![]() |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Join Young Willamette Writers...
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Meetings . . . |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
are held at the same time and place as the adult Willamette Writers. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Our next meeting... |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Corey Stixrud
Last Tuesday I relearned a valuable lesson about "knowing your audience." When I surveyed 20 Young Willamette Writers, asking (amongst other things) if they read this column before coming to our January meeting, I received the written equivalent of 20 blank stares: "No," "Nope," "Didn't know there was one," and my favorite: "Sometimes, but only if I'm out of things to do."
See, I had written the first two columns under the assumption that I was addressing the young people that attend the monthly meeting, when in fact my audience is really you, the general WW reader, or, even better, the parent of a potential YWW. (I know this because another one of the responses was: "Someone showed me the newsletter because they wondered if I'd want to come….which I did!) Lesson learned. Which is why I think it would be instructive and fun to educate you, the WW member, about our young writers, in their own words as gleaned from a selective look at the survey results. Why do you like to write? "I get to create my own worlds." "I have all these situations in my head and I just need to get them down on paper." "…because everything turns into a story for me." and, "I like writing because I like books. I like books because it unlocks a whole new world. I want to give other people that experience." What do you like to write? "Fantasy," "Fantasy," "Fantasy," (this stretches on FOREVER) "Realistic fiction," "Science fiction," "Poetry," "Romance," and finally, "Adventure, suspense, history, mystery, humor, and song lyrics!" What are your strengths as a writer? "Catching the reader by surprise," "I have a way with words," "Descriptiveness," "Intensely detailed action scenes," "Getting a good start," and "ending my stories." What would you like to improve on as a writer? "I'd like to improve wording, dialogue, and flow." "I would like to build up confidence to actually finish a book." "I need to bring the plot forward earlier in the story." "Editing. Ugh. I hate this process!" and "I don't know (not that I don't want to improve)." I assured them that their answers to that questions were pretty darn universal. What types of speakers would you be interested in inviting? "Published authors," "Songwriters," "Screenwriters," "Agents," "Publishers," "Playwrights," and "My mom!" A number of specific authors were also listed, including Erin Hunter, Rick Riordan, Suzanne Collins, J.K. Rowling (just in case you're reading this and interested, J.K) and, wonderfully, J.R.R. Tolkien (to which the young writer added, "If you have some pull in Hades.") So there you have it, a snapshot of your Young Willamette Writers. What I personally take from this survey is that we have a group of enthusiastic, talented, cheeky, and invested writers (who aren't reading the following very cool announcement, so be sure to let them know.) Next up: I'm excited to announce that our March 2nd guest is the extremely talented YA author Rosanne Parry. Her debut fiction book, Heart of a Shepherd is on numerous "best book" lists for 2009, including Kirkus, Horn Book Fanfare, and Washington Post. Don't miss this opportunity! ******************* Young Willamette Writers meets at the same time and place as the adult meeting: 6 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month at the Old Church (SW 11th and Clay). Our next meeting will be on February 2nd. Feel free to bring a friend. See you there! **************
During one of our classes, one student wrote the first line of a poem then passed their paper
to the next person who wrote the second line, and so forth around the room. The students wrote the poems quickly, drawing
on their instincts. Their poems are presented to honor their way with words. ************************
The Willamette Writers Kay Snow Writing Contest is free for students in grades 1-12. The purpose of this annual writing contest, named in honor of Willamette Writer's founder, Kay Snow, is to help writers reach professional goals in writing in a broad array of categories. The deadline for entries for the 2010 contest is April 23, 2010.
Tesca Fitzgerald, a YWW, accepts her award from Cynthia Whitcomb at the awards banquet at the 2009 WW conference for her entry,
How the Gettysburg Address Shaped America. Photo Frank DiMarco. The C Whitcomb Scholarship for High School Teachers and Students offers students and teachers a free day at the Willamette Writers Conference in August 2010. Enter the C. Whitcomb Conference Scholarship Contest by nominating your best writing student(s). If your student wins, so do you. You'll both be awarded a day at the Willamette Writers Conference, August 6-8, 2010 at the Airport Sheraton in Portland, OR.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||