Well, here we are. It’s Monday September 17 and I promised you a Short & Sweet, so a Short & Sweet we shall have! And just look at this beautiful, updated badge we have to go along with our non-summer Short & Sweets! Thank you, Loni 🙂
Actually, now that I think about it, Monday seems like a good day for Short & Sweets – a good way to get those writing gears greased up and ready to go for a productive writing week, don’t you think?
Given the extreme hecticness of the last couple weeks, as we’ve all striven (is that even a word?) to get our kids back to school, or get used to doing homework again, or tried to vacuum ourselves out from under the dog hair mound (oh, is that just me?) we will be very short and sweet today – nothing too taxing.
Let’s make up fun characters, shall we? Since it’s Monday morning, I’ll give you the chance to think on your own, but I’ll also give you options to choose blindly in case your brain isn’t quite awake yet 🙂
Here’s what to do:
1. Choose a name you like, male or female, any kind of name, e.g. Harper, Frisky, Stinky Pete. Too broad, too vague, too wide open for this hour on Monday morning? I’ll give you a list to choose from 🙂 Pick a number from 1-10 (no peeking!) and use the name you get.
1. Sophie 2. Alex 3. Rocky 4. Kyle 5. Princess 6. Lindsay 7. Becca 8. Ethan 9. Tiger 10. Taylor
2. Pick 4 descriptive traits, e.g. cautious, hopeful, athletic, smart Again, if you need choices, I’ll give you some. Pick 4 letters from A to Z (no peeking) and use the traits you get.
A= argumentative B= bold C= curious D= desperate E= eager F= feisty G= grateful H= home-loving I= impatient J= joyful K= kind L= lazy M= mean N= nosy O= opinionated P= passionate Q= quiet R= rambunctious S= serious T= tired U= unimaginative V= vacillating W= worried X= extra (I know that doesn’t really begin with x!) Y= yellow Z= zippy
3. Pick one: only child or sibling of. If you choose sibling of, list names of siblings. example: only child example: sibling of Howard, Henry and Hugo
4. Pick two things your character loves, e.g. elephants and birthday cake Need help? Let’s go with the letters again, that was fun 🙂 Pick 2 letters from A-Z and use the things you get.
A= apples B=bears C= cacti D= dinosaurs E= easter eggs F= flowers G= giants H= hotdogs I= ice cream J= jumping rope K= kite-flying L= licorice M= mountains N= nighttime O= ocean P= pumpkins Q= quilts R= racing S= snow T= traveling U= umbrellas V= violin W= white-water rafting X= extra helpings (yeah, I know that doesn’t really start with x either :)) Y= yodeling Z= zip-lining
5. Pick something your character fears, e.g. spiders Can’t think of anything? Choose a number from 1- 20 and go with what you get.
1= the dark 2= snakes 3= the dentist 4= being alone 5= getting a haircut 6= going to school 7= having a babysitter 8= losing a tooth 9= falling off a bike 10= heights 11= going on an airplane 12= going to sleep-away camp 13= swimming 14= ghosts 15= thunderstorms 16= loud noises 17= big dogs 18= talking to new people 19= bad dreams 20= monsters
6. Pick something your character wants, e.g. to learn to ride a bike Need inspiration? Choose a number from 1-20 – you know the drill 🙂
1= a pet 2= to go to the moon 3= to be famous 4= to be in the school play 5= a brother or sister 6= to stay up later 7= to be independent 8= to be brave 9= to have a best friend 10= to go to the circus 11= to get allowance 12= to go camping 13= to bake a cake 14= to be good at something 15= to be popular 16= to lose a tooth 17= to be first 18= to feel important 19= to be listened to/recognized 20= to get a job
Now. Put your character all together in the comments like this:
Jemima short, loyal, adventurous, brave sibling of Pete lover of horses and going fast who fears being invisible and wants a pony of her own
If you want, write the opening of a story about your character, for example:
Sometimes Jemima was a little too brave for her own good. Like the time Pete dared her to climb to the top of the apple tree… and she ended up with her arm in a cast for 6 weeks.
The idea here is that, with lots of participants, we’ll generate a great list of possible characters, any of which might spark a story idea for anyone! The same character might spark 10 different stories in 10 people! Have fun with it – it should be a pretty quick exercise – and feel free to do more than one! 🙂
I hope we’ll get lots of good ideas percolating this morning! Have a lovely day, everyone, and Happy Rosh Hashanah to those who are celebrating! 🙂
If you managed to read the whole title of this post, you know we have a lot on the agenda for today! And it all has to do with dots – either directly or in a more roundabout way 🙂
We’ll start with Perfect Picture Books, which I like to put on top so it’s easy to find when people click over from the master list. I’ve chosen a book about a dog with spots… which are a lot like dots.
Next up will be my Dot for International Dot Day.
Finally, just when you think you can’t bear the suspense for another second, I will announce the winner of the Summer Send-Off Contest… before you go dotty! (OK. That was a reach :))
Ready? Set. GO!
Harry The Dirty Dog Written By: Gene Zion Illustrated By: Margaret Bloy Graham Harper & Row, 1956, Fiction
Suitable For: ages 3-8
Themes/Topics: bath time, behavior (rebelliousness), facing consequences, problem solving, animals (dogs) Opening: “Harry was a white dog with black spots who liked everything, except… getting a bath. So one day when he heard the water running in the tub, he took the scrubbing brush… and buried it in the back yard.”
Brief Synopsis: Harry doesn’t want a bath, so he hides the scrubbing brush and runs away. All day long he plays happily, getting dirtier and dirtier, until finally, when he returns home, he’s so dirty his family doesn’t even recognize him. What’s a dog to do?
Why I Like This Book: I not only like this book, I love it. I loved it as a child. I loved it with my children. I love it as a writer because to me it’s a story that does everything right. I think children (and adults :)) can relate to Harry’s story because we all have the urge to rebel from time to time but, like Harry, in the end what we want most is to be safe and loved… even if it means having a bath 🙂 The art is delightful, depicting Harry as lively and lovable, culminating in the sweet last page where Harry is curled up, happily asleep and dreaming, but leaving you to wonder whether he hid that scrubbing brush to make sure he was always clean so his family would always recognize him, or whether he hid it to avoid another bath any time soon 🙂
Moving on, it’s time to celebrate International Dot Day!
Following the lead of Patricia Tilton on her wonderful blog Children’s Books Heal, I am joining in on International Dot Day, based on Peter H. Reynolds’ picture book The Dot. The idea is to encourage people not to be intimidated and to create their own art in the form of a dot. This year over half a million people will participate – primarily children in classrooms – but lots of other people as well. Celebri-dots features dots created by well-known authors and illustrators. (Dot Day is actually September 15, but I don’t post on Saturday so mine is going up today :))
I am not particularly artistic, but I had an idea for a dot. The lovely and talented Beth Stilborn, whose computer skills leave mine in the dust, turned my idea into reality. Thank you, Beth! 🙂
My dot is about love.
Love comes in many shapes and sizes. For my daughter it comes in the shape of a polka-dot pony. The pony is not fancy or highly bred. She’s 14.1 hands* of fine, cinnamon chip fur, with a sturdy build, a velvet-soft nose, one brown eye and one blue, and though she might not appear to be anything special, she owns my daughter’s heart. And it just so happens that two of those cinnamon dots that sprinkle her fur so liberally are heart shaped. I am not making this up. You can see one of them in the dot 🙂 * (for those who might not be horse people, a hand is the unit of measure for horses and is equal to 4″. 14.1 hands means that the pony stands 57″ at the withers.)
And just for fun, another dot… 🙂
Here is the special pony those dots and that heart belong to 🙂
my daughter counted the pony’s spots one day and in case you’re wondering, she has 791! 🙂
and the poem my daughter wrote about her:
Chestnut, chestnut, chestnut spots
Appaloosa polka-dots.
How many little chestnut spots?
Lots and lots and lots and lots!
by Little Hill 5
So there you have it. My polka-dot pony love dot 🙂
So I guess that’s it, right? We’ll wrap up and head out to read everyone’s Perfect Picture Books….
What?
OH! You want to know who won the contest?
Well. Okay 🙂
I’ve got to tell you, somehow this turned out to be the closest contest we’ve ever had here and that’s saying something because everyone is so talented that the contests are always close. In this case, however, the contestants were literally neck and neck. First one would pull ahead, then another. It was a serious nail-biter! In the end though, we did have a clear winner. And that was…
DDRRUUMM RROOLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!
ERIK!!!!!!!!
Congratulations, Erik! Well done!
And to all the other finalists, excellent job as well. And to everyone who entered, you are all amazingly talented and creative people and it was a joy to read every single entry! Thanks to everyone for participating.
Erik, you may email me at your convenience and choose your prize 🙂 And since we only had 15 entries, I’m only giving a prize for first place. (If we’d had over 20 entries I would have included 2nd and 3rd place prizes, but now you’ll just have to wait for the Halloweensie Contest on October 31st for that! :))
Although I don’t usually add the placement of all the finalists, in this case it was such a close race that I thought you (and they) might like to know how well they did:
1st: Erik
2nd: Sidney
3rd: Vivian
4th: Romelle
5th: TIE: Jess and Lauri
So now, my lovelies, if all the PPBF bloggers would kindly leave their post specific links in the list below, we shall all come visit – the best part of Friday 🙂
#1 – if you have not voted for who you think should win the Summer Send-Off Contest please do! My goodness it is a tight race! We need every vote we can get!
#2 – I realized when I went to write this post that it was meant to include the August Pitch Pick. Except we have a new policy these days. Pitchers have the opportunity to take the feedback you gave them and submit a new version of their pitch for the Pitch Pick. And I didn’t email anyone to remind them… so I don’t have the pitches. Therefore, you are excused from pitch-picking today and I’ll have to squeeze it in somewhere else… probably next Wednesday because there are just too many high jinx and shenanigans going on around here between now and then. (And should you happen to be one of those pitchers, please email me whatever version of your pitch you’d like me to use!)
#3 – Did you know that in Alaska it is illegal to whisper in someone’s ear while he’s moose hunting? I kid you not.
Now then, grab your Something Chocolate (I have chocolate cupcakes on offer at my house this morning – not exactly breakfast food… technically… although they do have eggs in them… :)) and have a gander at today’s pitch. It comes to us from the lovely Elizabeth whom you all know and love as the queen of Banana Peelin’.
Elizabeth Stevens Omlor loves slipping on banana peels. She has at least one slip a day, physically or verbally. She loves writing for children, although she has recently discovered she is a delusional rhymer. When she isn’t writing for children, you can find her having a kitchen dance party with her husband and two young children or drinking a large glass of milk. She loves milk. Yum. Especially when it’s in chocolate. She blogs about all of this on Banana Peelin’: The Ups and Downs of Becoming a Children’s Writer.
Here is her pitch:
Working TItle: Buff The Magic Dragon Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 4-8) The Pitch: Buff isn’t your typical dragon. He’s afraid of EVERYTHING. But when auditioning for the role of royal babysitter, his magic trick-gone-wrong lands the baby Princess Ponypants in the tentacles of the fiercest bully of all the sea, Captain Meanie Bones Jones. Forced to fly above the clouds and to eat a meaty squid, Buff finds that sometimes we must face our fears to right our wrongs and protect the ones we love.
So what do you think? Would You Read It? YES, MAYBE or NO?
If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest. If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Elizabeth improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read Itor on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above. There are openings in November, so you have time to polish 🙂 for a chance for it to be read by editor Erin Molta!
Elizabeth is looking forward to your thoughts on her pitch! And I am looking forward to seeing who will win the Summer Send-Off Contest and which book I will pick for Perfect Picture Books on Friday. It could be anything! I still have two whole days to choose! 🙂
Yee-haw! It’s voting day! Fun for you, but let me just say I haven’t slept in 5 days sweating over who to choose as a finalist!
SUMMERSEND-OFFCONTEST!!!
illustration copyright Heather Newman 2012 used by permission
I love contests.
I love writing for them – the challenge of trying to come up with a story that fits certain parameters!
I love hosting them – it’s so much fun to read everyone’s creative entries – there is just so much talent out there!
But of course when I host them, I have to judge the entries, and that is always the hard part! I don’t like having to cut anyone! This contest was no different – everyone’s stories were terrific! From undercover spies, to damsels not in distress, to People For The Ethical Treatment of Dragons, to the origin of ‘smores, to heroes who do hero work to pay the writing bills, to knights and fair maidens, witches and sorceresses, in rhyme and in prose, they all had something wonderful, creative and entertaining to share! It was cruel to have to choose!!
It would have been far, far easier to post all 15 and make you guys do the choosing! But I figured that would be a long blog post, even for me 🙂 So for better or worse, my assistant judge and I have winnowed the field down to the following 6 entries (I told you I’d never make it down to only 3 finalists :)). The three main judging criteria were creativity, child-friendliness (would a child really love to read it?), and whether you stayed within the 250 word limit.
Thanks to everyone who participated. I think I speak for us all when I say we loved getting a chance to read your incredible writing.
Please enjoy reading (or re-reading!) these fabulous entries and cast your vote for your favorite!
#1 – Avery’s Fairy Tale by Sidney – 247 words
“Once upon a time, a princess lived in a castle tower.” Avery stopped writing and pondered the sentence. She glanced at her dresser mirror and wrote “raven-haired” in front of princess. “Avery! Are you doing your homework or goofing off?” her mother called from the kitchen, where she was cooking dinner. The girl grimaced and wrote a new sentence: “Once upon a time, a raven-haired princess was trapped in a castle by a mean old witch.” Her dog, Trixie, sleepily raised her head and sniffed. “Do you smell that, girl?” The odor of burned toast wafted into the room. Avery picked up her pencil. “Once upon a time, a raven-haired princess lived in a castle surrounded by fire and guarded by a dragon named Trixonia.” Avery looked over the pictures taped to the dresser mirror. One pictured her little brother in his goofy outfit from Colonial Day at school. Another showed her grandmother in her favorite apron. Avery blushed when she looked at the third photo. “Once upon a time, an evil witch trapped a raven-haired princess in a castle tower by stealing the key to her heart. Only the bravest of men could battle the fierce dragon guarding the fire-ringed castle and free the princess with true love’s kiss.” “Avery! Time for dinner,” her mother announced. Sighing dreamily, Avery blew a kiss to the boy’s face on her mirror. “Goodbye!” she said. “And start thinking about how you are going to save me from that dragon!”
#2 – Untitled by Jess – 250 words
Nora was a lonely princess.
There were no princes professing love or fire-breathing dragons. She just sat alone, wishing that one day things would change.
Then, one morning, she awoke to find a rose at her window.
She picked up the flower, curiously.
“If only a handsome prince had brought me this rose!” she thought as a petal slipped from the flower, falling toward the ground.
Then, a puff of smoke! And there below her was a dashing prince.
“Did you see that?” the princess whispered to herself, “My flower must be magic!”
“Then…. he shall have a horse !“ she thought as another petal fell.. Puff! A valiant steed appeared.
“And of course, what is a prince without a dragon?” Puff! A roaring beast appeared.
“And a moat of fire!”
This was all becoming too much fun. The petals were dropping like raindrops as Nora dreamed bigger and bigger.
Suddenly, Nora looked down , realizing the chaos below her. The dragon licked his chops, ready to devour the horse. The prince, forlorn, was trying to jump the fiery mote. Soon, both he and the horse would be dragon barbeque!
In horror, Nora threw her flower to the ground, yelling “au revoir!”, and wishing it all would just disappear.
Then Puff! In a whisp of silvery smoke everything had vanished.
There were no more princes professing love or fire-breathing dragons.
Instead she sat alone. And, for the first time, she was satisfied that things were just as they should be.
#3 – The Dragon Prince by Romelle – 250 words
THE DRAGON PRINCE
Prince Nogard lived in Castle Alder for as long as he could remember. But today, unlike any other day, he smelled trouble.
Fifer, the mischievous fox, strutted in.
“It’s time you knew,” said Fifer. “You’re not a prince. You are just a dragon.”
Prince Nogard fumed. “How dare you say such a thing.”
Prince Nogard has been treated like royalty, sleeping on fluffy pillows, and dining on the finest steaks. His loyal servant, Crocker, groomed him daily.
Fifer snickered. “Crocker is not your servant. He is your master and Prince is your nickname.”
Prince huffed and puffed. “That’s not true,” he said in a faint voice. He wondered about his walks with Crocker. “Could he be walking me?” Prince dismissed the thought, but it kept burning in the back of his mind until he finally made a disturbing discovery.
“I’m not just a dragon…I’m a pet dragon!” Prince felt like a lizard. He decided to leave Castle Alder.
“Where are you going?” asked Fifer.
“To find my real family,” said Prince. “Farewell.”
“I’ll walk you out,” said Fifer with a smirk.
Prince hadn’t gone too far when he heard a cry. “Do you hear that?”
“Prince!”
“Crocker?”
Prince’s heart ached. He and Crocker were inseparable. He hurried back.
When Prince arrived at the castle, he found Crocker sobbing. “I thought you left.”
Prince rubbed his cheek against Crocker. “I will never leave you,” thought Prince.
Prince Nogard may not be a prince, but he was the happiest pet dragon around.
#4 – Another Princess To Save – by Lauri – 221 words
Moats were pretty common in the land, but this river of fire was overkill. The dragon’s red hot scales and sharp horns were frightening enough. His snake eyes followed me as I searched for a place to jump to the castle.
I could see the captured maiden over the tips of the flames. She was pretty, but not the fairest of them all. Princess Gwen’s gold hair dangled to her knees, and I only had to save her from a single ogre. I battled trolls with foul-smelling warts to rescue Princess Amelia, and you could see the ocean waves in her eyes.
This maiden focused on her knitting. When she finally noticed me, she sprang to the window and said “oh help me brave knight.” After a moment she returned to her work. I supposed I should save her from the dragon, but she seemed calm enough.
The dragon moved, and I noticed a boy peeking out behind him. The dragon’s lips curled up in a wicked smirk. My horse reared up to run, and she was never wrong. Sayonara, fair maiden.
“Did you see that?” the maiden yelled to her brother. “That knight just turned and ran the other way!”
“You could try brushing your hair every once in a while,” her brother yelled back rubbing the dragon’s empty belly.
#5 – Dragon! by Erik – 250 words
Once Upon A Time, in a land far away (depending on where you are), a princess named Violet was high in a tower. She wasn’t trapped there, mind you. You see, Violet wasn’t an ordinary princess.
One day, Violet heard a commotion outside her window.
“He lit the moat on fire again!” Shouted the stable-boy to Josi, the princesses’ faithful servant. “I already asked The Pale Sorceress to cast an extinguishing spell!”
Josi yelled up to Violet’s window. “Did you hear that? Your parents will banish us all! What kind of princess has a pet dragon anyway?”
“But Cuddles is just a baby!” was the reply.
“A BABY? He’s about 15… Oh-no, here comes Timothy!” Josi groaned. Violet rolled her eyes at the approaching figure.
As Timothy got closer he boasted, “I shall smite thee, foul beast and save yonder fair maiden, Violet! Oh dear Violet, I hath come hither to rescue thee!”
Violet felt her face get red with anger as she screamed back. “First of all, don’t talk funny. Smite and hither, who talks like that? It’s weird. Second, Cuddles is my PET! I DON’T NEED RESCUING!”
Just then, Sorceress cast the spell to blow out the fire. As the gust came, it lifted Timothy and blew him back to his kingdom!
“Farewell!” Timothy called as he faded in the distance.
“Will he be alright? Josi asked.
“Don’t worry, he’ll be back. He always comes back.” Violet sighed.
And they all lived happily ever after…well, until next time.
#6 Boot Camp At Old Dragons-Lair by Vivian – 240 words
The first day of boot camp at Old Dragons-Lair
The white witch decided to darken her hair.
So tired was she of her colorless locks
She lifted the red from the tail of the fox.
“Did you see that?” all the campers cried out.
“I’ll do as I please!” the witch said with a shout.
“I don’t like how I look…I’ll take what I wish
The tail of the dragon…the eyes of a fish.
“You can’t take from others”, the raven explained.
Your magical powers should be more restrained.
You’re leader of boot camp at Old Dragons-lair
You can’t create havoc and cause such a scare.
The black bird continued, “It’s what people do
That shows their real beauty…believe me, it’s true!”
And nodding her head, the witch waved her thin wand
Her hair began changing from red back to blonde.
The campers all gathered around the white witch
And loudly applauded the spell-binding switch.
She’d learned to treat others with love and with care
You don’t bully people at Old Dragons-lair!
The last day of boot camp at Old Dragons-lair
The campers took part in a Renaissance Fair
The white witch placed first in the costume parade
And raven won gold in the gaming arcade.
The campers were packed and excited to go
The sky was alight with a fiery glow
Each clambered to mount his own flying gazelle,
And said to the raven and witch,”Fond farewell!”
And I do want to give honorable mention to Joanna for Cedric’s Cold, which was fantastic, but at 438 words it would have been unfair to choose it as a finalist when others fought so hard to stay within the 250 word limit, and to Hilary for her real estate twist which was SO funny and well-written, but maybe a bit more suited to older audiences.
Now then, please cast your votes! You have from now until Wednesday September 12 at 11:59 PM EDT!
The winner will be revealed on Friday!
And thanks again to everyone for a great contest! It’s been a privilege to read your work! 🙂
(And if you love contests, save the date – October 31st – for the Halloweensie Contest!!!)
September has arrived, school is back in session, the promise of autumn is in the air, and I am jumping up and down with excitement!
Why? (No! Not because I’ve had too much caffeine! :))
Because they’re back! Perfect Picture Book Fridays are back!
How I have missed them! 🙂
I am looking forward to a whole new season of fantastic books and reviews, to seeing what books you all think are great and reading the ones I’m not familiar with, and to sharing all these wonderful books and resources with everyone who reads and uses picture books.
Before I post mine for today, I just want to say that I did A LOT of things this summer. Really. By anyone’s reckoning it was BUSY (and for once I’m not exaggerating!) But the one thing that didn’t get done was the Perfect Picture Book update. There are still books missing from the list, and I haven’t finished figuring out how to make the page more user-friendly. Rest assured, however, that I am working on it, and that once I get all my peeps back to school and have a bit more time to focus on writing and work, I will get it all squared away. In the meantime, please bear with me 🙂
Now then! Onto the first fabulous book for fall! 🙂
First Day Jitters Written By: Julie Danneberg Illustrated By: Judy Love Charlesbridge, March 2000, Fiction
Suitable For: ages 5-8
Themes/Topics: first day of school, emotions (feeling nervous), coping (with new situations)
Opening: “Sarah, dear, time to get out of bed,” Mr. Hartwell said, poking his head through the bedroom doorway. “You don’t want to miss the first day at your new school, do you?“
Brief Synopsis: It’s the first day at a new school and Sarah doesn’t want to get up. “I”m not going!” she says. Mr. Hartwell reminds her how much she liked her old school and assures her she’ll make new friends, but he has his work cut out for him getting Sarah up and in the car. When Sarah finally arrives at school, readers are in for a fun surprise!
Why I Like This Book: The first day of school can be tough whether you’re starting at a new school or even just going back to the old one. This story addresses the concerns a child might feel about starting school with a delightful twist – Sarah turns out to be the teacher! The message that everyone – even grown-ups – can get butterflies in their stomachs about new things is reassuring. The art is warm and engaging and does a terrific job of keeping the secret of Sarah’s identity until end. This is a fun book for the back-to-school time of year.
And now, all my Perfect Picture Book friends, please add your post-specific links to the list below so we can all come visit you and see what books you’re celebrating today! Then it will be off to the library to stock up on some great weekend reading!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! And welcome back to Perfect Picture Book Fridays! 🙂
I hope everyone had a terrific Labor Day weekend and that everyone who is a kid or has kids is off to a great start for the new school year!
The Summer Send-Off Contestwas tons of fun. If you haven’t had a chance to read the entries, check them out when you get a minute. Everyone wrote such original, creative, amazing stories within the constraints of 250 words – which turned out to be REALLY hard (for me anyway!) – and I’m sure you won’t want to miss them. As of this writing (not yet midnight) there are 15 contestants. Finalists will be posted Monday September 10 for you to vote on for the winner. For those of you who weren’t able to participate, don’t worry – The Halloweensie Contest is only 2 months away! 🙂 (In case you want to plan ahead, it will take place on October 31 – Halloween! 🙂
In other news, I still haven’t finished cleaning my office, so there will be no photos and no wrap-up on that… yet!!! 🙂
Before we get to today’s pitch, I just wanted to do a quick wrap-up of Summer Short & Sweets. By my reckoning, 16 people contributed an entry to all 8 weeks. A couple even went above and beyond and added additional entries to a couple of weeks – what motivation and dedication! So, for the Sweet 16 (how well did that work out?!) the promised prizes will be delivered… but I’ll be needing snail mail addresses. Here is a peek at the prize:
A Short & Sweet Notebook/Journal, Note Pad, and Pen, and a small pack of Susanna’s Fabulously Fun Story Sparker Cards!
And here are the Sweet 16:
Delores Tracy C. Jennifer R. Cathy Vivian Romelle Erik Heather Renee Karen L. Penny Jarm Kim Murray Robyn Pam Laura R.
Please use the handy Email Me button on the right or email me at susanna [at] susannhill [dot] com with your address. If you think your name should have been on this list and you deserve a prize, please let me know. It is entirely possible that I made a mistake somewhere in the craziness that was this summer and I will be happy to go back and recheck! 🙂
Now then, onto today’s pitch! (Don’t forget to rustle up your Something Chocolate – and feel free to share what you’re snacking on in the comments :)) Which reminds me, apropos of nothing, that I’m thinking of changing the way I label Would You Read It days. I’m thinking about switching to Would You Read It Wednesday #56 – Title (genre)… as I did on today’s post. Any thoughts about that? I think it would be more interesting and informative… 🙂 And I may have some free time in 2027 when I could go back and relabel all the old posts 🙂
Anyway, today’s pitch comes to us from Tina, who has pitched for us once before (see The 42nd Pitch) Tina is an author of 21 guided reading books from Lakeshore Learning and Compass Media, 2 contracted nonfiction books for girls with Legacy Kids Press, and even has a coloring book coming out in 2013 with Warner Press. She is a former elementary teacher who currently homeschools her 5th grade daughter and 2nd grade son. Though she grew up in Iowa, she is now living outside of Seoul, South Korea. She is participating in Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 in 2012 picture book challenge.
And here is her pitch:
Working Title: Melody Wants A Piano Age/Genre: Picture Book The Pitch: Melody has a song in her heart until she discovers her best friend has a piano of her own. When the neighbor’s piano is put up for sale, Melody wants to buy it, but her family can’t afford it. She is determined to raise money using her somewhat wonderful singing skills, even participating in a talent show.
So what do you think? Would You Read It? YES, MAYBE or NO?
If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest. If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Tina improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read Itor on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above. There are openings in October, which is not very far away!
Tina is looking forward to your thoughts! (And just know that she lives on the other side of the world and is asleep while some of us are awake, so if she doesn’t respond right away that’s why! :)) I am going to finish cleaning my office. I really am. Right after I brush the dogs and take them for a walk, and maybe bake some cranberry bread because fall is in the air… 🙂
September 3rd update: 8 entries on the link list, 4 in the comments, and at least one other that is neither linked nor in the comments – all fantastic! What talent! Come read, enjoy, and add your own – there are still 2 days left to enter (today and tomorrow!)
It’s August 31st, and we’re sending summer out in style with a fun and fabulous contest!
Fingers on the keyboard?
Writing gears engaged?
Ideas sparking like mad?
Then let’s get cracking! 🙂
SUMMERSEND-OFFCONTEST!!!
illustration copyright Heather Newman 2012 used by permission
Contest Rules: The contest is for a children’s story of 250 words or less based on the picture above and in which somebody somewhere in your story says, in dialogue, “Did/do you see that?” (you may substitute any of the other senses – “Did/do you hear/feel/taste/smell that?”) and somebody somewhere in your story says, “Goodbye!” (you are allowed to substitute “Farewell!”, “Au revoir!”, “Sayonara!”, “Ciao!”, or “So long!”)
Entries must be posted on your blog (or, if you don’t have a blog but would still like to enter, in the comment section of this post which will stay up through Tuesday September 4) between today and Tuesday September 4 at 11:59 PM EDT. (I’m giving you an extra day to post, because I realize it’s Labor Day weekend!)
Once your post is up you must add your post-specific link to the linky list below so everyone can come visit you and read your amazing story (or, if you don’t have a blog, copy and paste your entry into the comment section as mentioned above – everyone please be sure to check the comments for entries so you don’t miss any! :)) Special note: I know some people have been having trouble commenting on my blog since disqus updated. If anyone has trouble, please email your entry or your link or whatever you need to me at susanna [at] susannahill [dot] com and I will make sure your link gets linked or your comment gets posted!!!
Finalists – we’ll say 3, but you know me… it may be more like 6 🙂 – will be chosen by me and my assistant judge and posted for you all to vote on on Monday September 10. I’m guessing we may not get tons of entries, what with it being Labor Day weekend and all (although I’m hoping I’ve given people enough time to plan ahead and pull it off! :)), so we’ll probably only have one winner. But if perchance we get lots of entries – more than 20 say 🙂 – we’ll expand to 1st , 2nd and 3rd places. Prize choices will be: 1. A PB manuscript critique by yours truly 🙂 2. Your choice of 2 picture books. 3. Your choice of 2 paperback middle grade books. 4. Your choice of 1 paperback YA book. 5. Your choice of 1 writing craft book. and whoever wins will get their first choice of those options, whoever’s second will get second choice, etc…. Hopefully there’s something in there that will appeal to every writer! 🙂
So here’s my demo: (And I admit, I had a TERRIBLE time getting down to 250 words. I have 5 other stories – all better! – that I couldn’t get below 286, 547, 272, 308, etc. I guess I should have tried this before I published the guidelines… :)) Anyway:
Bathtime For Balkazar
Donovan couldn’t find the dragon soap.
He had the scrub brush, the hot water, and the ladder.
But he couldn’t find the soap.
“Stay, Balkazar,” he told the dragon. And he gave him some bubblegum to keep him busy.
When he came back with the soap, he gasped.
“What’s wrong?” asked Balkazar (because as everyone knows, dragons can speak English.)
“Do you see that?” asked Donovan. The dragon looked at his reflection in one of the water buckets.
“I’m pink!” shrieked Balkazar. “Ack! Get it off!”
“It must have been the bubblegum!” said Donovan. “But King Hallvard is due within the hour. If he sees you like this it’ll be sayonara! kemosabi for us!”
“Try scrubbing!” begged Balkazar.
Donovan scrubbed.
Balkazar became a dazzling, sparkling, glowing pink.
“It’s even worse,” Donovan moaned. “Try rolling.”
The dragon rolled. He kicked up great clouds of dust that blotted out the sun and left everyone gasping and choking.
Now he was brownish pink.
“I look like an overgrown scaly earthworm,” he said sadly. “Not scary at all.”
“You turned pink from the inside,” said Donovan. “Maybe we can turn you back the same way.” He dashed into the castle and came back rolling a barrel of pickles. “Eat these! And hurry! The king’ll be here any minute!”
Balkazar scarfed down pickles. When King Hallvard rode across the drawbridge, Balkazar, mostly green again, greeted him with a colossal belch of pickle-scented fire.
“Stupendous!” shouted King Hallvard.
“Phew!” said Donovan. (Or was it “Pee-ew!”?!) (249 words)
I hope that gives you the courage to post your entry, should you happen to be feeling doubtful – surely your story is better than that! 🙂 And I would also like to remind you that we really have a lovely community of people here – kind, generous, and supportive – so your entry will be read with friendly eyes by people who want to find the good in what you’ve written and cheer you on! So go ahead – add your entry post-specific link to the list below, or copy and paste your entry into the comment section. Remember, if you have any trouble, email me and I’ll do it for you!
I can’t wait to read your stories!!! Let the contest begin! 🙂
You know that feeling, when you squeeeeeeeeeeeeze your way into your office, look around at the mountains of note-covered manuscripts, the cascading piles of scraps of multi-colored paper, ATM receipts and napkins densely covered with scribbled ideas you thought up while you were away from your computer, stacks of books – both for reading pleasure and for writing craft – that simply will not fit into your overflowing bookshelf, Phyllis and friends tumbling off their seat of honor onto the desktop, and you just think to yourself, “Crikey, Sus! You need a maid!”?
I just felt – and I may have been leaping to farfetched conclusions – that I wasn’t getting the maximum benefit out of my workspace since I couldn’t actually get into it… and even if I did, there wasn’t a clear surface on which to set my trusty computer.
“Susanna,” I said to myself, very sternly, “you will clean that office or I will have to administer harsh punishment!”
I was pretty scary!
So I cleaned for HOURS!
Result? I’m exhausted. And my office is clear…er…ish… but not done, so there is more cleaning in my future. Sigh.
So this morning I am recovering my unquenchable good humor by hanging out with you guys and sharing today’s Would You Read It pitch 🙂 Hmm… let me just rummage in my pantry and see what kind of Something Chocolate I have today… Oooh! Look! I still have a few of those special Kiwi milk chocolates left that the wonderful Diane sent me all the way from far off New Zealand! How is possible I didn’t eat these yet? Well, don’t question good fortune, just help yourselves if you care to 🙂
Now then, today’s pitch comes to us from the lovely Rachel. Rachel says, “I’m married with four kids, aged seven years down to ten months. I coach high school speech and theater. I show Arabian horses, which I’m now able to do with my oldest daughter. I mainly write picture books and middle grade books.” When you have a sec, please take a moment to visit her BLOG.
Here is her pitch:
Working Title: Princess Azalea’s Two Left Feet Age/Genre: Picture Book (ages 3-8) The Pitch: Princess Azalea has two problems. One: She can’t dance. And if she can’t dance, she can’t meet a prince at a royal ball, which, as everyone knows, is where princesses meet their prince charmings. Two: She really doesn’t care. But her mother, the Queen, is determined to get her dancing no matter what! Will Azalea learn to twirl and spin without falling on her royal bottom? Or will she find her happily ever after her own way?
So what do you think? Would You Read It? YES, MAYBE or NO?
If your answer is YES, please feel free to tell us what you particularly liked and why the pitch piqued your interest. If your answer is MAYBE or NO, please feel free to tell us what you think could be better in the spirit of helping Rachel improve her pitch. Helpful examples of possible alternate wordings are welcome. (However, I must ask that comments be constructive and respectful. I reserve the right not to publish comments that are mean because that is not what this is about.)
Please send YOUR pitches for the coming weeks! For rules and where to submit, click on this link Would You Read Itor on the Would You Read It tab in the bar above. There are openings in Octoberber, which is not very far away!
Rachel is looking forward to your thoughts! And I am NOT looking forward to going back into my office! But, as they say, once more into the breech! Wish me luck. If I don’t show up on Friday, you’ll know I’m trapped 🙂
Oh, and P.S.! For anyone who didn’t see the contest announcement on Monday, go HERE and read all about it! The contest opens Friday and it will be tons of fun! 🙂
If you’ve arrived in the middle of the adventure, you may start at the beginning by goingHERE.
Erik and Josie head for home
Benton and the black horse trotted eagerly side by side toward home and supper.
“So I’m assuming you were responsible for my birthday gift going missing?” Erik asked Lady Josie. He still had not seen what she carried, but the clues had all led him to believe she had his gift.
“Yes,” admitted Josie. “It wasn’t perfect, and it has to be perfect.”
“What is it?” Erik asked.
“It’s a surprise,” said Josie primly.
Erik could see he wasn’t going to get any more information out of her. Lady Josie was maddening that way – if she decided she wasn’t telling something well then by golly she wasn’t telling!
His stomach grumbled, reminding him that he was starving. He bent over and took a small nibble of the cake he carried. It was apple-y and delicious, full of cinnamon and topped with a creamy brown sugar-caramel icing. YUM!
“I saw that,” said Josie.
Erik wiped frosting off his nose and chin and licked his fingers and didn’t care.
Just then, Benton’s steps quickened and when Erik squinted into the deepening twilight he could just see the lights of the castle. They were nearly home!
They slowed the horses to a walk so that they could catch their breath and not be too hot when they reached the stable. A few minutes later they crossed the drawbridge. The horses turned without prompting toward the barn, knowing the way. A groom took Lady Josie’s black horse, and Erik removed Benton’s saddle and bridle, gave him a quick rub-down, and fed him a measure of grain and a flake of summer-sweet hay. “Good boy,” he said, giving his pony a fond pat. Then he headed for the castle with what was left of his cake.
Lady Josie was waiting for him just inside the castle. “Come with me,” she said, leading him toward the Great Hall.
Erik followed her through the huge doors, thinking about some hearty stew and crusty bread to go with his cake when suddenly…
“SURPRISE!!!”
What?
The Great Hall was decked out with garlands of flowers and streamers and candles, and everyone from the castle was there! The lords and ladies, most of the guards, the jester, the cook, the knights, even the king! All dressed in their festive best and waiting for him, wishing him Happy Birthday!
Erik didn’t know what to say. He’d never had a birthday like this.
“Come forward, young Erik,” said the king, “and tell us of your adventures this day!”
So Erik stood before the king and all the assembled dwellers of the castle and told of the woodcutter, and following the black horse, of the Brownie at the bridge, the tinker at the ford, Berwyn, and Greta, the ogre, the Seer, and everything else, and how eventually he had faced Cuddles the dragon and returned safe and sound after all of it with the Lady Josie.
“Well done,” said the king at the end of Erik’s tale. “I believe it is time for your present.”
Lady Josie and Sir Lionel stepped forward, holding the box from the long-ago morning between them. “Happy Birthday, Erik,” said Josie.
Erik opened the box.
And this time, when he looked inside there lay a shining silver sword, its edges honed to perfection, a star-shapped ruby glinting richly from its exquisitely wrought handle.
“Oh…!” Erik breathed, scarcely daring to touch it.
It was the king who reached forward and lifted the sword from it’s resting place. “Kneel,” he said solemnly.
Unbelieving, Erik sank to his knees before the king and bowed his head. The king laid the gleaming sword first on Erik’s right shoulder then on his left. “I dub thee knight,” he said. “Rise, Sir Erik!”
And Erik stood. A knight. At last, a real knight!
The king handed him his sword and Erik took it, feeling the weight of it, and how the hilt fit his hand perfectly.
The Great Hall erupted with applause and cheering.
“And now,” said Erik, who was determined in this venture, “let’s have some CAKE!!!”
And so they did.
And forever after, Erik proclaimed that to be his Best Birthday Ever!
THE END HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ERIK! And for your actual present which is not a sword or a knighthood but is hopefully still fun, please Email Me!!! 🙂
To start the adventure again and choose different options, go back to the beginning! HERE
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Well, my friends, somehow or other it’s the last week of August. When I think of everything I’ve done this summer – life in general, writing, blogging, getting a new washing machine (yes! it’s true! and so pretty :)), applying my black thumb to the butterfly bushes (apparently when they say full sun they mean, like, ALL THE TIME!) and a few Secret Projects (details coming possibly soon… or possibly later… depending how long it takes to get things finished up :)) all stuck in around the edges of 21 college visits in about 14 states and DC – it makes sense that it’s nearly September. But on the other hand, the start of the new school year always seems to catch me by surprise…. probably what some would chalk up to not being the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree 🙂
In case anyone is feeling a little down about summer drawing to a close, and because thanks to Short & Sweets our writing gears are still finely tuned :), and because we really SHOULD finish Summer Shorts up with a bang, and because we haven’t had a contest since MAY!, I thought this would be a good time for some fun – so let’s have a contest! (You all know how much I love contests! :))
SUMMERSEND-OFFCONTEST!!!
illustration copyright Heather Newman 2012 used by permission
Contest Rules: The contest will be for a children’s story of 250 words or less based on the picture above and in which somebody somewhere in your story says, in dialogue, “Did/do you see that?” (you may substitute any of the other senses – “Did/do you hear/feel/taste/smell that?”) and somebody somewhere in your story says, “Goodbye!” (you are allowed to substitute “Farewell!”, “Au revoir!”, “Sayonara!”, “Ciao!”, or “So long!”)
Entries must be posted on your blog (or, if you don’t have a blog but would still like to enter, in the comment section of the official contest post on my blog which will be up on Friday August 31 and stay up through Tuesday September 4) between Friday August 31 and Tuesday September 4 at 11:59 PM EDT. (I’m giving you an extra day to post, because I realize it’s Labor Day weekend!)
Once your post is up you must add your post-specific link to the linky list that will be up (or, if you don’t have a blog, copy and paste your entry into the comment section as mentioned above.) Special note: I know some people have been having trouble commenting on my blog since disqus updated. If anyone has trouble, please email your entry or your link or whatever you need to me at susanna [at] susannahill [dot] com and I will make sure your link gets linked or your comment gets posted!!!
Finalists – we’ll say 3, but you know me… it’s more likely to be around 6 🙂 – will be chosen by me and my assistant judge and posted for you all to vote on on Monday September 10. I’m guessing we may not get tons of entries, what with it being Labor Day weekend and all (although I’m hoping I’m giving people enough time to plan ahead that they might still be able to pull it off! :)), so we’ll probably only have one winner. But if perchance we get lots – more than 20 say 🙂 – we’ll expand out to 1st , 2nd and 3rd places. Prize choices will be: 1. A PB manuscript critique by yours truly 🙂 2. Your choice of 2 picture books. 3. Your choice of 2 paperback middle grade books. 4. Your choice of 1 paperback YA book. 5. Your choice of 1 writing craft book. and whoever wins will get their first choice of those options, whoever’s second will get second choice, etc…. Hopefully there’s something in there that will appeal to every writer! 🙂
Now, onto the other business at hand. I wanted to share a little Short & Sweet update, now that the Summer session is officially ending. Summer Short & Sweets was 8 weeks of fun and games, and to qualify for a prize, you had to provide at least one entry for every week. As of this writing, we had a total of 51 people enter at least one of the weeks. The week with the most entries was Week 1, with 36, and the week with the fewest entries was Week 7 with 17. (Actually, Week 8 is about even with Week 7, but I’m pretty sure a few more entries will be trickling in over the next couple days.) By my reckoning, 12 people are currently qualified for a prize (Delores, Vivian, Romelle, Heather, Robyn, Laura, Karen, Jennifer, Erik, Cathy, Penny, and Tracy), 2 people are only one entry away (Renee and Jarm), and 1 person is only 2 entries away (Pam). I realize that a few of you have been having trouble posting comments lately, so feel free to email anything to me that you couldn’t post and I’ll copy and paste it for you in the appropriate spot. Looks like I’m going to have to part ways with disqus…. but that’s another story 🙂 If you think you posted an entry a week for 8 weeks and should be qualified and don’t see your name here, please let me know!!! The last day you can post entries on any of the weeks is August 31.
All in all, I think it was a success, and I really hope everyone had fun and got some good ideas out of it!
Short & Sweets will be continuing on alternate Mondays starting September 17 (because I forgot last week when I said September 10 that we need a day to vote on finalists for the Summer Send-Off Contest!) and we’ll see how that goes 🙂
Now fire up those imaginations and get started on those contest stories! Good luck and have fun!!!
I can’t believe it. Didn’t we just start Summer Short & Sweets? And here we are, August 24th, purple loosestrife blooming, lots of kids already back in school – although not mine – and this is our last official day of SS&S!
Before you get too sad, though, let me tell you that, due to popular demand, we will be continuing Short & Sweets in some incarnation on alternate Mondays henceforth… or once school starts, anyway 🙂 I’m thinking around September 10…
Meanwhile, we have today. And today is SO exciting! I’ve been planning it for 2 whole months and trying to keep it a secret and let me tell you, it’s been excruciating!!!
For today’s Short & Sweet we have a picture prompt, and not just any picture prompt. This one was painted specially for the occasion by the incredibly talented Heather Newman, whom many of you know from 12×12 and/or her blog, Heather Newman Illustrations. Heather is an amazing artist, writer, homeschooler, cowherd, and Phyllis hostess. She also just opened her Etsy Shop and I encourage everyone to go have a look at all her wonderful offerings. Please also feel free to leave compliments on her painting in the comments once you’ve seen the prompt if you are not left completely speechless with awe 🙂
Are you ready???
🙂
Your challenge for today is to take a good look at the picture below.
Now, in the comments, you may write your choice of the following:
1. A pitch for a children’s story, any level (please specify PB (picture book), ER (early reader), CB (chapter book), MG (middle grade), or YA (young adult)) based on the picture, in the manner of Short & Sweet Week 6
2. The first 50-100 words (or more or less – whatever gets the creative juices flowing) of a children’s story, any level, (please specify PB, ER, CB, MG, YA) based on the picture.
3. The last 50-100 words (again, more or less is fine – whatever works for you :)) of a children’s story, any level (please specify PB, ER, CB, MG, YA) based on the picture.
4. Choose a character (there are at least 10 possibilities!) from the picture and introduce us to him or her – who he/she is, where he/she came from, how he/she got into this situation – a character sketch of sorts.
5. Choose a character and give us a one paragraph synopsis of the story told by the picture from his/her point of view.
6. The title of the story told by this picture – give us a good one! 🙂 (and again please specify level)
7. A poem following the rules from Short & Sweet Week 3 based in some way on this picture.
One added thing for you to think about: next Friday, August 31, will be our Summer Writing Contest!!! (I know! The mind reels at the excitement!!!) And guess what? It will be based on this picture! So any of you who would like to enter the contest can get a head start on your thinking this week by participating in the Short & Sweet. Just so you know, the contest will be for a children’s story of 250 words or less based on the picture and incorporating the some special key words, but I’m not telling those yet 🙂 Full details of the contest will be posted Monday.
Now then, back to the matter at hand – today’s Short & Sweet. Pick whichever of the 7 options above inspires you most. I’m hoping with 7 options and that amazing picture you will find something inspiring 🙂
Here is a small sample from moi (and when I say small, I mean what with all the traveling I totally ran out of time, so talk about off the top of your head! :)):
#1 (a pitch for MG)
Grenadier, who would carry his knight anywhere, must cross the moat to save Cythrigg, the last dragon of Cyfarr, but finds he is unable to penetrate the magical fire surrounding Castlewellyn.
#6 (a possible title for a PB)
Bathtime For Balkazar
#7 (a poem)
I am a raven
Black as moonless night
With powerful secrets
Watching, waiting
For the prophesied moment
Spying on the forbidden castle
Holding the truth close
Keeping safe the golden key until,
As from the mists of Avalon, a new prince rises.
I am a raven.
Happy Writing, everyone! I can’t wait to see what you all come up with! As usual I’m sure we’ll all have story ideas coming faster then we can write them down sparked by our own responses to the exercise as well as everyone else’s.
Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you Monday for Oh Susanna and the contest announcement!
Susanna Leonard Hill 
You must be logged in to post a comment.