Lauri Meyers .

I'm coming down to the wire, but I couldn't miss Susanna Hill's annual Holiday Story Contest ! Rules: Write a  children’s holiday story  (children here defined as approximately age 12 and under) using the basic format/concept of  The Twelve Days Of Christmas !  Your story may be poetry or prose, silly or serious or sweet, religious or not, based on Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or whatever you celebrate, but is  not to exceed 300 words  (I know!  So much freedom after the Halloweensie Contest  )  (It can be as short as you like (the judges will be grateful  , you are welcome and encouraged to write shorter, but no more than 300!   Title not included  in word count.)  The field is wide open!  Have fun!  The more creative the better!  No illustration notes please.  Post :  Your entry should be posted on your blog between right now this very second and Monday December 12 at 11:59 PM EST. Without fu...

It's a BOOtifully dark and dreary day to write a Halloween story. Get on over to Susanna Hill's internet house to post yours or get spooked out reading the other entries! This is the sixth year for the contest and my fifth year entering...I'm feeling a bit nostalgic! From Susanna:  The Contest :  write a 100 word Halloween story appropriate for children (title not included in the 100 words , children here defined as 12 and under), using the words  spider ,  ghost ,  and  moon .    Your story can be scary, funny or anything in between, poetry or prose, but it will only count for the contest if it includes those 3 words and is 100 words (you can go under, but not over!)  Get it?  Hallo weensie  – because it’s not very long and it’s for little people   (And yes, I know 100 words is short but that’s part of the fun and the challenge!  We got nearly 150 fantastic entries last year so I know you can do it!)  Also,...

I’m headed to NJ SCBWI summer conference this weekend, well, today actually. I love this conference! It is like a party with all your best friends who share a love of writing. There are friendly agents to crush on and editors to share dinner with. There’s an ever-flowing fountain of coffee and just a bit of wine. And there’s the opportunity to network with total strangers. No matter how much I practice my pitch for the agent pitch, someone in the bagel line will ask,  “What are you working on?” This question always knocks me on my heels. I feel like the only thing I am working on is remembering to breathe. Uhh...I’m installing a butterfly garden in at my daughter’s school. I’ve been studying tree identification for a sign installation at the park. I painted a gigantic map of the US on the playground which was significantly harder than I imagined. I have a big Girl Scout beach party Monday. (Shoot, I forgot to buy cups!) I work on laundry a lot. These are the ...

If you are a SCBWI member, you can participate in the new Write This! monthly prompt. Here's the details: Write This! April Contest:  This month, you have 100 words to portray a scene where your character hears a suspicious noise coming from the closet. Create a mood. Surprise us! Deadline: April 20th Guidelines: You must be a current SCBWI member to submit to Write This! Entries must be inspired by the prompt in some way. Please no italics or bold fonts. 12 point text size. E-mail subject line must be titled as follows: Write This_First name_Last name. Each member may only submit one entry per prompt word. E-mail your entry IN THE BODY OF THE E-MAIL, please no attachments to:  scbwiwritethis@scbwi.org TIP: Tweet, Facebook and Instagram your submissions! #scbwiwritethis          (this is not how you submit your writing, it's just an extra way to promote your work) My entry for April is a poem I'...

I had to clean up this morning, but I'm rewarding myself with some writing! Some of you who are also have an aversion to cleaning may need this helpful lesson I put together.  How to Sweep the Dining Room Floor Step 1: Move the chairs out of the way to allow access to all the abandoned Rice Krispies and dropped noodles. Step 2: Build a chair fort Step 3: Sweep quickly because you are missing out on all the fun. Step 4: Help create the world's first Reading School for Bunnies.  Good luck with your Spring Cleaning!

Sweet Susanna Hill has a new contest for us!  The Contest :   Write a  Valentines story appropriate for children  (children here defined as ages 12 and under)  maximum 214 words  in which  someone is grumpy !  Your story can be  poetry or prose , sweet, funny, surprising or anything in between, but it will only count for the contest if it  includes someone grumpy  (can be the main character but doesn’t have to be) and is  214 words max  (get it? 2/14 for Valentines Day)  You can go under the word count but  not over ! Title is not included in the word count.   No illustration notes please! Here's my entry coming in at exactly 214 words. Happy Valentine's Day!  The Three Billy Goats Valentine's Gamble By Lauri C. Meyers Billy Goat, Baby Goat, and Mama Goat have valentines to deliver in the sweet green valley, but a hungry troll guards the bridge. “I have an idea,” Baby Goat sa...