Roses are red

Violets are blue

Valentinies rock

And so do YOU!

Hang onto your conversation hearts everyone!  It’s time for . . .

The 5th Annual Pretty Much World Famous Valentiny Writing Contest!!!

~ for children’s writers~

The Contest:  since writing for children is all about “big emotion for little people” (I forget who said that, but someone did so I put it in quotes!) and Valentines Day is all about emotion, write a Valentines story appropriate for children (children here defined as ages 12 and under) maximum 214 words in which someone feels curious!  Your someone can feel curious themselves or make someone else feel curious.  The curiosity may be about a person, place, thing, quality, idea, event, or about whether something will happen or something is true or real, or anything else under the sun you can think up!  Think beyond the obvious!  Your story can be poetry or prose, sweet, funny, surprising or anything in between, but it will only count for the contest if it includes someone curious (can be the main character but doesn’t have to be) and is 214 words (get it? 2/14 for Valentines Day 🙂  You can go under the word count but not over! (Title is not included in the word count.)  If you are so inclined, you are welcome to enter more than one entry – just remember you’ll be competing against yourself 🙂  No illustration notes please!

Post your story on your blog between right now this very second and Friday February 14th by 11:59 PM EDT and add your post-specific link to the list below.  There will be no regularly scheduled posts (Tuesday Debut, Would You Read It or PPBF) for the duration of the contest, so this post and the list of links will stay up all week for everyone to enjoy. If you would like to enter but don’t have a blog you are welcome to paste your entry in the comment section below (please be sure to include your byline so that if your posting handle is writesbynightlight1 or something I’ll be able to tell who you are!)  If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, please email your entry to me at susanna[at]susannahill[dot]com and I’ll post your entry for you. But please no attachments!  Just copy and paste your story including byline into the email.  Also, please only post your entry once – either in the comment section of my blog or on the link list or by emailing me and asking me to post it.  Multiple postings of the same entry get confusing. 🙂
P.S.  Although I try to stay glued to my computer 24/7 I am sometimes forced to leave my desk.  If you haven’t commented on my blog before, your comment won’t show up until I approve it.  It may take a little while if I’m away from my desk.  Likewise, if you send me an entry to post, I promise I will do it as soon as I can!

The Judging: over the next several days, my lovely assistants and I will narrow down the entrants to 6-10 top choices depending on number and quality of entries (hee hee hee – you know how much trouble I have with the narrowing, so we’ll see) which will be posted here and voted on for a winner on Wednesday February 19th (or possibly a day or two later if the judges need extra time.)   The winner will be announced Friday February 21st or Saturday February 22nd depending on judging and voting time needed. (And there will be no Tuesday Debut, WYRI or PPBF that week either so that everyone will have time to read and vote and so that we don’t confuse PPBF with announcing winners.)  The dates of the judging/voting/winner announcements are subject to finagling depending on how much time the judges actually end up needing!

Judging criteria will include:

1. Kid-appeal/Kid-friendliness – remember, this is a story for kids!
2. Creativity in using curiosity and success in making us feel the curiosity!
3. Valentine’s Day appropriateness – this is a VALENTINE story!
4. Quality of story – we will look for basic story elements and a true story arc
5. Quality of writing – use and flow of language, correctness of mechanics, excellence of rhyme and meter if you use it.
6. Originality – surprise us with something new and different! 🙂

The Prizes:  Oh, so many wonderful things to choose from that will be of great help to you in your writing career!!!

– Penny’s Two Cents – an incredible opportunity for any picture book writer!

Sometimes it’s helpful to chat with a published author about your writing journey. Penny Parker Klostermann is offering her two cents. The prize includes six thirty-minute Skype/Google Hangout sessions with Penny. The sessions can be used anytime during 2020. Ask her anything related to writing for children and getting published. Up to two sessions can be used for general comments on a manuscript (not a full critique). Penny doesn’t claim to have it all figured out, (by any means) but she’s happy to share her two cents based on what she’s learned and continues to learn on her journey as an author.

Penny is the author of THERE WAS AN OLD DRAGON WHO SWALLOWED A KNIGHT (Random House 2015) (now available in board book and with matching pajamas! 🙂 ) and A COOKED-UP FAIRY TALE (Random House 2017)

     

 – Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Rosie Pova, author of If I Weren’t With You (Spork 2017),  Sarah’s Song (Spork 2017), and the forthcoming Sunday Rain (Lantana Publishing, September 2020)

               

– Picture Book Manuscript Critique (rhyming or non-rhyming) from Katey Howes, author of GRANDMOTHER THORN (Ripple Grove Press 2017), MAGNOLIA MUDD AND THE SUPER JUMPTASTIC LAUNCHER DELUXE (Sterling Children’s Books 2018), BE A MAKER (Carolrhoda Books, 2019), and the forthcoming RISSY NO KISSIES (Lerner/Carolrhoda Spring 2021)

                 

– Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Ellen Leventhal, author of DON’T EAT THE BLUEBONNETS (Spork 2017), LOLA CAN’T LEAP (Spork 2018), and HAYFEST A HOLIDAY QUEST (ABCs Press 2010)

       

     

– Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Sherry Howard, author of ROCK & ROLL WOODS (Spork 2018)

– Picture Book Manuscript Critique from Lydia Lukidis, author of NO BEARS ALLOWED (Blue Whale Press 2019) and many educational titles.

       

– a spot in Making Picture Book Magic (Interactive or Self Study version – winner’s choice) – an online picture book writing course from Yours Truly.  If you choose the interactive version, month to be mutually agreed on by me and the winner.

– Prize Pack #1 – a personalized signed copy of A MORNING WITH GRANDPA (Lee&Low Books 2016) by Sylvia Liu and the 2020 Guide To Literary Agents (which you may exchange for the Children’s Writer’s And Illustrator’s Market 2020 if you prefer)

Lee&Low New Voices Award 2013

– Picture Book Prize Pack – a personalized signed copy of NOT QUITE SNOW WHITE (HarperCollins 2019) by Ashley Franklin and a personalized signed copy of NOAH NOASAURUS (Albert Whitman & Co 2019) by Elaine Kiely Kearns

     

– Picture Book Pack From Chris and Chris: a personalized signed copy of EMILY’S IDEA (Sounds True, March 2020) by Christine Evans and a personalized signed copy of HEY, HEY, HAY! A Tale of Bales and the Machines That Make Them (Holiday House 2018) by Christy Mihaly

– Historical Women Picture Book Pack: a personalized signed copy of QUEEN OF PHYSICS: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom (Sterling Children’s Books 2019) by Teresa Robeson and a personalized signed copy of MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: The Inspiring Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe (Little Bee Books 2020) by Vivian Kirkfield

             
Asian/Pacific American Award Picture
Book and ALA Notable Picture Book

– A SURPRISE PACK! – 2 additional picture books (not signed) donated by Darshana Khiani (who will have her own book, How To Wear A Sari, out in Spring 2021!): What Color Is Night? by Grant Snider and Caspian Finds A Friend by Jacqueline Veissid

And now, lovelies, it is time for my traditional sample entry, since I feel I shouldn’t ask you to do anything I wouldn’t do. . . 🙂

Steel yourself!

A Valentiny Mystery (184 words)

Mama’s working busily
Making something I can’t see.
“What’s that?” I ask her quizzically.
“Try to guess,” she answers me.
“It’s a little mystery.
I’ll give you clues.  Think carefully,
And figure out what it could be!
It’s something red.”

What could it be?

“Ribbon? Wagon? Redwood tree?”

Ooh! I love a mystery!

“It’s something sweet and sugary.
And something red.”

What could it be?

“Candy apple? Raspberry?”

Hmm… it’s still a mystery!

“It’s something heart-shaped perfectly,
And something sweet and sugary.
And something red.”

What could it be?

“A candy heart? A strawberry?”

Hmmm… it’s still a mystery!

“It’s something super sparkly.
And something heart-shaped perfectly.
It’s something sweet and sugary.
And something red.”

What could it be?

“A sparkle-sprinkled chocolate cherry?”

Golly! What a mystery!

By now, it smells deliciously!
I know it’s super sparkly. . .
I know it’s heart-shaped perfectly. . .
I know it’s sweet and sugary. . .
It’s something red. . .

What could it be?

“I’ve got it!” I say gleefully.
“I figured out the mystery!
It’s my Valentiny cookie!”
Made by Mama just for me!

I warned you. . . 🙂

Never let it be said that I’m not willing to embarrass myself for you! 🙂

And now you all hopefully feel filled with confidence in your own entries because certainly they are all FAR better than that!

I can’t wait to read all of yours!  I’m SO looking forward to them!  I hope there will be LOTS – the more the merrier!  And you still have until midnight Friday to write, so you have time if you haven’t written yet.  Feel free to spread the word to your writing friends as well.  And your reading friends – parents, teachers, etc.  The more people who read and enjoy your stories, the better!!!

So!

Contest Entrants, remember to add your post-specific link to the list below so we can all come read your awesome stories!  (Post-specific means not your main blog url, but the actual url of the post that has your story in it – otherwise if you post again before the contest ends, your link will take readers… and judges!… to the wrong place!)  Please allow a few minutes and possibly refresh your browser before deciding that your link hasn’t posted and adding it a second time or emailing it to me.

Eager Readers – click on the links in the list to visit the blogs and read the stories.  And be sure to read the 90 fabulous entries posted in the comment section below!!!

Happy Valentines Week, Everyone! 💕

Scroll through the comments to find these wonderful stories! Titles are direct links.

1. Shelly & Saul – Sue Lancaster
2. Bags Of Love – Laura Howard
3. Some Bunny Loves You – Laura Howard
4. I Don’t Need A Valentine – Deb Buschman
5. Sending Love – Chelsea Tornetto
6. My Sunny Valentine – Glenda Roberson
7. What Makes Your Heart Beat? – Beth Brody
8. The Perfect Valentine’s Playdate – Deb Sullivan
9. The Heart – Nina Nolan
10. Love And My Teddy – Tracy Curran
11. Crazy, Foolish Love – Tracy Curran
12. The Chocolate Beast – Megan Walvoord
13. How To Fix A Broken Heart – Paul Roncone
14. Little Card’s Purpose – Theresa Kiser
15. Valentine Story 2020 – Shariffa Keshavjee
16. A Robot’s Valentine’s Day – Susan Summers
17. Mystery Valentine – Lindsey Hobson
18. The Hunter Games – Anne Lipton
19. Cupid’s Love Trials – Katrina Swenson
20. Will You Be Mine? – Ryan Roberts
22. Signed Sealed Delivered – Delia Black
23. A Shelter Dog’s Valentine – Anne Bromley
24. The Curious Concoction – Stacey Miller
25. Crabby’s Heart Speaks – Rebecca Loescher
26. Valentine Clue – Alicia Fadgen
27. Cupid’s Confusion – Alicia Fadgen
28. Cupid’s World – Alicia Fadgen
29. The Perfect Valentine – Maryna Doughty
30. Jigna’s Valentine – Gabrielle Cardwell
31. Moe’s Valentine’s Day Discovery – Kelsey Gross
32. The Rose Thief – Margaret Aitken
33. The Egg – Rebecca Woodall
34. How Do You Write A Poem? – Belen Medina Cabot
35. Missing Hearts – Bru Benson
36. An Antique Valentine – Abbi Lee
37. My Piggy Valentine – Claire Lewis
38. Romeo And Jellyette – Kristy Roser Nuttall
39. The Lost Valentine – Ellie Langford
40. Mia Flying Heart Girl – Lily Erlic
41. Squirrel’s Surprise – Darci Nielson
42. Sylvia’s Special Valentine – Vanessa Cicarelli
43. This Arrow Is Narrow – Linda Staszak
44. Valentine’s Day Is Gross – Ranessa Doucet
45. The Art Of The Heart – Wikki Krawczyk
46. Valentine Equation – Claire Bobrow
47. Cupid’s Diary – Ketan Ram
48. Valentine Broccoli? – Susan Drew
49. The Upside-Down Heart – Mary Munson
50. Who Could It Be From? – Ashley Congdon
51. The Curious Case Of The Valentine Gift – Heather Kauffman
52. My Heart’s Wish – Melissa Stiveson
53. The Unquestionable Valentine– Deborah Boerema
54. Whose Valentine Could This Be? – Michelle Howell Miller
55. Mailbox – Amy Flynn
56. I Miss You – Jarmila Kurucova
57. What Is That? – Jyoti Gopal
58. Katerina The Caterpillar Solves A Conundrum – Dina Towbin
59. Beetle’s Valentine – Chambrae Griffith
60. Scales Of Love – Caroline Perry
61. Cupid And Curtis – Jen Bagan
62. What If…? – Susie Sawyer
63. A Valentine Surprise – Corine Timmer
64. Where Is Love? – Emmie R Werner
65. Will She Or Won’t She? – Elizabeth Volkmann
66. Mystery Marks – Mary Warth
67. Roosters And Roses – Paul Kurtz
68. Computer Bugs – Paul Kurtz
69. Boys – Yecchh! – Donna Kurtz
70. Eight Legs Of Love – Donna Kurtz
71. Secret Stash – Mia Geiger
72. The Curious Kitten – Elsie Duffany
73. What’s Love? – Ingrid Boydston
74. An Unexpected Valentine – Michelle S. Kennedy
75. How To Find Your Valentine – Cindy Williams Schrauben
76. Peck! – Andrea MacDonald
77. The Mailbox Mouse – Roo Parkin
78. Pandora’s Peek-Not Pact – Jenny Buchet
79. Dear Cupid – Marty Bellis
80. Curious Kip – Kirsten Pendreigh
81. Bernard And Robin: One Adventure, Two Friends – Susan Twiggs
82. Scraps Of Love – Charlotte Sheer
83. When Love Gives You Wings – Kate Thompson
84. What If . . . A Valentine’s Story – Kelly Pope Adamson
85. Cookie Memories – Judy Sobanski
86. Wanted – Jill Lambert
87. Always. Every day. No matter what. – JC Kelly
88. Ophelia Divine – Sofia Dibble
89. Bee My Perfect Valentine – Kelly Pope Adamson
90. Joy Finds Love – Olivia Rehfield