Genealogy Submission

Anyone interested in recording family history can enter the 2014 Reminiscent Writing Contest. There is no entry fee. Any story that does not embarrass or harm anyone may be entered.

This year's theme is "That Old House". Entering a story into this contest helps you to create a family treasure for yourself and others.

Stories must be typed, double-spaced, and have no more than 1000 words or four pages. Use a cover sheet with your name, address, phone number, email address and the name of your story. Do NOT put your name on any pages of your story. You can turn in your story anytime on or before December 30, 2014.

The winner will be announced at the 2015 Reminiscent Reading Program. The first place winner will receive $25. All participants receive a copy of the book containing all of the stories.

For more information, call the SWLA Geanealogical and Historical Library (337) 721-7110. You can also email them gen@calcasieu.lib.la.us or visit www.calcasieulibrary.org You can also visit the library at 411 Pujo Street, Downtown Lake Charles.

Forgiveness Submission

The Power of Forgiveness -

Have you ever noticed how forgiving someone frees you to move on with your life? It can be a major decision though, especially if you feel you were seriously wronged. For the "New Year New You" 2015 season "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books plan to publish a book about the power of forgiveness. Let them know how forgiving someone changed your life. It can be something small like forgiving a rude driver who cut you off, or it can be something big like forgiving someone who caused a major negative event in your life. How did forgiving someone change your life in a positive way? Were you able to reestablish a relationship after forgiving? Did letting go of your hurt feelings heal you and bring you a sense of peace? Help others find the same resolution by sharing your story. The deadline date for story and poem submissions is June 30, 2014. You can learn more or submit at: http://www.chickensoup.com/story-submissions/submit-your-story 

Everyone

Everyone in the room heard the scream followed by the sound of shattering glass...

Everyone needs help sometime...


Try one of these writing prompts. Even if it's only a paragraph.

Feel free to share your creation in the comments below. Happy Writing everyone - have a great weekend!

Demonization

Generally the villain of a story represents the hero's fears and unlikeable, rejected qualities: all the things we don't like about ourselves and try to project onto other people. This form of projection is called demonization.

People in emotional crisis will sometimes project all their problems in a certain area onto another person or group who become the symbol of everything they hate and fear in themselves. In war and propaganda, the enemy becomes the inhuman devil, the "Dark Shadow" of the righteous, angelic image we are trying to maintain for ourselves. The Devil himself is God's shadow (opposite) a projection of all the negative and rejected potential of the Supreme Being.

Sometimes we need this projection and polarization in order to see an issue clearly. A system can stay in unhealthy imbalance for a long time if the conflicts are not categorized, polarized, and made to duke it out in some kind of dramatic confrontation. Usually the Shadow or villain can be brought out into the light. The unrecognized or rejected parts are acknowledged and made conscious despite all their struggling to remain in darkness. Dracula's abhorrence of sunlight is a symbol of the Shadow's desire to remain unexplored.

Villains can be looked at as the hero's Shadow in human form. No matter how alien the villain's values, in some way they are the dark reflection of the hero's own desires, magnified and distorted, her greatest fears come to life.

So, how can you make your own villain appear the complete opposite of your hero? Think of physical attributes as well as emotional, mental, and ethical reasoning.

Who are some of your favorite villains?

Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy

Fear and self-doubt are common enemies to success. Even our most admired mentors, or highly heralded entrepreneurs have encountered those issues. However, they learned to recognize, and overcome, those crippling anxieties.

"Somehow I can't believe there are many heights that can't be scaled by a person who knows the secret of making dreams come true. The special secret can be summarized in four C's. They are: curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of these is confidence." -Walt Disney

"Curiosity is lying in wait for every secret."  - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Confidence: “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.” - J.M. Barrie

 "A great deal of talent is lost to the world for want of a little courage." - Sidney Smith

 “The secret to success is constancy to purpose.”  - Benjamin Disraeli

Sometimes, it's difficult for us to prevail against our own trepidations. We may need a hand in bypassing the dread, panic, or downright terror that seizes us. The key is to realize we all experience those emotions, and instead of allowing them to control us, we need to surround ourselves with tools and people that will help us realize our full potential.

Be confident about yourself. Don't let naysayers erode your belief in yourself. Create a vision for your goals and remain true to them.

Brevity

The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.
                                             - Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson admired the beauty of brevity. He urged authors to remember that the goal in writing is to communicate an idea, not show how many words you know.

Strive for brevity in your own work. Write first. Then edit. Remove all the words you can live without and still tell your story. Does your piece still make sense? Are your ideas clearly communicated? Then, your editing works. You are "tightening your writing."

Tweeting is a good exercise in brevity. Just think how much information can be conveyed in 140 characters or less. Remember that when it's time to revise.

Always write with an open heart. Never limit yourself in the first draft. However, keep Jefferson's words present as you edit. After all, he helped write the Declaration of Independence, the document establishing the right to be an independent nation, using less than fourteen hundred wisely selected words!

Aroho, Autumn, and Amazon submissions

AROHO'S TO THE LIGHTHOUSE POETRY AND CLARISSA DALLOWAY PROSE PRIZEhttp://aroomofherownfoundation.org/awards/to-the-lighthouse-clarissa-dalloway/ --- NO ENTRY FEE. AROHO’s To the Lighthouse Poetry and Clarissa Dalloway “everything but poetry” Book Prizes are awarded annually to one woman’s excellent unpublished collection of poetry (48 to 96 pages) and prose (50,000 to 150,000 words), respectively. We encourage and enjoy a diverse range of topics and styles for both competitions. For the Clarissa Dalloway Book Prize, accepted genres include but are not limited to memoir, biography, novel or novella, young adult literature, and graphic novels. Winners receive $1000 and publication of their submitted collection by Red Hen Press. In addition, AROHO will provide promotional efforts and coverage of some related travel expenses, constituting an additional $1000 in value. Deadline April 1, 2014.

AUTUMN HOUSE LITERARY CONTESTS http://www.autumnhouse.org/contest-submissions/ --- $30 ENTRY FEE. Autumn House is accepting entries for its annual literary contests which award cash prizes in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. The Poetry Contest will award publication and $2,500 to the winner in each category. Deadline April 30, 2014.

Amazon Novel Contest, a novel writing contest for original, unpublished or self-published, fictional, English language manuscripts of any genre that is not offensive, pornography, publicity, indecent proposals, technical manuals or guides. Only accepting the first 10,000 entries.

Today is the first day in the "A to Z" blog challenge. There is very little time left to join. For more information, please click the badge at the top of the right column. Happy Writing!