"Everything in the world exists in order to end up as a book." - Stéphane Mallarmé
It’s time for Vivian Kirkfield’s #50PreciousWords writing challenge inspired by the birthday of Theodore Geisel a.k.a. Dr. Seuss. Check out the guidelines and my entries below. Head over to Vivian's blog Picture Books Help Kids Soar to read more. Visit my entry from last year here. The challenge: "Write a story appropriate for kids ages 12 or under, using only 50 words…they can all be different words, or you can use some of them over and over…just as long as the total word count of the story is 50 or less." MARY HAD A LITTLE JAM Mary had a little jam, homemade jam, a secret recipe from Gram. Mary entered the Grand Jam Slam. Judges Pam and Sam tasted it with yam and ham. The hot pepper flavor hit with a…BAM! The judges could’ve drank up a dam. The winner was NOT Mary’s Wham Jam. CAT-OR-PILLOW?
Sheila was sure she’d never been sleepier. Her body sunk into bed. Her head nestled the pillow. But, instead of a snore, she let out an… ACHOO! Sheila wiped her nose and nestled deeper. But, instead of a snore, she heard a… Purr! Sheila snuggled her kitty pillow and… Zzzzz!
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Friend in Flight by Amanda Sincavage 199 words Dear Butterfly, Your wings are so symmetrical; their colors so divine. I want to be your friend in flight. Will you be my valentine? Hopefully yours, Cattie Pillar
Dear Butterfly, The chocolates were fruit-filled…and quite yummy! I ate them all! Then, got an upset tummy. Miserably yours, Cattie
Butterfly, Time to cocoon! Let’s meet at noon on Valentine’s Day. See you soon! Cattie
Butterfly! Look at my beautiful wings! Oh, be still my heart! Though, I am sorry we spent Valentine’s Day apart. Hopefully still yours, Cattie-fly
Dearest Butterfly,
Thank you for the soaring soiree – my best ever Valentine’s Day! Lovingly yours, Cattie-fly Applications are due next month for the 2018 Writing With The Stars (WWTS) Mentorships. In February 2017, I had the great honor of being selected for a mentorship with Penny Parker Klostermann, author of There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight and A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale.
I applied to Penny specifically because of her participation as a critique ninja for Julie Hedlund’s 12x12 writing challenge in 2016. She gave me a critique with the most thoughtful and thorough feedback I had ever received. With her critique and additional feedback from an editor at a retreat, I overhauled the manuscript multiple times before arriving at the version I submitted with my WWTS application. Penny recognized the manuscript and the hard work that went into improving it. I expected that same level of constructive feedback from her as a mentor, and she did not disappoint! Our 3-month mentorship turned into 8 productive months in which we focused heavily on 4 manuscripts, though Penny provided feedback on 6 additional manuscripts! We covered industry best practices, writing resources, formatting tips, career strategy, decoding agent/editor feedback, and much more…in addition to the back-and-forth (and back-and-forth) revision work. Penny was meticulous, honest, supportive, and so generous with her time! She even shared her own work with me, including a sneak peek of A Cooked-Up Fairy Tale before its release earlier this year. Most importantly, Penny believed in my work (and still does) and provided ongoing encouragement that continues to motivate and inspire me today! My key takeaways from this experience include:
I cannot thank Penny enough for all the time and energy she put into our mentorship. The experience was invaluable and I heartily recommend applying. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain - even the application process itself is beneficial to your growth! Applications for the 2018 WWTS mentorships are accepted January 8-13. Good luck! |
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