INSPIRATION...TIMES 3!

Ok, so it was roughly a week after the SIWC convention, and I was STILL running on pure adrenaline from it! I decided to put some of that energy into writing, of course, and I penned two poems I'm very proud of--one of which I think is contest-worthy for next year's SIWC contest. I have a second that I edited as per Patricia Young's suggestions, so that may be my second poetry entry.

Then I looked at the criteria for the writing for young readers challenge, and saw the 1500-word limit. 6 typed pages, eh? I started thinking about the kind of story that could be told in that small space. I started with character, then created a slightly humorous, slightly macabre situation to put her into, and then came up with a twist ending that can be interpreted two different ways. The end result, after many edits and much fine-tuning? My entry into the YA category for next year's SIWC contest! SWEET!

I don't think I'll try the nonfiction category, although I have published magazine articles and personal essays in the past. That leaves the storyteller category. I'm taking my time with that one--not rushing anything. I'm planning on reading PILES of short stories between now and then, studying pacing, setting, character, imagery, symbolism, figurative language--everything AND the kitchen sink, basically (hey, I have some good kitchen sink ideas, ok?). IF I come up with something I think can win it, I'll enter. If not, I'll chalk it up to more experience and learning for my writing obsession.

But three new pieces that I'm proud of? In a week? I LOVE SIWC! It's the energy drink for writers...

BAD LUCK that turned GOOD?

I had a tremendous bit of bad luck today. That's right--BAD LUCK that was good for me. While I was lining up  to get appointments with agents today, the names of two of the ones I wanted to get appointments with were rubbed off the board. I was about to turn tail when another YA writer told me about an agent who didn't have YA in her bio description, but who had agented many YA books to publication. I decided to give her a try.

As the volunteer organizers started walking down the line to see who each person was hoping to get an appointment with, I was fourth from the front. Thank goodness none of the three in front of me wanted to see her, because she had one spot left and it was going to happen in about 5 minutes, so they pushed me to the front of the line. I met with her and pitched not one, but two of my YA novels.

The result? She asked me to send the first 100 pages of each to her! I also showed her a sample of the writing itself, and she said she liked my writing style--it was appropriate to the audience. What made me feel best of all was that she GOT my books...she even seemed excited to find out about them.

It felt...right.

I like her AND her energy, and I would do backflips through flaming hoops

 to have her represent me and my work.  I won't name names yet, but I am REALLY hoping this works out. We had a real connection and I think we'd work well together, so I can't wait to get her reaction to those 200 pages! Onwards!

GRASSHOPPER: Where the Student(s) Become the Teacher!

Ok, so in the past few posts, I've let you know about  a few of my students who have had works published that had some kind of connection with works I've published. But today, let me tell you about two other writers I was lucky enough to teach this year--and they've done something I haven't been able to do...

The Vancouver Readers and Writers Festival is HUGE--plenty of big name authors converge on Granville Island each year, and for a week, the place is filled with readers and writers. Their writing contests are also prestigious and highly competitive. While I was shortlisted in the poetry category for adults two years ago, I have never won. But this year, two of my students won their age groups. Grade 11 student, ROBIN GEORGE, won for her story, "A Child's World," and Grade 12 student, SALLY ARANG, won for her story, "The Boa Bandit."  Sally also won the overall youth award. Three first prizes, in one class--I was proud and jealous at the same time. In any case, here's a photo of them and the younger winners. Sally is on the extreme right, and Robin is next to her, wearing the purplish pink checked coat:

The author they're with is Sarah Leavitt, a writer they got to spend a day with in a workshop, working with their own writing, as part of the prize. I'd call them lucky, but I KNOW the hard work that went into the pieces that won it for them...! Here's a link to the page:

YOUTHWRITES WINNERS

WRITER'S DIGEST SUCCESS STORY

Ok, the previous Chicken Soup for the Soul post made me think of one of LAST year's student success stories--also tied to me in a strange way. Way back in September, 2004, I published a nonfiction article in Writer's Digest called "GET A GIMMICK." It talked about how a single headline from a previous issue a year earlier, "Get Started! Get Involved! Get Inspired!" twigged my imagination just enough to give me an idea. I would become the GET guy! Sure enough, I landed a column, GET GOD, with a religious publication, featuring articles I wrote with catchy titles like "Get a Faith Lift!" and "Get an Amazing Offer!" I followed up with GET WRITING and GET POETIC columns for a few other publications, GET HEALTHY columns for an online magazine, GET MORE BUSINESS for a California magazine...and so on and so on. Basically, that one idea led to thousands of dollars in my account--and hundreds of articles including one in WRITER'S DIGEST.

Ok, in a totally UNRELATED activity, our class took on one of the Writer's Digest writing contests as a class activity. JESSICA KRUGER, a grade twelve student won even though her work was up against more than 600 other writers, most of whom were adults! Her FICTIONAL story, "Conquered Fear," was published in the February 2010 issue. Now, if you look at the cover of that magazine, guess what the biggest headline on the top of the front cover says? "GET Creative!" These things have a way of connecting in strange ways... (Ok, I realize that the student cover is smaller again, but it's the ONLY one I could find on an image search...you just try and find a bigger one!)

NINE MONTHS OF BUILDING MY WRITING...MY BABY!

Here's what I've managed to keep track of in the past nine months...good chance of missing something, but I'll do my best not to:

• Completed the 50000-word version of my YA mystery / thriller, ONE WAY TICKET
• Joined several writing organizations--SCBWI, CAA, FEDBCW, and PNWA. Have learned a lot from them already.
• Wrote a "dissection" nonfiction book about the writing technique found in the prologue of Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting.
• Wrote a novella called DATESASTERS that I'm aiming at Orca Books hi-lo market.
• Wrote two picture books--one that I changed to a prose form instead of its original verse form, IF VOLCANOES SPEWED TOMATOES, and the other, an updated fairy tale: JOANIE ARK: DRAGON SLAYER.
• Completed NINE new poems and several original mashups of older work.
• Completed major research and the first hundred pages or so of my new novel, a medieval fantasy, ARIETTA: SUMMER OF BLADES.
• Wrote a short story, "Black and White Negatives," and completed four different versions of it--3500+ words, under 3000 words, under 2500 words, and under 2000 words--to ensure it qualified for entry into different contests. An excellent exercise in culling, to be sure.
• Did research in a way I've never before attempted for a new novel I'm planning and have banged out about 10 000 words of: GANGSTER GIRLFRIEND.
• Did research in a way I've never before attempted for a new novel I'm planning and have banged out about the first 10 000 words for... STACK THE DECK: NEW DIRECTIONS.
• Did research in a--well, you get it by now--for another new novel I've been playing with: THE PRIMORPHIANS: MILLA'S STORY.
• Completed a 10000-word chapter book, THE ABRACADABRA AMULET, which is to be the first of a series entitled The Arkymalarky Adventures of Ackamarackus Artleby (Acker, for short!).
• Planned out a girl's chapter book series which I'm calling THE GALAXY GIRLS. First book planned, and in the process of being written now. 
• Wrote a cascade poem--a new form for me--and LOVED the result!
• Created two chapbooks of poetry to enter into contests: KALEIDOSCOPE: Bright Lives Broken, and ACCIDENTS WAITING TO HAPPEN.
• Took Food Network's Spice Goddess  Bal Arneson's rough notes and story and rewrote it into a compelling memoir, VILLAGE GIRL. 
• Started submitting my work more seriously--my goal in 2011 was to enter at least 12 writing contests, at a rate of one per month. By the end of July now, I've entered 14! 
• Started submitting my poetry to higher level literary journals as of June 29th. I started with four different sets of poems to four different journals I love: Fiddlehead, Event, Capilano Review, and Antigonish Review. I feel it's at a level now where it belongs...maybe those rejections won't be so automatic...maybe some published works may result from it--we'll see...
• Oh, and I have one VERY exciting piece of news, although I'm not sure if it's too early yet to tell it...