Story Starter Ideas

I’ve had a couple people mention that although they want to participate in the Summer Writing Challenge, they don’t know what to write about. For those of you who are having trouble getting started, here’s a few ideas.

1. Pick your fairytale- It could be one of your favorites, a commonly ignored one, we’ll even accept folklore/mythology for this one.

2. Follow some of the below ideas to get started. You are welcome to use any/all of these ideas, but remember to make them your own! You don’t have to use them at all if you don’t want to, these are merely things to get your ideas flowing.

If you’re writing a poem for the contest:

1. Match your format to the piece you’re retelling

• Japanese mythology could be retold in haiku
• Retell Greek/Roman stories in epic format (though maybe not epic length…)

2. Use character voice

• Pick a character. Write how the story looks from their eyes. What do they see?

3. “Dr. Seuss” it!

• Put your favorite stories into a cute rhyming format

If you’re writing a short story:

1. Change the setting

• What if the story took place in a different time period?
• Would changing the location change the story?

2. Tell YOUR Version

• Unsatisfied with the way the story went? Rewrite it the way you want to!

3. Play “What if”?”

• What if Cinderella had been a boy?
• What if no on woke up Sleeping Beauty?
• What if Bluebeard’s wife hadn’t opened the door?
• What if Beauty hadn’t gone to the Beast’s castle?

4. Change the Point of View

• How did the Dwarfs really feel about Snow White leaving?
• What did the Frog Prince think about the princess?

5. Decide what happens next

• Is “happily ever after” really the end?

6. Mix them together

• How would your favorite characters react to each other’s stories?

Hopefully that gets some ideas going. In the next few days I’ll be posting a bunch of booklists you can also look to for inspiration… just in case you get stuck.

Good luck everyone!

Sunday News

Whew! It's been a long week. But it's been nice and cool here in sunny CA this week, and I finally got my hands on Harry Potter, so it hasn't been too bad.

On my blog round-up this afternoon, I happend to find this lovely post over at BookMoot. To those of you who've wondered where all the reviews on this blog have gone, go read this! This is so much my life right now. I simply haven't had time to review all the wonderful books I've read this summer. I'm hoping I might have a little more writing time once I start school next month. (I realize this seems a little contradictive, but I really do seem to have more time at school. Go figure.) I've been (dare I say it?) lax on my reviewing lately, but I promise to get better!

Also coming up soon as some idea starters for the Summer Writing Challenge. If you haven't yet, you should check out the prizes because they will be awesome.

And in other words, I just found out about Becoming Jane, a movie which was, apparently, released 2 days ago and I had absolutely no idea about. Anne Hathaway stars as Jane Austen in this one, from what I gather, it's supposed to be a bit of a biography. Has anyone else heard about this one? It took me completely by surprise!

That's all the news for now. Look out for those ideas coming later (maybe tonight)!

More Prizes added!

Guess what, lucky Summer Challenge Participants! I've added more prizes for you to pick from in the Prize Box. New selections include ARCs of:

Hex Education by Emily Gould
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
and
Sisters of Isis: The Summoning (Sisters of Isis #1) by Lynne Ewing

If you missed the prize post, that's listed here, and you can view the complete prize box here.

Prizes, Prizes, Prizes

I finally got my last prize package from Simon and Schuster in today's mail, so now I know what the prizes will be for the Summer Writing Challenge. Yay! I just love prizes!

Here's where they stand right now, but, you know, no one's signed up yet. Visit the first post for details on how to do so. Did I mention you can email me your entry too? Remember, if no one signs up, I can't give away these awesome prizes:

1st Place- 1 $10.00 Amazon.com Gift Certificate
2 picks from our Prize Box
1 Strawberry and Champange Massage Candle (great for reading in the bathtub!)

2nd Place- 1 $5.00 Amazon.com Gift Certificate
1 Pick from our Prize Box

3rd Place- 1 Pick from our Prize Box

Wondering what the Prize Box is? It's all the books I have just waiting to go home with a contest winner. You can click here to see what's currently available. Follow the links to amazon.com for more information about each book. There's some great stuff in there, including a few fairytale-inspired titles. 1st place will get first pick from the box, 2nd place gets second pick, and 3rd place gets third pick.

PLUS- The deadline has been extended! I stupidly stuck the deadline smack in the middle of my annual move back to school, so I obviously won't be doing much posting. :-) Now your entry must be in by September 21st, and judging will commense afterwards.

Contest News!

Congrats to Safia, who won July's contest. Send me an email at shadyglade (at) mail.com with your address, and I'll get your prize in the mail.

There will be no book contest for August, to make way for the Summer Writing Challenge. Now is the time to get started on your entry, I know you can do it! One short poem or short story, and you're in.

I'm in the process of finalizing prizes right now, but I can tell you they will be cool. You still need to sign up by posting your entry (or emailing it to the address above) so hop to it!

As always, email your questions. And make sure you help spread the word, the more participants, the better!

Harry Potter? Not yet...

So I haven't even started Deathly Hallows yet. We picked it up on Saturday (for $18.00 at Costco) but I haven't started reading. My reasons? Rather than try to beat my brother and dad off of it at the same time, I'm simply waiting until they are done reading. Then it's all MINE!

Meanwhile, I've been using my Potter-free time to catch up on some other reading. Make sure you check out the new writing contest if you haven't already, as I'll be gathering up some lists of great fairy tale books you can gain inspiration from. I've had one person email me to tell me they are participating, but no one's linked yet. So help spread the word!

New Contest- You Gotta Check This Out!

Hello everyone! It’s time for a new contest. The idea for this one popped into my head a week ago today, so it’s only fitting that the details be posted right here, right now, on its anniversary. (Well, sort of…) So without further ado, here’s your new That’s right. This one is for all you creative writers out there. Come one, come all, and participate in this summer’s creative writing challenge. So what’s this contest all about anyway? Well, I’m glad you asked.

Yes, there is a prompt: You have until September to create and submit a short story or poem that retells/revamps your favorite fairy tale(s).

Interested? You should be, because this is going to be great. Plus, you get to help choose the winners! Read on for more information.

Rules
Let’s just get these over with, shall we? Every contest has them, and they’re a necessity in this case.

1. Entry- Your entry must contain these details:

• It must be either a short story or a poem. Length doesn’t matter, but try to keep it reasonably short. Now is not a good time to write your debut novel.
• It must somehow encompass a fairy tale (or multiple fairy tales) in some way. You can retell the story from another character’s point of view, change the events of the story, create a different setting; the possibilities are endless. Just make sure you’re not just re-typing something we already know.
• Your submission must include a title, and a note somewhere (either at the beginning or end) that tells what fairytale(s) you based your work on.
• Please keep entries PG-13. Preferably PG, as this is a relatively kid-friendly site. Anything inappropriate will be disqualified.
• Submit your post to Mr. Linky below before the deadline to be eligible to win. Only post the DIRECT link to your entry, as these links will be used to judge your submission. If you've never used Mr. Linky before, check out this post on how to use it.
• After you have submitted your work to Mr. Linky below, leave me a comment on this post letting me know you have done so. Before you leave your comment, see note for Prizes below.
• After the deadline has passed, a poll will be created to allow visitors to vote for their favorite entries. The entries with the most votes wins, although there may be a few extra surprise prizes thrown in. More details about this when the deadline gets closer.

Questions? Drop me an email, and I’ll do my best to clarify.

2. Deadline- You must submit your entry by September 28, 2007 at midnight (MST) *Edit: It's been extended!* in order to be eligible for prizes. Bloggers can submit using Mr. Linky below. Make sure it is a direct post! Non-bloggers who want to submit something can email their entries, and I will post them for judging. Chances of winning depend on how many entries we get.

3. Prizes-*EDIT*- Prizes have been posted here. Not entirely sure what these will be yet. But there will be prizes. When you leave a comment stating you’ve submitted your entry, I also welcome suggestions for prizes. Would you like amazon.com gift certificates? Book packages of published retold fairy tales (like Sarah Beth Durst’s Into the Wild, for example)? Or maybe a body care gift basket? I’m open for anything! If I can get some more funds from my amazon associates links, then I might be able to afford more. I will post details about prizes as soon as I know for sure.

4. Eligibility- Anyone in the US or Canada can enter, whether or not you have a blog (actually, anyone who lives anywhere can enter, but I may have to modify prizes if you're outside the US or CA). Participants under 13 must have a parent’s permission in order to post their work. The Shady Glade does not allow/condone/approve of information stealing of any kind! Anyone who is caught doing so will be disqualified. Use your own work PLEASE!

Please Help
Now I’ve got you all excited, what can you do to help? Well, here’s just a few suggestions:

• Participate! Only those who enter can win, so what are you waiting for?
• Spread the word. Tell your friends, your classmates, your parents, even your enemies (unless you don’t want them to win…that would be bad). You are more than welcome to use the graphic above in your blog entries, sidebars, websites, etc. linking back to this post. Even if you don’t plan on participating (or if you don't plan on posting your entry for a long time), please consider posting the news of the contest anyway. We want to make this as successful as possible, and there may even be a prize to the person who gets the most participates to join.
• As always, if you have something to donate, please let me know.

Got any other ideas? Just let me know!

That’s it for now. Keep checking back for news as it comes in. I may be setting up a review list for other retold fairy tales, doing additional bonus contests, posting my own entry (ineligible, of course) and more. You never know. So let the challenge begin!

YAHOO!

OMG! Guess what I found out? Tomorrow night, I will be spending the evening watching a private screening of Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix! That's a whole day before it even comes out! I can't believe it. Look at me, I'm so excited I actually resorted to using "OMG."

Give you more details tomorrow after the movie. ;-)

Harry Potter Quotes

Miss Erin has been posting a Harry-quote-a-day to celebrate the countdown to the new HP book. So I thought it would be fun to jump in with one of my own all-time favorite Harry quotes:

"Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?" said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. "You should have said something, we had no idea."
"Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it," said the other twin. "Once--"
"Or twice--"
"A minute--"
"All summer--"
"Oh, shut up," said Percy the Prefect.

Gotta love the twins... :-)

June Winner & more news!

Okay, so I know this post is a day late, but things have been a little crazy with the holiday coming up. :-) So without further ado....

The winner of June's contest, and the copy of A Circle of Three is Mary Lee from A Year of Reading. Congrats! Her entry stated that her favorite kind of summer reading was catch-up reading. I couldn't agree more. There is no better time to get caught up on those excellent books you've missed out on because of busy schedules.

For those of you who didn't win, why not try entering July's contest for a second chance? Details can be found here.

Also, stay tuned for a super-huge announcement in the next few days. I've decided to start my own summer challenge, and this will be one you'll want to see!

That's all for now. Happy 4th everyone!

July Contest!

Congrats to everyone who submitted to last month's contest. And now, for something new! This month's prize is an ARC copy of by The Perfect Distanceby Kim Ablon Whitney. If you'd like to know what's what with this month's prize, you can check out my friend Kim's review over at YABC.

To enter send an email to shadyglade@mail.com with the subject line: JULY 2007 CONTEST, by July 30th, 2007. Please include your name, your country, a valid email address and the answer to this question:

What is your favorite animal and why?

One (1) lucky winner will be selected from all entries involved. Remember, answers DO count!

You can read offical rules here, but they boil down to this: Open to all US and Canada residents, entries must be recieved by deadline and have all required parts to qualify. Anyone under 13 needs a parent's permission to participate. Please don't try to find legal loopholes in my contest rules, because I am a poor college student with no money, and you won't get anything if you try and come after me! :-) Any questions can reach me by email, or by posting a comment below. Good luck everyone!

*REMINDER* I've now got prizes lined up for a few contests, but I still need entries. Please email me if you have something you'd like to donate, even if it's just a single copy of a new/near new book. Thank you!

Library Meme

I found this meme on Becky's Book Reviews several days ago, but and I just couldn't resist.

1. How old were you when you got your first library card?
Let's see, I was in first grade, so I was... seven? Maybe six. THat card lasted me until I was ten, when I had to get a new one because the old had been worn out from too much use.

2. What's the first book you can remember reading from a library?
The first I can remember was the American Girls book. You know, Kirsten, Felicity, Samantha, and Molly. Anyway, I know I got tons of picture books from the library before that, but I don't really remember them.

3. Did you ever participate in a summer reading program or other kids' event at a library growing up?
Yup. All the time. One year, I was the only kid my age that finished all 50 books for the summer reading event.

4. Do you remember when card catalogues weren't computerized?
No. But I do remember when the card catalog was on a computer that's screen would only be black and yellow.

5. When was the last time you went to the library?
Honestly, it was yesterday.

6. How many books do you usually check out of the library at one time?
At least 4, usually about 8 or so, maybe more, depending on how many requests I have to pick up.

7. Name one great author you've discovered at your library.
Only one? Most new authors I discover at the library, becuase I usually don't buy a book by a new author until I've tried their work at the library first.

8. What was the librarian at your elementary school like?
I don't remember. Our school hardly ever let us visit the school library. We could only go with our whole class, and even then the teachers usually checked things out for us.

9. How many times a year do you go to the library?
A year? Um..... probably at least 60 times, since I usually go once a week. No idea.

10. If you could change on thing about your library, what would it be and why?
My library has selection issues, so I would like to change that. For a while they were doing an Inter-library loan program, which was awesome becuase we could get all sorts of books our library didn't have. But then they discontinued it, because our branch of libraries was getting way more stuff from the other two particpating libraries than vice versa. Which you think would have given our purchasing librarians a clue. But no, they still insist on buying 50 more copies of a book they already have than spending that same money on buying new books not already in the system. Yes, they have a suggestion for purchases form, but it takes (I kid you not) about a year for them to get to your request.

Reminder: June Contest

Just a reminder to sign up for our June 2007 contest. You have until Midnight PST on Saturday (June 30th) to qualify. See details at the original post here.



Good luck to everyone! Winners should be announced by July 2nd at the latest.

Another Challenge- Summer Reading

Yes, I found another one. Inksplasher has decided to help us occupy ourselves while we antcipate the return of the Fall Reading Challenge. It's just one more thing to keep me reading unitl Katrina at Callpidder Days is ready to start the Fall 2007 Challenge. So without further ado, here's my list (which is probably starting to look at little familar, since it has some of the books I didn't finish for spring on it)...

Series Books
The Magic Medallion (Cynthia's Attic) by Mary Cunningham
Night Shade (Daughters of the Moon #3) by Lynne Ewing
Secret Scroll (Daughters of the Moon #4) by Lynne Ewing
Missing Persons #1: Rose Queen by M. E. Rabb (Already Reading)
Rani in the Mermaid Lagoon by Lisa Papademetriou (Already Reading)
Vidia and the Fairy Crown by Laura Driscoll
In the Realm of the Never Fairies: The Secret World of Pixie Hollow by Monique Peterson
Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace by Mary Janice Davidson and Anthony Alongi

Eldest (Inheritance, Book 2) by Christopher Paolini (Already Reading)

Down the Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mysteryby Peter Abrahams

Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow #1: The Coming Storm by Rob Kidd (Already Reading)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow #2: The Siren Song by Rob Kidd

Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow #3: The Pirate Chase by Rob Kidd

Grail Quest #1: The Camelot Spellby Laura Anne Gilman
Don't Know Where, Don't Know When by Annette Laing

The Dark Dreamweaver (The Remin Chronicles) by Nick Ruth

Song of the Wanderer (The Unicorn Chronicles, Book 2)by Bruce Coville

Bras & Broomsticks (Bras & Broomsticks Trilogy) by Sarah Mlynowski

Don't Die, Dragonfly (Seer)by Linda Joy Singleton

The Lost Colony (Artemis Fowl, Book 5) by Eoin Colfer

Ninth Key (The Mediator, Book 2) by Meg Cabot

Kung Fu Klutz And Karate Cool 1 (Manga Chapters) by Mark Seidenberg

Everything Else
A Matter of Profit by Hilari Bell

The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker
The Legend of Lady Ilena by Patricia Malone
May Bird and the Ever After by Jodi Lynn Anderson
My Alien Penfriend by Faiz Kermani
My Lady, Pocahontas by Kathleen V. Kudlinski
The Vampire Hunters Stalked by William Hill
Water Shaper by Laura Williams McCaffrey
The Whispering Road by Livi Michael
The Wizard Test by Hilari Bell

Ingo by Helen Dunmore

Drawing a Blank: Or How I Tried to Solve a Mystery, End a Feud, and Land the Girl of My Dreamsby Daniel Ehrenhaft

Fairyopolis by Cicely Mary Barker

Staying Lateby Helga Vern
The Walton Street Tycoons by Jim Lesczynski
Toaster Pond by Peter de Witt

Teen Idol by Meg Cabot (Already Reading)

How to Be Popular by Meg Cabot

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter

Visit the Shady Glade Store for more recommended reads, movies, music and more!

Today's random subject is....

The random subject for today is Spy Gadgets! Wahoo! Okay, I know it’s a weird topic, but my brother made me watch the new Alex Rider movie last night, and it got me to thinking. Some of gadgets are cool, but they’re so…. boy-ish. What’s an average girl spy to use? :-) So I came up with these ideas:

Lipgloss- two-sided of course. One side has the perfect lipgloss, the other, a liquid that will eat through any substance.

Keychain- one that can pick any lock, of course.

Bracelet- complete with software to record/listen in on any conversation.

Minicomputer*- activated when you touch one of your earrings. The screen goes across your eyes like a see-through visor. Also good for scanning/computing.

Calculator- doubles as a communicator.

Smoke-bomb- one that you can actually leave behind without losing one of your cool gadgets. Disposable, in other words.

Anyway, that’s about all I came up with at this point. If you’ve got any cool ideas, let me know in the comments!

*Okay, so I stole this idea from an old anime cartoon I loved as a kid. Bonus points if you can guess which one correctly….

No Worries Here

Attention all audience members

Though it got mad at me because I've used the word "kill" somehow, somewhere in my blog at somepoint. Ppph. I'm all for keeping it clean, but don't you think that's taking it out of context just a bit?

Thanks to Heather for the link.

Harry Potter Tag

This was just too fun! Thanks to Miss Erin for the tag.

1. Butterbeer or pumpkin juice?

Pumpkin juice. I would hope it would taste like Pumpkin Pie. Plus, I really like juice.

2. What House would you most likely (or want to) be in in Hogwarts?

I would want to be in Gryffindor, but I would probably end up in Ravenclaw. I'm just too good at school stuff, and I am a chicken at heart. I have no backbone...

3. If you were an animagus, what animal would you turn into?

A cat. Or a unicorn. But probably a cat.

4. What character do you empathize with, or resemble best?

Which HP Kid Are You?

Yeah, I'm a know-it-all. I admit it. Besides who else could I be when I read so much? :-)

5. What position do you play at Quidditch?

Anything but Keeper. I'd be hopeless. Though come to think of it, I'm horribly unobservant as well, so I probably wouldn't be a very good Seeker either.

6. Which teacher is your favorite?

Professor McGonagal. But I really like Lupin too. And Lockheart's just too fun to read about.

7. Any Harry Potter 7 predictions?

Snape redeems himself though I'm not sure how at this point. He'd better anyway, or I'll hunt him down with a pointed stick for killing Dumbledore! (Yes, I am aware he's a fictional character and my hunt wouldn't be very sucessful....)

I tag Shelia, Kim, and Jocelyn, and anyone else who hasn't done this fun post yet!

My Favorites: Dealing with Dragons

I’ve decided to start a feature where I review some of my absolute favorite books. These are usually ones that have been out for awhile, and most people have heard of them. This is my chance to convince you just what you’re missing if you don’t read these. So first up, here’s

Dealing with Dragons: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Book One by Patricia C. Wrede

Cimorene isn’t your normal princess. In fact, she doesn’t look, talk, or behave like any normal self-respecting princess. So when Cimorene runs away and volunteers to be a dragon’s princess, it’s not completely unexpected. Well, for the reader anyway. But Cimorene’s parents refuse to believe anyone would choose to be a dragon’s princess.

But Cimorene has much more important things to think about than her parents. She’s too busy cooking Cherries Jubilee, sorting treasure, and learning the history of the dragons from her new dragon friend, Kazul. So when knights start showing up to “rescue” her, Cimorene is more than a little annoyed. Little does she know, things are about to get a lot more interesting, and pesky knights are the least of her problems!

For those of you who read this blog regularly, you know how much I adore retold fairy tales. This book turns them all on their heads! Think of every stereotype possible in traditional fairytales and be prepared to toss them all out the window while reading this one. In addition to the great new perspective caused by breaking these stereotypes, this book has the perfect blend of humor, adventure, and just enough suspense to keep you going. Everyone I’ve ever recommend this book to LOVES it, and it’s been one of my favorites for many years.

Shady Glade Rating: 10/10 (Were you really surprised?)

Read the continuation of Cimorene’s adventures in the rest of the series:
Searching for Dragons: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Book Two
Calling on Dragons: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Book Three (my personal favorite of the series)
Talking to Dragons: The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Book Four

Visit the Shady Glade Store for these (and more) recommended reads, movies, music and more!