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WRITING KID
Volume 10, Issue 22           -       October 31, 2010

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The zine for future writers today.
 
Publisher/Editor: C. Hope Clark
Mailto:      Hope@FundsforWriters.com

Published biweekly and free for the asking. Spread it around.

TELL YOUR TEACHERS ABOUT WRITING KID!

Find this newsletter online at
www.fundsforwriters.com/writingkid.htm
 
Read the archived editions at:
http://www.aweber.com/z/article/?writingkid

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WRITING NOTES
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Ghosts as Characters

By Mindy Hardwick

We all love hearing a good ghost story. But, what if you
want to write a ghost story?

The first question to ask is: Why is your human character
meeting a ghost at this moment and at this time? For
example, in Jennifer Allison's, Gilda Joyce's Psychic
Detective series, Gilda's father is dead. Gilda is
fascinated with the dead. Or, Eve Bunting's book, The
Presence, Catherine's best friend has just died in a car
accident. Catherine gets a visit from a ghost who tells
her that he can talk to her best friend. A good question
to ask yourself is: What is the loss my main character has
recently experienced? This will help you know why your human
can talk to your ghost at this moment.

The next thing you might want to understand is the different
types of ghosts. Ghosts come in all shapes and sizes with
all kinds of missions.  Some popular types of ghosts include:

· Ghost in Denial: These ghosts refuse to admit they are dead
and create havoc by trying to live as if they are humans.

· Attached Ghost: This ghost is emotionally attached to someone/
something/place and won't let go.

· Mission Ghost: A ghost who has something to accomplish. 
This may include helping the human figure out why they died,
or finding a lost item. Once the business is finished, the
ghost moves on.

· Comfort ghost: This ghost lingers to say good-bye to the
human. Many times this might be an animal or favorite pet.

When you are writing a ghost story, both your human and ghost
characters should be fully fleshed out. In order to help you
create well-rounded characters, some questions to consider
include:

How did your ghost become a ghost?

What time period did the ghost live?

What are the rules for how the ghost character can interact
with the human?

Why does the ghost need to interact with the human?
What do they want?

Do other humans in the story believe in the ghost?

How does your human react when they first meet the ghost?

Once you've got some ideas for your ghost and human characters,
it is now time to write your story. When your human and ghost
first encounter each other, there will probably be disbelief.
Then, as the story progresses, the human and ghost will work
together to accomplish a goal.  For example, they may try to
find a lost item. However, the human and ghost may also be at
odds with each other and oppose each other. At the climax of
your story, the ghost and human resolve the goal. Then, it is
time for your ghost and human to say good-bye. The ghost has
now served its purpose.

Whether you are writing about a ghost who haunts or a ghost
who helps, people always enjoy reading a good ghost tale! 

BIO
Mindy is a children's writer who loves writing about ghosts. 
One of her ghost stories, "Tales from the Lighthouse" was
published with the Washington State History Museum Webzine
and can be read here:

http://columbia.washingtonhistory.org/kids/fall2009/onedayinhistory.aspx

Mindy is a frequent school and library presenter. You can
learn more about her at: www.mindyhardwick.com

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Always keep writing.

    Hope
 
PS
We cover elementary to college teens. Each week we
carry 12 or so opportunities for all ages. Read each
market closely. Some cover a wide range and others
address a very small age group. Always read the directions!

We need guest articles. Have you considered writing a
guest article for WritingKid? Are you a student, a parent,
a teacher? All are eligible. Just make sure the topic
touches upon writing and runs no more than 500-550 words.
Those under 16 receive the book of their choice. Those
over 16 receive $10-$20, depending on the quality of the
piece, the amount of editing required and the obvious
amount of research. Send any submissions to
hope@fundsforwriters.com and label it SUBMISSION TO
WRITINGKID.

 
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1.
LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE
http://lettersaboutliterature.org/
---
Letters About Literature is a national competition open to
students in grades 4 through 12, and submissions are being
accepted until December 10, 2010. To enter, students write
a letter to an author, past or present, describing how that
author's work made an impact on their life. Deadline
December 10, 2010.

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2.
BUMPLES
http://www.bumples.com/WritersGuidelines.aspx
---
Bumples is an exciting NEW INTERACTIVE online magazine for
children four-ten years of age. Bumples specializes in
illustrated fiction about children and animals in mysteries,
sports, poems and fantasies with serialized adventures in each
issue. Stories are uniquely supplemented with puzzles, question
games, and activities, all of which makes Bumples story telling
all the more engaging. Considers submissions by both published
and unpublished writers and illustrators including children.
Send complete story and artwork (low resolution) via email to
editor@bumples.com. We prefer PDF format. Rights vary. Fiction
pays US $.20 per word. Poetry US $3.00/line. Artwork rates vary.

Ages 4-7: up to 800 words.
Ages 8-10: up to 2,000 words.
    
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3.
ALG IMAGINATION AWARD FOR FICTION
http://www.andersonliteraryhouse.com/mission.html

$20 ENTRY FEE
Deadline December 1, 2010. The Imagination Award seeks to
find writers with a talent for creativity, plot twists and
intensity. This is open to any story up to 2,000 words from
horror to romance to literary fiction. The judges seek
fiction that is unique, nonformulaic, unpredictable and
unforgettable. Students will also be eligible for consideration
for a Support a Writer award to help with tuition, books or
bills. Any U.S. citizen of any age may participate.

1st Place:  $500
2nd Place:  $250
3rd Place:  $125
 
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4.
AFRICANS IN IRELAND WRITING AWARDS
http://www.theafricanvoice.ie/viewListing.php?id=31
---
The AIWC, which will be an annual competition, is devoted
to unpublished works of Africans writers and aspiring writers
in Ireland. It aims to celebrate literary achievements of
African immigrants and promote the culture of reading among
children and young people. Prizes will be awarded in three
categories. Entries can include, but not restricted to, short
stories, non-fiction, fiction, feature stories, etc. The
deadline for entries is 30th of November 2010.

Junior 12- 15 years (1,000 words)
- First prize: €150
- Second Prize: €100
- Third Prize: €50

Senior 16-18 years (2,000 word)
- First prize: €200
- Second Prize: €180
- Third Prize: €150

Adult 19+ years (2,500 words)
- First prize: €200
- Second Prize: €150
- Third Prize: €100 
 
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5.
THE WISCONSIN BOOK FESTIVAL 2011 SHORT STORY CONTEST
http://www.wisconsinacademy.org/magazine/index.php?category_id=3755&subcategory_id=7278

$20 ENTRY FEE
This year's winners receive cash prizes of $500 (first place),
$250 (second place), and $100 (third place) and will travel to
Madison to read their award-winning stories during the 2011
Wisconsin Book Festival. In addition, the first- through third-
place winning stories will appear in future print and online
issues of the magazine, beginning with the summer 2011 issue.
The first-place winner will also receive a manuscript review
by a national publisher of note. Authors must reside in or
attend school in Wisconsin. Stories must be between 2,500
and 5,000 words in length. Deadline December 15, 2010.
 
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6.
VSA WISCONSIN CALL FOR WRITING
http://www.vsawis.org/programs/other_opportunities/2010%20Call%20for%20Writing_Info%20Page.pdf
---
The call is open to students with disabilities and students who
have a connection to people with disabilities. Students must be
between the ages of 11 and 18 years. Students up to age 21 receiving
special education services through the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act, or similar legislation in a country outside of the
U.S., are eligible to participate. Submissions must relate to the
theme CAPTURE. Entries must reach VSA on or before Wednesday,
December 1, 2010. Writing may be submitted in any language.
Fiction and nonfiction must not exceed 500 words. Poems must not
exceed 100 lines.

NOTE: I saw no reference to entrants being from Wisconsin.

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7.
THE SMITH COLLEGE POETRY PRIZE FOR HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS IN NEW ENGLAND
http://www.smith.edu/poetrycenter/highschoolprize.html

NO ENTRY FEE
Entrants must be sophomore or junior girls whose school or
home address is in New England. One poem per student, maximum
of 25 lines (the poem must fit on one page). Submissions will
be accepted between October 1 and December 1, 2010. In addition
to the $500 cash prize awarded to the winner, she and three
finalists will receive signed copies of Where I Live, by Maxine
Kumin. Winners & finalists will also spend the day at Smith
College, meeting privately with Ms. Smith to discuss their poetry,
and presenting their winning work at her evening reading on March
23, 2011.
 
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8.
TAPESTRY OF BRONZE CONTEST
http://www.tapestryofbronze.com/OdeForm.html

NO ENTRY FEE
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 sixth contest is Athena
(also known as Minerva), the Goddess of Wisdom, Warrior and
Weaving. The deadline is November 30, 2010. All poems remain
the property of the authors. However, Tapestry of Bronze
reserves the right to post winning poems and those receiving
Honorable Mention on the Tapestry of Bronze website.
Furthermore, interest has been expressed in setting the poems
to music. E-mail your poem (no more than 30 lines). The first
prize winner in each age group ("Under 18? and "18 and Over")
will receive $50. Honorable Mentions may be awarded as well,
but without cash prizes.
 
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9.
VIRGINIA B. BALL CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION
http://academy.interlochen.org/content/virginia-b-ball-creative-writing-competition
---
First Prize: $30,000 Creative Writing Scholarship to Interlochen
Arts Academy and publication in the 2012 Interlochen Review.
Eligibility: Any student in grades 8-11 during the 2010-11
academic year. Deadline: Midnight on December 15, 2010. No
entry fee. In addition to the scholarship, contest-winners
may be eligible for additional need-based financial aid.
Students must submit both poetry and prose pieces. Poetry:
2-4 poems, totaling no more than 200 lines. Prose: short
stories or personal essays or a combination of the two,
totaling fewer than 4,000 words. No news articles.

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10.
TEEN FILMMAKER FELLOWS - TRIBECA FILM FELLOWSHIPS
http://www.tribecafilminstitute.org/students/

Each year, TFI selects twenty NYC youth filmmakers, ages
16-19, to participate in our Tribeca Film Fellows program.
Programming includes a creative project, panel discussions,
workshops, mentoring by Festival film directors, screenings,
and special events. This tuition-free intensive arts program
allows for New York City Department of Education public
school students entering grades 8-12, to major in dance,
theater, vocal music, instrumental music, visual art, film
or photography.

 
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Contact WritingKid (the Business Stuff)
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FundsforWriters/Writing Kid make no warranty as to the
accuracy of the contests, awards, etc. but we do try to
check them out in advance to the best of our ability.
 
C. Hope Clark
Hope@FundsforWriters.com
http://www.fundsforwriters.com

Copyright 2000-2010, C. Hope Clark

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