I remember feeling hopeful when I entered the first five pages of my novel to the Jack London Writers Conference Writing Contest 1997 and the thrill when I heard my name announced as a winner. That recognition gave me confidence when I wrote query letters to literary agents. That manuscript became Love Made of Heart (published in October 2002).

So, when Bardi Rosman Koodrin (Literary Director of the Fine Arts Galleria at San Mateo County Fair) asked me to sponsor a writing contest, I had to say “Yes!”

Other sponsors said “Yes!” too.  For information about all the contests, please click on the headline below for my March 7, 2013 post:

Writing Contests – Novel, Memoir, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Short Story, Mystery, Essay, Poetry, Monologue, Children’s Novel, and More !

The deadline for all literary contests, including the NDNU scholarship opportunity as well as the two book cover art contests, is Monday April 1, 2013 at 5:00pm California time, no exceptions. $10 per entry.

* * * * * * * *

Writing Contests – Novel, Memoir, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Short Story, Mystery, Essay, Poetry, Monologue, Children’s Novel, and more !

Hi everyone,

The deadline for all literary contests, including the NDNU scholarship opportunity as well as the two book cover art contests, is Monday April 1, 2013 at 5:00pm California time, no exceptions.  ALERT:  Ignore the deadline date of May 8 on the entry form; all literary contests are due APRIL 1!

List and descriptions of contests and rules: https://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/pdf/2013/literary_13.pdf

How to submit your entries: https://www.sanmateocountyfair.com/pdf/2013/literary_submit.pdf

We’re offering several new contests, and the NDNU scholarship opportunity is now open to any full-time student, so make sure you read all the material.  Just like last year, we require a two-step entry process:

1)   you must register and pay for each entry through the online process www.sanmateocountyfair.com Click on [Contests] tab, then click on Entry form. $10 per entry.  April 1st (not May 8th) for Literary Arts Contests.

2)   email each submission separately to literary@smeventcenter.com so we can publish our second volume of the Carry the Light anthology.  You can also send questions to that email address.

We look forward to receiving your literary submissions to the 2013 San Mateo County Fair.  Check back soon to see all of our free “events within the event” that will be offered on the literary stage throughout the fair June 8-16, 2013 at www.sanmateocountyfair.com/contests/departments/literary-arts

Good luck with the contests and I look forward to seeing all of you at the 2013 Fair!

Best,

Bardi Rosman Koodrin

Literary Director of the Fine Arts Galleria

San Mateo County Fair

Yours truly is sponsoring:

Thank you, Bardi Rosman Koodrin, all sponsors, members of California Writers Club, and, of course the folks at San Mateo County Fair! Good luck to all contestants!

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan cheering for you!

Writing Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan cares about helping fiction and nonfiction writers build their platforms and work on their craft simultaneously with ease.  She says: “Wear the dual hats as promoter and writer and be happily published. Reach out, not stress out, to materialize your dearest dreams.”

http://writingcoachTeresa.com

Terrel Seltzer’s simple and powerful mantra at the beginning of class was this:  “What makes a story?  Someone we care about wants something badly and is having a terrible time getting it.”

Let’s take a closer look at that golden mantra.

“Someone we care about (the protagonist or another character) wants something badly and is having a terrible time getting it.”

No one in our class (at The Writing Salon) cared about the protagonist Miles in the movie Sideways. However, we find out that Miles’s friend Jack cares about him; Miles’s mother cares about him; later, Maya (a kind person) cares about him.  Voila!  Someone we care about . . .

What if we don’t care about the protagonist or the other characters?  Then, we hook with the object of desire.  We want what the protagonist wants.

Terrel Seltzer has been a working screenwriter for twenty-five years, in both the Independent and Hollywood worlds. She has four produced screenplays: Chan Is Missing, Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart, How I Got Into College, and One Fine Day staring George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer. Terrel teaches at California College of the Arts and The Writing Salon.  View her resume at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0783559/

If you get a  chance to take a class from Terrel Seltzer, I hope you’ll treat yourselves.

Sincerely,

Cheers to fiction and nonfiction writers!

Happy platform & fanbase building!

Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

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