#HLS2017 Round 4 Results Complete, Sudden Catch Deadline: Mon. Dec 4 @11:59PM CST

Hello Anglers,

After a bubbly debate, the judges were able to narrow down finalists in each category but it was impossible to agree upon a clear winner based upon 250 words and one line. Therefore, the crew has decided to put our finalists up for the ultimate challenge: Sudden Catch! If your entry was selected for this round, you must now submit the first 2500 words of your work (if novel) or your complete ms (if PB) before the deadline listed in the headline of this post.

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#HLS2017 ROUND 4 OPEN until Sun 11/26/2017 @11:59 PM CST, New Anglers enter anytime

Existing Anglers who passed the last round, please read the Official Rules about how to make your next submission.

This round will close at the date and time (CENTRAL) listed in the title of this post.

New anglers can enter anytime as long as the entire challenge is still going, even if you miss this round. READ THE OFFICIAL RULES before you cast your first line! Failure to follow the rules could result in an automatic sinking of your ship.

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#HLS2017 – Hook, Line, & Sinker ROUND 3 Results Complete, New Anglers May Enter Anytime

Dear Anglers:

  • If your entry got the boot at 250 words, chances are, your passage did not make the cut when compared to other anglers with work in the same category. Think of it like the semi-finals before you go to the live show. In previous rounds, the judges looked at the work on its own, without comparison to other entries. But at 250 words, it starts to become more apparent to the fish which works are stronger than others.
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#HLS2017 – Hook, Line, & Sinker Writing Challenge ROUND 1 Results Complete

Hello Anglers,

Results are in! But first a few notes on how the fish made decisions:

  • If the entry was difficult to understand or confusing at first glance without some serious fish food for thought, your entry may have gotten the boot.
  • The fish did cut some entries a break for punctuation errors or minor awkwardness if the line held enough interest. But just know they won’t be so lenient if the first 125 words are riddled with clunkiness.
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#HLS2017 ROUND 2 OPEN until Wed 11/8/2017 @11:59 PM CST, New Anglers enter anytime

Existing Anglers who passed the last round, please read the Official Rules about how to make your next submission.

This round will close at the date and time (CENTRAL) listed in the title of this post.

New anglers can enter anytime as long as the entire challenge is still going, even if you miss this round. READ THE OFFICIAL RULES before you cast your first line! Failure to follow the rules could result in an automatic sinking of your ship.

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#HLS2017 – Hook, Line, & Sinker ROUND 1 OPEN until Wed 11/1/2017 @11:59 PM CST

BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING, read the Official Rules.

Once you’ve got that all figured out, cast your first line! Failure to follow the rules could result in an automatic sinking of your ship. Please make this easy for our skippers and deckhands!

Round 1 will close at the date and time (CENTRAL) listed in the title of this post.

New entrants can enter anytime though as long as the entire challenge is still going, even if you miss Round 1.

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Hook, Line, and Sinker Challenge Rules #HLS2017

PLEASE READ THE RULES IN FULL BEFORE SUBMITTING. FAILURE TO COMPLY MAY RESULT IN AUTOMATIC SINKING OF YOUR SHIP AND ALL OF ITS CREW MEMBERS.

The Hook, Line, and Sinker (HLS) Challenge is open to all (ages 18+). Eligible submissions must comes from your children’s or teen FICTION work (board books and early readers excluded) and should not already be published or under contract. Got it? NEW WORKS ONLY.

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9 of 9: Writing for Children and Teens: Theme and Content by Cynthea Liu

Today’s the day–my last vlog! Click below to learn more about Theme and Content.

In this video, Cynthea Liu discusses Theme and Content as it relates to multiple formats withing the children and teens genre.

Cynthea discusses:
1. What is theme and what to consider when it comes to your target format.
2. How do determine if content is appropriate for your format.

The Table of Contents for the video series:

1.

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8 of 9: Writing for Children and Teens: How to Fit Your Writing Style to Different Formats by Cynthea Liu

 

Today’s vlog post: How to Fit Your Writing Style to Different Formats!

In this video, Cynthea Liu goes over the main ideas when it comes to fitting an author’s writing style with different formats of children’s books.

Cynthea’s main points:
1. Examine comparables.
2. Use of dialogue and descriptive
3. Showing and Telling – when are things shown versus just told
4. Transitions from scene to scene.
5.

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