Storysmiths: Tassy Walden Awards

Once upon a time (a.k.a in the summer of 2006), a group of four friends (who happened to be related) decided to have a weekly gathering to consider and critique each others' work in children's and young adult fiction and to hone their skills through a variety of challenges and exercises. The results are often hilarious...and occasionally profound. The following examples are provided for your entertainment--please enjoy!
(To view entries by author or category, you can click on one of the labels to the left, about halfway down the page, or use the search box, also on the left above the labels.)

Showing posts with label Tassy Walden Awards. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

CONGRATULATIONS!

Well, our recognition list is getting longer and longer...
Nancy Langdale Hough was a finalist in the 2010 (10th annual!) Tassy Walden Awards for her (wonderful) middle grade novel, Wayfarers!
Congratulations!

Friday, May 1, 2009

Tassy Walden Winner 2009!

NEWS! NEWS! NEWS!
Congratulations to Storysmith FAITH HOUGH, winner of the 9th Annual, 2009 TASSY WALDEN AWARD for Middle Grade Novel, "The Art of Elsewhere"!

This is Faith's third year with the TASSY: In 2007 she was a finalist in Middle Grade for her debut novel, "The Bees' Hive". The 2008 TASSY named her finalist for "The Art of Elsewhere" in YA.

We at Storysmiths SALUTE YOU!
YAAAAAAAAAAY!

http://www.shorelinearts.org/tassywalden.cfm

The Challenges

3-minute-dash: Follow a writing prompt..as fast as you can. You have only three minutes to come up with something decent.
5-minute-dash: Like the 3-minute, with a little more meat.
10 (or more)-minute-dash: Like the 3- and 5-, with considerably more finesse.
Copycat Balder-dash: A selection from a chapter of a published book is chosen and read by one member. All the others are given a time limit (varies) to creatively continue the excerpt with their own writing. All passages, including the real McCoy, are read by the chooser, and writers vote on which they think is the real one. Occasionally, we rejoice in our genius. Generally we bemoan the fact that we still can't write as well as T. H. White...or Mark Twain...or Neil Gaiman.
Blurbs: Write the synopsis of a new story in the form of a dust-jacket blurb. Then write a first sentence or paragraph for that story.