The Fourth Of July Secret Mystery Writing Contest!
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| WHO ATE THE BLUEBERRIES???!!! |
The Contest: Write a children's story, in poetry or prose, maximum 400 words about the 4th of July in which a secret is revealed or a mystery is solved!
You may choose any 4th of July setting you like: country, city or small town, sleepaway camp or vacation, with family or friends or all alone, at a parade, a picnic, a fireworks show or a bonfire, in the middle of the woods or in a country where the locals don't celebrate 4th of July. Your secret or mystery doesn't have to be anything earth-shattering. It could be who took Granny's award-winning Fourth of July cherry pie? Or what did Robin tell Sarah who told Olivia who told Gracie about Anna in cabin 7? Or where did the flags for the parade disappear to? Or why doesn't Becky Sue want to go to the fireworks show? Or what Old Mrs. Hootenspiegal knows about the mayor! Just as long as a secret or mystery of some kind is revealed or solved by the end.
You may choose any 4th of July setting you like: country, city or small town, sleepaway camp or vacation, with family or friends or all alone, at a parade, a picnic, a fireworks show or a bonfire, in the middle of the woods or in a country where the locals don't celebrate 4th of July. Your secret or mystery doesn't have to be anything earth-shattering. It could be who took Granny's award-winning Fourth of July cherry pie? Or what did Robin tell Sarah who told Olivia who told Gracie about Anna in cabin 7? Or where did the flags for the parade disappear to? Or why doesn't Becky Sue want to go to the fireworks show? Or what Old Mrs. Hootenspiegal knows about the mayor! Just as long as a secret or mystery of some kind is revealed or solved by the end.
Post: Your entry should be posted on your blog between Monday July 1 at 12:01 AM EDT and Friday July 5 at 11:59 PM EDT, and your post-specific link should be added to the link list below which will remain up through Sunday July 7 (no Would You Read It on Wednesday July 3... and although the post will remain up through Sunday to give everyone plenty of time to read and enjoy, the entry list will be closed at midnight Friday so we have time to judge). If you don't have a blog but would like to enter, please copy and paste your entry into the comments on this post by midnight Friday July 5th. (If anyone has trouble commenting, which unfortunately happens, please email me and I'll post your entry for you!)
The Judging: My lovely assistant and I will narrow down the entrants to five (or possibly a couple more :)) finalists which will be posted here on Monday July 8 for you to vote on for a winner. The vote will be closed at 6 PM EDT on Thursday July 11 and the winner will be announced on Friday July 12.
The Prizes!: The first place winner will receive (I am not making this up!) a picture book manuscript critique from Simone Kaplan!!!!! Yes, THE Simone Kaplan!!! I wish I knew how to put that up in lights and make it all sparkly! :) Simone Kaplan has been editing children's books and magazines for over 20 years. She was an editor at Henry Holt and Company, and then a Senior Editor at HarperCollins. More recently she has worked as a consultant to various authors, illustrators, and publishing houses. She also runs a wonderful website called Picture Book People (where you can sign up for her free newsletter among other things.) A prize like this makes me wish I could compete in my own contest! :)
If we get more than 15 entries, we will place through 3rd. If we get more than 25 entires we will place through 5th. Additional prizes will include:
- a $50 Amazon gift certificate
- a picture book manuscript critique from yours truly (a $75 value)
- the writing craft book of your choice (up to $30 value)
- a place in Making Picture Book Magic (my online PB writing course) (a $99 value)
Here is my sample (and I will admit this was a REAL challenge for me! I've never tried writing a mystery before (as I'm sure you'll be able to tell!), so that was hard enough, but fitting it into 400 words nearly killed me! In fact, I didn't quite manage, but it was past my bedtime. I had to cut so much out to get it near the word count that I'm not sure it even makes sense anymore :) Be forewarned this may qualify as the worst story I've ever written - that's what happens when you over-schedule and write at the last minute! :)
Now then! That was quite spectacularly awful! So I hope it will fill you all with confidence, because I know you can all do better than that!
CAN'T WAIT to read your stories!!! Don't forget to add your post-specific links below, or copy and paste to the comment section! Look for Sidney, Sian, Pam, Michele, and Brianna's stories in the comments.
If we get more than 15 entries, we will place through 3rd. If we get more than 25 entires we will place through 5th. Additional prizes will include:
- a $50 Amazon gift certificate
- a picture book manuscript critique from yours truly (a $75 value)
- the writing craft book of your choice (up to $30 value)
- a place in Making Picture Book Magic (my online PB writing course) (a $99 value)
Here is my sample (and I will admit this was a REAL challenge for me! I've never tried writing a mystery before (as I'm sure you'll be able to tell!), so that was hard enough, but fitting it into 400 words nearly killed me! In fact, I didn't quite manage, but it was past my bedtime. I had to cut so much out to get it near the word count that I'm not sure it even makes sense anymore :) Be forewarned this may qualify as the worst story I've ever written - that's what happens when you over-schedule and write at the last minute! :)
The 4th Of July Parade
Lola longed to
lead the Crumb Creek 4th of July Parade.
But Granny
crashed her motorcycle and broke her arm, and it looked like there would be no
4th of July Pie this year.
“Never mind the
parade,” said Lola. “I’ll help you
bake.”
“Fiddlesticks!”
said Granny. “I can bake pie with one
hand tied behind my back!”
Lola gave her a
hug. “I’ll be your other hand right
after tryouts.”
“Knock their
socks off, Sugar-Pie!” said Granny.
At tryouts, the
boys hopped on YankeeDoodlePony one after another. Lola hated to admit it, but
they were pretty good riders.
When it was her
turn, Lola rode her best.
Afterwards George
said, “You won’t win.”
“I have just as
much chance as you,” said Lola.
Henry said,
“You’re too small.”
“I’m the right
size for YankeeDoodlePony,” said Lola.
Billy said,
“You’re not a boy. Yankee Doodle was a
boy.”
Lola had nothing
to say to that.
“This year, the
leader will be Lola!” announced Mayor Fluffbottom.
Billy had
nothing to say to that.
George stuck his
tongue out at Lola, but she was too happy to care.
“They picked me,
Granny!” Lola sang, rolling piecrust while Granny picked one-handed through
seventeen quarts of blueberries.
“I knew they
would!” said Granny.
By bedtime,
fifty pies cooled on the counters.
“How will you
get these to the Village Green without your motorcycle?” worried Lola.
“I’ll figure a
way,” said Granny. “Sweet dreams, Sugar-Pie. Big day tomorrow!”
In the morning
Lola raced to the barn.
“Hey!” said
Billy. “YankeeDoodlePony is gone!”
“What?” Lola
gasped.
George and Henry
smirked.
“What did you do
with him?” demanded Lola.
“Nothing!” the
boys insisted.
The parade
started in thirty minutes!
Lola had to find
YankeeDoodlePony!
“Help me look
for him!” she begged.
They searched
high and low, but YankeeDoodlePony was nowhere to be found.
Lola discovered
hoofprints and wheel tracks on the driveway.
“It looks like
someone drove a pony out here, but he’s long gone. I guess I won’t be leader after all,” Lola
said miserably.
Clip-clop-rattle-rattle.
YankeeDoodlePony
came down the road at a smart trot pulling a little cart. Granny drove one-handed!
“Sorry I’m late,
Sugar-Pie! Had to deliver the pies!”
Lola turned to
Billy, Henry and George. “I’m sorry I
thought you hid YankeeDoodlePony,” she said.
“That’s okay,”
said Billy.
Lola hopped aboard
YankeeDoodlePony
George handed
her the flag.
Then Lola rode
out to lead the 4th of July Parade.
She sat tall and
straight and proud.
YankeeDoodlePony
pricked his ears and pranced.
The American
flag waved its stars and stripes in the hot breeze.
The crowd along
the sidewalk cheered.
And afterwards,
there was 4th of July Pie for everyone!
Now then! That was quite spectacularly awful! So I hope it will fill you all with confidence, because I know you can all do better than that!
CAN'T WAIT to read your stories!!! Don't forget to add your post-specific links below, or copy and paste to the comment section! Look for Sidney, Sian, Pam, Michele, and Brianna's stories in the comments.
