This week I’m continuing to cover trends in children’s publishing. Here are a few more:
1. Young adult books are still in demand. Problem novels, fantasy, realistic contemporary, historical fiction, and time travel are popular genres.
2. Picture books under 750 words, or less, seem to be in demand, while longer picture books are not as marketable.
3. Collections of poetry seem to be making a comeback.
4. Diary format books are exploding at the moment. The market will soon be saturated if the trend continues.
5. Graphic novels are hot.
6. Beginning readers are popular with the primary grade readers. Stories that once were published as picture books are now in the beginning reader format.
7. Books for tweens, a cross between middle grade and young adult literature are selling well.
Trends come and trends go. Literary vampires and zombies appear to be less trendy, along with stories about kids moving to new homes, as well as divorced and dead parents.
Keeping an eye on trends helps us to avoid certain formats or subject as we write stories we’re passionate about. If our stories happen to coincide with a trend, great; if not, maybe our stories will kick off a trend. My advice: Keep writing and stay informed. Useful information is gold to writers.
Call for submissions for students:
Imagine Literary Magazine is looking for well-written stories and poems as well as creative art and photography by young people, with a loose age guideline of 13-18 (If you're a few years out of that range, don't worry, your work can still be published). On occasion, Imagine Literary Magazine will publish works by adults, but please note that submissions of young people are given an advantage. The magazine is primarily meant for a children and teen audience. Stories can be any fiction genre (fantasy, science fiction, mystery, humor, contemporary, and historical just to name some). Nonfiction is only accepted if the story is written in a narrative form. Stories under 2,000 words is a maximum. All different forms of poetry are accepted. Just make sure to keep to a reasonable length.
Guidelines: http://imaginelitmag.blogspot.com/search/label/Submissions%20Guidelines
Contest for Adults:
Wonder in the Wander Contest: A contestant must submit a personal story, 2000 words or less, that describes a Wonder in the Wander, which is about the awe and inspiration that occurs in every day living whether it be a long dreamed of vacation or just picking up some groceries at the market. We are all connected in this life journey. What amazing Wander have you experienced? To see example content, visit http://susanleighpicking.blogspot.com/.
Deadline: June 30, 2011 at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time.
Details at http://susanleighpicking.com/witwpromorules.htm
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Trends in Children's Literature/Contest/Call for Submissions
The children's book publishing market is in a constant state of change and keeping up with the changes is a never-ending task. I’ve surfed the Internet looking for the latest trends and here are some recent discoveries.
1. A first-time author should query a stand-alone manuscript, rather than a series. If the book sells well, has a great hook, and grabs the interest of a wide network of readers, approach the publisher about a second or third book.
2. The picture book market continues to be soft but is gradually making a comeback. Selling picture books is difficult and the manuscripts have to be different from those currently in the market and stand out and above the competition of other submissions.
3. Nonfiction books need a hook to grab the reader’s attention and tell the story in a unique way. Focus on a narrow aspect of the subject rather than covering a broad, general topic. Find a subject, or a new perspective of the subject, that has not been covered in other books.
4. Multicultural literature is still popular with most publishers. Stories from other cultures are in demand. Depict ethnicity accurately, because all kids need to be represented in books and represented accurately. Avoid stereotypes and clichés.
5. Rhyming books are difficult to sell because the rhyme usually doesn’t hold up throughout the story.
6. Middle grade and young adult books are the best sellers; therefore, more contracts are going out for these manuscripts.
Since it’s impossible to predict trends, writers are encouraged to not focus on trends but to write the best story they can. Yet, it’s nice to know what types of manuscripts editors want and don’t want so we can better target our work to the most appropriate house. Next week, I’ll discuss more popular trends.
Have you noticed trends in children’s literature? If so, I’d love to hear from you. Just leave a comment.
Contest:
Norman Mailer High School and College Awards for Creative Nonfiction
"Norman Mailer produced extraordinary works in many genres, including the
category of this year's award. The awards are for excellence in creative
nonfiction which is truth/fact-based writing with literary merit, work that
features authorial voice and, often, personal experience, and often has a
significant narrative quality. The competition is broadly inclusive of genres
and subgenres that fall under creative nonfiction: memoirs, personal essays,
literary journalism, artful writings about place, environment, travel, people,
etc. Whatever its type, the best work will be true material presented with
compelling literary merit." In addition to a category for high-school students,
categories include the Two-Year College Competition, which is "open to first-and
second-year full-time students enrolled in community colleges, junior colleges,
and technical colleges" and confers a cash award of $5,000 plus travel and
lodging to attend the National Award Ceremony in New York City, and a Four-Year
College Competition, which "is open to current full-time undergraduate
students", confers a cash award of $10,000, a scholarship to the Norman Mailer
Writers Colony during the summer of 2012, and travel and lodging to attend the
National Award Ceremony. NB: "Funding for travel is limited to the continental
United States, Alaska, and Hawaii. Canadian and other foreign students are
eligible to enter. Outside of the U.S. a $500.00 USD payment toward travel will
be allowed. Hotel will be paid as for students in the U.S."
Details at http://www.ncte.org/awards/student/nmwa
Deadline: April 28, 2011 (submissions close at noon, CST)
Call for Submissions:"
The Chattahoochee Review is under new editorship but very much alive and well. Please bear with us as we make this transition. We will be unveiling an exciting new website in the months to come. Meanwhile, keep the submissions and
subscriptions coming." Guidelines and pay rates are published at
http://chattahoochee-review.org.
1. A first-time author should query a stand-alone manuscript, rather than a series. If the book sells well, has a great hook, and grabs the interest of a wide network of readers, approach the publisher about a second or third book.
2. The picture book market continues to be soft but is gradually making a comeback. Selling picture books is difficult and the manuscripts have to be different from those currently in the market and stand out and above the competition of other submissions.
3. Nonfiction books need a hook to grab the reader’s attention and tell the story in a unique way. Focus on a narrow aspect of the subject rather than covering a broad, general topic. Find a subject, or a new perspective of the subject, that has not been covered in other books.
4. Multicultural literature is still popular with most publishers. Stories from other cultures are in demand. Depict ethnicity accurately, because all kids need to be represented in books and represented accurately. Avoid stereotypes and clichés.
5. Rhyming books are difficult to sell because the rhyme usually doesn’t hold up throughout the story.
6. Middle grade and young adult books are the best sellers; therefore, more contracts are going out for these manuscripts.
Since it’s impossible to predict trends, writers are encouraged to not focus on trends but to write the best story they can. Yet, it’s nice to know what types of manuscripts editors want and don’t want so we can better target our work to the most appropriate house. Next week, I’ll discuss more popular trends.
Have you noticed trends in children’s literature? If so, I’d love to hear from you. Just leave a comment.
Contest:
Norman Mailer High School and College Awards for Creative Nonfiction
"Norman Mailer produced extraordinary works in many genres, including the
category of this year's award. The awards are for excellence in creative
nonfiction which is truth/fact-based writing with literary merit, work that
features authorial voice and, often, personal experience, and often has a
significant narrative quality. The competition is broadly inclusive of genres
and subgenres that fall under creative nonfiction: memoirs, personal essays,
literary journalism, artful writings about place, environment, travel, people,
etc. Whatever its type, the best work will be true material presented with
compelling literary merit." In addition to a category for high-school students,
categories include the Two-Year College Competition, which is "open to first-and
second-year full-time students enrolled in community colleges, junior colleges,
and technical colleges" and confers a cash award of $5,000 plus travel and
lodging to attend the National Award Ceremony in New York City, and a Four-Year
College Competition, which "is open to current full-time undergraduate
students", confers a cash award of $10,000, a scholarship to the Norman Mailer
Writers Colony during the summer of 2012, and travel and lodging to attend the
National Award Ceremony. NB: "Funding for travel is limited to the continental
United States, Alaska, and Hawaii. Canadian and other foreign students are
eligible to enter. Outside of the U.S. a $500.00 USD payment toward travel will
be allowed. Hotel will be paid as for students in the U.S."
Details at http://www.ncte.org/awards/student/nmwa
Deadline: April 28, 2011 (submissions close at noon, CST)
Call for Submissions:"
The Chattahoochee Review is under new editorship but very much alive and well. Please bear with us as we make this transition. We will be unveiling an exciting new website in the months to come. Meanwhile, keep the submissions and
subscriptions coming." Guidelines and pay rates are published at
http://chattahoochee-review.org.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Creating Character Voice, Contest and Call for Submission
How can we strengthen our writing voices? Start by listening to how people talk. If you’re writing for teens, you might find the word, like, shows up a lot in dialog. Young children often ask questions. Where did the rain come from? Incorporate realistic dialog and narrative that reflect the age of the character into your writing.
Read works by other writers in the genre in which you are writing. Be conscious of how voice is used and why it resonates with you. Or doesn’t work, in some cases. Try to figure out why you don’t like that particular style of writing.
Read your work aloud. Does it genuinely reflect the age of the person who is telling the story?
Get to know your character. Interview your character. Ask questions and allow the character to answer as if s/he were real. You’ll learn more about your character than will be used in the story and more than the reader will need to know. The important thing is—you’ll have a better grasp of who the character is and the voice will be easier to capture.
Play with the words and scenes. Rewrite them to clean up the areas that falter. A strong voice develops through revision.
The Last Word
We wanna know how your story ends!
But you get to have the last word. Your final sentence has to be “And he/she/they would never have found out if it wasn’t for the______________________.”
Fill in that blank with a word or words.
Your story can be no longer than 350 words as determined by MS word count, excluding title. Your story can be funny, sad, mysterious, involve zombies or gratefully dead persons or live ones–just don’t do the conventional inside the parabola thinking of a crime or mystery murder. Surprise us all!
By entering this contest, you are giving us the right to publish your story on line and first time rights to printed publication, should this go into an anthology. If this contest results in creation of an anthology, there is no guarantee that your entry will included in publication.
You may have up to three entries, but each entry must be sent in an individual email attachment.
Deadline: April 5 at midnight, California time.
Send entries to thorn@awordwithyoupress.com
Cyberkids
We especially like stories, articles and poems that are funny.
· Art and written submissions can be on any topic that is appropriate for our audience (ages 7 to 12).
· Stories which include an original illustration or photo are more likely to be published than stories without pictures.
· Originality is very important--make sure the work you submit is your own and not copied from someone else.
· In addition to art and writing, we also like to publish games, puzzles, brain teasers, jokes, and multimedia creations by kids.
· Ages 13 and under: games, reviews and contests.
· Ages 13-18: poems, fiction and non-fiction
Details at www.cyberkids.com
Read works by other writers in the genre in which you are writing. Be conscious of how voice is used and why it resonates with you. Or doesn’t work, in some cases. Try to figure out why you don’t like that particular style of writing.
Read your work aloud. Does it genuinely reflect the age of the person who is telling the story?
Get to know your character. Interview your character. Ask questions and allow the character to answer as if s/he were real. You’ll learn more about your character than will be used in the story and more than the reader will need to know. The important thing is—you’ll have a better grasp of who the character is and the voice will be easier to capture.
Play with the words and scenes. Rewrite them to clean up the areas that falter. A strong voice develops through revision.
The Last Word
We wanna know how your story ends!
But you get to have the last word. Your final sentence has to be “And he/she/they would never have found out if it wasn’t for the______________________.”
Fill in that blank with a word or words.
Your story can be no longer than 350 words as determined by MS word count, excluding title. Your story can be funny, sad, mysterious, involve zombies or gratefully dead persons or live ones–just don’t do the conventional inside the parabola thinking of a crime or mystery murder. Surprise us all!
By entering this contest, you are giving us the right to publish your story on line and first time rights to printed publication, should this go into an anthology. If this contest results in creation of an anthology, there is no guarantee that your entry will included in publication.
You may have up to three entries, but each entry must be sent in an individual email attachment.
Deadline: April 5 at midnight, California time.
Send entries to thorn@awordwithyoupress.com
Cyberkids
We especially like stories, articles and poems that are funny.
· Art and written submissions can be on any topic that is appropriate for our audience (ages 7 to 12).
· Stories which include an original illustration or photo are more likely to be published than stories without pictures.
· Originality is very important--make sure the work you submit is your own and not copied from someone else.
· In addition to art and writing, we also like to publish games, puzzles, brain teasers, jokes, and multimedia creations by kids.
· Ages 13 and under: games, reviews and contests.
· Ages 13-18: poems, fiction and non-fiction
Details at www.cyberkids.com
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Voice, Contests
Sometimes we have those A-ha! moments when we see, hear, or read something that grabs us in a new way. That happened to me when I read the following quote by Gordon Lish: It’s not about what happens to people on the page; it’s about what happens to a reader in his heart and mind.
Hummmm. That bit of information is a nugget of literary ore. Our stories should begin with action; the characters should change by the end of the story; a satisfying conclusion usually works best, but a story can have all these components and still not strike gold with the reader. These components are a pathway for creating the story, but just as important is how we tell the story, better known as voice.
Voice is dicey to define and comes with a variety of definitions. It’s the way a character expresses him/herself in a unique way that reveals the character from inside out. Voice can be expressed in dialog, the words spoken by the character. Or through narrative, as the character tells the story in words that reflect who the character is. Voice is what the character chooses to say and how the character says it. Strong voice has attitude and rhythm. The story must resonate with the reader to such a degree that s/he will keep turning the pages.
Next week, I’ll discuss how to strengthen voice in writing.
Contest for Student Writers
The Sylvia K. Burack Writing Award is a writing contest for high school students in grades 11 and 12 in the U.S. and Canada. The award is made in memory of Sylvia K. Burack, longtime editor and publisher of The Writer magazine. Burack was known for her dedication to helping writers and editors. Submit a previously unpublished 600- to 800-word personal essay in English on the following topic: "Select a work of fiction, poem or play that has influenced you. Discuss the work and explain how it affected you." No song lyrics.
Eligibility: You must be a student in grade 11 or 12 attending a U.S. or Canadian high school at the time you submit the essay. The winner will be asked to provide proof of enrollment in grade 11 or 12 in a U.S. or Canadian high school.
Prizes:
• $500
• Publication in The Writer magazine and on WriterMag.com
• A one-year subscription to The Writer
Details: writingclasses.com/burack.
Deadline: March 31, 2011
Contest for Adult Writers
Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
"Now in its tenth year. We seek today's best humor poems. Total cash prizes of
$3,600 will be awarded,with a top prize of $1,500." NB:"Poets of all nations may
enter. Your poem must be in English (inspired gibberish also accepted). Please
submit only one poem during the submission period. Your poem may be of any
length. Both published and unpublished work are welcome."
Details: http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/wergle/we_guidelines.php
Deadline: April 1, 2011
Hummmm. That bit of information is a nugget of literary ore. Our stories should begin with action; the characters should change by the end of the story; a satisfying conclusion usually works best, but a story can have all these components and still not strike gold with the reader. These components are a pathway for creating the story, but just as important is how we tell the story, better known as voice.
Voice is dicey to define and comes with a variety of definitions. It’s the way a character expresses him/herself in a unique way that reveals the character from inside out. Voice can be expressed in dialog, the words spoken by the character. Or through narrative, as the character tells the story in words that reflect who the character is. Voice is what the character chooses to say and how the character says it. Strong voice has attitude and rhythm. The story must resonate with the reader to such a degree that s/he will keep turning the pages.
Next week, I’ll discuss how to strengthen voice in writing.
Contest for Student Writers
The Sylvia K. Burack Writing Award is a writing contest for high school students in grades 11 and 12 in the U.S. and Canada. The award is made in memory of Sylvia K. Burack, longtime editor and publisher of The Writer magazine. Burack was known for her dedication to helping writers and editors. Submit a previously unpublished 600- to 800-word personal essay in English on the following topic: "Select a work of fiction, poem or play that has influenced you. Discuss the work and explain how it affected you." No song lyrics.
Eligibility: You must be a student in grade 11 or 12 attending a U.S. or Canadian high school at the time you submit the essay. The winner will be asked to provide proof of enrollment in grade 11 or 12 in a U.S. or Canadian high school.
Prizes:
• $500
• Publication in The Writer magazine and on WriterMag.com
• A one-year subscription to The Writer
Details: writingclasses.com/burack.
Deadline: March 31, 2011
Contest for Adult Writers
Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest
"Now in its tenth year. We seek today's best humor poems. Total cash prizes of
$3,600 will be awarded,with a top prize of $1,500." NB:"Poets of all nations may
enter. Your poem must be in English (inspired gibberish also accepted). Please
submit only one poem during the submission period. Your poem may be of any
length. Both published and unpublished work are welcome."
Details: http://www.winningwriters.com/contests/wergle/we_guidelines.php
Deadline: April 1, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Story Endings, Contest, Calls for Submissions
Knowing how to write interesting endings is important, but it’s just as important to know what not to do, so let's avoid the following:
1. Repeating the main point, unless it's a letter trying to convince someone of something. Convey the idea earlier in the piece and don't hammer the reader with the same point at the end.
2. Uninteresting chronology. The day begins early in the story so the story ends that evening with "and they all said good-night." Focus the ending on the plot rather than the time sequence. I'm sure there are exceptions to this, but remember, we're aiming for zinger endings. This type of ending offers little or no surprise element.
3.Implausible endings that don't tie up all loose ends, such as dream sequences or "then she woke up and realized it was all just a dream." Fiction should reflect real life in explaining the actions characters take. Writers should resolve the main problem/goal in a story, but it's okay to leave room for interpretation and imagination at the end. This leads to provoking a reader to think about possible outcomes for the character. Remember, the goal is to leave the reader emotionally satisfied and glad they spend time reading your story.
Totem Head’s Contest for Young Writers
Categories :
1. Ages 9 and under
2. Ages 10-12
3. Ages 13-15
4. Ages 16-18
The contest is open to US residents under 19 years old.
Prizes :
One winner from each category will receive the following prizes.
1. Publication on AdventureWrite.com/kids
2. $50 cash
3. Certificate of Achievement
Judging Adventure Write will choose one winner from each category based : on:
1. Suitability for the Adventure Write Kid's website
2. Entertainment and Creativity
3. Spelling, grammar and punctuation
Deadline: Send your entry before 31 Dec 2011.
Details at http://www.adventurewrite.com/kids/contest.html
Stories for Children Magazine is looking for nonfiction, poems, crafts, activities and puzzles to fill their April, May and Summer 2011 issues. They buy titles for their “Best Of” anthology at the end of the year and many of the titles published in Stories for Children Magazine get contracted for educational markets.
Details at http://storiesforchildrenmagaizne.org. Guidelines are in the Contributor‘ section.
1. Repeating the main point, unless it's a letter trying to convince someone of something. Convey the idea earlier in the piece and don't hammer the reader with the same point at the end.
2. Uninteresting chronology. The day begins early in the story so the story ends that evening with "and they all said good-night." Focus the ending on the plot rather than the time sequence. I'm sure there are exceptions to this, but remember, we're aiming for zinger endings. This type of ending offers little or no surprise element.
3.Implausible endings that don't tie up all loose ends, such as dream sequences or "then she woke up and realized it was all just a dream." Fiction should reflect real life in explaining the actions characters take. Writers should resolve the main problem/goal in a story, but it's okay to leave room for interpretation and imagination at the end. This leads to provoking a reader to think about possible outcomes for the character. Remember, the goal is to leave the reader emotionally satisfied and glad they spend time reading your story.
Totem Head’s Contest for Young Writers
Categories :
1. Ages 9 and under
2. Ages 10-12
3. Ages 13-15
4. Ages 16-18
The contest is open to US residents under 19 years old.
Prizes :
One winner from each category will receive the following prizes.
1. Publication on AdventureWrite.com/kids
2. $50 cash
3. Certificate of Achievement
Judging Adventure Write will choose one winner from each category based : on:
1. Suitability for the Adventure Write Kid's website
2. Entertainment and Creativity
3. Spelling, grammar and punctuation
Deadline: Send your entry before 31 Dec 2011.
Details at http://www.adventurewrite.com/kids/contest.html
Stories for Children Magazine is looking for nonfiction, poems, crafts, activities and puzzles to fill their April, May and Summer 2011 issues. They buy titles for their “Best Of” anthology at the end of the year and many of the titles published in Stories for Children Magazine get contracted for educational markets.
Details at http://storiesforchildrenmagaizne.org. Guidelines are in the Contributor‘ section.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
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
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
Sunday, February 27, 2011
First Paragraph/Call for Submissions/Writing Contests
Whether a story is a picture book, a short story, or a 100,000-word novel, the most important passage is the first paragraph. The beginning paragraph introduces the reader to your writing style. This is where the reader meets the character for the first time, along with the time and place of the story. Voice comes into play early. This introduction should capture the readers' interest, making them want to read on.
The beginning paragraph should start the story at a point where the character’s life will forever be changed. There is no room for backstory in the first paragraph. The story should start with some conflict that makes that day in the character’s life different. Or use intrigue to hook the reader. Make the reader want to find out what is going to happen as you hint at the problem that lies ahead. A strong beginning raises questions in the readers’ minds, questions they want answered.
Study the opening sentences in popular books and in new books you find. Notice how the author introduced the character and set up the story. Identify what the author did to grab you interest immediately. Make a list of different methods used to grab and hold your attention in the first paragraph. Some authors use humor, unusual phrasing, a surprising statement, a mystery, odd facts, and numerous other hooks. What worked for you?
Next week, I’ll discuss types of endings/conclusions.
Call for Submissions/Contest:
*The Threepenny Review* reopens to submissions in January, at which point it
will also begin allowing online submissions through a new submission system. No
simultaneous submissions. Pays: "At present *The Threepenny Review* is paying
$400 per story or article, $200 per poem or Table Talk piece."
http://www.threepennyreview.com
National Pet Week Writing Contest for Young Writers
The Auxiliary to The American Veterinary Medical Association is pleased to announce a call for entries to their annual writing and poster contests. The deadline is March 16, 2011. The winning entries will be used to promote the 2012 National Pet Week theme "Healthy Pets Make Happy Homes". Contest winners
will each receive $300. The writing contest is open to third to fifth graders. Entrants are invited to submit poems, essays, or stories 20 to 200 words in length. Entries must be submitted in the body of an e-mail to petweek@hotmail.com along with the entrant's name, address, grade in school, phone number and age.
The poster contest is open to artists of any age. The poster may be any size and must be colorful. Do not fold, staple, or send by fax. The use of crayons is discouraged because it does not copy well. Magic markers, dark colored pencils, and watercolor in bright shades, etc. tend to make a more attractive and reproducible entry. Posters with photos, magazine cut-outs, or additional elements of this type are
automatically disqualified. Entries must be postmarked by March 16, 2011 and mailed to:
Jewel Allen, 326 Ranch Road, Grantsville, Utah 84029. Go to the website and click on
"National Pet Week". Inquiries may be sent to petweek@hotmail.com.
Details at http://www.avmaaux.org
The beginning paragraph should start the story at a point where the character’s life will forever be changed. There is no room for backstory in the first paragraph. The story should start with some conflict that makes that day in the character’s life different. Or use intrigue to hook the reader. Make the reader want to find out what is going to happen as you hint at the problem that lies ahead. A strong beginning raises questions in the readers’ minds, questions they want answered.
Study the opening sentences in popular books and in new books you find. Notice how the author introduced the character and set up the story. Identify what the author did to grab you interest immediately. Make a list of different methods used to grab and hold your attention in the first paragraph. Some authors use humor, unusual phrasing, a surprising statement, a mystery, odd facts, and numerous other hooks. What worked for you?
Next week, I’ll discuss types of endings/conclusions.
Call for Submissions/Contest:
*The Threepenny Review* reopens to submissions in January, at which point it
will also begin allowing online submissions through a new submission system. No
simultaneous submissions. Pays: "At present *The Threepenny Review* is paying
$400 per story or article, $200 per poem or Table Talk piece."
http://www.threepennyreview.com
National Pet Week Writing Contest for Young Writers
The Auxiliary to The American Veterinary Medical Association is pleased to announce a call for entries to their annual writing and poster contests. The deadline is March 16, 2011. The winning entries will be used to promote the 2012 National Pet Week theme "Healthy Pets Make Happy Homes". Contest winners
will each receive $300. The writing contest is open to third to fifth graders. Entrants are invited to submit poems, essays, or stories 20 to 200 words in length. Entries must be submitted in the body of an e-mail to petweek@hotmail.com along with the entrant's name, address, grade in school, phone number and age.
The poster contest is open to artists of any age. The poster may be any size and must be colorful. Do not fold, staple, or send by fax. The use of crayons is discouraged because it does not copy well. Magic markers, dark colored pencils, and watercolor in bright shades, etc. tend to make a more attractive and reproducible entry. Posters with photos, magazine cut-outs, or additional elements of this type are
automatically disqualified. Entries must be postmarked by March 16, 2011 and mailed to:
Jewel Allen, 326 Ranch Road, Grantsville, Utah 84029. Go to the website and click on
"National Pet Week". Inquiries may be sent to petweek@hotmail.com.
Details at http://www.avmaaux.org
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