By Teresa Jade LeYung

Every year, I sponsor my Immigrant Experience Writing Contest (short stories, essays, monologues) offered through California Writers Club San Francisco Peninsula Branch and The Literary Stage at the San Mateo County Fair  https://cwc-peninsula.org/the-literary-stage/. You do not have to live in California in order to enter any of the writing contests. Some contestants will enter an excerpt from a long piece of work (novels, memoirs) without investing time to rewrite the pages so that the piece would engage the reader with a beginning, middle and ending.

As a theme consultant and a writing coach, and a fan of a few television series, I have found another inspiration when teaching my clients how to show archetype-driven plotlines.

One of my favorite characters is Rhoda Morgenstern in the situational comedy (sitcom) RHODA  portrayed by Valerie Harper.

One of my favorite episodes is “One Is A Number” (Season 4, Episode 4, written by Charlotte Brown). I love this episode because this is a stand-alone piece. I do not have to  know the backgrounds of the characters.  The script clearly shows what the main character (protagonist) wants and how she goes about getting it.

Act 1 – we see relationships, the protagonist’s personality and what she wants.

Fellow: “Rhoda, it was really nice of you to invite me to breakfast.”

Rhoda: “Gary, I did not invite you.” (with a smile)

Gary:  “Well, then it was nice of you not to kick me out.”

Rhoda’s sister Brenda arrives to tell her why she can’t go out to dinner and the theatre with Rhoda tonight.

Act 2 – we see Protagonist pursuing what she wants.

Rhoda calls friends; they cannot go with her.

She asks her boss; he doesn’t like going to theatres.

She even asks Johnny Venture, the  fellow she has been turning down; he cannot because he’s judging a beauty contest tonight.

Act 3 -  Protagonist reveals what the real Antagonist is.

In her apartment, Rhoda paces, she picks up the theatre tickets and puts them down again.

She gets on the intercom with Carlton the doorman.  She tells him why she doesn’t want to go out alone at nighttime – she fears what people could be thinking of her, how they would judge her.

Archetype:  Carlton is the unexpected ally and mentor

Act 4 – Protagonist has overcome Antagonist.

At a restaurant where tea tastes like coffee (Rhoda is escaping from pouring rain), she meets:

- a taxi driver who is eating his spaghetti dinner

- an old woman named Marie who says she is a stewardess on a rocket on the Martian Space Patrol

- the waitress named Bea who says: “What are you doing out on a terrible night like this?”

Rhoda:  “Tonight was a big night for me. I was trying to do something alone.”

Bea: “You married?”

Rhoda: “Divorced.”

Bea: “Sounds like you’re already doing something alone.”

Act 5 -Protagonist has been transformed.

In her apartment are her allies – her sister Brenda, Brenda’s boyfriend Benny, Gary, Johnny.

Rhoda comes home.  She says: “I had a great time. It was wonderful.  It’s great to go out alone, I found out. I mean, you meet terrific people…. You would have loved it….”

Her boss Jack arrives.  “You’re not dead.”

Brilliant line.  Rhoda is the opposite of dead.

She has realized a new life. She can go out alone and enjoy herself. She has learned to look at people. She wants to share her discovery with her sister and friends.

They want to leave.

Rhoda says: “You had to be there.  I love you all, even if you didn’t get it.”

“Brenda, look at me. Have you ever seen your sister in better shape?”

After Rhoda closes the door, she reaches into her bag and pulls out Bea’s hat (souvenir from mentor archetype) and puts it on her head.

I love how sitcom character Rhoda Morgenstern shows beginning, middle, and ending  through an archetype-driven plotline! Thank you, Ms. Charlotte Brown!

Cheering for all Writers and Readers!

Story Theme Consultant Teresa Jade LeYung - photo by Mary E. Knippel, creator of Your Writing Mentor

• Click here for Short, Short Story Writing Contest sponsored by California Writers Club-Sacramento Branch up to 750 words; entries must be postmarked by March 31, 2014 (no online submissions). $10 fee per entry. Cheers to Branch President Margie Yee Webb, sponsors, judges, and all contestants!

• Click here for Writing Contests  through Literary Arts Division of the San Mateo County Fair – many genres (including novels, memoirs, short stories, fantasy, science fiction, essays, poetry, children’s, immigrant experience) – open worldwide – $10 per entry -  online entries due April 1, 2014   5:00pm Pacific Standard Time. Cheers to Literary Arts Director Bardi Rosman Koodrin, sponsors, judges, all contestants!

• Click here for WriterAdvice Flash Prose Contest entries must be submitted by April 18, 2014  Fiction and creative nonfiction!  $15 fee per entry.  Cheers to to B. Lynn Goodwin, sponsors, judges, and all contestants!

Check out my blog post  “Coach Teresa says: Who or What is the Antagonist in Your Story?“  before you send your manuscripts to agents, acquisition editors, or writing contests.

Remember that a story, even a short one, has a beginning, middle, and end.  A “snapshot” of an event is not a story.  A story must have a main character, even if that character is the only character.

Writing Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan cheers for Writing Contest Creators, Sponsors, Judges, and Contestants!

Sponsored by Teresa LeYung-Ryan — author of Love Made of Heart: an immigrant daughter’s journey to self-forgiveness (the book is used in college composition classes); author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW;  as editor/story consultant, Coach Teresa helps her clients polish their manuscripts by identifying themes and archetypes; read Coach Teresa’s blog at http://writingcoachteresa.com

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B. Lynn Goodwin’s WRITER ADVICE – 7th Annual Flash Prose Contest.  Short Fiction/Memoir, 750 words max. First Prize: $200, Deadline: April 18, 2012.  Guidelines  www.writeradvice.com

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Cheering for all writers!

Sincerely,

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

Coach Teresa says: “Reach out, not stress out, to materialize your dearest dreams!”

http://writingcoachteresa.com

As editor/story consultant, Coach Teresa helps her clients polish their manuscripts by identifying their themes, universal archetypes, front-story and back-story.

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW

Love Made of Heart is used in college composition classes. Thank you, Teachers & Students!

Happy New Year !

I Wish You . . . Work that Makes Your Heart Sing

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Back-up your electronic files–on a flashdrive or use an online service. Sometimes I email files to myself and then move those emails into folders.

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Make 2012 writing career goals, starting with January.  If you’re not in northern California . . . to look for similar events or organizations that I associate with, go to Google and key in the words: events for writers  OR writers organizations . . . and the name of your city and state. ShawGuides is another resource.

Coach Teresa here with mine:

• edit a section of a client’s novel

• provide Chinese-ism for a colleague’s short story in an anthology

• attend January 5th 2012  6:00-7:30pm Women’s National Book Association get-together at SFPL Click here

• prepare for my January 8th 2012 presentation Writing-Career-Make-Over with Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan at California Writers Club Redwood Branch in Santa Rosa, CA Click here for details.

• meeting with colleague Elisa Sasa Southard for our monthly writing date

• prepare to serve as roundtable discussion leader for Linda Joy Myers’s National Assn. of Memoir Writers to talk about building a writer’s platform — Thurs. January 8th 2012  (4:00pm California time). Free on the Internet. Please sign up.

• attend planning meeting for Women’s National Book Assn-SF Chapter

• meet with mastermind members Linda Lee, Mary E. Knippel and Lori Noack

• attend “Create Your Success Story from the Inside Out” workshop facilitated by Mary E. Knippel for Women’s National Book Assn-SF Chapter on January 29, 2011 Click here

• continue promoting San Francisco Writers Conference. I will be presenting with Elisa Sasa Southard; I will be presenting with Mary E. Knippel

• continue helping clients with my workbook Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW click here

• schedule editing clients

• continue writing my next novel!

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Authors (whether or not you’re self-publishing), remember to register your work with the Copyright Office. http://www.copyright.gov

eCO Online System

Before using the service, we recommend you first read eCO Acceptable File Types, eCO Tips, eCO FAQs, or eCO Tutorial (PowerPoint) eCO Tutorial (PDF). For recently added features, see eCO Updates.

Advantages include:

• Lower filing fee of $35 for a basic claim (for online filings only)
• Fastest processing time
• Online status tracking
• Secure payment by credit or debit card, electronic check, or Copyright Office deposit account
• The ability to upload certain categories of deposits directly into eCO as electronic files
• Available 24 hours a day, except for routine maintenance every Sunday from 12:00 midnight to 6:00 AM Eastern Time

Processing Time: The time the Copyright Office requires to process an application varies, depending on the number of applications the Office is receiving and clearing at the time of submission and the extent of questions associated with the application.

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Happy New Year!

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

http://writingcoachTeresa.com

Teresa is author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW

Teresa is author of Love Made of Heart (to inspire adult children of mentally ill parents to speak openly about the stigmas and find resources for their families)

Coach Teresa edits manuscripts (contemporary novels; thrillers; children’s novels; memoirs; short stories; anthologies) for authors who want to attract agents  & publishers  OR  want to be their own publishers.

I wish You

a warm and safe home

nutritious foods everyday

ease of movement

work that makes your heart sing

true friends

worry-free thoughts

hopes and lovely dreams

joy and light for Self

a dancing spirit

Sincerely,

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

http://writingcoachTeresa.com

Teresa is author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW

Teresa is author of Love Made of Heart

Coach Teresa edits manuscripts (contemporary novels; thrillers; children’s novels; memoirs; short stories; anthologies) for authors who want to attract agents  & publishers  OR  want to be their own publishers.

Is Kathryn G. McCarty teaching a Creative Writing Class to Kids and Teens?

I just received an email from Kathryn G. McCarty who says:

I am Teresa LeYung Ryan. My clients call me Writing Career Coach Teresa. Who are my clients? They are writers just like you:

• authors who have invested years writing their projects and needed to hook agents with a marketing pitch in their query letters.

• authors who have self-published their books, and deserve more readers.

• writers of fiction and nonfiction, tired of rejections, tired of publishers telling them that they don’t have a platform or fanbase.

What is a platform anyway?

Making your name stand for something—to attract targeted consumers who are likely to buy what you have to sell. Let’s hear that again.

Making your name stand for something (the themes/the subject matters/the issues in your writing)—to attract targeted consumers (people who buy the kinds of books you create ) who are likely to buy what you have to sell (your literary works).

Join the community of authors who write fiction (novels, short stories, graphic novels, novellas), narrative and creative nonfiction (autobiographies, biographies, memoirs, essays), prescriptive nonfiction (how-to books), poetry, speeches, and other genres . . .  and have gained a competitive edge with my workbook: Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW

What these authors have to say:

Ruth Silnes is a published author of three books, one of them a how-to book. Ruth says: “Thanks to Coach Teresa’s workbook I learned how to contact a star. Carol Channing wrote a review for my latest book.”

Kate Britton is looking for an agent for her novel; she’s also considering self-publishing.  She says: “Through Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days . . . you’ll find out some pretty interesting things about yourself and what your platform is really all about.”

Margaret Davis, a published novelist, says: “Instead of the usual pep talks, Coach Teresa’s workbook consists of a series of exercises which are thought-provoking, and always fun.”

Lynn Scott, author of narrative non-fiction (memoirs), says: “Coach Teresa is a whiz in the ways a writer can get noticed.”

Join these successful authors today!

Go to Amazon and search for Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days.  After you order my book, contact me through this blog post (click on the title bar of this post scroll down to get boxes, filled in the boxes, and click the “submit comment” button) and you will receive a free tip on platform building.

In the meantime, check out the resources at my website http://WritingCoachTeresa.com

I’ll see there!

And remember, “Reach out, not stress out.  Help your readers find you!” with Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days

Sincerely,

Writing Career Coach Teresa 

Entries must be received by 7:00 pm, Friday, April 29, 2011 or postmarked by April 25^th, 2011

http://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/competitive-exhibits/departments/literary-arts

After you go to above link, look at left side of the webpage and click on [ Entry Book Pages ] for general rules.

The Literary Arts Department at the San Mateo County Fair offering contests in these categories:

http://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/pdf/guide_book/creative_arts.pdf for the list of writing contests & descriptions (scroll to pages 64 -  70)

DIVISION 342 – THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE: NOVEL, MEMOIR, OR SHORT STORY
Sponsored by Teresa LeYung Ryan, author of  Love Made of Heart http://lovemadeofheart.com

DIVISION 335 – “HEROES ARISE” SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY NOVEL CHAPTER
Sponsored by Laurel Anne Hill, author of  Heroes Arise www.laurelannehill.com

DIVISION 336 – SAN FRANCISCO/PENINSULA CALIFORNIA WRITERS CLUB:
THE MOST PROMISING WRITER OF THE YEAR SHORT STORY CONTEST

DIVISION 337 – THE VERNA DREISBACH “WHY WE RIDE” NONFICTION
Sponsored by Verna Dreisbach www.vernadreisbach.com

DIVISION 338 – THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MEMOIR WRITERS: THE POWER OF MEMOIR www.namw.org

DIVISION 341– “I’M DYING TO TELL YOU” MYSTERY NOVEL CHAPTER
Sponsored by Frank M. Kahren, author of  Brand Loyalty www.fmkahren.com

DIVISION 324 – CHILDREN’S NOVEL CHAPTER OR STORY CONTEST
Sponsored by Parenting on the Peninsula www.ponthep.com

DIVISION 323 – THE GRAPHIC NOVEL
Sponsored by the Peninsula Arts Council www.peninsulaartscouncil.org

The Capitol City Young Writers Award
Youth Grades 6-12  Sponsored by Verna Dreisbach, President and Founder http://www.capitolcityyoungwriters.org/ Young writers, also check out Capital City Young Writers’ website for other resources. For contest description and rules though, go to the San Mateo County Fair links:

http://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/competitive-exhibits/departments/literary-arts

After you go to above link, look at left side of the webpage and click on [ Entry Book Pages ] for general rules.

http://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/pdf/guide_book/creative_arts.pdf (scroll down to bottom of page 67 for this contest’s description)

Also, there are contests for essays, poetry, and more !

Thank you, Bardi Rosman Koodri, for orchestrating the Literary Arts Dept.:

LITERARY ARTS GENERAL RULES

PLEASE NOTE: Deadline for all literary contests (including the NDNU scholarship) is 7:00 pm, Friday, April 29, 2011. Registration to compete can be done online, but no literary entries via email will be accepted without three (3) copies of your written material as well, which can be mailed (must be postmarked by April 25^th, 2011) or delivered to the office by the deadline noted above.

GENERAL RULES:

1.   FORMAT: THREE (3) copies of your entry on 8-1/2″ x 11″ white paper with each page numbered and TYPED, double spaced.  Font point size may not be smaller than 12 pt.  Do not submit the original. For judging purposes, author’s name SHALL NOT appear on literary work.  For each piece, include a 3″ x 5″ card with the Author’s name, address, city, zip, home phone, day phone, email address, title, first sentence or line, word count, division, and class.  Literary arts entries must be contestant’s original work and written in English.  DO NOT RESUBMIT ANY LITERARY WORK PREVIOUSLY ENTERED INTO THE SAN MATEO COUNTY FAIR WHETHER IT WON A PRIZE OR NOT.

2.  NEW: Submissions can be made electronically as long as three (3) copies are also printed and mailed in time.

3.   JUDGING:  Literary arts will be judged off site.  Literary arts entries must have correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation in order for each entry to be judged on its own merit.

4.   RELEASE: Author retains all rights; however, the author agrees that all literary arts entries may be displayed; along with each division first prize winner’s name, title, and an excerpt of said winning work, and any/all may be used for publicity purposes at the sole discretion of the Fair management.

5.   RETURN: In keeping with current writing competition standards, no literary arts entries will be returned; for confidentiality, all printed material will be recycled.

6.   PRIZE RIBBONS: Ribbons may not be collected during the fair; they will be distributed after the end of the fair.

7.  AGE:  Age for senior citizen class (55 and older) is determined by having had a birthday on or before

April 1, 2011.

Even if work is electronically submitted, three (3) printed copies of each entry must also be mailed to:

San Mateo County Event Center/Literary contest submission

2495 S. Delaware Street

San Mateo, CA 94403

(650) 574-3247

Thank you, Bardi Rosman Koodrin, my fellow contest sponsors, and everyone involved in making these contests available.

I was a recipient of an award from the Jack London Writers Conference Writing Contest (category:  novel) in 1997.  Mentioning of that award attracted agents’ attention when I queried them.  I encourage writers to enter their work to reputable contests; I encourage writers to check out supportive organizations such as California Writers Club!

My best wishes to writers,

Teresa LeYung Ryan, author of Love Made of Heart, cheers for brave immigrants.

22-Day Coach Teresa

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW is available through Amazon.  Read success stories (on Amazon) from writers who have finished the 22-day workbook I created to help fiction and nonfiction authors gain a competitive edge.  Whether you want to be your own publisher or sell rights to another publisher, attract readers and more readers now!  http://writingcoachteresa.com

http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/is-there-a-book-to-help-a-writer-build-platform-and-fanbase/

YES!

http://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/competitive-exhibits/departments/literary-arts After you go to above link, look at left side of the webpage and click on [ Entry Book Pages ]  for general rules.

The Literary Arts Department at the San Mateo County Fair offering contests in these categories:

http://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/pdf/guide_book/creative_arts.pdf for the list of writing contests & descriptions (scroll to pages 64 -  70)

DIVISION 342 – THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE: NOVEL, MEMOIR, OR SHORT STORY
Sponsored by Teresa LeYung Ryan, author of  Love Made of Heart http://lovemadeofheart.com

DIVISION 335 – “HEROES ARISE” SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY NOVEL CHAPTER
Sponsored by Laurel Anne Hill, author of  Heroes Arise www.laurelannehill.com

DIVISION 336 – SAN FRANCISCO/PENINSULA CALIFORNIA WRITERS CLUB:
THE MOST PROMISING WRITER OF THE YEAR SHORT STORY CONTEST

DIVISION 337 – THE VERNA DREISBACH “WHY WE RIDE” NONFICTION
Sponsored by Verna Dreisbach www.vernadreisbach.com

DIVISION 338 – THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MEMOIR WRITERS: THE POWER OF MEMOIR www.namw.org

DIVISION 341– “I’M DYING TO TELL YOU” MYSTERY NOVEL CHAPTER
Sponsored by Frank M. Kahren, author of ?Brand Loyalty? www.fmkahren.com

DIVISION 324 – CHILDREN’S NOVEL CHAPTER OR STORY CONTEST
Sponsored by Parenting on the Peninsula www.ponthep.com

DIVISION 323 – THE GRAPHIC NOVEL
Sponsored by the Peninsula Arts Council www.peninsulaartscouncil.org

The Capitol City Young Writers Award
Youth Grades 6-12  Sponsored by Verna Dreisbach, President and Founder www.capitolcityyoungwriters.org

Also, there are contests for essays, poetry, and more !

LITERARY ARTS GENERAL RULES

PLEASE NOTE: Deadline for all literary contests (including the NDNU scholarship) is 7:00 pm, Friday, April 29, 2011. Registration to compete can be done online, but no literary entries via email will be accepted without three (3) copies of your written material as well, which can be mailed (must be postmarked by April 25^th, 2011) or delivered to the office by the deadline noted above.

GENERAL RULES:

1.   FORMAT: THREE (3) copies of your entry on 8-1/2″ x 11″ white paper with each page numbered and TYPED, double spaced.  Font point size may not be smaller than 12 pt.  Do not submit the original. For judging purposes, author’s name SHALL NOT appear on literary work.  For each piece, include a 3″ x 5″ card with the Author’s name, address, city, zip, home phone, day phone, email address, title, first sentence or line, word count, division, and class.  Literary arts entries must be contestant’s original work and written in English.  DO NOT RESUBMIT ANY LITERARY WORK PREVIOUSLY ENTERED INTO THE SAN MATEO COUNTY FAIR WHETHER IT WON A PRIZE OR NOT.

2.  NEW: Submissions can be made electronically as long as three (3) copies are also printed and mailed in time.

3.   JUDGING:  Literary arts will be judged off site.  Literary arts entries must have correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation in order for each entry to be judged on its own merit.

4.   RELEASE: Author retains all rights; however, the author agrees that all literary arts entries may be displayed; along with each division first prize winner’s name, title, and an excerpt of said winning work, and any/all may be used for publicity purposes at the sole discretion of the Fair management.

5.   RETURN: In keeping with current writing competition standards, no literary arts entries will be returned; for confidentiality, all printed material will be recycled.

6.   PRIZE RIBBONS: Ribbons may not be collected during the fair; they will be distributed after the end of the fair.

7.  AGE:  Age for senior citizen class (55 and older) is determined by having had a birthday on or before

April 1, 2011.

Even if work is electronically submitted, three (3) printed copies of each entry must also be mailed to:

San Mateo County Event Center/Literary contest submission

2495 S. Delaware Street

San Mateo, CA 94403

(650) 574-3247

Thank you, Bardi Rosman Koodrin, my fellow contest sponsors, and everyone involved in making these contests available.

I was a recipient of an award from the Jack London Writers Conference Writing Contest (category:  novel) in 1997.  Mentioning of that award attracted agents’ attention when I queried them.  I encourage writers to enter their work to reputable contests; I encourage writers to check out supportive organizations such as California Writers Club!

My best wishes to writers,

Teresa LeYung Ryan, author of Love Made of Heart, cheers for brave immigrants.

22-Day Coach Teresa

Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW is available through Amazon.  Read success stories (on Amazon) from writers who have finished the 22-day workbook I created to help fiction and nonfiction authors gain a competitive edge.  Whether you want to be your own publisher or sell rights to another publisher, attract readers and more readers now!  http://writingcoachteresa.com

http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/is-there-a-book-to-help-a-writer-build-platform-and-fanbase/