First off, I'd like to thank the fabulous hosts, fellow librarian and kidlit Author Ciara O'Neal and Literary Agent Kaitlyn Sanchez for yet another amazing Kidlit opportunity to not only showcase our work but to just have fun with our community!
This has been such a terrific way to make friends, build relationships, and overall branch out with other writers. I speak for myself and my critique group partners when I say, we are all so grateful for events like these that help make this line of work even more enjoyable.
For most of us, writing can be very solitary work so fun events like these really add a breath of fresh air and get our creative juices flowing.
If you're not familiar with what the Spring Fling Kidlit Contest is, no worries! I'll be sure to include all the rules and details below.
So, what IS Spring Fling Kidlit?
Your challenge, should you accept it, is simple.
Find a gif and write a spring-inspired story. That's it!
Here are the official rules from Ciara's website:
1. Your story should be geared towards kids ages 12 or under.
2. Choose a gif to inspire your story. be sure to share where you found your wonderful gif. (The website or if you created it yourself!)
3. All gifs should be child appropriate and in no way be derogatory towards any faith, race, etc.
4. Now for the dreaded word count! You have 150 words. That’s it! No more but less is always welcome.
(Your title is not included in the word count.)
5. No illustration notes pretty please.
6. Your gif should be the only visual with your story.
7. The Spring Fling contest officially begins on Saturday April 1st and closes April 3rd, post your gif and story on your blog.
8. On April 1st, we will post a google form on this blog. (You can use the quicklink above titled "official rules" to get to the blog post.) Fill out the form, paste your blog website and story, and you my friend, will be entered!
9. Deadline for posting your story or the link to your story is April 3rd at 11:59pm CST.
10. Only one entry per contestant is permitted.
****If you don't have a blog, no worries, you can put your whole story on the google form. The form will open on April 1st. If you want others to read it too, feel free to post your story in the comments with the link to your gif.***
And that's it!
Now... the moment we've been waiting for; my entry for this year's 2023 Spring Kidlit Contest. This year I wanted to write a story that incorporated not only spring but sharing it with a beloved friend and who better to splash in puddles with than your dog?! So, without further ado, I give you my entry: WAKE UP, WORLD! IT'S SPRING!
Title: Wake up, World! It's Spring!
Written by: Chelsea DiCicco
Word Count: 121
Dewdrops dance on dainty petals.
Tweets and twitters fill the air.
This can only mean one thing…
“WAKE UP, WORLD! IT’S SPRING!”
Padding paws and racing feet.
Hurry, scurry; we can’t wait!
Nature’s calling- here we come!
“WAKE UP, WORLD! IT’S SPRING!”
Butterflies outstretch their wings.
Bees are buzzing off to work.
Mower’s roar, and flowers bloom.
"WAKE UP, WORLD! IT'S SPRING!"
Showers sprinkle in the sun.
Puddles are for everyone!
Happy slappy splashy feet.
"WAKE UP, WORLD! IT'S SPRING!"
Wagging tails and cheerful eyes.
Dirty paws and sun-kissed skin.
Shaking, quaking, laughs and barks.
"WAKE UP, WORLD! IT'S SPRING!"
Hoots and chatters fill the night.
Evening stars pierce the sky.
Look! There goes a firefly.
"Rest up, world. It's Spring."
This GIF was created by Chelsea DiCicco (me) on Canva for the purpose of being used for my 2023 entry for the Spring Fling Kidlit Contest.
Wow, wow, wow. What a year! I made a few posts on my social media accounts, but I wanted to share them here on my blog for anyone who may have missed the updates.
Here goes...
Whew. So that was my "sappy and a little cheesy" post. At the beginning of 2022, I decided I wanted to make a collage to help remember the journey. I think sometimes as writers we can feel a little bogged down or lost at times. Rejections can be disheartening. Waiting can be difficult. And let's face it, we all feel discouraged sometimes. So, I wanted to make sure that this year I wrote down all my accomplishments and saved them. That way, whenever I was having a day that I was dealing with imposter syndrome, I could go and look at my list of happy moments and achievements. Every step counts!
So, if you are a writer, pre-published or currently published, I encourage you to do the same! This made me feel so good and I wanted to share it with you.
Also, if you have done something like this or have a positive comment or achievement you reached this year, I would love to hear about it in the comments below! Feel free to link your website or social media as well so that others can take a peek.
I think the one thing that has truly benefited me more than anything this entire year is finding my writing community and fully emersing myself in it. It makes such a difference to have friends who can encourage you and understand what you're going through on this journey. We all learn and grow from eachother, so please please share anything you'd like below! I would love to hear from you.
P.S. Another thing I did this year that I heard from another writer in a conference, and I loved the idea so much, was I got myself a jar and labeled it "positive comments" and every time someone told me something positive about my writing, I wrote it down and placed it in the jar. That helped pick me up and motivate me so much throughout the year! If you can, I suggest doing this too!
And now, without further ado, *drum rolllllllll* Chelsea's 2022 stats and inspirational photo collage of tiny victories!
My 2022 stats:
Groups joined: 6
Conferences/workshops/webinars attended: 9
Events participated in: 21
Books written: 28
Revisions made: 63
Critiques given: 64
Submissions/queries sent: 55
Wonderful connections made: too many to count!
#writingcommunity #2022 #progress #endofyear
January-Februar
March-April
may-june
july-august
september-october
november-december
Moral of the story: "It's not the destination, it's the journey."
Enjoy your journey! Celebrate every small victory! Learn from every small setback.
And KEEP. ON. WRITING!
ARE YOU NEW TO WRITING?
If you are new to writing and looking for some great places to start making connections and building your craft, here is a list of just a *few* groups & events I recommend looking into.
Events & Contests
Zidlit Zombie WeekFall Writing FrenzyStorystormKidLitPitKidlit411
Groups & Community
Julie Hedlund's 12x12 Challenge (membership fee)
SCBWI (membership fee)
IBPA (membership fee)
Storyteller Academy (membership fee)
Children's Book Academy (membership fee)
Remember, you don't have to join every group and participating doesn't always cost money. You can be a writer on a budget. Just make sure you stay active and find your community! Personally, my favorite group has been Julie Hedlund's 12x12 group. It's PACKED with resources, webinars, videoes, links to upcoming events *many contests that are free* and it's a great community! And it's where I met my amazing critique partners, who have been invaluable to my growth!
By the way... one of my amazing critique partners, Terri Clemmons, has her debut picture book coming out in Spring of 2024, Mara Hears in Style. You can find out more on her website.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you found this helpful! Don't forget to share your positive achievements below. Or, just some goals you might have for 2023!
