Finding Wonderland: The WritingYA Weblog (archive)

WRITERS WANTED: Many who previously wrote for such testing groups as McGraw-Hill CTB, but disliked signing away full writer's rights might be interested in New Leaders for New Schools, a national non-profit organization (501(c)(3)), founded on solid belief in children, academic excellence and achievement. New Leaders is seeking writers who can write clearly for children age 7-14. The topic needed are myriad:
Realistic Fiction: Up to date, engaging dialogue, interesting plot line, interesting but age appropriate vocabulary, sensitivity to economic and social diversity.
Historical Fiction: Accurate details relating to the time period.
Fables: The “lesson” or moral can be explicitly stated or implied. Often includes animals with human characteristics.
Folk Tales, Folk Lore, Legends, and Myths: Engaging dialogue, interesting plot line, interesting but age appropriate vocabulary, clear connection to genre
Fairy Tales and Fantasy: Engaging dialogue, interesting plot line, interesting but age appropriate vocabulary.
Rhyming Stories and Poetry: Well thought out word choices. Poems can be any style.
Non-Fiction Articles: A variety of high-interest subjects that lead the reader to new understandings. Science, History, Social Studies, Memoirs.
Biographies: Subjects who are not widely known and have made a significant contribution to society and include the historical and cultural context.
Speeches, Letters, and Other Genre: These can be about a variety of subjects, both fiction and non-fiction.
Directions To Perform A Task: Clear directions and purpose that children can relate to such as, how to condition a baseball glove, how to play a game popular in another country, how to make a craft. Original recipes are also welcome.

New Leaders for New Schools may not pay as much as testing companies, but keeping your rights and, especially for new writers, expanding that writer's résumé is a good thing -- and you know more that you can share with kids than you think. Check out their writer's guidelines and go for it.

CALL FOR ILLUSTRATORS: Via Book Moot comes the announcement that published children's illustrators are being asked to participate in the Robert's Snow fund raiser. Even if you're not an artist, there are ways you can participate.

CALLING ALL YA READERS A Wrung Sponge is currently creating a MG book list comprised of NEW books with "diversity that is not stereotypical; we have enough of the pregnant basketball playing teenagers living in single parent families in the ghetto, thank you." Thoughts? Head on over, s'il vous plait, et merci.

Every year, Writer's Digest has their Short Short Fiction contest... well, I daresay this six word contest would give most of us a run for our money. Try it and see!

Readers of high fantasy who enjoyed the Trilogy will enjoy hearing what this quirky Australian Author is working on now. Incidentally, you might also enjoy this author interview with Hilari Bell, one of the most thoughtful fantasy writers for YA I've appreciated. If you haven't read her books, check out a review or two, and then jump in.

Much like Shelf Talker's Alison Morris, I too am sort of going "meh" about the cover of the newest Potter book. Or maybe my "meh" could be translated as, "Yes, yes, let's just get ON with it already." Either way. Or, it could be that the whole thing just looks too much like somewhere we've all seen before!!! What IS IT with covers? I love the UK ADULT fiction cover, by the way... I will never understand publisher's book cover guidelines, never... (via Fuse# 8.)

Time's rolling on -- back to work.