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WRITING KID
Volume 11, Issue 4           -       February 18, 2011

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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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Please Don't Say the Word "Writing"

By Jasmine Studyvance

As a young child, I used to hate when the teacher said,
"We are going to write about..." or said anything that had
to do with writing. Her words just made me want to cuss
her out silently. I didn't like length requirements or
getting it returned with a lot of needed corrections. I
just wanted to turn my writing in and the whole thing be
perfect.

It took me a while to understand the important rules of
writing and how they can help you. As I got older, I tried
not to let the word "writing" get to me. I just did the best
I could. I learned from my mistakes and that helped a little,
but I knew something was still missing.

My cousin Justice used to tell me about the creative writing
class at our school: "It's really fun and the class helps
you become a better writer." After hearing this from her,
I still didn't want to take a class about writing. During
my summer break, I thought about the creative writing class
and how it could help in the future. When school started,
I told my cousin, "I decided to take the class. I don't know
why but I did." Justice smiled and said, "You're going to
love it and it will help you."

At first, I didn't think the class was helping me at all,
but I was willing to give it a chance. I paid attention
and listened and began to learn how to use more sophisticated
vocabulary. I learned how to edit my own paper.

Now when I have a paper to write or hear the teacher say
something about writing, I don't mind because I'm ready to
show off my skills. In the creative writing class, we have
opportunities to have our work published and show our
creative writing through avenues provided by Writing Kid.

After a few months I can say that writing has helped me
in many ways. I can express my feelings in writing, help
others with anything they're going through, and also know
some creative things to improve my work. Now I enjoy
writing just to see how it will turn out and how people
will react to it. But I still cringe sometimes when I hear
the word writing.

BIO:
Jasmine Studyvance is a junior at Broome High School.
She takes her school work seriously so she can succeed
in life and complete her goals. In her free time, she
loves to shop and spend time with her family and friends.

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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.
YOUTH WRITING BRAILLE CONTEST
http://www.familyconnect.org/news.asp?AnnouncementID=989
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NO ENTRY FEE
The NFB Writers' Division is hosting a Youth Writing Contest
to promote Braille literacy and excellence in creative writing.
Entries will be judged on creativity and quality of Braille.
The NFB Writers' Division is looking for creative writing in
the form of fiction and poetry. There is no charge for entering.
This is a contest for students who use Braille. Entries must
be submitted in hand-embossed Braille, either on a slate and
stylus or on a Braille writer. No computer Braille entries will
be considered. Submissions must be brailled by the entrant.
There are six categories as follows: Elementary (grades K-6)
Fiction and Poetry; Middle School (grades 7-8) Fiction and
Poetry; High School (grades 9-12) Fiction and Poetry. The
contest deadline is April 1, 2011. There will be three cash
prizes for each of the six categories. Submissions receiving
honorable mention will also be listed. First prize per contest
is $25. Second prize is $15 and third prize is $5. Submissions
for fiction may not exceed 1,000 words. Poetry may not exceed
20 lines. Authors may submit multiple entries and all work must
be original and unpublished.

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2.
WRITE ABOUT TREES! - OREGON AND WASHINGTON STUDENTS
http://witspdx.com/2011/02/04/write-about-trees-2011-youth-nature-writing-contest/
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NO ENTRY FEE
If you have a forest story, Lewis and Clark National Historical
Park in Astoria wants to hear it, in the most descriptive
language possible. Because of this, their 2011 Youth Nature
Writing Contest, open to Oregon and Washington high school
students, is themed: "Trees in the Forest." As their website
says: "Your story could be an adventure, a deeply personal
moment of reflection, an injustice, a happy experience, a
tragedy, or anything you want to write about, as long as it's
nonfiction and it's about forests or a tree." The winner will
receive $100. Second place will receive $75, and third $25.
Fourth and fifth place will receive water bottles. The top 10
writers will receive certificates of recognition. The top five
essays will be posted on their website on Earth Day, April 22,
2011 and on Facebook under "Youth Nature Writing Contest 2011."
Essays, which must be under 500 words, will be accepted until
Thursday, March 31, 2011.
 
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3.
NORM STRUNG YOUTH WRITING AWARDS
http://www.owaa.org/contests/youth-writing
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NO ENTRY FEE
Cash prizes are awarded to winners in grades 6-12 for poetry
and prose categories. Deadline is March 15, 2011. The work
must have been published in a newsletter, newspaper, magazine,
literary collection, etc. during 2010. The publication can be
school or club related, or commercial. At the time the article
was published or accepted for publication, the author must have
been a student in grades 6-8 to enter the junior division;
grades 9-12 (including prep school) to enter the senior division.
The topic must be outdoor oriented (hiking, camping, boating,
fishing, hunting, nature, ecology, canoeing, etc.). Any prose
or poetic form is acceptable.
 
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4.
ROOT & BRANCH POETRY PRIZE
http://www.pighog.co.uk/prize/index.html
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NO ENTRY FEE
Britain's oldest working poet is Moss Rich who lives in Hove.
In his 101st year he's still composing poems. In his honour,
Pighog Press, CCE and Sussex Students' Union are launching a
poetry prize as part of Greenweek and Sounding the Site
community arts festival. The prize is open to four categories
of entrant:

1. Secondary School students
2. Further Education students
3. University students
4. General public (not students)

You can only submit one poem, which should be no more than
thirty lines long. The poem must be written on the theme
'Root and Branch'. Deadline February 28, 2011. Each category
winner will receive £75 each plus a limited edition Pighog
box set including a signed pamphlet by Moss Rich. Two runners
up from each category will also receive a limited edition
Pighog box set. All winners will receive a copy of Moss Rich's
latest collection. The winning poems and the runners up will
be published on the Pighog website with comments from the judges.

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5.
THE TIMES STEPHEN SPENDER PRIZE
http://www.stephen-spender.org/entry_conditions.html
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ENTRY FEE £3 - those 18 and under exempted from fee.
Deadline May 27, 2011. All winning entries published in a
booklet. Translate a poem from any language, classical or
modern, into English. Entrants must be British residents
or British citizens. (The Stephen Spender Trust encourages
submissions from children and adults who are British
residents but have roots in other countries.) There will
be three prizes in the Open and 18-and-under categories.
The winners of the Open prizes will receive £750 (first),
£500 (second) and £200 (third); the winners of the under-
18 prizes will win £250 (first), £150 (second) and £100
(third). There will be one prize (£100) awarded in the
14-and-under category.
 
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6.
THE GATEKEEPERS DISCOVERY WRITING AWARDS
http://www.gatekeeperspost.com/uncategorized/wattpad-presents-the-gatekeepers-discovery-writing-awards/
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Post the first 50 pages of your YA novel onto Wattpad by
March 30, 2011. The top 100 entries with the most votes by
March 30 will be read by The Gatekeepers Post Staff. Those
writers selected by The Gatekeepers Post staff from Round 1
will be invited to post the next 50 pages of their novel
onto Wattpad by April 30.  Top editors and agents, will read
and select the nominees for Round 3. The nominees selected
in Round 2 will be invited to post the remainder of their work
onto Wattpad by May 30.  A winner will be announced on June 25.
Prize: $500 cash prize to the grand prize winner. Must be at
least 13 years of age to enter and a member of Wattpad. 

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7.
MIGRANTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT MEDIA AWARD
http://www.mits-eu.org/index.php/en/competition/announcement
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NO ENTRY FEE
The International Organization for Migration, in coordination
with the European Commission, is hosting a competition for
university and college students to submit articles and
documentaries on migration and integration-related issues.
Articles and documentaries must address integration issues
in Hungary, Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania or
Slovakia. Deadline April 4, 2011.

First prize: 1,000 EUR. Second prize: 500 EUR. Third prize:
200 EUR. In addition to the cash prize and a certificate,
the winners will be invited to the award ceremony at the
international conference, "Promoting Migrant Integration
Through Media and Intercultural Dialogue", implemented in
coordination with the Hungarian EU Presidency in Budapest on
17-18 May (all travel and accommodation expenses covered).
The winners' work will be featured in various media channels
(websites, newspapers, YouTube, etc.).

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8.
THE CLAREMONT REVIEW
http://www.theclaremontreview.ca/annual_contest.htm
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The entry fee is $20 for up to 3 poems or 1 story. If you
would like to submit both genre's (poetry & fiction) the
entry fee is $25. All entrants receive a one-year subscription
to The Claremont Review. Contestants must be aged 13-19.
Deadline March 15, 2011. All winners and honourable mentions
will be published in the Fall issue of the Claremont Review,
and will receive one perfect bound copy of that issue.
Your entry fee allows you to enter up to three poems or up
to three postcard stories (500 words each) or one longer
short story (maximum 5,000 words).

First Place... $500
Second Place... $300
Third Place... $200
 
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9.
WILD WORDS & ART CONTEST
http://leopoldheritage.blogspot.com/2009/02/wild-words-art-rules-guidelines.html
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NO ENTRY FEE
Wild Words & Art is a writing and drawing contest inspired
by "A Sand County Almanac," a collection of essays by
Burlington native and naturalist Aldo Leopold. Deadline
to submit essays, poems and drawings is 5 p.m. March 20,
2011. The contest has three age ranges for entrants: middle
school (gr. 6-8); high school (gr. 9-12); college/adult.
Entries will be accepted from Iowa, Illinois and Missouri
residents living within a 50-mile radius of Burlington, Iowa.

Poetry -- Minimum 10 lines, maximum 30 lines. Include a title.
Typewritten only.

Essays -- Written in first- or third-person. Must be 250 to
600 words. Include a title. Typewritten only.

Art -- Black and white, pen and ink, pencil or charcoal only
on 8 1/2-inch x 11 inch paper. Submit originals only.

Prizes will be awarded to the first three places in each
category, with $50 for first; $30 for second; and, $20 for
third. Winners also will receive a copy of "A Sand County
Almanac," and will be invited to participate in an award
ceremony and reading at Starr's Cave Nature Center on April
19. First-place winners will be published April 19 in the
Lifestyle section of The Hawk Eye. Second- and third-place
entries will be published at leopoldheritage.org.

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10.
2011 CHARLES JOHNSON STUDENT FICTION AWARD
http://johnson.siuc.edu/
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NO ENTRY FEE
The Charles Johnson Student Fiction Award from Southern
Illinois University Carbondale is an annual award competition
intended to encourage increased artistic and intellectual
growth among students, as well as reward excellence and
diversity in creative writing. Each year, $1,000 and a signed
copy of a Charles Johnson book will be awarded to the winner.
The winning entry will also be published in the Winter/Spring
issue of CRAB ORCHARD REVIEW. The award competition is open
to all undergraduate and graduate students who are U.S.
citizens or permanent residents currently enrolled full- or
part-time in a U.S. college or university. Submit one
unpublished short story, no longer than 20 pages in length.
Deadline February 28, 2011.

 
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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 2000-2011, C. Hope Clark

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