Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts

Tuesday, 7 August 2018

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas


Share Your Story
Writing Competition 2018

 

We are very proud to announce that you can be published in the Share Your Story Annual Anthology.

Please submit either a complete short story up to 1500 words (no first chapters or to be continueds…) or a poem of no more than 650 words. The theme is "Christmas" and our judges are looking for creative, engaging stories or poems that will appeal to children aged 5 to 12.

We would love you to celebrate the spirit of Christmas, share with us your Christmas story, your memories of Christmas as a child, or what Christmas means to you, or just make something up that kids will love.

You can enter as many times as you like and will receive feedback from the judges on your entry. All work must be original and school students are more than welcome to enter. 
The best entries will be included in an anthology entitled "It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas" to be launched in December, just in time to fill everyone's Christmas stockings and all published authors will receive the red (and green) carpet treatment. 
Entry Fee: $20 per entry
PayPal via the Enter Now button 
Direct Deposit Details on Request


Guidelines:

  • Entries open 9am 1st July 2018
  • Entries close 9pm 31st August 2018
  • Email your entry to Michelle Worthington at mworthington(dot)author(at)gmail(dot)com
  • Please include your name, address, contact phone number and title of your entry in the body of the email.
  • If you are under 18, please include your age, Grade and School name in the body of the email.
  • Attach your entry as a Word doc. Please include the title of your entry, your name and email address in the header of each page and page numbers in the footer.
  • International entries are welcome, but must be in English.
  • Don't include illustration notes.
  • If you are offered publication in the anthology, you must agree to have your work professionally edited if required, at no charge to you.
  • Authors retain full copyright on work.
  • The judges decision will be final. No sooking. Santa knows if you have been naughty or nice...
Pay by PayPal

Tuesday, 31 July 2018

Kids can write and publish their own books, with some help!

Is your child an Anne 'with an E'


Kids Can Create Books Workshops 
This workshop is for school aged children who have an idea for a story that they would like to publish.
Whether it is a picture book or longer story, kids can bring their ideas to life, giving style and colour to a story solely created by them.
Award winning international author of empowering picture books for children of all abilities, Michelle Worthington, will give aspiring authors and illustrators the information they need to decide what genre they would like to focus on, how they can create engaging stories and the process involved in publication.
You can find out more about Michelle at www.michelleworthington.com
Julieann Wallace, director of Lilly Pilly Publishing, will give real life examples of the children she has worked with to help them share their stories with the world. Visit www.lillypillypublishing.com for more information.
To get the most out of this workshop, children are required to have a project in mind they would like to work on so they get relevant and constructive feedback and can have their specific questions answered.
Bookings essential as places are limited. Parents are welcome to stay during the event, or take some time to read in the library while the workshop takes place, but we require all parents to stay on site.

For any further information, contact Michelle at mworthington.author@gmail.com




Date and Time

Location

Wynnum Library
145 Florence Street
Wynnum, QLD 4178


Monday, 21 August 2017

Is Work-Life Balance a Trap for Mothers?

Achieving a Work-Life Balance

Writing for me is more than a hobby. I want to make it my career and I am well on my way. I have just signed by 15th picture book contract and started my own company, Share Your Story, to help aspiring authors realise their dream of becoming published storytellers.

Achieving a work-life balance, providing for my family and setting a good example for our kids is above other things why I want to be successful. Balancing having the time and energy to look after my family and the time and energy to put into my passion is my top reason for wanting to achieve a work-life balance. When your goal is hard, and your dream is bigger than your comfort zone, can living a dream for someone else really be enough to keep you motivated? Is it so awful to want to achieve something just for yourself? Have we become so scared of being labelled 'selfish' and a 'bad mother' because we want to pursue a career that the term Work-Life Balance is something that is used when we are 'failing' to put our family first?  My kids love me and they want me to be happy, so does hubby. But, do they want the dream I have? Do they share my passion? The answer is no. Doing it for them is not enough. I have to do it for the love of working for myself. What other people think of me is a huge achievement-blocker that needs to be overcome because when my goal becomes difficult to reach, it will be easy to stop and justify failure by saying it didn't turn out to be the right thing for my family, that I didn't have a work-life balance and I will listen to the million reasons why I shouldn't keep trying. What if it was the right thing for me and I just gave in because it meant my family would have had to make some changes and sacrifices for me to achieve it? That is part of achieving a work-life balance, placing your passion as a priority and not always the other way around.

When I do achieve balance, true balance will come with the love and support of my family and a business that allows me to give them the time they need along with a wife and mother who is energised and successful with her chosen career. Work-life balance will something I have done for myself as well as my family and I will be proud of that.



Wednesday, 12 July 2017

Top Tips for How to Read to Kids Who Don't Like Books


We have all heard the age old mantra that children should be read to from birth and this is true, in an ideal world. There is such a thing as a child who simply doesn't want to be read to, who can't sit still long enough or has trouble processing words and pictures at the same time. These children need to be introduced differently to the world of books and progressively to reading, in their own time and on their own terms. Just because they don't have a natural affinity with books, doesn't mean they should miss out on the benefits of Sensory Storytelling.

My youngest son, Tom, was born at 28 weeks. He has recently been diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder. He doesn't play with other children, he doesn't watch TV and most of all, he doesn't read books. As a picture book author, not being able to share books with him just about breaks my heart. So, I have been working with him to find some age appropriate, sensory friendly ways to help him discover and embrace the magic of books.


Children who are not interested in books can be put off by many things, some seemingly more significant than others but all of them need to be acknowledged and addressed. Every child is different, but let’s take Tom for example. Firstly, the size of the book bothers him. Bigger is not always better. He will open the book to a page but won't allow or initiate page turning. Even at 18 months old, everything still goes in the mouth. He doesn't like being read to with the book in front of him, but will listen if I am behind and eventually come to me when he is ready. We have never had a successful bedtime storytelling session whereas with my older two boys, we read a book or ten together every night.



My best tip would be don’t attempt to try and read books to a disinterested child at bedtime. They are tired and cranky, and you might be too. Find a bedtime routine that works for them and run with it. Don’t feel guilty if you are not reading to them at night. The second tip is to keep it simple. Choose three books about subjects your child is familiar with and let them choose which one they would like you to read them. 



• Let them touch the book before you start reading.

• Establish a comfortable personal space 

• Be slow and deliberate in your movements, especially when turning the page and pointing to words

• Keep your voice low and calm, limiting expression to what is needed for understanding to begin with and then adding facial expressions and repetitive head movements.

• Look at the pictures in the book first before going back and reading the words if they are still interested. The pictures themselves will foster discussion and interaction.

• Allow fidgety behaviour and if the child is unable to sit still, stand up and walk around while reading.



This is a process and may have to be repeated many times before they become responsive to what you are trying to achieve. Don’t give up. The reward of parent-child bonding over a picture book story is more than worth the effort.

What ways do you have of engaging reluctant readers? I'd love to hear your tips.

Wednesday, 14 June 2017

Top 5 Tips for Building your Child's Vocabulary





Vocabulary is extremely important to a child's literacy development. especially if they struggle to communicate. Having a broader range and understanding of what words mean and do can help even the most reluctant reader and speaker into exploring the benefits of a wide knowledge of language. Most people make the mistake of thinking that reading to them and getting them to read aloud is the first place to start, but this is in fact the end goal. When children see the purpose and priority behind where words fit in their day to day lives, they are more responsive to engaging with literacy activities that foster a love of reading.



1. Use Rich Oral Language


Children learn to speak through listening to and engaging in talk. Young children whose parents use high level, rich, meaningful conversations when not only speaking to their children, but also speaking to each other, will give the best chance of absorbing a higher vocabulary and reading achievement.




2. Use Broader Concept Words


When talking about a particular subject, instead of trying to teach words individually, use groups of words in sets that are conceptually related. For example, when speaking about a farm, use words related to life on farm, different families of animals and how those concepts relate to their day to day life.







3. Introduce New Words


By relating new words to words that children already know helps to not only expand the word in context, but helps them find congruent ways to figure out the meaning of words. Use the word they already know, like 'funny' and then add a different word in the same sentence like 'hilarious' to introduce a new word. When this is encountered repeatedly and diversely through meaningful activities, conversations and texts, the new words become part of the child's world.



4. Make It Relatable


There are so many fun and engaging ways to draw attention to the words all around us. Playing with words through songs, humour and raising consciousness can be empowering for children. They can feel like they are developing a sense of understanding and power over the part of themselves that communicates with others which can be incredibly powerful.



5. Have Fun With Words


Words should be cherished, nurtured, celebrated and loved. If children can see how much fun you have playing around with words, they will be more motivated to take the initiative and seek out opportunities to engage with them throughout the day. When children are self motivated, they learn faster and foster a life long love of reading. Reading to them and having them reading aloud is most beneficial when they have achieved this level of understanding. Then the real fun begins...forming a lasting bond with your child through sensory storytelling and amazing, empowering, encouraging picture books.











If you have any other tips you would like to share, please don't hesitate to contact me.






Monday, 27 February 2017

Book Review - The Boy on the Page by Peter Carnavas

The Boy on the Page
By Peter Carnavas
Target 5-10 year olds


A small boy lands on the page and quite by accident, discovers the joy and wonder of life.

Book Review



As an author, I always find it a bit uncomfortable when I read a picture book and it lets me see inside the head of the person who wrote it. Looking into Peter's head through this amazingly beautiful book is mystifying and a little bit scary that one person can be so singularly talented in both words and pictures. New Frontier Publishing is known for releasing books that may seem too out of the box for mainstream companies and they should be applauded for encouraging Peter to spill his imagination all over the page in every book he creates. His books are creations. They are the types of books adults love as much as children, which  makes it easier to read again and again. A great read for kids who read more into a story than is actually written.



About Peter

Peter's first picture book, Jessica's Box, was published in 2008 and was shortlisted for the Queensland Permier's Literary Award, selected as a Notable Book by the CBCA and shortlisted for the 2009 Speech Pathology Book of the Year Award. It appeared recently on Play School. Peter was also shortlisted for the Crichton Award. His previous title, The Children Who Loved Books, has been selected for the 2013 Get Reading Campaign.




Other books by Peter

The Great Expedition
The Children who Loved Books
Sarah's Heavy Heart
Last Tree in the City
Jessica's Box

www.newfrontier.com.au



Saturday, 25 February 2017

My Brother Tom by Michelle Worthington at Mater Little Miracles Day in the Park



Please join us on Sunday February 26th, 2017, 9am - 4pm at Pelican Park, Clontarf in order to help raise money for Mater little Miracles in support of premature babies.

This event is open to the public. Please feel free to invite whomever you think might be interested :)

If you can't make it to the event and would still like to help out by donating, please check out our online donations page, which is set up through Mater:

https://give.everydayhero.com/au/candice-cassie-s-mater-little-miracles-day-in-the-park



We are planning a fun family day. There will be free entry and some free live entertainment.


I will be reading and signing copies of My Brother Tom, a book for older siblings of premature babies to help them understand and cope with a stressful time. I will also have my other books for sale with a portion of proceeds going to the event.

In fact, we have just confirmed we will have famous YouTube children's entertainer Debbie Doo flying up ...from Melbourne to perform throughout the day. What an incredible woman! The kids are going to go nuts :)

We will also have characters from your kids' favourite tv shows and movies making appearances, such as Marshall from Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig, Goku from Dragon Ball Z, and Superman.

There will be face painting, jumping castles, a petting zoo, crazy hair stand, disco tent, and a few other fun things for the kids, all for a $2-$5 donation each towards the charity.

We'll have a couple of professional photographers doing themed photoshoots for a great price. So bring your little ones down to capture some great pics, and donate to an amazing cause :)
We will have superheros, princesses, and pop stars themed shoots.

These shoots will need to be booked in, so please contact us for more details.

There will be food and market vendors there on the day so don't forget to bring some extra cash if you would like to do some shopping and eating. These vendors have made generous donations towards the charity in order to be at our event so we'd love to give them lots of business as thanks :)

Please invite your friends and join us for what will not only be a fun-filled day for the kids, but also helping towards an extremely worthy cause :)



Friday, 24 February 2017

Share Your Story Australia


Share Your Story Australia is for aspiring authors who would like to get published but don't know where to start. If you would like to learn from published authors and industry professionals as they share the story behind the story, book now for one of our meet up events. The journey towards publication is different for each of our guest speakers and they will be sharing tips, trials and triumphs in a series of talks and Q and A panels in our one day seminars or providing hands on, practical information in our workshops. If you have a story you are wanting to get published, come and hear from those who have been there, done that to learn what worked and what to avoid. We will also be showcasing the guest authors works and they would love to personally sign books for you on the day. You will also have the opportunity to share your story in an open mic session and get feeback from industry professionals. Topics we cover in our workshops and seminars include self publishing vs traditional publishing, the submission process, marketing, social media for authors and industry trends.


Join us on Meet Up: https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/Share-Your-Story-Australia/



Tuesday, 14 February 2017

LinkedIn Masterclass with Julie Mason


Businesses large or small that want more referrals, leads and sales with quality prospects and clients using LinkedIn have a powerful ally – Julie Mason. The highly-motivated businesswoman, keynote speaker and author loves nothing more than demystifying LinkedIn and sales strategy.

These days, Julie is known as ‘The Social Media Princess’ a name aptly bestowed upon her by her clients for her ability to make the confusing world of social media simple to understand and use, strategic, profitable and fun!

Through her coaching programs, speaking events and online webinars, Julie has helped and inspired thousands of people to make a significant difference in their business using social media and LinkedIn.

Julie is a passionate LinkedIn expert and specialises in creating strategies that promote your brand, enhance your reputation and generate big money leads for your business.
Julie’s message is simple – “With over 80% of B2B conversions coming from LinkedIn, can you afford not to use it correctly?”

Starting her first foray into cold-calling at the tender age of 5 years old, Julie was on a mission to raise money for the poor people through selling her crayola and paddle-pop stick masterpieces. She returned home to her shocked mother rattling her bag full of coins with great success! This was the start of Julie’s love affair with sales.

Julie has over 25 years experience in traditional sales and 15 years in door-to-door cold calling prior to discovering social media and starting to use those tools to build two successful businesses herself using the methods she now teaches others.

In the past 12 months Julie’s clients have generated over $1,000,000 using simple strategies that are proven to work. Whether to position yourself as an Authority in your niche or to generate quality leads and sales, Julie has a strategy that will be tailored for your business needs.
For more details, follow Julie on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/GuruJules/
Tea and Coffee Provided. Bookings essential.

The Colmslie Hotel
Wynnum Road
Brisbane, QLD 4170
Australia

Saturday, 22 April 2017 from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm (AEST)

Book Now https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/linkedin-masterclass-with-julie-mason-tickets-31020262440

                          



Monday, 21 November 2016

Goal Setting for Authors


Where are you now in your career as an author?
 
Outline your top 3 strengths and areas to determine where you are now.
 
Top 3 strengths:
 
1.
 
 
2.
 
 
3.
 
 
 
Top 3 areas for development:
 
1.
 
 
2.
 
 
3.
 
 
 
What drives you?

What are you passionate about?

What gives you that ‘whoo hoo’ moment during the day?
 
 
 
 
On the flip side, what do you want to avoid?

What’s the part about what you do that makes you not want to get out of bed in the morning?
 
Focus on ensuring:
  • Development goals are aligned to organisational strategy and needs; whilst supporting career aspirations; that they are clear and measurable.
  • Development goals should build skills that directly impact your capability to enable increased performance.
  •  Learning experiences and formal learning activities (if appropriate) are explored to support the achievement of goals.
  • A timetable for completion of activities and milestones during the development year
 

 
 
 
A good author development plan:
 
  • Focuses on the development of a few skills, balances the need to develop both strengths and development areas that are tied to performance goals
  • Has concrete action steps
  • Sets gradual, realistic, and achievable success measures.

Join us for the Share your Story Goal Setting for Authors workshop in March 2017. Join our MeetUp Group to be notified of the next workshop in your area.