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WRITING KID

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The zine for future writers today.

Volume 7, Issue 19           -       September 23, 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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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 and runs no more than 500-550 words.
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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A Little Alliteration

by Peggy Folan
 
This summer, my family and I drove halfway across the country,
from the central plains through the Black Hills, the Badlands,
mountains and national forests to visit family on the Oregon coast. 
I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many beautiful sights at one time.
When we saw the smoke and remains of the many fires that have
plagued the western states throughout the season, I was inspired
to write about it.  Unfortunately, while inspiration is my strong
suit, description is not.  However, I recalled a technique from
my poetry classes, and used it to write about a particular scene
that moved me:
 
The hazy smoke from fires far off the highway filtered through
our van, making our eyes water and sinuses stuff up.  The pine
trees that had met the interstate were now nothing but charred
sticks.  A lone firefighter along the highway looked up, his
gaze following the direction the blackened fingers were pointing,
probably praying that the fire was under control, while fifty feet
away from him, a flame flickered its last.  There was nothing left
to burn.
 
There are a lot of “f” sounds used in the first sentence.  The
second sentence has a lot of “n” sounds, while the third has
several “l” sounds.  The repetition of a consonant sound in a
sentence, paragraph or other group of words is called alliteration,
and not only is it an effective way to make writing more memorable
to the reader, but it also can create a certain rhythm, just like
rhyme can.  An “l” sound can “roll off our tongues” gently, while
a harsh “p,” or “k” sound is hard to ignore.  By choosing “hard”
or “soft” consonants, writers can set a mood or even imitate a
sound they are trying to create.  (I once read a poem about a train
where the repetitive “click-clack” sounds in the poem really sounded
like a train.)  In my own case, using alliteration forced me to focus
on images containing certain sounds and opened up my vocabulary to
choices I might never have considered otherwise.
 
Alliteration is most noticeable at the beginning of sentences, but
it can occur in other places, too.  Look where the “n” sounds appear
in this sentence, for instance:  The pine trees that had met the
interstate were now nothing but charred sticks.  Although there
are two words beginning with “n” right next to each other (now,
nothing ) in the sentence, two other words contain the sound as
well, “pine” and “interstate.”  Notice that the sound is at the end
of “pine,” while it is in the middle of “interstate.” 
 
Sometimes alliteration is used just for the fun of it. It is the
main ingredient in most tongue-twisters.  It can be used to write
humor, or to freshen up dull spots in an essay, or, of course, in
poetry.  Once you become a master at manipulating consonant sounds,
you’ll amaze yourself with how many ways you manage to use
alliteration.  It’s a marvelous tool!
 
###
 
Peggy Folan is a writing consultant for WriteGuide.com, and writes
a free monthly newsletter offering tips for young writers. 
Subscribe to TEACHletter  by visiting www.WriteGuide.com.

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Good luck!!!  And always keep writing.

    Hope

NOTE - BIG CHANGE!

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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

*******************************************************

1.
SHOUT IT OUT SCHOLARSHIP
http://www.scholarshipexperts.com/apply.htx#shout
---
ScholarshipExperts.com is now accepting online applications
for the ScholarshipExperts.com Shout It Out Scholarship.
Five scholarship recipients will be chosen to receive a
$1,000 scholarship. Winners will be notified via email and/or
postal mail on or around December 15th. Applicants must:

Be thirteen (13) years of age or older at the time of application.
Be legal residents of the fifty (50) United States or the District
of Columbia. Be currently enrolled (or enroll no later than the
fall of 2012) in an accredited post-secondary institution of
higher education. Submit an online short essay response (250
words or less) for the question: “If you could say one thing
to the entire world at once, what would it be and why?”
Application Deadline: October 15, 2007

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2.
SIX78th MAGAZINE
http://www.six78th.com/writetous/0907.php
---
Be a part of SIX78th.com! Think you’ve got something funny?
Think you’ve got style or a great story and would like to be
featured in SIX78th magazine? Then WRITE TO US!!

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3.
DIVERSITY ESSAY CONTEST
http://www.sikhcoalition.org/essay.asp
---
The purpose of this year's essay competition is to examine the
role of freedom of religion in the context of contemporary
society. In an essay of 1,000 words, please discuss the
implications of the French ban for the minority communities of
France who have been impacted by it. In your essay, please take
only one of the two positions below:

If you favor the ban: While engaging with issues faced by
communities impacted by the ban, please discuss how France’s
conception of secularism (la?cit?) can be used to shed light
on the ban.

If you oppose the ban: What makes you oppose it? Please outline
a strategy through which the international community may be
mobilized to force France to repeal the ban.

First Place: $1,000.
Second Place: $500.
Third Place: $250.
The winners will be notified on April 15, 2008. Deadline
February 1, 2008.

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4.
JOHN F. KENNEDY PROFILES IN COURAGE ESSAY CONTEST FOR HIGH SCHOOL
http://www.jfklibrary.org/Education+and+Public+Programs/Profile+in+Courage+Award/Essay+Contest+for+High+School+Students/
---
Winning essayists will receive awards totaling up to $8,500.
The first-place winner will be invited to accept the award at
the Profile in Courage Award Ceremony hosted each May by
Caroline Kennedy and Senator Edward M. Kennedy at the John F.
Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.  To encourage
student leadership and civic engagement, the nominating teacher
of the first-place winner will receive a John F. Kennedy Public
Service Grant for $500. Individual awards for students range
from $500 to $6,500. Deadline January 6, 2008. Open only to
US students in grades nine through twelve.

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5.
AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION ESSAY CONTEST
http://mirror.afsa.org/essaycontest/
---
1st place winner $2,500
(School/sponsoring organization - $500)
2nd place winner $1,250
3rd place winner $750

All students in grades nine through 12 attending a public,
private, parochial school, home school or participating in
a high school correspondence program in any of the 50 states,
the District of Columbia, or U.S. territories, or, if they
are U.S. citizens attending schools overseas, are eligible.
Students whose parents are members of the United States
Foreign Service or have served on the Advisory Committee
are not eligible. Deadline January 5, 2008.

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6.
PATRIOT'S PEN ESSAY CONTEST
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=cmty.leveld&did=151
---
Deadline November 1, 2007. Patriot's Pen, a youth-essay
writing contest endorsed by the National Association of
Secondary School Principals' contest criteria, is a nationwide
competition that gives students in grades 6,7 and 8 the
opportunity to write essays expressing their views on democracy.
Contestants write a 300-400 word essay based on an annual
patriotic theme. The first-place winner receives a $10,000
savings bond and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C.
The top national winners each receive a savings bond anywhere
from $1,000 to $10,000.

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7.
FAMILY TRAVEL TEEN TRAVEL WRITING SCHOLARSHIP
http://scholarship.familytravelforum.com/
---
Family Travel Forum (FTF), the web's leading trip-planning
resource for family travelers, is conducting a scholarship
contest that encourages teens to write about their travel
experiences. In 750 words or less, tell us about where you
went and what it meant to you – what worked and what didn’t
work, what you learned from the trip, or how it changed you.

First prize $500
Second prize $250
Third prize $100
Honorable Mentions receive a $25 gift certificate and bragging
rights. All winning essays will be published on the KidTravels.com
website.

You must be age 13 -18 and attending grades 8-12 as of August 2007.
You must be officially enrolled in a junior high or high school.
You must have taken the trip while you were age 12-18, and the
trip must have been taken within the last three years. You must
be attending school in the United States or Canada or an American
school abroad. Deadline October 1, 2007.

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8.
VOICE OF DEMOCRACY ESSAY CONTEST
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=cmty.leveld&did=150
---
Deadline November 1, 2007. Program is an audio-essay contest
for high school students in grades 9-12 that annually provides
more than $3 million in scholarships. The first-place winner,
who competes with all the first-place VFW Department winners,
receives a $30,000 scholarship that is paid directly to the
recipient’s American university, college or vocational/
technical school. Besides competing for the top scholarship
prize, as well as other national scholarships ranging from $1,000
to $16,000, each Department's first-place winner receives an all-
expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., sponsored by Target.

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9.
ADMISSION FACTS ESSAY CONTEST
http://www.admissionfacts.com/Scholarship.html
---
The Admission Facts Scholarship is available to students
College Bound or In College. You must have a minimum 2.0 GPA
and submit a personal essay on the topic: "Why I deserve this
scholarship," to be considered for this award. Five $1,000(USD)
awards. A personal essay of no more than 500 words describing
your educational goals, other commitments you may have, and the
obstacles you have overcome to achieve academic excellence.
Deadline November 1, 2007.

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10.
APPRENTICE ECOLOGIST INITIATIVE ESSAY CONTEST
http://www.wildernessproject.org/volunteer_apprentice_ecologist
---
The essay is the result of a project you have undertaken.
Name and describe the area where you completed your cleanup
or native tree planting project. Include descriptions of any
interesting plants or animals that you saw during your trip.
Provide details about the type and amount of litter that you
picked up or the number and type of native trees planted.
Describe how you felt about conducting your own wilderness/
nature cleanup or native tree planting project. Provide your
thoughts on how to reduce the litter problem so that your
cleanup will have lasting value. Or: Provide your thoughts on
how to make your native tree planting project have lasting
value. Explain why you think it is important to take care of
the area where you conducted your project. Describe how you
feel about the Apprentice Ecologist Initiative™ after having
completed your project.

A large canvas tote bag (made in the USA with 100% certified
organic cotton) printed with our logo will be awarded to the
authors of the 10 best essays on an annual basis (current
award cycle is January 1 - December 31, 2007). A $500
scholarship will be awarded annually to the author of the top
Apprentice Ecologist essay. Deadline December 31, 2007.

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Contact WritingKid (the Business Stuff)

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Hope@FundsforWriters.com
HopeClark1@aol.com

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

http://www.fundsforwriters.com
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Copyright 2000-2007, C. Hope Clark

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