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Why I Write
 When I write, I draw on my experiences as a woman with a painful past, a rapturous wife and mother, a world traveler, and a spiritualist. For me, writing is an art form. Like an artist, the work becomes more than I imagined it would be. When I set out to write a story with a particular idea or character in mind, words I cannot claim as my own flow from a magical and mysterious place through me and onto paper. The work takes on a life of its own; it is living art. The process fascinates me, satiates me, and makes my life more meaningful.
Please read my stories! If you would like to offer me feedback on my work, please click here and sign up for a free membership: https://heftynicki.Writing.com
I hope to see you there!
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Young Stars Shine Your Light Contest
  Welcome to this short story contest geared specifically to our young writers. It is a Rising Stars-sponsored activity that is OPEN TO ALL WDC members who are between the ages of twelve and eighteen.. This contest runs month-to-month, from the 10th to the last day of the month. The goal of this contest is to inspire young writers to strengthen their craft. To this end, every month a "mini creative writing lesson" is presented, and every entry will receive in-depth reviews from the contest judge(s) as well as from members of "Invalid Item"  with whom we have partnered for this project.       Prizes! First Place: 25K awardicon + 15,000 GPs Second Place: 10K awardicon + 10,000 GPs Third Place: 5,000 GPs  In the event there are less than five entries, only first place will be awarded. If there is not ample competition due to lack of entries, a round may be rolled into the next month. In this case, all entrants will be notified by email prior to the end of the month.Contest Rules On the tenth of the month a new round opens. Rising Stars are welcome to enter at that time. The contest is open for submissions to ALL WDC MEMBERS (who are 12-18 years old) for from the fifteenth of the month until thirty entries are received, or until the contest deadline at 11:59 p.m. (WDC time) on the last day of that month. One entry per member, per month. Single-author entries only! (In other words, if you worked on a story with a writing partner, the story is not eligible to compete in this contest.) Winners of one round are welcome to participate in subsequent rounds. We will except new and old short stories, as long as they were not awarded an awardicon prior to posting it in this forum. SHORT STORIES ONLY -- Chapters, essays, memoir/non-fiction, poetry are NOT eligible to compete.  Stories must not exceed 1500 words. Please include a word count in the document, at the end of your story. Stories without a word count will not be eligible for prizes. Your story must be rated, and the rating must not exceed 13+. Please post your entry in this forum using a bitem link to the item in your portfolio. If you are unsure how to create a bitem link, please click on the following:
Once you have posted your entry, you are free to edit it until the deadline. If you edit after the deadline your story will not be eligible for prizes. The Judges and Reviewers have been asked to follow certain guidelines when rating and reviewing contest entries. Contest participants are strongly encouraged to read these guidelines so they are aware of the criterion on which their stories will be judged. Please click on the link below:
      Round Eight: February 10 - March 31, 2010 Please Remember:~CLOSED FOR JUDGING~ ______________________________________________________________________ There is NO Prompt! Post your entry by bitem link in this forum. We will accept old and new stories! Use the Mini Lesson below to be sure your story's setting descriptions are strong. Word count limit this round is 1500 words. Include a word count in your document, below the end of the story._________________________________________________________________ February/March Mini Creative Writing Lesson: Story Endings A story, like all "good things," must come to an end. The third element of plot, also known as Denouement, is as important to the story as the Beginning and the Middle . A good ending leaves the reader with a sense that the story has come to a logical, satisfying conclusion. Today, let's look at what an ending shouldn't do. By understanding what constitutes a weakly executed ending, you will be more likely to avoid these pitfalls in your own writing. A story ending SHOULDN'T: Leave Unanswered Questions - Regardless of the length of a story, be it flash fiction or a novel, the ending should tie up all the loose plot strings. All issues, minor or major, introduced in a story must serve a purpose and move the plot forward. By the end of the story, the reader should have answers to all questions posed in the narration and have learned how the character(s) cleared all their obstacles. Make the Reader Decide What Happened - You want your reader to feel satisfied by the outcome of the story. This doesn't mean you need to spoon-feed exactly what happens in a play-by-play commentary. Readers enjoy having enough information to imagine what happens next, beyond The End. What frustrates most readers is realizing the story has led them to a plot intersection, and the author has placed on their shoulders the burden of deciding how the story ends. Be Too Abrupt - Have you ever read a story that was chugging along at an enjoyable pace, and suddenly it was over? This usually happens when the climactic scene is pushed up against the ending, and the writer skipped right over the falling action. Authors need to be mindful of the pacing of events and manipulate the emotional impact each moment has on the reader. The reader should be left with the impression the ending was the natural conclusion to the story, the terrain that leveled out at the bottom of the hill, rather than feel like the plot had been pushed off a cliff. Be Too Long - Another pacing problem occurs when the time between the climactic scene and the story's end is too long. The story seems to fizzle out. All the excitement of earlier scenes is forgotten. If your ending is too long-winded, you risk boring your reader. Be Illogical - Your ending must make sense on two fronts, Plot and Character(s): Plot: Resolution of the central problem has to be achieved by means of a logical chain of events. Suspension of belief is sacrificed when the ending promotes a breakdown of cause and effect. The reader simply won't buy it. Characters: If during the story's ending, a character behaves in a way that is in direct contrast with his or her established personality, with no logical explanation for the shift in behavior, the reader is going to raise an eyebrow. The character, and the ending, will feel false and contrived.Be Too Predictable - Readers love a story with a twist. It doesn't have to be something earth-shattering. However, a creative ending that sheds new light on what the reader believed to be true will 'up' the entertainment factor of the whole story. On the other hand, if the reader has suspected a predictable ending since the rising action, s/he will feel let down, and the entire story will seem uninspired and weak. Have a "Night in Shining Armor" Save the Day - Readers want to feel emotionally invested in the main character's future. They embrace the hero or heroine, who is flawed with conflicts s/he must rise above in the course of the story. When readers have been rooting for the heroine, cheering her on through her struggles, they aren't going to appreciate someone else swooping in at the end of the story and saving the day. The ending you write is important to the overall success of your story. It will show how far your characters have come since the beginning and wrap up their story. A clever ending leaves your readers inspired, satisfied, and intrigued. And even the strongest writing will fall short on the reader's entertainment yardstick if the ending is weak. The following article is a must-read! Willie Meikle explains ten overdone, clichéd endings that he feels, (and I agree!), should be avoided at all costs: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1052992/short_story_tips_ten_endings_to... Any questions or concerns? Email me today NickiD89   Have Fun Be Creative Enjoy! Thank You Generous Donators!  GabriellaR45   NOVAcatmando  MDuci ~WhoMe???~ Kalyani Rao Coolhand Phoenix (2X!) Riot Mistress Mayhem (2X!) Keith (Dutch) Kuttner If you would like to make a donation to help fund the prizes for this worthwhile contest, please send gift points to:
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