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WRITING KID
Volume 10, Issue 15           -       July 25, 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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Better than a Pocketful of Sea Glass

By Ruth Schiffmann

Have you ever collected bookmarks, stickers, comic books, 
or autographs? There's something rewarding about treasuring 
things individually and then watching them become part of 
something bigger. When a collection is complete, it's 
satisfying to look back and remember where each one came 
from or what you were doing when you finally acquired that 
hard-to-find specimen. 

As a teen I walked the beach filling my pockets with colorful 
sea glass. Those smooth edges in my hand were wonderful, yet 
as a reader and writer my favorite thing to collect was words. 
I started gathering them as I read some of the classics for 
the first time: Edith Wharton, Jane Austen, George Eliot. 
Their language was beautiful and I needed to find a way to 
hold onto it. So I gathered words. Words that surprised. Words 
that were unfamiliar, unexpected, irresistibly imaginative or 
just plain unusual. Phrasing that I'd never heard before. I 
filled pocket-sized notebooks as I read and then eventually, 
as I shopped or pumped gas or waited in a crowded waiting room, 
I'd scramble for my notebook and capture the words forever.

Today, when I look through those notebooks, a single word 
can bring a book to mind, a phrase renews a particular time 
and place in memory. The words are a key to a familiar, yet 
distant, place and by reading them again, I am transported. 

Why wait? Begin your own word collection today.

Collect words for the fun of it.

At http://wordsmith.org/awad/index.html, you can sign up to 
receive a word a day in your inbox. The New York Times calls 
it "The most welcomed, most enduring piece of daily mass e-mail 
in cyberspace." Each word comes with pronunciation guide, 
definition, history, and usage.

Collect words to jump start future writings.  Go back and use 
your word banks as prompts to inspire new stories, poems, and 
articles. Eager to start writing before you begin your own 
collection? Visit http://oneword.com/ to get started with a 
one-word, sixty-second challenge.

Collect words as a means of learning.

When I submitted one of my first manuscripts for publication, 
the editor told me that my transitions were confusing. I turned 
to my favorite authors for advice, flipping through the pages of 
Ethan Frome and jotting down transitions. I thumbed through Pride 
and Prejudice, Middlemarch, and Villette, soaking up the words 
and watching how they were molded to create smooth transitions 
from one passage to the next. It was like learning from a 
trusted friend.

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, "A word is not a crystal, 
transparent and unchanged; it is the skin of a living thought 
and may vary greatly in color and content according to the 
circumstances and the time in which it is used." 

Words are powerful; collect them with care. They're valuable; 
treasure them. They're fun; play with them. They're useful; 
craft them. They're magical; let them transport you.

BIO
Ruth Schiffmann has been in love with words for years. Her 
writing desk is home to a collection of seashells, smooth 
stones, and an ever-increasing number of journals full of 
words. To read more of her work, visit www.RuthSchiffmann.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.
YOUNG VOICES OF AMERICA - TELL A FUNNY STORY
http://www.youngvoicesfoundation.org/youngvoiceshome.html
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Humorous stories ONLY. Get the judges to smile, giggle, guffaw, 
snicker, even laugh out loud if you can. Entries must not 
exceed 10,000 words.  There is no minimum word count requirement. 
In the upper left hand corner of PAGE 1 you must include name of 
the author, age and grade level and category(Category 1 Grades 
7-12, Category 2 Grades 3-6, Category 3 PreK-2), name of parent 
or guardian, complete address including street number and name, 
city, state and zip code, telephone number, and email. Entries 
MUST be written in English. Deadline August 31, 2010.

Categories 1 and 2
First place $250
Second place $175
Third place $100

Category 3
First place $25
Second place $20
Third place $15

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2. 
TOTEM HEAD'S 2010 WRITING CONTEST
http://www.adventurewrite.com/kids/contest
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The contest is open to US residents under 19 years old. 
Categories : Ages 11 and under/ Ages 12 to 18. Deadline
December 31, 2010. One winner from each category will 
receive the following prizes:
 
1. Publication on AdventureWrite.com/kids 
2. $50 cash 
3. Certificate of Achievement 

To enter, finish Totem Head's Tutorial online. Write a story 
in 1,500 words or less.  Make your story appropriate for kids. 
The first sentence should start, "So there I was..." 
    
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3.
NEW MOON GIRLS MAGAZINE
http://www.newmoon.com/help/
---
New Moon Girls is for girls ages 8 & up. If you'd like something 
you wrote to be considered for New Moon Girls magazine, check the 
box requesting this when you upload something to "your stuff". 
Please note that space in New Moon Girls magazine is extremely 
limited, and we are unable to print everything girls submit. We 
created the website so girls have more ways to share their work 
with one another! You can also submit an original writing or 
artwork by emailing it to submissions@newmoon.com .  
 
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4. 
SPLINTER GENERATION
http://www.splintergeneration.com/call-for-submissions/
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The Splinter Generation, a literary journal for and about 
people born between 1973 and 1993, has begun its next reading 
period and is now accepting submissions for creative nonfiction, 
fiction and poetry. We're looking for the most powerful work 
you have--work that makes us look at ourselves in a new way and 
work that challenges (or, you know, confirms in some subversive 
way) the stereotypes that paint our generation as lazy or stupid 
or narcissistic or victims of the times. And, for the first time, 
we're lifting the age restrictions for submitters. If you have a 
poem or a story or a nonfiction piece that relates to those born 
between 1973 and 1993, send it our way. 
 
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5.
AMERICAN CHEERLEADER EDITORIAL INTERNS
http://www.americancheerleader.com/careers-internships/
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American Cheerleader magazine is looking for creative, smart 
and energetic editorial interns for the fall, winter, spring 
and summer semesters. Ideal candidates are journalism/publishing/ 
communications students with strong editing, writing and 
research skills. Responsibilities include writing short news 
items and articles, creating content and blogs for the website 
and social media sites, attending photo shoots, taking part in 
brainstorming sessions and helping out with general office 
duties like research and filing. Candidates will earn clips, 
as well as get hands-on experience at a consumer magazine.
Please send a resumé, cover letter and writing samples to 
acmail@americancheerleader.com (subject: Internship) or fax 
to 646-459-4900 (Attn: Editor). Also looking for creative self-
starters to help with the digital and multimedia divisions of 
the magazine for the fall, winter, spring and summer semesters. 
  
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6.
PLATYPUS PRIZE
http://jadedibisproductions.com/platypus_prize.html
---
$10 ENTRY FEE
THE PLATYPUS PRIZE recognizes U.S. college students whose 
innovative writing demonstrates excellence in creative intent, 
conception and execution. Our goal is to recognize aspiring writers 
who explore creative possibilities far beyond the traditional 
literary process and product. We welcome submissions from students 
outside of creative writing programs. Strongly encourages writing
in any genre. Writers must be or have been enrolled in a Bachelors, 
Masters, or PhD program in any discipline in a U.S. college, or in 
a Community College, at any time between January 2009 and December 
2010. Minimum = 1 page. Maximum = 50 pages. Deadline December
31, 2010.  

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7.
PEACE POEM CONTEST
http://www.creducation.org/cre/crday/poetrycontest/
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The contest is open to all students in grades 3 - 12. Entries 
will be accepted between September 1, 2010 and November 1, 2010.
Write a poem that describes "Peace in My Community". Please 
write a title for your poem. Limit your poem to 20 lines. Poems 
must be in English. Limit: 1 poem per student, 20 per school. 
Prizes will be awarded in three categories: Grades 3-5; 6-8; 
and 9-12. First Place: $100. Second Place: $75. (prizes are in 
U.S. dollars).  

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8. 
COLLEGE INTERNSHIP ON MAGAZINE
http://www.2forcouples.com/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=12&Itemid=157
---
2: The Magazine for Couples is seeking an editorial/web intern 
to work closely with the editorial and web teams. Interns will 
get hands-on experience in the production of a magazine that is 
entertaining, irreverent and informative. Responsibilities include 
fact-checking, proofreading, writing for print and web, social 
networking, representing the magazine at events and some office 
tasks. The position is full-time and unpaid, for a duration of 
three months. Candidates should be university or college students 
or graduates, preferably with a degree in Magazine Journalism. A 
great eye for detail and strong research and writing skills are 
musts. Please send resume and cover letter to internships@2magazine.com.

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9. 
YOUNGARTS PROGRAM
http://yarts.bluecadet.com/apply
---
$35 ENTRY FEE
Are you ready for the next phase in your artistic career? By 
applying to the YoungArts program you are eligible for:

$10,000 Gold Awards 
$5,000 Silver Awards 
$3,000 Level I 
$1,500 Level II 
$1,000 Level III 
$250 Honorable Mention Awards 
$100 Merit Awards
 
All-expense paid trip to Miami for YoungArts Week in January 2011; 
Master Classes with world-renowned artists. We are the only 
organization that encourages and recognizes artistic excellence 
in the literary, visual and performing arts, including dance, 
cinematic arts, jazz, music, photography, theater, visual arts, 
voice, and writing. You must be a high school senior in the 2010-
2011 school year.   
  
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10.
SPEAKUP PRESS
http://www.speakuppress.org/submissions/guidelines_book.asp
---
We are always looking for new and engaging works of young 
adult fiction and nonfiction. Writers may be any age. Send ONLY 
a one-page query letter, a 2-3 page synopsis, and the first 
three chapters. An editor will get back to you if we'd like to 
see the complete manuscript. Send ONLY Young Adult Fiction and 
Nonfiction. 


 
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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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