Ready, Set, WRITE!

I like to blog. I like to send emails. I like to do Facebook updates. I even like to compose letters in my head that I would send to famous people about great injustices that I think have been committed, and how they could (and should) be made right. (Mostly, these are in the form of scathing rebuttals to my congressman about the trite and pandering general communiques he sends out. Sometimes they are also letters to food companies about their insistence on including calories in their otherwise-perfect desserts.) In short, I love to write.

I know most people do not feel the same way, and that's ok. Except, well... it isn't. I'm an English teacher. It is our goal in life (there are whole fraternities and international organizations devoted to it) is to encourage people to communicate, and to communicate well. Yes, I admit that I sometimes get hung up on being an eagle-eyed punctuation Nazi, but what I most love about reading and responding to people's writing is getting a chance to know what and how they think. That, ultimately, is the goal of writing. It is an act akin to opening up your brain and letting people probe about its inner reaches. 'Cause, here's the thing - there is a story inside each of us. No one experiences the world exactly like you do. No one has the same history as you, input as you, understanding as you, or insight as you. Who you are, what you know, and how you live your life is spectacularly unique! Kudos to you.

Now - share it with the world! Today is the perfect day to start translating that magnificent life inside your head, outside your head - so that everyone can enjoy it. Go on - spit it out, already! If you love art, do art. If you love music, do music. If you love dance, do dance. Don't know what you love? Well - maybe you should give writing a try. Really - it's not hard to do. You don't have to start well, or follow a format, or punctuate and spell correctly. Just sit down and see what comes out of you. I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised, and that will encourage you to continue. At the very least, you will be putting to use the skills some dedicated English teacher taught you, thereby making him/her very happy. Come on - if you don't want to tell your story for my sake, or your own sake, do it for the English teachers!

Ok - maybe that didn't do it for you, and you need more of a buy-in to get you started. How about this - I challenge you to join me (and hundreds-of-thousands of others) who are participating in National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo is a chance to spew forth the stories within you with reckless abandon. The ultimate goal is the completion of a 50,000 word novel by 11:59:59 on 11/30. There are no winners or losers. No one gets a prize at the end. The rules are whatever you make them. No one has to read your novel but you. You are only competing with yourself, and your own desire to share your story with the world. It's free, easy, and good for your brain. Best of all, there isn't a single calorie involved!

What are you waiting for!?  I'm already 740 words into my novel - Duckworth For Congress. It's all about intrigue, mystery, romance, politics, and space invaders. At least, it might be. I haven't decided yet. Guess we'll see where the next 29 days and 49,260 words takes me. It would really do this English teacher's heart some good to know that she had inspired someone to pursue the act of artful communication. So, check it out - and be sure to leave me a comment about how you are choosing to share your story with the world. Ready, set - WRITE!

http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Help a Girl Out?

You may recall that I have a history of pleading and begging for help when I enter contests with ridiculously big prizes, and ridiculously-low odds of winning. I don't know what it is that compels me to do such things, except that I really love a challenge, and I am an eternal optimist. Well, that - and the fact that I've been incredibly blessed with supportive, encouraging, willing participants in my big-dream schemes. (This is where you come in.)

Reader's Digest magazine has piqued my interest with a contest entitled "Your Life: The Reader's Digest Version." Compelling, no? Anyway - as you (my faithful readers) can attest, I'm nothing if not capable of writing on, and on, and on about my life. The gauntlet that RD has thrown down, though, strikes fear into my very soul: in this contest, you're only allowed 150 words. 150 words? Seriously!? That's like asking a knight of olde to go into battle armed with a butter knife and a pizza box shield.  I use more than that 150 words to order at a drive up window - and that's just when I want a snack. Hmmm...

After 1,549 edits, I have finally compiled an entry that I *hope* will be provocative, powerful, and popular. Better yet, it meets all the criteria, and I even finished with three words to spare. :) Wanna help make my dream come true, and my bank account $25,000 bigger? (Ohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohplease....)  Here's what you can do:

1.) Go to facebook.com/readersdigest. Click 'like' on the page, and proceed to the contest tab.
2.) From there, find my story! It's called 'Sunshine'. Or, you can search by author's name (Andrea Farrier). VOTE FOR ME!!!!
3.) Repeat daily between now and November 15th.
4.) Share this information with everyone you've ever met, and ask them to do the same.
5.) Savor the warm, fuzzy feeling of knowing how much I appreciate your help. :)

Only the top 100 vote earners will be considered for the grand prize. So, I've got to make sure my entry gets to (and stays in) the top 100.

Judging is based 35% on originality, 35% on adherence to the contest theme, and 30% on persuasiveness. The theme of the contest is to share a lesson, simple advice, funny moment or other story from your life.

The grand prize winner will receive $25,000 and be published in Reader's Digest. The top ten runners up (and the readers' choice winner with the most votes) will receive $2,500 and may be published in Reader's Digest.

Do you think we can do this thing? I think we can! I have faith in you and am grateful for every little vote. Ready? Set? Click!

Thanks everyone!!!!