Are you writing this summer?

Something short and sweet -- something long and lyrical?

Something you'd care to share?

Because we are receiving entries for our 18th annual writing contest -- and we'd like yours to be one of them!

Details are HERE. You can win $1000 and publication of your story, poem or article. Why not give it a try?

Entries are coming in already. Join in the fun!

~kc

blogging at www.kcdyer.com

sweetly tweeting @kcdyer

Ahhh, summer. Grey skies, cool temperatures... oh, wait. Is that the sun I see poking out from behind the clouds? I think it just may be. Or it was, for a minute there. I know some of you are enjoying - or are perhaps even sick of - heat waves and early summers, but here in the Lower Mainland of BC, Mother Nature seems to be toying with us, teasing us with the possibility of summer sunshine and then laughing until she cries when we take off our raincoats. It's perfect writing weather, the sort where you don't really mind being inside looking at a computer screen.

Have you started working on your SiWC writing contest entry yet? The deadline is September 10, but you know how fast summer whizzes by, and that date will be here before you know it. Entries are already welcome, and quite a few have already arrived. Check out the details on our writing contest page : www.siwc.ca/contest/2010

Want to learn something this summer? Our friend Jocelyn at the SFU Summer Publishing Workshops tells me there's still space in many of their summer programs. Looking for a little education in July?  Why not check them out?  They have workshops on all sorts of topics, from romance to humour to thrillers to screenwriting to pitching, publishing, and getting along with an editor.

You can find more information here: http://www.ccsp.sfu.ca/pubworks

And don't forget about the Symposium on the Book where you'll hear from six renowned authors on the subject of writing humour. For the $75 fee you'll also get a copy of each author's book, available for immediate pick up and advance reading!

For more information, contact Suzanne Norman at pubworks@sfu.ca or 778-782-5241.

And, of course, SiWC registration continues all through the summer.

Wondering how to enter the SiWC writing contest? The guidelines for 2010 are up at http://www.siwc.ca/contest/2010 Check them out!

Our deadline this year is Friday, September 10, 2010, but no need to wait until the very last minute. With $1000 prizes in every category, why not use the time to explore a new genre as well as your favourite? Categories are poetry, storytellers, non-fiction, and writing for young people. September will be here before we know it, and we're already looking forward to reading your efforts. Happy writing!

So....it turns out I am a little behind...

This has been a Busy Year. 

Judging in the contest is a multi-stage process. Each entry is given multiple readings -- complete readings, from the first word to the last. And of course -- this takes time. Then the discussion starts, among all the members of the judging committee. A short list is formulated. Authors of the short listed pieces are notified...and the process continues.

This is where we find ourselves at this moment. As a matter of fact, shortlisted authors in the categories of Non-fiction and Writing for Young People have indeed been notified. [With a single exception that will be rectified this very evening.] 

The narrowing-down process is almost complete for the poetry category, and the Storyteller's Award is not far behind. By the end of this weekend, I'm hoping shortlisted authors in all four categories will be notified. 

Keep those fingers crossed! 

~kc

also blogging as leftwriter

sweetly tweeting @kcdyer & @siwc2009

...as the SiWC Writing Contest draws to a close for 2009.

It's apres midnight here in the Eastern Daylight Savings Zone, but two full hours and a few stray minutes remain in good old Pacific Daylight Time, so the last few entries needs must trickle in soonishly, or be relegated to next year.

Send those entries in!

Email is your only hope now...   contest@siwc.ca is the address. Once the last notes of midnight ring through, the race to judgement day begins!

~kc

also blogging as leftwriter

sweetly tweetly @kcdyer

You think Jack Bauer feels the pressure in his save-the-world-in-24-hours schtick?

Pah.

Let's give that man a taste of what the last 24 hours before the SiWC writing contest deadline and see how he copes. I bet he'd be crying like a little girl. 

I had to be off-line today to travel to the other side of the country. I opened my computer tonight to nearly 100 emails, most of which were contest-related.

You've got 24 hours, people. The contest closes tomorrow. Get your entries in! As long as the story is submitted under the wire, it's okay if your entry fee is a few days late.

The fastest way? Submit by email. Details are on the site at www.siwc.ca, but the gist is this:

• do NOT send story as an attachment. It won't be opened. Put the submission and your cover/contact info into the body of the email.
• submit to contest@siwc.ca
• send a cheque or money order for $15 / entry to the address listed on the site
• And poof! You'll be eligible for $4000+ in prizes.

While you're at it...I suggest you get yourself registered for our conference, if you haven't already. In the past couple of days, we've had more than 20 new registrations. At this rate, we'll be sold out before the conference.

Don't be disappointed! Register today! Details on the site at www.siwc.ca

In the next couple of days, I'll have more details for you about several new presenters we are bringing on board, and some info about our upcoming Road Show.

Planning to enter our writing contest? You need to get a move on!

Details are HERE.

The deadline is almost upon us... this Friday, September 4th, 2009. But fear not! You too can get your writing contest entry in by email!

Just submit it to contest@siwc.ca, drop your cheque in the mail, and all will be well.

But just in case it's a help, here are the answers to a few of the questions I've been fielding recently:

I've now got the results for the Storyteller's Award and the Poetry Award. Will be notifying the winners (if I can reach them!) tomorrow. The non-fiction judges are still judging away, and I expect results soon.

However, the judges for the Writing For Young people award are currently tormenting me by dangling the winners in front of me, just beyond my vision...

 ...kinda like what I am doing to you, dear readers, right at this moment.

 Karma's a bitch, eh?   =)

Winners will be publically announced on Friday, October 24th.

Until then, my pretties...we all wait.

~kc

Our contest closed at 4 pm -- did you get your entry in? Emails and hard copies poured over our transoms today -- if yours was one of them...best of luck!

~kc

also blogging as leftwriter

...and long-term favourite of this conference Diana Gabaldon just gave our Writing Contest a mention on her blog The Voyage of the Artemis. Diana and Jack Whyte got together several years ago to sponsor the fiction element of our writing contest, now called The Storyteller's Award. Not only do they sponsor this element of the contest, but they also judge the entries. We continue to be thrilled and honoured by their generosity to other writers -- a huge part of the spirit that keeps our conference alive from year to year.

Thank you to both Diana and Jack for their contributions -- and to our other roster of wonderful judges (Lois Peterson & Elizabeth Lyon for Non-fiction, Bernice Lever and Susan McCaslin for Poetry and Shelley Hrdlitschka for Writing for Young People) who ensure that the quality and judging in each of the four categories of our writing conference is held to the same high standard.

Have you sent in your writing contest entry yet? Check the website for details ...only 27 days to go!

~kc

also blogging as leftwriter