General Writing - Deadline May 29, 2009

Send in your best work – poems, short stories, essays. Deadline: May 29. Publication: Week of June 8

Advertising Deadline: May 22, 2009

We are bombarded with ads in newspapers, on the radio, television, and on the internet. How does it affect you? How does it affect others? If you want, pick an advertisement that you find really annoying – or compelling – and write about it.

Video games - Deadline May 15, 2009

What video games do you play? Why do you like them? If you’ve stopped playing, or don’t play as much as you used to, tell us why.

Deadline: May 15.

Shopping - Deadline May 15, 2009

Admit it, you love it. Tell us why. Write a story about your favorite shopping expedition or thing you have bought.

Deadline: May 15

Farming - Deadline May 8, 2009

Do you farm? Have you ever worked on a farm? Visited one? Write about it.

Write about why farming is important to Vermont. Suggest a way that farms could be saved, if you'd like. Or write about a farming experience you've had or a farmer you know.

Deadline: May 8

General Writing Deadline: April 3, 2009

Send in your best work – poems, short stories, essays.

There were 20 of them! - Deadline April 10, 2009

"There were 20 of them!" Use these words in a story or poem.

Border crossings Deadline - April 10, 2009

Tell a story about a time when you crossed a border or some boundary – either real or metaphorical. You can also connect this to history and write something that relates directly or indirectly to the “border crossings” experienced during or after Samuel de Champlain’s exploration of the lake that now bears his name. Winning essays will receive a cash award and potential additional publication as part of the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial Project.

Memorable moment - Deadline April 24, 2009

Tell a story about a moment – a minute or a split second – in which something happened that you will always remember. It could be on the sports field, on stage or in the woods. Use detail. Tell us why it moved you so.

Humor - Deadline April 24, 2009

What’s the hardest thing to do? Tell a joke when you’re asked to tell a joke. What’s the second hardest thing to do? Write a funny story when you’re asked to write a funny story. But we want one. We want the story you told your friends that almost made them pee laughing. Or make something up. You know you’ve got one. And get in the right mood when you write it.

Neighbor’s view - Deadline May 1, 2009

How would your neighbors describe you in 100-200 words without using adjectives?

An object - May 1, 2009

Choose an object that is important to you. Describe it without telling what it is (except in a note at the end).

Lately I've been struggling with... Vermont Writes Day II

Use this story starter

Green Vermont Writes Day II

"I've never seen such a brilliant shade of green." Use this line in a story, poem, or verse.

Luck Vermont Writes Day II

Tell a story about one time you had good luck, or wish you had.

Africa - Deadline March 27, 2009

Write about what comes to mind when you hear the word, Africa.

Embarrassed - Deadline March 27, 2009

Write about your most embarrassing moment. What happened? Why was it embarrassing? How do you feel about it now?

Acceptance - Deadline March 20, 2009

Is it important to be accepted? Why? Tell a story about what you have done to try to get accepted that you now regret having done.

April Fools - Deadline March 20, 2009

Tell a story about the best April Fools joke you have ever played on someone – or write about one that someone played on you.

When I turned, it was gone... - Deadline March 13, 2009

When I turned, it was gone. Use those words in a story or poem

Being Green - Deadline March 13, 2009

What one thing have you done to reduce your use of fossil fuels? Or what one thing would you change to reduce our dependence on oil?

A Bedtime Story - Deadline March 6, 2009

Write a bedtime story that explains how something happened – how the grass became green, how cats lost their speech.

Waiting Rooms - Deadline March 6, 2009

Think about a time you sat in a waiting room and write about the people you observed there. Who were they with? What were they doing? Saying?

Last Line Poem-Deadline February 27, 2009

Choose a poem you really like. Use the last line to begin a new poem of your own.

The Number 9 -Deadline February 27, 2009

The number of lives a cat has, the number worn by an athlete or NASCAR driver, the name of a cloud or the number of judges who sit on the U. S. Supreme Court. Write about the number 9 and what it means to you.

First Encounters - Deadline Jan 30, 2009

Write about the first time you encountered something or someone new. You can also do this as a history project and write something that relates to the “first encounters” experienced when Samuel de Champlain came upon Lake Champlain 400 years ago.

Blue - Deadline January 30, 2009

Use this phrase in a story or a poem. I have never seen such a brilliant shade of blue.

That is so annoying - Deadline Feb 6, 2009

What really annoys you? Write about a moment or tell a story about a time when you felt annoyed. Deadline: Feb. 6. Publication: Week of Feb. 16 (north), Feb. 23 (south).

Lyrics - Deadline February 6, 2009

Create lyrics that could potentially be put to music. This is a special prompt with details to be announced on youngwritersproject.org in early November. The deadline will be early February. This prompt may have two special rewards – cash and an opportunity to work with a musician to create the song. We will be looking particularly for ballads, lyrics with a story about Vermont or Vermont history.