The talented and generous Vivian Kirkfield is hosting the 50 Precious Words Writing Contest. The challenge (and it is a challenge!) is to write a story for children (the 12 and under crowd) totaling no more than 50 words. You can read all the details and post your own story or link until Friday, March…
Valentiny writing contest
The talented and generous Susanna Leonard Hill is hosting yet another contest! For the First Annual Valentiny Contest, entries should be 214 words or less and feature someone who is grumpy. You can see all the details on Susanna's blog. The Bookstore Cat's Valentine (214 words) Living in a bookstore might not be every…
Picture Perfect Friday: Review of Sidewalk Flowers
Every Friday, Susanna Leonard Hill hosts Picture Perfect Fridays on her blog. You can find a GIGANTIC list of links to picture book reviews on her site. If you haven’t yet read “Sidewalk Flowers,” do check it out. I think it speaks as much to adults as it does to children. Title: Sidewalk Flowers Written by:…
New Year’s Anti-Resolutions
Julie Hedlund’s anti-resolution revolution (http://www.juliehedlund.com/2016-anti-resolution-revolution/) resonates with me. In the past, resolution writing has felt very much like a chronicle of failures: last year I failed to do X, Y, and Z. But somehow, magically, this year will be different! This approach always feels kind of icky and in the back of my mind…
Holiday Writing Contest
It's that time of year.... It's time for Susanna Leonard Hill's 5th Annual Holiday Contest. You can read all about it here: http://susannahill.blogspot.com/2015/12/ho-ho-ho-5th-annual-holiday-contest-is.html Without further ado, here's my entry: Christmas with Kevin the Nanny Bot (349 words) Sitting on Santa’s knee at the Super Store Santa Land… …Kevin the Nanny Bot requested an apron. “Ho…
#WhyIWrite
Last month for the National Day of Writing, writers tweeted their reasons for writing using the hashtag #WhyIWrite. Answers ranged from the deep and philosophical to the practical. We write to maintain sanity, to be heard, to pay bills. We write for our readers. But in the day-to-day push to create something that might be…
Multiple Independent Discoveries: It Happens with PBs!
Have you ever come up with a brilliant idea only to find out that someone else just thought of it? You thought the idea was uniquely yours. Did aliens read your mind and then implant your best ideas into the mind of others who have wasted no time in touting your brilliant ideas as their own?…
Update on Halloweensie!
Is Halloween over? Well, jack o'lanterns still haunt the porch and hordes of miniature candy bars lurk in the the dining room. So, no, I'd say Halloween malingers on. Further proof: Over at Susanna Leonard Hill's website, the winners of the 5th Annual Halloweensie Contest have been posted: http://susannahill.blogspot.com/2015/11/2015-halloweensie-contest-winners.html I'm thrilled to be included in the honorable…
Halloweensie!
Susanna Hill's Halloweensie contest is back! http://susannahill.blogspot.com/ In its fifth year, this contest combines the spooky fun of Halloween with the challenge of writing a short short story – 100 words or less – using the words costume, dark, and haunt. After you read my 99-word entry below, be sure to head over to Susanna’s site…
PiBoIdMo: Time to Let the Ideas Flow. All of Them.
On Monday I visited my daughter’s kindergarten class for their first-ever writer’s workshop. And I’m happy to report, they started by brainstorming ideas. They talked animals, people, places, and events. In pictures and words, they captured their ideas. One boy drew his mischievous cat, bird in mouth, along with one key word: “NOOOOOO.” Every story starts…
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