Entries close 30 July 2010, and first prize in each category is $50!
The poems will be judged by Australian writer, Katrina Germein. Visit her website for more information.
Get writing!
We came across this video of Stephen Michael King working in his studio. Watch him at work!
Do you want to write your own stories but you need a bit of help to get 
started? Or perhaps you want some tips to make your stories even better. How to Write Stories is a very helpful guide for any story writer!
Make sure your story has an attention-grabbing beginning, an entertaining middle and a satisfying ending (so your readers want to read right to the end). There’s also information about what sort of story to write (the ‘genre’), how to gather ideas for your stories, and tips about the setting and characters.
Have you ever had writer’s block? I really liked the use of a ‘never-never’ list to start your creative ideas flowing again – like ‘Never go through the green gate’ and ‘Never touch the red button.’ You decide what happens if someone does what they should never never do, and you’re sure to be off and writing again!
At the back of the book you’ll find a glossary where you can look up any ‘writer’s’ words you might not know.
How to Write Stories is one book in a set of ‘How to … ‘ writing-themed books. Other books in the series include How to Write Letters & Emails, How to Write Reports and How to Write Poems.
We found How to Write Stories at our local library – ask for it at your closest library or school library. Then get writing, and enter our current competition, or send your story to us and it might be published in Alphabet Soup magazine!
How to Write Stories by Celia Warren, QED Publishing, London, ISBN 978 1 84538 740 2
Read a review of Alphabet Soup magazine over at the Busy Mothers website.
The Tim Winton Award for Young Writers is a story-writing competition for children aged 5 to 18, living in the Perth metropolitan area (Western Australia).
Entries close 5pm on 31 May 2009. For details, and an entry form, go to the Subiaco Library website.
Get writing!
Write-a-Book-in-a-Day is a fundraiser by the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre and Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation.
Sponsored teams write a children’s book in a day, raising funds 40% for KSPWC and 60% for Children’s Hospitals in each Australian State. Additionally a copy of each finished book will be donated to the hospital library. Teams may compete from school, home, office, library, telecentre or elsewhere.
Write-a-Book-in-a-Day runs from April to the end of August and the teams of writers nominate their day to write a children’s book. (Teams will be given some details about the subject of the book they are to write.)
Teams of 5-10 people will obtain sponsorship (a minimum of $300 per team to enter) and will compete for awards in the following sections-
* Primary School – Minimum 2000 words
* Under 18 – minimum 4000 words
* 18 and over – minimum 8000 words
In addition there will be an award for the highest sponsorship.
A booklet containing rules, hints and judging criteria can be found at http://kspf.iinet.net.au/bookinaday/
We’re on the home stretch with issue 2 of Alphabet Soup – it will be out in mid-February! And we’ve finally put a sample of issue 1 on the website. So if you’d like a peek inside the magazine, go to www.alphabetsoup.net.au.
Today, while looking for information about Duncan Ball’s upcoming book My Sister Has a Big Black Beard, I stumbled upon Kerry Millard’s website.
It’s a fun, colourful site and has lots of her drawings and includes a blog.
It’s worth a visit!
alphabetsoup.net.au 