Contest #6: Do the Write Thing Challenge

Contest:  Utah's Eleventh Annual Do the Write Thing Challenge

Genre:  Essay or poem

Theme:  The impact of youth violence in our community and what can be done about it.

Prize:  Certificates, publication, recognition luncheon, two student from Utah will win a trip to D.C.

Publication:  Booklet of essays available at www.juvenile.utah.gov (top essays will be published and placed in the Library of Congress

Odds of winning:  12 winners in the state of Utah

I had students participate in this challenge about three years ago.  I had three students receive honorable mention, which included a certificate signed by the governor.  

In January, I had a student teacher take over the majority of my classes, so I had only fourteen students participate in the challenge this year.  It was very difficult as it was a topic that hit close to home for most of them.  We read a lot of examples, had a lot of discussion, and I brought in a guest speaker from the Colors of Success program to help.  One student said, "C'mon, Stimpson, give us any other topic and we'll write it.  This one is just too hard."  That comment made me realize how important it was for us to keep going and with the project.

During the last week of the challenge, the Arizona shooting happened.  On a day I was absent, my assistant, Stephanie Hunt had the magic words to unlock their pens.  They wrote about the tragic shooting, they wrote about their own lives, they wrote about how they could be voices against violence in their communities, in the hallways, in their essays.  

Only about seven students actually brought signed permission slips, but I feel extremely confident that some of them will receive some recognition.  Their essays are heartbreaking and beautiful.  

This one was a real bonding experience for all of us.  I appreciate the adult help I got on this one.

E Pluribus Unum Prize

Contest: Migration Policy Institute's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy

Genre:  Essay

Theme:  Outstanding immigrant integration innitiatives

Prize:  $50,000

Publication:  Winning programs will be featured on:  http://www.migrationinformation.org/integrationawards/

Odds of winning:  Four programs are recognized each year.

A few months ago, my principal brought this contest to me.  It is a lengthy essay contest explaining how your program helps immigrants successfully integrate into American society.  She wanted me to enter our ESL Newcomer program.  My first thought was that it looked like A LOT of work.  My second thought, was that a $50,000 prize was nothing to sneeze at.  My third thought was a realization that this was a writing contest and that I had to do it.  No questions asked.

After gathering all the information that would be needed to complete the application form, I decided to have a meeting with my fellow ESL Team Members.  I thought perhaps we could divide up the work and they could include their expertise on how our program functions.  Then NaNoWriMo happened and the application fell to the bottom of the to-do pile.

When it resurfaced, on December 12th, I realized I had just a few days to get it completed and submitted.  No time for a meeting of the minds, I would have to knock it out on my own.  Extra special thanks to Stephanie Hunt and Peggy White for making time and space available for me to get it done - and thanks for listening to me whine.  Thanks to Emily Primrose for her lightening fast editing.  The final draft came out to be about 3800 words, but if NaNoWriMo has taught me anything, it's how to write fast.

If we win, it will be because of the optional "supporting material" that I included.  You are allowed to include one source, a newspaper article, letter of recommendation, etc., to support your application.  I uploaded an electronic copy of my student's memoir that we published last spring.  (Thanks to the tech help desk for walking me through that nightmare!)   Seriously, if we win this thing, all credit goes to Sabrin.

I plan to enter this contest again next year, when I can slow down, get feedback from my team members and put together a more cohesive proposal.  This was good experience, though, and for a potential 50k, it was worth the headache.

Wish us luck .  . .

Delacorte Press Contest for a First Young Adult Novel

 

"Teachers want us to work, and I say, Fine, I'll work. But you've gotta let me do the kind of work that I wanna do. And for me, it's my drum kit, man. This is my passion. This is the essence of who I am now. But before I had this, I was lost, too. You see what I'm saying? You need to find your reason for living. You've gotta find your big, gigantic drum kit."  ~ Nick Andropolis from "Freaks and Geeks"

Contest:  Delacorte Press Contest

Genre:  Young Adult Novel

Theme:  Contemporary Setting

Prize:  Standard publishing contract and an advance on royalties

Publication:  Hardcover and paperback editions through Delacorte Press

Odds of winning:  one winner a year, sometimes honor books are awarded

I made it a policy long ago to always do the assignments I give to my students.  Since I have asked them to enter writing contest this year, I have committed to entering one of my own.  Or maybe it was because I had decided to enter this contest, that made me think to have my students enter contests.  Chicken or egg.  Doesn't matter now.

The Delacorte Press Contest awards a publishing contract to a writer who has not previously published young adult fiction.  When I started researching information about getting novels published, I came across this contest and decided it would be a lot easier to win this contest, then to start looking for an agent.  Not that I expect to publish the easy way.  This contest is just the next step for me in getting my work out into the world.  I'm mailing off my manuscript this week and once it's sent, I'm going to start working on next year's submission.  At some point, I will start looking for an agent, but in the meantime, I'll do this.

I've been thinking a lot lately about why publication is my goal.  Why not just write for the love for writing?  It's not about the money.  If Random House told me tomorrow, we want to publish your book, we think we can make a ton of money off it, but we're not going to pay you a dime, I'd let them have it.  (Don't worry, my husband would be the voice of reason.)  It's not about fame.  First of all, not too many young adult authors are famous.  Secondly, those of you that know my turtle self, know that I don't enjoy the spot light. 

Here's what it is about publication for me:  I want to write something good enough for someone else to want to sell it.  Many people have suggested self-publishing as an option, but that doesn't appeal to me at all.  I want someone else to say, "This is good enough."

I have written before about the summer before ninth grade when I attended a creative writing camp.  The very first day of camp, it was apparent to me that I was not the most talented writer in the room, but I could hold my own.  I worked hard all week and was one of the more prolific writers in the group.  At the end of the week, I expressed disappointment that the camp had come to an end so soon.  I was the only one.  Everyone else was glad it was over.

The teacher, Mrs. Stanley, wrote us each a letter at the end of the week.  To me, she wrote: "Michelle, You are way ahead of most students in your writing.  You should be able to do whatever you want with it."  These words had a profound affect on me.  They confirmed what I knew, I am not the most talented writer ever, but if I work hard at it, I should be able to do whatever I want.  Desire is the key. 

In an episode of the TV series, "Freaks and Geeks," Nick Andropolis, whose efforts toward becoming a drummer keep being dashed, is staying with Lindsey's family.  He claims to Mr. Weir that listening to great drummers is his homework.
Mr. Weir says, "If you were really a drummer, then your homework would be practicing your drums."
Nick protests, "Well, I'd like to practice my drums, you know, but my dad gave them away."
"Well then," says Mr. Weir, "you go out and you get two sticks and you beat them on a rock."

The message here, of course, is that practice is the key to become good and you never let anyone or anything stand in your way to achieve your dream.  Later on, Nick gives up drumming for disco dancing and I don't know what the message is in that, but I do now that no matter what happens with this contest (or next year's contest, or my attempts to find an agent), the most important thing for me to do is to keep writing - to keep beating my sticks on a rock.  Because as hard as the writing process is, I still feel better when I'm writing, then when I'm not. 

We've Got a Winner!!!!

Remember when I told you that if my students entered enough writing contests, at least one of them would be sure to win?  Well, it happened a bit sooner than I thought!  One of my seventh grade students received a letter yesterday from Utah Central Credit Union stating that they were so impressed with his entry, they were inspired to create a special award for English Language Learners.  He received a certificate and a $25 prize for his essay about his greatest life lesson. 

The kids have been asking me, "What would you do if one of us actually won a writing contest?" 

I always say, "I would run screaming and yelling down the hall and brag to EVERYONE I knew!"  I did just that.  The student was so shocked, he didn't have much to say, but hopefully it sinks in when we present his certificate at the school-wide awards assembly in January.

I will be writing a thank you letter to the folks at UCCU for looking beyond grammatical and spelling mistakes to the heart of what an essay is really about.  Here's to the immigrant spirit!!!

On a personal note

On a personal note, I decided to go out on a limb and really challenge myself this year.  Shortly before November, I had a dream about four characters who were living in an abandoned warehouse (I later changed this to an abandoned 7-11) during a post disaster, futuristic time.  The four characters, who were not previously known to one another or related in any way, were completely dependent on one another for survival.  One day they decided to stop merely surviving and attend the local community college.  When I woke up, the characters were still so vivid and real, I decided to try my hand at science fiction - nothing too crazy, just four characters in their late teens trying to survive in the not so distant future.  Due to their circumstances, they had very limited access to any technology, so I thought,  perhaps I could pull it off.

Now it is two weeks into NaNoWriMo and I can say without any doubt, I suck at science fiction.   (I know, I know, you’re surprised!)  In  fact, I’m so bad at it, that I’m lagging farther behind in my wordcount than I ever have before.  Today, in order to make up for time, I sent my four characters to Club Retro to attend a concert in which a 1990s Ska tribute band, Unholy Genius, performs.  They play songs from Madness, No Doubt, Save Ferris, and Reel Big Fish.  This scene has been the most fun to write so far and I got 5,512 words out of it.  So much for my career in Sci Fi!

Where did the time go?

Well, it's the end of week two already and I have neglected to update this blog in the crazy rush to get NaNoWriMo 2010 rolling!

We spent two weeks in October prewriting, which went much more smoothly than last year.  My eighth graders consistently griped and complained.  We have to do this again?!  Once we hit November first, the eighth graders were off and running, with double and triple their goals from last year, keeping pace without a problem.

My sevies are struggling a little more than my students did last year.  I've started individual writing conferences and here's the problem:  they are worrying way too much about their stories!  Rather than writing a lot of nonsense, which is what last year's sevies did, this year's sevies are much more concerned about plot (as well as spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.)  Little by little, we're working them out of the worry.  It helps a ton that I have an assistant and a student teacher as well as thirty or so volunteers.  Oh, and a lot of Halloween candy!  Daily wordcount challenges and Word Wars competitions for candy are boosting those wordcounts.   We're entering the second half of NaNoWriMo slightly behind in our wordcounts (me included), but we're gaining momentum and excited for the upcoming week.