2009 Holiday Book Drive a Huge Success!!!

Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you to everyone who donated books to Write On's Holiday Book Drive for showing what Christmas is really about -- the joy of giving.

This year, we donated 923 new books to charities including the Boys & Girls Club, Casa Pacifica, and schools including Haycox School in Port Hueneme, California and 93rd Street School in Los Angeles.

Special thanks to the following generous people for donating beautiful boxes of books:


* Andrea Spence Accinelli and the Write On! Canada Chapter donated 31 new books.
* Ventura's Cabrillo Middle School students donated 167 gorgeous new books.
* Jeff Becker from Ventura donated a huge box of 128 books.
* Linda Brug's class at Ventura High School donated 50 books.
* Marsha Barr and Santa Barbara High School students donated 47 great young adult books.
* Nichole Schiff from Dallas, Texas donated 50 books to her local library.
* The Baxter Family in Laguna Niguel, California donated two boxes of beautiful books!
* Nanci Cone from Ventura, California donated childrens books in excellent condition.

Jack London Writing Contest for High School Students

Here is a great contest for high school students! I encourage you all to enter! Here is the website for more information: http://jacklondonfdn.org/contest.html

January 31, 2010, marks the deadline for entries in the 21th annual Jack London Writing Contest. The Jack London Foundation encourages high school students to explore the spirit of Jack London through reading and participation in the Writing Contest.

The writing contest is open to all students in grades 9 through 12. The essays, or stories can be on any subject. The number of entries are limited to 10 from each teacher. The entries are judged on content and form, with an emphasis on creativity.

The writing contest concludes with the first place winner receiving $2000.00, the second place winner receiving $1000.00, and the third place winner receiving $500.00. It is the expectation of the Jack London Foundation that the cash awards be used by the winners to assist in the advancement of their educational goals. The first place winner, along with his/her parents, will also be invited to the annual Jack London Birthday Banquet as special guests. The first place award will be presented during the banquet ceremony. All of the winning entries will be published in the quarterly "Jack London Foundation Newsletter".

English teachers can obtain all necessary forms, rules and publicity posters by contacting:

Jack London Foundation
P.O. Box 337
Glen Ellen, CA. 95442

jlondon@vom.com

Story Published in The Newport Review!

I have exciting news to share: my short story "How My Parents Fell in Love" won third place in The Newport Review flash fiction contest!

Here's the beginning:

My mother walked out of a grocery store. She wore a red dress and her hair was permed, the way it looks in the photo albums. My father drove up in a car, a fast car, silver, a car that goes vroom vroom. He did not know her yet. She was a pretty woman in a red dress with ruffles at the hem. He rolled down the window. He leaned out and smiled at her and said, “Hubba, hubba!”

They fell in love and lived happily ever after.

You can read the entire story here: http://newportreview.org/?contest-winners/dwoodburn.html

Books Make Great Gifts!

Looking to get a gift for a child this holiday season?

Why not give the gift that lasts a lifetime -- the gift of reading!

A book is something you can read again and again. A book can raise your spirits on a rainy day. A book can take you to another world. A book can inspire to you pursue big dreams!

Here is Amazon's "Top Picks" for Picture Books of 2009:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=pe_31480_13828680_pk_exp_1/?plgroup=1&docId=1000446401

Here is Amazon.com's "Top Picks" for Middle Grade Books of 2009:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=pe_31480_13828590_pk_exp_1/?plgroup=1&docId=1000446391

And here is Amazon's "Top Picks" for Young Adult Books of 2009:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=pe_31480_13853640_pk_exp_1/?plgroup=1&docId=1000446581

A Year in the Life of a "Working" Writer

One of my favorite things about being involved in the Santa Barbara Writers Conference is getting to meet so many wonderful writers! Ernie Witham is not only one of the best humor writers around, he is also a great teacher of the craft and an all-around amazing person. His Humor Writing Workshop at the Conference was always filled to capacity. I am so grateful for the friendship and support he has shown me since we met three years ago.

Ernie has a new humor book out titled A Year in the Life of a "Working" Writer. As Ernie self-deprecatingly says: "It's the perfect gift for somebody who already has a fruitcake." I think it's perfect for anyone in your life! Books make great gifts that can be shared and read again and again. And, especially in these trying economic times, what better gift can you give than laughter?

You can order autographed copies of Ernie's books, in addition to signing up to receive his columns via email, at his website http://www.erniesworld.com/working_writer.html.

Markets for Young Writers

* Stone Soup
Is made up of stories, poems, book reviews, and art by young people through age 13. Although all the writing we publish is in English, we accept work from all over the world. To get an idea of the kind of writing and art we like, please look through our writing and art sections. Send us stories and poems about the things you feel most strongly about! Whether your work is about imaginary situations or real ones, use your own experiences and observations to give your work depth and a sense of reality. Pay $40.

* Girl's Life
Each issue of GL is packed with the stuff girls crave—real information and advice—from academic success to peer pressure to time-management and stress-relieving tips; from growing up to boosting self-esteem. Plus, GL profiles real girls facing real challenges that have amazed and inspired readers for almost 15 years.

* Speak Up
Speak Up Press publishes the literary journal, Speak Up, featuring the original fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, photography, and artwork of teens (13-19 years old). Speak Up accepts submissions from teen writers and artists around the world.

* Teen Ink
A national teen magazine, book series, and website devoted entirely to teenage writing, art, photos and forums. Students must be age 13-19 to participate, register and/or submit work. Distributed through classrooms by English teachers, Creative Writing teachers, Journalism teachers and art teachers around the country, Teen Ink magazine offers some of the most thoughtful and creative work generated by teens and has the largest distribution of any publication of its kind. We have no staff writers or artists; we depend completely on submissions from teenagers nationwide for our content. We offer teenagers the opportunity to publish their creative work and opinions on the issues that affect their lives - everything from love and family to teen smoking and community service. Hundreds of thousands of students have submitted their work to us and we have published more than 45,000 teens since 1989.

* The Claremont Review
The editors of The Claremont Review are looking to publish first class poetry, short stories and short plays by young adult writers (aged 13-19) anywhere in the English speaking world. What are we looking for? We publish anything from traditional to post modern, but with a preference for works that reveal something of the human condition. We strongly urge contributors to read back issues of The Claremont Review. That is the best way for you to learn what we are looking for.

* Young Writer magazine
We would love to see YOUR writing and we might even publish it in Young Writer magazine or here on the website. It can be anything that you want to say, prose or poetry, fiction or non-fiction. Just make sure it is your own unaided work, write it as well as you can and send it to us. Let us have your name, your age and your address. We do not pass these on to anyone else. You can send it to us by email or post. Remember, whenever you send your writing off to any publisher, make sure you keep a copy for yourself in case it gets lost in transit. Email word documents (under 600 words in length, please!) to youngwriter@writersnews.co.uk

Advice for Young Writers

Can young writers get published?

ABSOLUTELY!

Here is a great article, "Get Published: Advice for Young Writers" from PublishingCentral.com: http://publishingcentral.com/articles/20061005-87-4509.html?si=1

Publishing Central is a terrific resource for writers of all ages.

Happy writing!