Random Complexity Writing Challenge (May)

I made it! Thanks to Laurie Halse Anderson's prompt, I found myself writing a page and a half about a robin egg in a garden. That was 1009 words. Not to mention my other writings of the month--by now, you know I don't keep track of all the word counts.

And because I've never shared, I'll share one paragraph of what I wrote based on that prompt:

L. doubted that even a soul looked as beautiful as that bright blue egg almost crushed by her knee. She took off her glove and picked it up. A piece was missing out of the other side; a little beak peeked through. L. held it egg carefully in her palm, exposing the hole to the sun, willing the beak to keep forcing its way through. With her nail, she picked another little piece off. And another. And another, till she had the dead baby bird half exposed. It could have been out here for days; she wouldn’t have noticed it. But no, the ants would have dismantled it by now, used it to feed their gigantic family.

I feel a little self-conscious about sharing any more; it's been ages since I've even contributed to 100 Words.

Surrey International Writers Conference Young Writer Scholarship

This is for all teen writers--

The Surrey International Writing Conference is an international phenomenon that draws all levels and ages of writers to Vancouver, BC. Editor Lisa Rector has graciously sponsored a full scholarship for a teen writer to attend. Here are the details Lisa sent me; eventually, this will be posted on the SIWC site, too.

The 2^nd Annual Lisa Rector Young Writers Scholarship

Postmark Deadline: July 30, 2009.

1st place, SIWC Full Scholarship,2009.
2nd place, critique by a Literary Agent
3rd place, critique by an Editor or Writer

The winner will be invited to attend the Surrey International Writers’ Conference October 23-25, 2009 in Surrey, Canada. 3-day conference pass includes entry to an awards banquet announcing the winner and a consult with a participating a

gent or editor attending this year’s conference. Scholarship does not includemeals, travel or accommodation.

Students between the ages of 12-18, currently enrolled in a junior high, senior high or college program, are eligible to enter. Contest is open to Canadian, US and Worldwide residents.

Submission guidelines

Please include:

1. An original, unpublished work of less than 1000 words, typed and double-spaced in 12-point Courier or Times New Roman font. Each page of the work should be titled but should not contain any information about the author. Work that previously appeared in school publications is eligible.

2. A cover letter with the author’s contact information, the title of their submission and a paragraph outlining the student's goals as a writer.

3. A letter of recommendation from an instructor in the current or previous academic year.

Submit entries to the following address:

Lisa Rector

c/o Young Writers Scholarship
95 Horatio Street., Suite 9M
New York, NY 10014 USA.

MS Word attachments are also accepted via email to: lisa@thirddraftnyc.com. Emailed submissions must adhere to the above rules and must be received by midnight on the postmarked deadline of July 30, 2009 in order to qualify. A confirmation email will be sent to the applicant once their submission has been received.

Entries may be made in any of the following genres: fiction, poetry, personal essay or memoir. One entry per applicant.

Important dates

Application Deadline: July 30, 2009
Finalists Announced September 5, 2009
Scholarship Awarded October 23-25, 2009

Finalists are responsible for their own meals, accommodation and travel to and from the conference.

For further information, please contact Lisa Rector at lisa@thirddraftnyc.com

____________________________________________________________________

Adults intereseted in similar contests can find last year's guidelines on the SIWC contest page; this year's should be posted relatively soon (I think.)

Complexity of Night Writing Challenge Update (April)

Okay. So I confess--I have no idea how much I wrote last month, because it was all so fragmented, but I seriously doubt that those fragments come anywhere near the 1000 word goal. I am disgusted that I somehow failed to write 1000 words. I mean, yes, we were house-sitting and pet-sitting. Yes, there was some tax drama (which turned out to be completely unnecessary). But I'm still looking for all my April writing files, hoping that maybe I did actually make the goal. You know, I just save everything to the documents file, so I can't just open the April file in Documents and check word counts. I'll keep looking. But I'm pretty sure I didn't make it.

Complexity of Night Writing Challenge Update (March)

So.

It's been a weird month. I got my required word count in early this month, when I tried to turn a dream I had into a story. It's too steamy for me to actually share any of it with you; sorry to disappoint.

Then I did a lot of writing by hand in my beloved Moleskine at the local writers festival last weekend--probably about 500 words, which is a lot, considering that the festival doesn't really allow time to write, which meant I was writing while our presenters were talking. Normally, I walk away from writers festival day feeling motivated to write; this year, I felt oddly disconnected. Maybe a lot of it was because I'd done so little for it this year (I'm on the board), seeing as how I was sick with a strain of virus notorious for relapses, and I hadn't wanted to commit to do anything while I was still running at half-speed and in danger of getting sick again (or passing it on).

So, total word count for the month? Roughly 2000 words.

And a question for all you writers: When you're looking for a writers festival/conference to attend, what are the things that motivate you to go out of your way to attend?

Complexity of Night Writing Challenge Update (February)

I'm at a mere 1300 words this month--the end of the month crept up on me. Again. And again, I wrote a couple of character sketches. The first was about a dancer who had been scarred in a car crash and after plastic surgery, she no longer looks like herself. The second is a little stranger. At first, it was about a young woman who's gotten a little lost in life, but now it seems that this is really more about her mother than her.

Complexity of Night Writing Challenge Update

I used to be a better writer. I used to write all the time. And then I got out of practice and--well, I'm out of practice.

I don't really want to publish what I ended up writing this month-- 650-word scene of a woman coming home to an empty apartment and a 750-word blob of writing that started out as a character sketch and morphed into some huge, random, wandering outline of part of the character's life. No character traits, just events.

I also wrote some smaller character sketches in my Moleskine, but I haven't typed them up or counted the words. Still, even without those little bits, I met the 1000-word goal for the month. Yay!

My personal challenge this year: write a long piece of fiction without losing my characters. (I always mismanage them--they all seem to morph into generic, one-size-fits-all characters.)

Book Magic by Julie Ferguson

Book Magic is a practical guide for writers who have not yet ventured into the publication arena. Ferguson discusses how to predict markets, pitch ideas and reinvent yourself as an expert in your field. She also covers the importance of query letters, picking book categories and genres, and using agents (or not). Mostly, though, Book Magic presents writers' publishing options, including commercial, print on demand, e-books and more. Even published authors will find valuable insight in these pages. Ferguson plainly lays out the pros and cons of each publishing method, as she herself has published in several genres and explored every avenue.

If you're turned off by or skeptical of the use of "magic" in the title, you needn't be. Though the magic theme/gimmick feels hokey, Ferguson describes the hard work and effort that are the real magic behind getting published. The only disappointment in the book is the writing wasn't as smooth as I would have liked; sometimes it feels stilted, and that's not helped by the author's fondness for commas, the extra spaces between paragraphs or the numerous bulleted lists. Not that the bulleted lists are bad--sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Overall, though, I found the text to be reader-friendly.

Book Magic would be an invaluable resource on the shelf of most Canadian* writers, especially those new to publishing. The important information offered is succinct, and its 121 pages (plus helpful appendix) cover a lot of ground. And when you're done, publishing won't feel like such a huge obstacle.

*Ferguson, a Canadian, focuses on Canadian publishing information, but doesn't neglect the more numerous publishing businesses in the US, either.

When Julie Ferguson presented at the Powell River Festival of Writers (2008), I was privileged to be volunteer chauffeur for her two-day stay. When she asked me to review the second edition of Book Magic, I was flattered.

If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland

I've read quite a few books about writing, and I can't say that I like this particular book. However, I can't say that I don't recommend it; it had its moments of brilliance (usually involving quoting someone else), and some of what I didn't like about it probably needs to be attributed to the writing styles of the era (first published in 1938).

Just to get it over with, what I didn't like was how the book felt condescending, mostly based on the number of I-want-to-tell-you's and the I-am-trying-to-get-you-to's. In one chapter, she uses another writer's article and parenthetically inserts her comments; I would have preferred to make my own opinions before reading hers. And she refers to what she calls "Truthfulness"--Truth with a capital T scares me because it implies a singular truth, which is not something that we humans are privy to (much as some of us would like tho think otherwise). Attributing this capitalization feature to the era of the writing though, she could have had a very interesting conversation with Tim O'Brien about capturing truth through writing.

Also, Ueland seems to subscribe to the belief that anyone can be a writer--she would have made a fantastic middle school English teacher, I imagine--and though I don't agree (there are plenty of books published that should have ended up in the editors' pitch piles), I think it is important to encourage students who might otherwise never even try (really try) to write a good story and so I would recommend this book to any keepers of libraries and middle/high school English teachers.

All in all, I don't think that there's much she advises that books about writing haven't been advising ever since. Keep it simple, don't try to force your voice, etc. Ueland's gems, I think, lie in quoting Van Gogh (on page 20) regarding the capturing of moments and Chekhov (on page 126) regarding characterization through dialogue and the personality and voice of the writer. Also, there is a paragraph (on page 86) in which she describes beautiful writing: "It is impossible to cut it. I try to take out a sentence here or there, but cannot bring myself to do it. They are all too good and necessary and contribute too much."