Bardi Rosman Koodrin welcomes audience to Literary Arts stage San Mateo County Fair

Look at the many writing contests offered through the Literary Arts Division of the San Mateo County Fair!  Go to https://sanmateocountyfair.com/pdf/2014/literary_arts_14.pdf  and review rules and guidelines carefully.    All entries due April 1, 2014 by 5pm Pacific Standard Time

Entry Fees: $10.00 per entry       NO MAXIMUM ENTRY FEE

Writing Contests through the Literary Arts Division of the San Mateo County Fair include “Immigrant Experience Writing Contest” !

For a list of all writing contests, please go to: https://sanmateocountyfair.com/pdf/2014/literary_arts_14.pdf

 http://www.fcwriterscontest.org

Sponsored by the City of Foster City Parks and Recreation Department

Contest Fee: $10 per entry
First Place: $250; Second Place: $100

Prizes to be awarded in the following three categories:

FICTION: Personal experiences developed as fiction, have proven to be popular favorites in this category. Not to exceed 3000 words in length.

PERSONAL ESSAY: A personal essay should reflect the writer’s personal outlook on life as gained through personal experience but it must not be an editorial/opinion piece, a proposal to solve an existing geopolitical problem or a dogmatic expression of opinion. Stories in these categories may be written in any narrative point of view, and must not exceed 3000 words in length.

POETRY: Submissions to the Poetry category may be rhymed, metered or free verse on any topic desired by the writer. Poems may be written in any narrative point of view. Typed manuscripts must use double-spacing between lines, quadruple-spacing between stanzas and must not exceed 500 words or two double-spaced pages using a 12 point font.

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION GUIDELINES:

Manuscripts must be original, previously unpublished, and in English. They must be double spaced on 8.5 x 11 inch white paper with the pages numbered at the top right hand corner. Contestant’s name must not appear on the manuscript. No graphics or illustrations on manuscripts, please. Judges reserve the right to place manuscripts in more appropriate categories. Manuscripts not conforming to said guidelines will be reviewed only at the judging staff’s discretion. Contest judges are not eligible to participate in this contest.

ENTRY FORMS AND FEES:
Entry forms can be obtained either online at the website or by sending a request to the contest email address: <fostercity_writers@yahoo.com> or send a request for an entry form along with a self addressed, stamped envelope to the City of Foster City address (seen below).

A non-refundable entry fee of $10 must be submitted for each entry, made payable to “City of Foster City.” If submitting multiple entries, please remit only one check. International entrants (including those from Canada and Mexico) must submit an international money order in US funds. No credit card payments. Mail your completed entry form and manuscript to:

Foster City International Writers’ Contest
c/o Foster City Parks and Recreation Department
650 Shell Boulevard, Foster City, CA 94404 USA

ONLINE ENTRY SUBMISSION:
Please send manuscript as an attachment (RTF, Word [DOC], PDF, or TXT format) to <fostercity_writers@yahoo.com>. In the email subject line include: Writer’s Contest Entry, Category and your name. Please retain copies of manuscripts as they cannot be returned. Please mail the check along with your completed entry form to Foster City Parks and Recreation.

DEADLINES AND NOTIFICATION OF WINNERS:
Manuscripts will be accepted through September 13, 2013 (postmarks accepted). Manuscripts without fees will not be accepted. Only winners will be notified. Each winner must provide a social security number or the equivalent in order to receive the cash prize. For any general contest information please call: 650.349.0388.

Cheers to all contestants and contest creators and sponsors!

Before you send off your submission . . .  if you’re near San Mateo, CA, please attend my editing workshop on June 8, 2013 on the Literary Arts Stage in the Fine Arts Galleria at the San Mateo County Fair, San Mateo, CA – click here for more info.

Edit Your Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction and Prescriptive Nonfiction with Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan

Sincerely,

Coach Teresa

22-Day Writers’ Platform & Fanbase-Building Coach Teresa LeYung-Ryan says:

“Build your writer’s platform and work on the craft, simultaneously with ease.  I’m cheering for you!”

http://writingcoachteresa.com  for Coach Teresa’s list of events; see how she helps her clients.

http://www.facebook.com/Teresa.LeYung.Ryan

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

What to do before hiring an editor for your manuscript?

My advice for narrative non-fiction writers is the same for fiction writers.

“Look at Your Manuscript with an Editor’s Lens”

by Teresa LeYung Ryan–Developmental Editor/Manuscript Consultant/Writing Career Coach

Since writing a story with the intent to engage the reader is so much like meeting a stranger and wanting him/her to be interested in us, I will focus on “how to make the first quarter of your story a compelling read.”

I love working with diligent writers who want to transform their manuscripts into page-turners. However, there are things you can do before you give your work to an editor. Let me show you how you can help yourself.

Does your manuscript pass these tests?

• Planting hook(s) or story-question(s);
• Grounding the reader with the three Ws and the big C (Who?  When?  Where? Circumstances);
• Showing (not telling) what the protagonist wants;
• Paying attention to language and rules

Let’s learn from the pros.

Planting Hook or Story-Question:

In The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts, Maxine Hong Kingston hooks us with the first line: “You must not tell anyone,” my mother said, “what I am about to tell you…”   Then, Ms. Kingston transitions into her story with:  “Whenever she had to warn us about life, my mother told stories that ran like this one . . .”

Grounding the Reader with the Three Ws and the big C:

In Woven of Water, while the story timeline spans from 1957 to 2005, Californian author Luisa Adams brilliantly shows us who she was as a girl (not with a year-by-year narrative, but with a single exquisite chapter).  Because she grounded us with “who, when, where” and the “circumstances” as to why she had left her love affair with water, we eagerly follow as she takes us into her enchanted world of a “cottage in the forest.”  Another device to ground the reader is the employment of sensory details (not long descriptions).  Sensory details put the reader in the scene/story world.  Re-read one of your favorite author’s books. Study from the masters.

Showing What the Protagonist Wants:

In The Other Mother, young Carol Schaefer wants to ask questions:  “Was there any way to keep my baby?  Was there anyone who would help me find a way to do that?”

In Eat, Pray, Love, Elisabeth Gilbert says: I wish Giovanni would kiss me.

In Love Made of Heart, my protagonist Ruby Lin prays: Please don’t end up like Grandmother (while witnessing police officers escorting her own mother out of her apartment).

Paying Attention to Language and Rules:

Read the first five pages of Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt and you will see how this wordsmith plays with language and rules. (You can “bend” the rules to create flow, but you must not ignore them.)

In Bastard Out of Carolina, Dorothy Allison’s protagonist Bone is a girl.  Bone’s voice is convincing in dialogue and in internal monologue. Brilliant use of dialect.

Sentences Deserve Your Attention:

Remember Groucho Marx’s line “One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas…”? That sentence got a lot of laughs.  But, what if you didn’t want to be funny (ambiguous in this case)?

How would you rewrite these sentences?  See the misplaced modifiers?

• He likes to fish near the Farallon Islands, they jump when they’re hungry at dawn or dusk. (the islands jump?)
• She insists on knowing when I come home and leave, not to be nosy, but for safety reasons. (who is not nosy?)
• Being cautious as not to step on the dog’s tail, the children tip-toed away from him while sleeping. (who’s sleeping?)

To improve your sentence structure and other skills, I recommend these books:

• The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White
• Woe is I: Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O’Conner

More Advice:

• In all the stories I referenced above, the authors present memorable experiences by employing authentic details, unusual story-worlds though real, and poetic language. You want to do the same for your story.
• Also, these stories have another vital component–all the plotlines have what Martha Alderson, author of Blockbuster Plots Pure and Simple, calls “Cause and Effect” linked scenes.  Another must-read blog:  http://plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/search?q=first+quarter
• When you’re writing non-fiction and you do not have the luxury of rearranging the sequence of events to create a page-turning plotline, you can engage the reader by using concise expositions to leap over blocks of time in order to focus on the core themes and fast-forward to the next scene.  A helpful website for memoir writers: http://www.memoriesandmemoirs.com
• You the author must show the reader what the protagonist wants, even if the protagonist doesn’t know at first.
• We don’t have to “like” a protagonist, but, we do need to connect with him/her on an emotional level. Perhaps what he/she wants is also what we want.
• Story-telling is a skill learned, practiced, and mastered. May you practice with joy.

In the fiercely competitive arena of the publishing world, how does one stand out in a crowd?  Building relationships is one key to success in this business. Another key is to know how to translate the themes from your life to your writing and articulate those themes as community concerns.  I want to see all hardworking writers realize their dreams. My best wishes to you!

To read other posts in my blog (about writing contests, publishing opportunities, more tips on platform-building), click on [ Home ] and scroll down  OR key in words in the search box to find specific posts. Example: if you key in the words: poetry anthology 2011 into my blog’s search box and click [search], you will see my post containing info about the  Las Positas College Anthology and other contests for other genres (Thank you, Poet Laureate Deborah Grossman!) To read the entire version of a post, click on the title bar of that post.

To see my website for all my books, go to:  http://writingcoachteresa.com

Reach out, not stress out!

Sincerely,

Build-Your-Writer’s-Platform Coach Teresa

Teresa LeYung Ryan–Developmental Editor/Manuscript Consultant, Writing Career Coach, Author, Publisher

Teresa specializes in editing fiction and narrative non-fiction with themes on the human condition.

She likes spunky protagonists in thrillers, women’s novels, memoirs, and children’s literature.

Love Made of Heart is:
• recommended by the California School Library Association and the California Reading Association

• read by students at Stanford University, U.C. Berkeley, CCSF, and many other colleges and high schools.

• used in Advanced Composition English-as-a-Second-Language classes
• archived at the San Francisco History Center

Teresa says: “The more you read, the more your own writing will flow.”  
Please click here for my blog’s home page  http://lovemadeofheart.com/blog/

My fun workbook is now available through Amazon!

BUILD YOUR WRITER’S PLATFORM & FANBASE IN 22 DAYS: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW

http://www.amazon.com/Build-Your-Writers-Platform-Fanbase/dp/0983010005/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1297630400&sr=1-1

http://lovemadeofheart.com/BUILD-YOUR-WRITER%27S-PLATFORM-&-FANBASE-IN-22-DAYS.html