write for the magazine, so it includes exciting examples of the most creative student work to be found in any publication. Many kids get started by writing for the magazine’s “Write On” section. Here, kids express themselves by writing short opinion pieces about issues they face on a day-to-day basis.
Become a Creative Kids Author
Kids from all over the world read and contribute to Creative Kids. To submit your work to Creative Kids, be sure to read the submission guidelines first.
Details at Submission Guidelines