By Brad
R. Cook
We all
began the same way, a young kid whose imagination far exceeded those of
ordinary people. We all found inspiration within the words of the books imparted to us by those who most wanted to affect our futures. Then by
some strange magical force we started to string those words together and weave
them into stories that amazed the parents and grandparents.
Okay,
maybe I’m over-selling it a little, but we all did start writing when we were
kids. It’s a common thread I find in most writers. Now, those scribblings may
not have been the next literary novel destined to change the world, but it was
a start.
Most
writers I know have that teacher or professor who made them write more than just
a book report, for me, it was Mrs. Goldman, my elementary school Creative
Writing Teacher.
Contests
can be a great way to foster this creative energy and St. Louis Writers Guild
has a long tradition of encouraging young writers. Their first contest for kids
started in the 1930’s and they continued through the decades, just a few years ago
they held The Big Write, part of the Big Read Festival. When the festival
ended, St. Louis Writers Guild was without a kids writing contest, and so they
created…
St. Louis
Writers Guild's Young Writers Awards
A new kids writing contest!
The contest has two categories, one for
kids in fourth and fifth grades and a second for kids in sixth through eighth
grades. There are six cash prizes in each category! $50 for First Place, $30
for Second Place, $20 for Third Place, and Three Honorable Mentions each receive
$10!
Young writers are asked to write an
original story of under 500 words that begins with the sentence, My new phone came with a strange app
that...
Entries may be submitted starting on
August 1, 2012, but all entries must be postmarked
by October 1, 2012.
There is no fee to enter.
Every story must be accompanied by an
Official Entry Form. You can find the Rules, Submission Guidelines, and the
official entry form on the SLWG website, or I have posted
the official form on my website!
or
Please help us spread the word to every
young writer, parent, or teacher across the world. The St. Louis Writers Guild's
Young Writers Awards are a new tradition, one that will hopefully last as long
as their other contests. The short story contest is almost a century old and
the current poetry contest has been held every spring since the mid-1990’s.
If you happen to be in St. Louis this
month, there will be a workshop about the contest at Writers in the Park.
Beyond having breakout sessions for adults, this year they will have four hours
of workshops for young writers in fourth through eighth grades. The day starts
with award-winning children’s author Kate Klise, and then continues with
children’s authors Jody Feldman and Faye Adams. Attend all the workshops or
just stop by for awhile; either way will hopefully inspire that young writer to
be tomorrow’s award-winning novelist!
St. Louis Writers Guild
Presents
The third annual
Writers in the Park
Saturday, August 25, 2012
At Kirkwood Park
111 S. Geyer Rd.
Free and Open to All!
For more detail visit www.stlwritersguild.org
Brad R. Cook is a historical fantasy
author and President of St. Louis Writers Guild. Please visit www.bradrcook.com or follow me on Twitter @bradrcook
To learn more about St. Louis Writers
Guild, visit www.stlwritersguild.org Saint Louis Writers Guild on Facebook
or on Twitter @stlwritersguild
I'm going to see if I can interest my granddaughter in the contest and kids' workshops. She has already written a biography...mine! It would be such fun to share a day of writing with her.
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