Contest! | Cathy C. Hall Writes

Remember the old Irish Spring ads where the very handsome Gaelic lad and lass are discussing the merits of this fine soap? That it’s strong and keeps perspiration odors at bay? And then the lass says, “Strong, yes, but I like it, too!”

That’s the way I feel about this contest. Imagine me as a fetching Southern lass, talking to a group of teens about all the books they can read if they check out the monthly contest at teenreads.com. And then one of the teens (we’ll say a girl because girls always think they know everything. I know because I’m a girl) says to me:

“These books have teen protagonists and youthful angst-driven plots. They’re for teens!”

At which point I fetchingly reply, “Teens, yes. But I like them, too!”

If you’re writing for teens, it’s a good idea to read what teens are reading. The monthly Grab Bag of Books Contest at teenreads.com is a cool way to win the books. And after you finish reading them, you can give them to a teen!

Which is more than I can say for a used bar of soap.

Now, who doesn’t like money for writing? But you can’t get something for nothing if you want to win one of the SCBWI Work-in-Progress grants. You’re going to have to apply.

Here’s how it works. Let’s say you’re working like a dog on your latest manuscript, and you could really use a little financial help whilst working. Let’s say you need to make a trip for research. Or maybe you need to make a retreat for uninterrupted writing time. Honestly, maybe you’d just like grocery money. You can use the grant money for whatever your need is.

And there are different categories of grants, with main winners and runners-up. Your chances of winning a grant (as long as you’re an associate or full member of SCBWI) are good. But you can improve your chances by working just as hard on that grant as you do your work-in-progress. Check your spelling, write complete sentences, present yourself professionally. Make SCBWI want to throw that money at you!

That’s why I’m mentioning it now. Go check out all the details here and start working on the application. You have a full two months to make everything spiffy! On the other hand, you only have a few days to make your children’s poetry spiffy.

But you can do it! Check out my post over at the Hall of Fame regarding several poetry contests. I think every contest had a category for children’s verse. If you have a wonderful poem, hanging about collecting cyber-dust, polish it off and send it out. The entry fees are so reasonable, you can’t afford to pass this opportunity up.

‘Cause you know…who doesn’t like money for writing?!