by nk | Apr 7, 2012 | Creative Life
From Sadie’s Sketchbook Writing Contest
Calling all imaginative tellers of tales… Let Sadie’s adventures spark your own creativity. Draft a story, poem or essay of 500 words or less on one of the following topics for a chance to win a Kindle Fire!
Topics:
1. In Shades of Truth, Sadie’s best friend, Pippa, sends her a book of the Top Ten Reasons they’ll always be best friends. Write about one of your best friends in action. Why is she such a special person to you?
2. Sadie’s adventures begin with a move from California to Owl Creek, MI. Write about a move, either to a new home, a new school, or even a new team or group. What changes, challenges, and excitement did you encounter?
3. In Waves of Light, Sadie’s youth group puts on a play based on an original fairy tale that Penny, her youth group leader, wrote. Write your own fairy tale, using elements such as larger than life characters, a long-ago and far-away setting, and a problem that may at first seem impossible to overcome.
Prizes:
The grand prize winner will receive a Kindle Fire. The second place winner will receive a $100 VISA gift card. The third place winner will receive a $50 VISA gift card.
To Enter:
Mail your entry to From Sadie’s Sketchbook Writing Contest, c/o Sara Merritt, The Zondervan Corporation, 5300 Patterson, SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49530.
You can also enter online:
- Adults, over 13, can enter for young writers on my Facebook page, at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Naomi-Kinsman/243791448992512?sk=app_95936962634
- Additionally, you can enter online here: http://bit.ly/SadieWriting
All entries must be postmarked/dated between April 1, 2012 and June 1, 2012.
This contest is open to young people ages 9-16.
Please note: Entries not conforming to the above requirements will be automatically disqualified. Only one submission per entrant is permitted. Multiple entries are automatically disqualified, and only the first submission will be considered. View the official contest rules here.
by nk | Mar 7, 2012 | Creative Life
So, I decided to divulge a secret––most mornings, as I get ready to write, I play a game. You can learn more about it at #rollnwrite. The game warms up my mind and sparks creative ideas, but more importantly, by playing, I practice opening myself up for surprise. So much of the creative process is about saying YES to the new ideas that pop into our heads, particularly when they catch us by surprise. Still, there are so many reasons why we don’t want to say yes. For instance, that new idea might introduce a plot twist, or complication, or it may mean we have to rewrite many, many pages.
However, I’ve learned that when I say no to the surprises, my words start falling flat. They have no spark, no energy, no drive. Too many no’s and my creativity goes off in the corner to sulk.
Anyway, today, I rolled my dice, and I rolled “Character” and Question.” So, I decided to ask Sadie a question. What would she do for her 13th birthday party? She’d go waterskiing with her friends at Lake Tahoe. She’d have chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting and Reeses Pieces on top. She’d definitely want a candle to blow out, and she’d make a wish––to see her friends back in Owl Creek, MI soon. She’d give out party favors, probably sketchbooks and drawing pencils, hoping to entice her friends to draw along with her. And she’d ask her best friend, Pippa, to take lots of pictures so she could make a collage of the day later, and put it up on her bulletin board.
What would your character do on their next birthday?
by Naomi | Oct 24, 2011 | Creative Life
I finished Waves of Light, the third book in the Sadie series, this past Saturday.
Finish is a relative word when it comes to a book. Once I sort out the tangle of words and plot lines and character on my own, the work has only just begun. Fortunately, I have wonderful writer friends who first jump up and down to celebrate with me after I write “THE END,” and who then gently point out the rough patches that might still require a little work.
I took a risk writing Waves of Light. Instead of creating a rock-solid plot outline to begin, I decided to practice what I preach. I tried letting go a little, playing a little more. I used Scrivener, which allowed me to write scenes before I worried too much about putting them in order. Unplanned scenes popped up and surprised me. And the book is all the better for them.
But while I was writing, I kept thinking of the night I sailed on Lake Michigan in a fog. Every now and again, we’d see lights from another boat, or hear voices drifting toward us over the water, but we couldn’t see past the end of our hull. We sailed slowly, feeling our way through the night, as though we’d slipped into another world. I worried we wouldn’t find our way back, or we’d crash against the rocks, but I also felt oddly calm. I wasn’t in control. All I could do was listen, watch, be present, trust. My book was like this too. I couldn’t see the way forward, more than maybe one or two steps. The fog did finally lift late last week, and I saw the last few scenes. How delightful to be surprised. How amazing to let go enough to travel beyond my own comfortable landscape into new territory.
I can’t wait to share the story with you!
From Sadie’s Sketchbook Writing Contest