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WRITING KID

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The zine for future writers today.

Volume 7, Issue 14           -       July 15, 2007

Publisher/Editor: C. Hope Clark

Mailto:      HopeClark1@aol.com -or-
           Hope@FundsforWriters.com

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

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.

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The FundsforWriters Family - Send a blank email to subscribe:

30604-subscribe@zinester.com (larger markets)
94631-subscribe@zinester.com (small markets)
63495-subscribe@zinester.com  (young writer)

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WHO I AM (NOTES FROM THE EDITOR)

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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. Those under 16 receive the book of
their choice. Those over 16 receive $10-$20. Send any
submissions to hope@fundsforwriters.com and label it
SUBMISSION TO WRITINGKID.

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The First Draft is Never Complete

By C. Hope Clark

You have this great idea for a poem. You scribble it down
during science lab or lunch (probably lab like I used to
do) and feel proud you added another piece to your portfolio.
And you start looking for another topic for another poem.

That’s fine setting that first poem aside. It needs to
ferment. It needs to sit still and age a little. And in a
few days, you pick it back up and review it with the
understanding that the first draft was just that – a first
DRAFT.

The first time around, your effort is to get the thoughts
on paper. While the visions are in your mind and the thoughts
pinging through your brain, you have to get those phrases
written. Those word groups stick in your head for a while
afterwards, and if you pick up the poem and edit it right
after you write it, those same word groups reappear. You
see the piece using the same eyes and same brain cells used
to write the first draft. That is why you have to tuck it
away and let your mind shed those original thoughts.

Now you go back and reread the draft. Funny, that second
description doesn’t make sense now. Or the picture painted in
the third stanza just falls flat compared to the first. And
you know better than to spell “epitome” with a “y.” And geez,
what’s with that ending?

Now you read the piece with fresh eyes and a clean slate in
your head. Now the editor in you can come out of hiding and
the creator can go to sleep. And you polish those pretty words
to sound beautiful, gorgeous, even spectacular. Move a word,
use your thesaurus, and erase entire paragraphs, but dissect
and hone that writing to make it superb.

Impatience kills many a writer and creates stacks of rejection
letters. It’s not how many times you read over your writing
that makes you successful, but it’s how you read it that counts.
I write editorials every week. But if I do not sleep on them,
a mistake will rise up and bite me. Never fails that I use
“peak” instead of “pique” or “peek.” (I have made both of those
mistakes, really.) I know better since I’ve written for years,
but the creative muse in my little mind doesn’t think editor
when she paints. And if I don’t lock her in the closet and
pull out the strict editor-figure, mistakes occur without
fail. Even the flow falls flat in some cases.

As anxious as you may be, or as good as you think you are,
remember – the first draft is never “the end.” Consider it
more like “the beginning.”

FROM...Markets for the Young Writer, By C. Hope Clark
http://www.fundsforwriters.com/ebooks.htm

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Too much of the same stories in our lives
I think it’s time for a change, don’t you?
Too much of the same stories in our lives
I think it’s time for us to walk away from here

Artist: Trapt, “Stories”

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Good luck!!!  And 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!

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Our archives for past WritingKid newsletters are at:
http://archives.zinester.com/63495

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1.
SALT LAKE CITY LIBRARY - HARRY POTTER WRITING CONTESTS
http://www.slco.lib.ut.us
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Harry Potter Spell Writing Contest
Kids can write a rhyming spell, explain how it is used,
then enter it in a drawing to win prizes. [801.944.7677]
Ages: 5-12 . Daily except Sundays. July 2-31, 2007

Harry Potter Spell Writing Contest
Teens can write a rhyming spell, explain how it is used,
then enter it in a contest to win a copy of Harry Potter
and the Deathly Hallows. [801.944.7646]
Ages: 12-17. Daily except Sundays. June 1 - July 16, 2007
 
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2.
KCRG-TV9 SUMMER WRITING CONTEST
http://www.kcrg.com/care/7634206.html
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If you are 7 to 12 years old, enter the Summer Writing
Contest and tell us what you want to be when you grow up
and why. Nine winners will receive a job shadow experience
and some great gifts including Adventureland tickets.  A
Grand Prize Winner receives a trip for four to DISNEY WORLD
in Orlando, Florida! Entry forms are available at KCRG-TV9
Studios and all Show You Care sponsor locations: Collins
Community Credit Union, Cedar Rapids Toyota-Scion, Carlos
O'Kelly's Mexican Caf?, and Mercy Medical Center. 
You must live in Eastern Iowa and be between the ages of
7 and 12 years old to be eligible for any prize.
Deadline July 31, 2007.

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3.
SUMMER 2007 SCRIPT WRITING CONTEST FOR TEENS
http://www.storiestogrowby.com/scripts/contest_body.html
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Write a script for Whootie!  Whootie Owl invites all teens
over 13 to write a SCRIPT for any story on this web site
(that does not already have one). Be a published author! 
If a play script that you write, or that you write with
other teens, is selected to appear on this website, the
first name(s) of each author will be credited (we display
a teenager's first name, age, & city only). How will the
scripts be reviewed? All scripts submitted will be reviewed
by Whootie Owl International. If edits are suggested, the
author(s) will see a revised version and approve it before
it is posted online

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4.
SHENANDOAH VALLEY REGIONAL PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL COMPETITION
For Students in High School (9-12)
Middle School/Junior High (6th-8th grades)
Elementary (through 5th grade)
http://www.waysidetheatre.org/Education/youngplaywrights.htm
---
Entry Deadline: January 11, 2008. Writers must be a current
Virginia (counties: Frederick, Clarke, Warren, Page, Shenandoah,
Rockingham, Loudoun County, Fauquier County and Winchester) or
West Virginia (counties of: Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan,
Hampshire or Hardy) resident, attending Public, Private school,
or in a Home School program in listed counties. Scripts should
be ONE ACT in length and no longer than 20 minutes.

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5.
KID PUB WRITING CONTEST - SHORT DEADLINE!
http://www.kidpub.org/kidpub/summer2007contestrules
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First place: $50 Amazon gift certificate
First runner-up: $25 Amazon gift certificate
Second runner-up: $25 Amazon gift certificate

Topic: Answer the question: Why is it said that the pen
is mightier than the sword?

Eligibility - The contest is open only to members of the
KidPub Author's Club. Just sign up. No charge.

NOTE: DEADLINE JULY 15, 2007.

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6.
ELECTRIC DRAGON CAFE WRITING CONTEST
http://www.electricdragoncafe.com/submit/contest.php?
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NO ENTRY FEE
Every quarter the Electric Dragon Cafe holds a writing contest.
We provide a topic and items, characters, or places that you
must include in your story. We do not insist that writers
include the elements in any prominent way, but we appreciate
ingenuity. We will judge each entry based on adherence to the
topic, originality, and sheer entertainment value. The winning
story will be published on our site, and the author will receive
a twenty-five dollar gift certificate to Borders or Barnes and
Noble because we believe that if an author does not want to
spend prize money on books, then he, she, or it has no business
writing. We may also publish any number of other entries that
exemplify the spirit of the contest. Deadline September 10, 2007.

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7.
TEEN CITY
http://www.teenacity.com/stories.htm
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Now is your chance to share what is going on in your life.
If your story gets selected to be published in a Teenacity
publication, you win $ 50. When you send in any submission
to us you are agreeing to the following:

You are between 13 -19 years of age. Your work is wholly
original. You wrote or created it. It's entirely yours.
You've already received your parent's permission to submit
this work to us. Submitting your work signifies your parent's
permission. Teenacity or its designees have the right to
publish both your submission and your first name, last initial
and age, if provided by you in connection with your submission
for any type of use. Stories should be between 200 and 400
words and in first person.

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8.
SANTA FE YOUNG WRITERS COMPETITION
http://www.santafeshortstory.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=32&Itemid=37
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The finalists will compete for the four cash prizes to be
awarded: $500 to the winner, $250 for the runner up, and
$125 for the two honorable mentions. The four prize-winning
stories will be read at the 2007 Santa Fe Short Story Festival
by professional actors. Finalists (the four authors whose work
is selected for a prize) may request a travel allowance if they
live 100 miles or more from Santa Fe. Entrants must be 14-19
years old and from New Mexico. Deadline August 3, 2007.

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9.
THE HEAR ME PROJECT
http://www.hearmeproject.org/
---
The contest is open to all youth between the ages of 14 and
22 as of December 1, 2007. All entries must be accompanied by
a fully completed and signed Entry/Release form, available at
www.hearmeproject.org. The Entry/Release form may be photocopied.
One entry per person.  Your story can be up to 5 pages typed
or neatly handwritten. Entries that are illegible will be
disqualified. Typed entries are preferred. Your story must be
about personal vulnerability to HIV/AIDS. Your story can be
either fiction or non-fiction. The characters in the story must
be impacted by HIV/AIDS. Your story must be your original
creation, and must not have been previously published.
The contest begins on September 1, 2007. The winning story
will receive a $2,500 cash prize.

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10.
SHORT DEADLINE...

BRICKFISH GOES TO WASHINGTON
http://www.brickfish.com/Lifestyles/BrickfishWashington
---
Open to anyone who has access to the Internet, and is 14 or
older at the time of entry. Attention Boondogglers, Muckrakers,
and Political Upstarts (that means YOU)! In August, Brickfish
is launching a brand new Politics category. It’s going to be
hard-hitting, humorous, controversial, and more. And, in true
democratic fashion, we want to hear from you. Submit your ideas
on campaigns we should run for this category and you could win!
The future of our nation and the free world could depend on what
is done here (or at least we’ll create some super cool campaigns).
So, whether you’re Right, Left, or Center, don’t be a lameduck—
give us your ideas today!

Grand Prize: $500 Scholarship, to use any way you want,
awarded to the Highest Score entry.
2nd Place: $250 Scholarship, to use any way you want,
given to the 2nd Highest Score entry.
3rd Place: $250 Scholarship, to use any way you want,
granted to the best campaign idea selected by the Brickfish Political Panel.

Deadline July 16, 2007.

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11.
YOU NAME IT! CONTEST
http://www.queenjawjaw.com
---
(sign up for newsletter to be eligible for contest)
ENTRY FEE: $NONE
FIRST PRIZE $50 + a copy of A Funny Thing Happened on
the Way to the Throne, AND a copy of The Complete Writer's
Journal. SECOND PRIZE $25 + a copy of A Funny Thing
Happened on the Way to the Throne. THIRD PRIZE A copy of
The Complete Writer's Journal. To enter you must be a
subscriber to the ALL THINGS ROYAL newsletter. Click on
JAWJAW Contest on Web page and there are three pictures.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to pick
ONE of the pictures and email me at gjawjaw1@bellsouth.net
your best CAPTION to go with it. Make sure you mention the
picture NUMBER. Guidelines are posted.

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12.
MAISONNEUVE CASTAWAY SUMMER WRITING CONTEST
http://www.maisonneuve.org/index.php?&page_id=12&article_id=2807
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To celebrate summer daydreaming, Maisonneuve wants you, our
readers, to divine and write about the fate of your favorite
literary, cinematic and TV castaways. From Man Friday to Tom
Hanks—what happened next to that marooned beach bum, pirate,
juice monkey, bikini babe, ship captain or washed up volleyball?
Poetry, short fiction, graphic and non-fiction opinion pieces
are all welcome—just keep 'em under 500 words. Our five
favourite entries will be published at Maisonneuve online in
August. Winners will snag treasure chests chock-full of gold
doubloons and other summer goodies from Penguin Group Canada,
Puma, and Montreal designers Karv (for gents) or Perplex and
Lola (for the ladies).

Send your entry by email to: webinfo@maisonneuve.org.
Please use the subject line: "Castaways" and include your
name, address, email address and telephone number.

Closing date for entries: July 31, 2007.

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Contact WritingKid (the Business Stuff)

==========================================================

Receiving WritingKid is your choice.  We hope you stay but the
option is yours at all times. Unsubscribe instructions
are at the end of this letter.

C. Hope Clark
Hope@FundsforWriters.com
HopeClark1@aol.com

140-A Amicks Ferry Road #4
Chapin, SC 29036

http://www.fundsforwriters.com
http://www.theshywriter.com

Copyright 2000-2007, C. Hope Clark

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