Posted on November 5, 2009 by teacherwriter
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: December 31, 2009
Guidelines: http://www.suspensemagazine.com/contest.html
The first annual Suspense Magazine writing contest was such a success that the editors have opted for an encore this year. Any stories in the mystery, suspense, or thriller genres are eligible. You may enter as many times as you wish, so if you have more than one story, go for it! Stories should be 1,500 to 5,000 words long and they must be included in the body of the e-mail submission. Any attachments will be discarded. The winner receives 12 books from popular authors, and the runners up receive Amazon.com gift cards. Some of the winning entries will be published on the website. If you read last year’s contest entries, you’ll see a wide variety of writing styles, and some chilling stories.
Filed under: Contests, Contests December | Tagged: horror writing contest, mystery writing contest, Suspense Magazine Second Annual Contest, suspense writing contest | Leave a Comment »
Posted on October 15, 2009 by teacherwriter
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: November 1, 2009
Guidelines: http://www.thefirstline.com
“Waiting for change always seems to take longer than you would expect.”
Write a short story between 300 and 3,000 words that begins with this line, and enter it in the First Line Winter ’09 Contest. You must begin with this line, and you may not change it in any way. It’s interesting to read the gamut of stories that evolve from the same beginning. The First Line runs four contests each year; winners are published in The First Line anthologies and receive token cash prizes. This is a fun contest to get the creative gears turning. The Fall anthology is available for pre-order now, or you can read or listen to some of the winning entries online.
Filed under: Contests, Contests November | Tagged: first line short story contest, The First Line Winter ’09 Writing Contest, the first line writing contest | Leave a Comment »
Posted on October 8, 2009 by teacherwriter
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: December 1, 2009
Guidelines: http://www.sps.com/poetry/index.html
Blue Mountain Arts is a longtime publisher of greeting cards, books, bookmarks, and other items that help people express their feelings and stay in touch. They are looking for original poetry, preferably non-rhyming, that expresses an emotion or sentiment, or is inspirational. Winning entries will be published online. Prizes are $300, $150, and $50. Click on the link above to submit as many entries as you would like using the online submission form.
In addition, Blue Mountain Arts takes regular submissions for their greeting card and book market. You may request writer’s guidelines through the Contact Us page, using “Send Me Guidelines” in the subject line, or send an SASE to their mailing address.
Filed under: Contests, Contests December | Tagged: blue mountain arts, poetry contest, writing contest | Leave a Comment »
Posted on October 1, 2009 by teacherwriter
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: December 31, 2009
Genre: Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction and Fantasy
Guidelines: http://www.writersofthefuture.com/rules.htm
If you’re a new writer, and you’ve not been professionally published in a novel, more than one novelette, or more than three short stories, then you can enter this popular contest. It is judged by some of the biggest names in science fiction today, such as Kevin Anderson, Orson Scott Card, and Anne McCaffrey. The contest began in 1988 and is still well respected.
The website has forums for writers, and plenty of tips for those who want to learn more about writing in these genres. A short YouTube book trailer is on the main page, and an interview with Orson Scott Card is on the “How to Win” page. He talks about reasons why to enter this particular contest.
If you win, your story will be published in the L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Anthology. Prizes are $1000 for first place, $750 for second, and $500 for third. In addition, the winners will receive a trip to the award ceremony in Seattle, and be registered for a week-long workshop. So what are you waiting for? The future is yours!
Filed under: Contests, Contests Anytime, Contests December | Tagged: fantasy writing contest, science fiction contest, speculative fiction contest, writers of the future contest | 1 Comment »
Posted on September 29, 2009 by teacherwriter
If you must teach writing, you know how nebulous and difficult it can be to define exactly what good writing entails. As a writer myself, I love to teach writing. I find that giving specific goals and focusing on one small aspect in each lesson has been highly successful. Not only do my students turn out excellent written work, they love to write and actually ask for more writing assignments. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Try these lessons in your class and see what happens.
Writing Lesson: Teach With Baby Steps
Five Day Descriptive Writing Lesson This is my most popular writing article.
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Filed under: Teaching Tips | Tagged: descriptive writing lesson plan, narrative writing lessons, writing lessons that work, writing lessons with color | Leave a Comment »
Posted on September 24, 2009 by teacherwriter
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: November 1, 2009
Guidelines: http://www.lilith.org/writers.htm
Lilith Magazine focuses on stories that appeal to Jewish women and the issues in their lives. They award $250 for the first prize in their fiction contest, and publication in Lilith Magazine. Past winning entries are online to read. Send your story of up to 3,000 words to:
LILITH MAGAZINE
250 West 57th Street, Suite 2432
New York, NY 10107
In addition, Lilith Magazine is having a second annual poetry contest. Again, the topic is any subject that will appeal to Jewish women. You may include up to three poems with each submission. The deadline for this contest is November 30, 2009. Check the Lilith website for all the editorial guidelines and sample winning stories and poems.
Filed under: Contests, Contests November | Tagged: lilith magazine, Lilith Magazine Seventh Annual Fiction Competition, lilith magazine writing contest, lilith writing contest | Leave a Comment »
Posted on September 22, 2009 by teacherwriter
Every teacher wants to help students master the material, not just pass the test, then forget it. Here is how to focus your teaching on mastery. When you teach to mastery, you’ll find your students are more relaxed about their learning, as well as more focused.
Here’s the article: Emphasize Mastery Over Grades
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Filed under: Teaching Tips | Tagged: are grades or mastery more important, emphasize mastery over grades, teaching to mastery | Leave a Comment »
Posted on September 17, 2009 by teacherwriter
Deadline: Bimonthly on the 10th
Entry Fee: FREE
Guidelines: http://www.writersdigest.com/YourStory/
Here’s an opportunity to get published both in Writer’s Digest magazine and on their website. Every other month, they give a prompt for a story. Using that prompt, you can write any type of flash narrative you like, up to 750 words. According to their guidelines, they are looking for inventiveness, creativity, and humor. Look in the current print issue of Writer’s Digest for the latest contest prompt. If you don’t want to buy it, many libraries carry copies at the circulation desk. Contest #19 ended on July 10, 2009, so the next two contest deadlines should be September 10 and November 10, 2009. The online submission form makes entering a simple process. Don’t’ forget to read past winning entries before you submit your story to “Your Story.”
Filed under: Contests, Contests Anytime | Tagged: memoir contest, Writer’s Digest Your Story Contest, writing contest | Leave a Comment »
Posted on September 16, 2009 by teacherwriter
Entry Fee: FREE
Deadline: September 20, 2009
Guidelines: http://www.anthologybuilder.com/match-that-artwork.php
Do you look at pictures and people and a story pops into your head about them? Do you use pictures to break writers block and unleash your creativity? Anthology Builder is sponsoring a contest for writers to stretch their imaginations through art. Look at the cover art on their website, and write a story about one of the pieces of artwork. Stories must be between 1,000 and 50,000 words, (that’s quite a range,) and the only restriction is they do not accept fan fiction. They have a prestigious panel of authors and editors acting as judges. You could win up to $200 and publication in one of their anthologies.
Filed under: Contests, Contests September | Tagged: fiction contest, short story contest, The Anthology Builder’s Match That Artwork Contest, writing contest | Leave a Comment »
Posted on September 15, 2009 by teacherwriter
Every teacher, at some point in his or her career will have to deal with parents that are over-enthusiastic about their children’s educations. These are the parents that will interrupt class, because what they have to say is more important than what you have to teach your class. They will tell you how to teach, because they know the best way to do it. They will demand you make exceptions for their children.
Here are some ways to Deal With Pushy Parents.
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Filed under: Teaching Tips | Tagged: dealing with pushy parents, how to deal with demanding parents, how to handle parents that are demanding | Leave a Comment »
