Mindy Hardwick's Blog, page 58

On-Line Writing Classes

I've taken a handful of on-line writing classes over the last few years. Some are good. Some are not so good, and some are excellent. On-line writing classes come in all shapes and sizes. They can be taught through e-mail, bulletin boards, and yahoo lists.  They're often small with a lot of dialogue and discussion. Many times, students are asked to post bits of their writing for critique. On-line writing classes are priced at different levels. Some are very inexpensive, $15-$20 for a series of classes, while others, range up to $300-$400 for a series of classes.

Sometimes it's hard to find the time to schedule four weeks of in-person classes. But, on-line classes can be accessed at any time. Lessons are posted on a specific day, but you can access the lesson when you have the time. On-line classes are a great way to learn a new skill, try a new genre, or even better–give yourself a due date that work has to be finished!

Some of my favorite places to take on-line writing classes include:

Savvy Authors–This is a great resource to know about, and classes are usually pretty inexpensive. Classes range from craft of writing through the business of writing (including promotion and social media skills). Savvy Authors also host contests, events, webinars, and have a whole separate area for Readers that specializes in romance.  (I'll let you know more about this part of Savvy Authors as I move toward publication of my YA romance, WEAVING MAGIC (April 27, 2012).

Coffehouse For Writers–These classes run on a continuous basis, so if you've missed a four-week session, just wait, there will be another one soon! The classes also range from editing your manuscript to writing in specific genres such as Gothic or historical fiction.  The price is reasonable for four weeks of classes and range from about $90-$100.

Writers on the Net--These classes are the most expensive and are very in depth. A few years ago, I took two classes on plotting and scene writing taught by Dennis Foley. Kathi Appelt recommended these classes to me after I graduated from Vermont College. They were exactly what I needed coming from my character driven MFA work! The classes usually have a reading component to them, and are taught by published authors such as National Book Finalist for Young People, Debby Dahl Edwardson.  The classes range from flash fiction to writing for children to writing memoir.  You can sign up to receive their newsletter so you'll know when a particular class is scheduled. I'd recommend these classes if you know a specific area that you need help with and want a very concentrated study of that area.

Author-Editor Clinic–These classes focus on the editing process. They are geared toward freelance editors, but writers who participate in critique groups, want to know the ins and outs of editing, and just need help with revision skills would benefit from taking these classes too.  They offer focus classes which cover topics such as characters in fiction and editing young adult fiction.

Anastasia Suen Writing for Children Classes--Anastasia teaches some great classes in writing for children. Some of her specialty classes include: Writing the Picture Book and Writing the Children's Chapter Book.  She breaks the classes into two-six week session. The first six weeks is spent working on studying the type of book you want to write and analyzing the craft elements. This is a very similiar process to how I learned in Vermont College MFA Program. We spent a lot of time our first two semesters reading and analyzing books in what worked and what didn't work and why.The second session of Anastasia's classes are the writing and applying what you've learned. She teaches her classes by using Yahoo Groups. I'm signed up to take the first of her Writing the Chapter Book class in February and March. I've got a picture book character who I think could just as easily move into a chapter book.  Anastasia's classes are the first I've seen in Writing Chapter Books.

If you've taken an on-line writing class, where is your favorite place to learn?

Middle Grade Mystery Contest

Writing contests can be great ways to get our creative spark flowing. Children's Writer is offering this contest for Middle Grade Mysteries. Good luck!

Middle-Grade Mystery Contest

Submit a well-constructed fictional mystery that will engage readers ages 9-12. 900 words. Ideas include: a scary but age-appropriate story, a puzzle the reader has to solve using problem-solving skills, or a mix of mystery with another genre such as historical, inspirational, or humorous fiction. The judges are looking for originality and publishablility.

Entries must be received by  April 30, 2012.

Current subscribers to Children's Writer enter free. All others pay $15 for entry fee which includes an 8-month subscription to Children's Writer. (Children's Writer is a great publication for any level of children's writer and is delivered electronically as well as snail mail. They often need writers for articles about the craft of writing, business of writing, and market trends. I've sold many articles to them)

Winners will be announced in the October 2012 Children's Writer.

$500 for First place plus publication in Children's Writer. $250 for Second place, and $100 for third, fourth, and fifth place.

To find out more including how to submit click here.

Young Writers Contests

Spilling Ink Young Writers Contest

The Spilling Ink Young Writers contest is for kids, ages 8-12 in the US or Canada. Send you best short story of up to 1,000 words. Deadline is February 15, 2012. Prizes include Barnes and Noble Gift Cards. To find out more about the contest.

Spilling Ink is a Young Writers Handbook written by Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter. There is a great blog to go along with the book which can be found here.

The blog includes fun writing picture prompts like these here.

There is also a great page of resources for teachers to use to help kids jump start creative ideas and writing skills.

The second Young Writers Contest is offered by Euterpe Young Adult Books (An imprint of Musa Publishing, and home to STAINED GLASS SUMMER)

Euterpe Young Adult Writing Contest

Euterpe Young Adult Books offers four themed contests a year. The current contest is for FANTASY.  Submission deadline is March 1. There are two age groups. 11-15, and 16-21. Stories should be between 1,500 words and 7,500 words, roughly 6-30 pages double spaced. The winner is offered a publishing contract. To find out more as well as how to enter click here.

Powerful and Powerless: Poems on the Denney Blog

Today's poems on thePoems from Behind Bars Denney Juvenile Justice Center Poetry Blog are  " and "Powerless."

These poems were inspired by an exercise I did with the kids based on Art With Heart's book, Chill and Spill. In the exercise, I began by asking the kids to divide a sheet of 8 x 11 blank paper in half.  I passed out magazines and glue. (No scissors in detention). The kids looked through the magazines and found pictures which either represented how they felt when they were Powerful or Powerless.  I gave them about twenty minutes to find the pictures and glue. Too much more time, and everyone gets into the magazines and forgets the assignment!

After they finished the collage, we talked about each one. Then, I read from the book,  The Book of Qualities by J. Ruth Gendler. In this book, Gendler takes various emotions and personifies them to be small, one or two paragraph prose poems. After I finished reading and we discussed some of the poems, the kids wrote their own "Powerful and Powerless" poems.

Anything Can Be

My mentee and I have been matched one year this week! On Sunday, I attended the Volunteers of America Children of Promise Mentor Recognition Event. We had some snacks, and each mentor got to share a little bit about what mentoring has meant to them.

We also received backpacks filled with goodies. One of the goodies was a bookmark with the following Shel Silverstein quote. (See Below) This quote speaks to me, as this afternoon, I discovered that STAINED GLASS SUMMER is listed in the Top Ten of Children's Art Books on Amazon. (As of this posting..this number changes all the time).  STAINED GLASS SUMMER has been released for just over three weeks and there have been moments that took my breath away. That list on Amazon was one of them. Another was when I started seeing Fans "like" the STAINED GLASS SUMMER Facebook Page and realized those fans are art kids–just like Jasmine.

STAINED GLASS SUMMER had a long, and torturous journey to publication. There were months that I really doubted the story would ever find it's way. It took a lot of perseverance, a lot of e-mailing and whining to family and friends, and most importantly, a lot of faith in the story.  I learned to trust in the process, and I learned about risk taking. And now it's nice to see some wings under the story I believed in for so many years.

 

"Listen to the MUSTN'TS Child,

Listen to the don'ts–

Listen to the shouldn'ts,

the IMPOSSIBLES,

the won'ts–

listen to the never haves

Then listen closely to me,

Anything can happen,

Child

ANYTHING can be."

 

Carla Sonheim Interview

Today, I'm really excited to interview Carla Sonheim about mentoring! I met Carla at Journalfest when I took her "Wretched Girl Art Journaling" class. We had a great time being "wretched!" Since then, I've taken a couple of Carla's on-line art classes including: Junk Mail Artist Book, Imaginary Creatures, and The Art of Silliness. I also use an exercise in her book when I am teaching my class, Writing the Picture Book!

Carla Sonheim is a painter, illustrator, and creativity workshop instructor known for her fun and innovative projects and techniques designed to help adult students recover a more spontaneous, playful approach to creating. She is the author of Drawing Lab for Mixed Media Artists: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun.

 

 One of her students says this about Carla, "Carla just shines and is so gentle and generous that you will work hard all day and come out energized and inspired. Most importantly though, [her] class was a touchstone in my artistic journey, giving me the courage to stop resisting, and open myself to my creative voice." Carla lives in Seattle, Washington and shares space with her photographer husband, a game-playing teenager, and her laptop.

Can you tell us about your experience with mentoring? Did you have one? 

I've never had a long-term mentor, unfortunately! But a lot of artists and teachers over the years have helped me along the way, with comments, encouragement, etc. Artists I've never met have mentored me as well, through their writings or interviews.

Do you mentor others? How?

I wish I could say yes to this question, too! I haven't been a long-term mentor to any one person, except possibly through my book and classes. I also taught elementary school children for several years.

Interestingly, though, I had an email just the other day from a 90-year-old gentleman who wrote that he was glad to have found me as "a mentor and a friend." I was kind of humbled, as we've only emailed a half dozen times! But I'm so glad to have been some encouragement to him.

Can you tell us a little bit about some of your on-line art classes?

I've been doing online classes for almost two years; in April 2010 I held the first installment of "The Art of Silliness: Drawing Worksheets for Adults." At the time I didn't have access to video production, so this particular workshop was done entirely through PDF worksheets downloaded each day by the students, and then they would (optionally) upload them to a flickr group set up for the class. "The Art of Silliness 5″ starts February 8th, and will be my last silly class in this format.

The series was such a success that I got the courage to get my husband involved and added video instruction in the summer of 2011 with three one-week classes: "Imaginary Creatures," "Faces 101," and "Junk Mail Artist's Book." This was an adventure because I'm pretty camera shy — or, I was, before doing over 30 videos!!

I try hard to make the learning and pacing challenging but fun. I comment on every image uploaded, and enjoy it very much!

You offer many opportunities for people to learn from you in on-line classes and in-person workshops. How do you juggle everything? 

I have had to pull back on "live" teaching the last year or so because it was starting to become too chaotic. My son is in his last two years of high school, and I am a new grandmama, so I'm wanting to stay at home a bit more these days!

In late 2012, though, I have two books coming out and so am now working on a little "Teaching Book Tour" for the month of October. I will be teaching in California and Colorado for sure!

Quarry Books is publishing a book on drawing and painting animals in October, and Perigee is publishing a book on "The Art of Silliness" in November.

What is coming up next for you?

Recently a friend asked me this question: "If money were no object, what would you like to do?" My answer was that I wanted to continue doing what I am doing!! I love my work!

In the very short term I am holding four online classes in January/February: Repeats of "Faces 101″ and "Imaginary Creatures," "Photo Silly Light" with Steve, and "The Art of Silliness 5."

During the first half of 2012, we are going to concentrate on creating a solid line-up of online classes (for 2012 and beyond). Then, if all goes well, I will take a few months in late summer/early fall to work on the children's book I've been talking about for years (I'm pretty sure I'm going to self-publish this, as it won't be a "traditional" children's book!). Then I'll wrap up the year by helping to market the new books!

If anyone is interested in online classes, the best way to keep updated is to subscribe to my monthly newsletter. Just send me an email with "subscribe" in the subject line: carla@carlasonheim.com

Where can readers find you?  

Website: www.carlasonheim.com

Blog: www.carlasonheim.wordpress.com

Twitter: @carlasonheim

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/carlasonheim

Thanks so much, Carla!

Stained Glass Summer Available at Barnes and Noble

I feel very official now. STAINED GLASS SUMMER is available at Barnes and Noble as a Nook Book. Here is the link.

This is very exciting because it seems that many tweens and teens like the Nook–both color and regular Nook. A good friend of mine has a daughter with a Nook. She set up an account for her daughter at Barnes and Noble, and every time her daughter babysits or does other jobs for money, my friend and her husband deposit the money into the daughter's Barnes and Noble account. Then, the daughter can go in and buy the books she wants. But, at the same time, she is getting a lesson in money management and knowing how much things cost and how much she can spend. I think it's a pretty good idea!

STAINED GLASS SUMMER is also available at Amazon. And, if you don't have a Nook or Kindle or Ipad, you can find all the formats at Musa Publishing.

 

 

Books for Teens in Juvenile Detention

I am always on the look-out for books which I can share with the teens at Denney Juvenile Justice Center.  Although the teens are a captive audience, and read more than any other group of teens that I know, (books are great companions in small cells), the teens can also be a tough audience. So, the books I recommend for our workshops have to be relevant, honest, and gripping.

Sometimes I go months before I find anything which I can recommend, and other times I stumble on book after book to add to our list.  We don't always have funding for books, so I keep a running list of YA and memoirs, and, when we get grants, I put the books together in a themed collection. Some of our themes have included:  truth and lies, addiction, and teen romance.

Once we get the grants, I teach a week-long writing workshop where we read YA and memoirs. We integrate the reading with our writing. I can always tell a big difference in the teen's poems when we are reading novels in verse!

I usually am able to buy three or four copies of about five different titles for each theme.  So, not every kid reads the same book. It's more like literature circles used to be when I taught middle school. This variety in titles is important because the kids come in with widely different levels of reading as well as interests. I work with both boys and girls, and their reading interest also differs.

You can see a full listing of the YA's and Memoirs on the Denney Poetry Blog here.

Recently, I've read four great books which I'm adding to my list for the teens.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. This is a powerful story about grief and loss.  Thirteen-year-old Conner wakes up to find a monster at his bedroom window. The monster appears at the same time as his Mother starts her treatments for cancer.  He has a Father who lives far away and doesn't want him to be a part of his new family, and a Grandmother who is grieving the loss of her daughter.  The monster walks with Conner through his stages of grief over his Mother. There is an extremely poignant scene where the monster takes over, and together, he and Conner destroy his Grandmother's living room. It's this scene which nailed my choice in bringing it to the kids at Denney.  Anger is a powerful emotion—expressed or unexpressed, and I felt this scene went to the heart of what anger looks like in grief.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King.  The story opens with the death of Vera's next door neighbor and childhood best friend, Charlie.  It is told in various points of view between Vera, Vera's Father, Charlie, and the pagoda on top of town. (Yes. The setting gets a voice). Vera's main goal is to remain private and keep a low profile—something her family encourages as over the years, they've all turned a deaf ear to the abuse next door at Charlie's house. But, this time, Vera won't be able to remain silent as she is called upon to clear Charlie's name for a crime he did not commit. I chose this story for the teens in detention because it's a good one about the things we "don't discuss," and how keeping secrets impacts many lives.  This story was a 2011 Printz Award Honor book. http://www.ala.org/yalsa/printz

Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker. This story is about Lacey Anne Byer who lives in a small town and is part of an Evangelical Church.  She is cast in the leading role of her church's annual Hell House, but when Ty comes to town, she begins to question what she has always believed about life, religion and herself.  This is a powerful story about seeing things in shades of grey, and questioning what we've always been taught. I chose this story for the teens in detention because of its ability for us to discuss the role religion plays on labeling right or wrong of large issues such as teen drinking, teen pregnancy, and other "sins."

For a great review about Small Town Sinners, see the Stacked Blog Post here.

First Day on Earth by Cecil Castellucci. This is a story about Mal is the kind of kid that everyone at school writes-off. His Mother is alcoholic  and his Father left and is now busy with his new life and family and wants nothing to do with Mal.  Mal believes that he was abducted by aliens, and attends a support group for alien abductees. This is where he meets Hooper, who may or may not be an alien himself.  The story is told in sparse vignettes and some "chapters" are only a few sentences long. The sparse prose, family life, and theme of feeling like an outsider will appeal to the teens in detention, and is a good book for discussion.

Also, this month, in the School Library Journal, there was a great article about recommended books for teens in detention. You can see that list here.

Mentoring

I was reading the SCBWI Blog in early January and learned about Carrie Pearson's Blog. Every Monday, she hosts a Mentor Blog Series where she posts an interview with an author talking about mentoring.  This sounded like a fabulous idea! I contacted Carrie and she sent me the interview questions.

In the interview on Carrie's Blog, I talk about mentoring at-risk kids as well as a bit about one of my mentors.  The interview posted on Monday, and you can read the whole interview here.

Also, check out her blog post from Friday, January 13 where she talks about the habits of successful creatives.

Author Interview with Joanne C. Hillhouse

Today, I am very excited to interview Joanne C. Hillhouse about mentoring. I first learned about Joanne C Hillhouse on the Blurb is a Verb Blog. She wrote an excellent blog post about getting her work out there as a Caribbean author. You can read the Blurb is a Verb post here.

 

Photo Credit: Emile Hill

Joanne C. Hillhouse is the author of Oh Gad! –http://books.simonandschuster.com/Oh-Gad!/Joanne-C-Hillhouse/9781593093914 — a novel scheduled for publication in 2012. A University of the West Indies graduate and international fellowship recipient to the Breadloaf Writers Conference at Middlebury College in Vermont, Hillhouse also participated in the Caribbean Fiction Writers Summer Institute at the University of Miami. There she began work on her first book, The Boy from Willow Bend, which is on Antigua and Barbuda's schools' reading list. In addition to her second book, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight, Hillhouse has published in African, Caribbean, and American journals. She's been announced as the 2011 recipient of the David Hough Literary Prize by the Caribbean Writer and previously won a UNESCO Honour award for her contribution to the literary arts in Antigua and Barbuda. That contribution includes her Wadadli Youth Pen Prize project–  http://wadadlipen.wordpress.com Joanne C. Hillhouse is a freelance writer and editor. For more visit http://www.jhohadli.com

 

 Thanks for joining us today!  

 Who mentored you? How did you meet?

Along the way, I've had several people beginning with my parents, who've influenced the person I've become and helped my writing to grow. I'm hesitant about calling specific names as I don't want to overlook anyone. Plus, a mentor relationship I've found doesn't have to be a formal thing; the best ones aren't. It's about being open to what people have to teach you, even when they don't realize they are. I try to stay learning.

In terms of an 'official' mentor, during my time at the University of the West Indies, I was paired, under a pilot mentorship programme, with Jamaican poet Mervyn Morris, who was incidentally also instructor in my fiction writing course. I remember he took me to see several theatrical productions, fun and eye opening experiences; he gave me feedback on my writing at a time when, though not the first to give me feedback, I was still very shy about sharing; and notably planted the seed that resulted in me pursuing and earning a spot at the Caribbean Fiction Writers Summer Institute where I began work on what would become my first book, The Boy from Willow Bend. While we didn't maintain a friendship as such, the association with him was an invaluable part of my evolution as a writer.

What qualities did he/she have that made you want to be around him/her?

Like I said it's not one person, but those that I have connected with, the thing I suppose they have in common is that their knowledge well was deep; and I could count on them for honest feedback, with respect to my writing, that both challenged and motivated me. I don't mean to speak in the past tense because as I said I'm still learning.

What did you learn from the mentor relationship?

That you can survive criticism and live to write another day. Seriously, as far as my writing mentors go, once I worked up the nerve to share my work, they provided frank (sometimes too frank) and helpful feedback that helped my writing to grow once I could open myself to hearing it.

Also, when someone whose opinion you respect sees you and believes in your potential – and in the potential of your work – you believe in it a little bit more as well.

 

Writing Workshop Under the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize Banner

Do you mentor others?  If so, what have you learned by being a mentor?

It's reciprocal; you give and you get. A recentish example…I remember feeling a big grin form on my face and a big whoop storm up within me on receiving in the email a poem written by a girl I used to read to/with when she was much younger, at the Cushion Club, a kids reading club with which I've volunteered for several years. I didn't even know she wrote until then; and I remember feeling so proud and doing with her what others have done with me, offering frank assessment and encouragement. But that's just one example of how delightful it is to see them grow into themselves. I know I'm such a small part of their world but whenever I come across the kids whom I've had the opportunity to interact with through the Cushion Club, Wadadli Pen, the Great Young Minds art camp, or some other workshop activity, or even personal interaction and see them doing their thing, sometimes I can't help feeling like a proud mama – or big sister.

Then, of course, there are my own nieces and nephews who continue to teach me patience. I'm sometimes a slow student. Of course, they also remind me to joke, be inventive and be open to surprises.

Can you tell us a little bit about the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize? How did it come about?

Wadadli Pen was an idea I hatched after a hearing a speech which spoke of how little there was to encourage and support the literary arts in the Caribbean. It resonated with me as a young writer trying to believe in her dream. And it was kind of a 'what are you going to do about it?' moment. I recruited Gisele – a friend, professional associate, and mentor – and a youth publication to join with me in launching a writing competition in Antigua and Barbuda. The target group was young people, the only agenda was getting them to write and, because of so much of what we read in the Caribbean comes from outside, getting them to write from the internal space that is the Caribbean. Over the years, activities have included literary showcases, workshops, and publication and recording of the winning stories. There's interest in using Wadadli Pen to create a regional platform to encourage writing and once we can build the foundation, I'd definitely like to move in that direction. I want it to be the nursery for young writers that I didn't have. I also maintain the http://wadadlipen.wordpress.com blog to promote the competition and the literary arts (especially in the Caribbean) in general.

Author Signing for Antiqua Girls High School

Thanks so much! If you'd like to learn more about Joanne C. Hillhouse, please visit her website- http://www.jhohadli.com