Thursday, February 03, 2011

Calling All Writers Under Age 25

I'm so excited! I get to help judge a writers' contest on Stephanie Morrill's Go Teen Writers Blog. I fell in love with words by accident. My mother is also a writer. Being the oldest of her four children, she chose me to become her junior editor. I was ten years old and not too thrilled with the idea. Oh,I was so tough on her. I wrote things like, "Boring! Who cares?" on her typed pages. I always used a red marker.

But my heart beat a little faster as I read a sentence that seemed to shine. I drew a pink heart on her paper every time that happened. And something began to form inside me.

I learned a tiny bit about writing with heart.

Good writing moves me.It makes me cry, makes my heart sing, and causes me to pause and read every single word as slowly as possible.

I didn't began writing until after I turned 40. A year later, my first article was published. So many times I've said, "Thank you, God. You had a plan. I couldn't see it at the time, but You used my childhood editing for good."

So, with a heart that's still moved by beautiful words, I'm honored to help judge Stephanie's contest.

P.S. Anyone under 25 can enter.
P.S.S. Did anything in your childhood help prepare you for life?

Love,
Julie

8 comments:

emii said...

I know. It's like, you can just tell when the writing is beautiful and right and just fits. When I read a Christy Miller book, I always have to slow myself down, even though I know there's a good part coming up -- a part that makes me laugh, or a part that makes me cry, or a part that makes me remember.

I've always wondered how an author writes words that can bring you to tears. I think it might have something to do with, somehow, letting us become friends with the characters.

Julie Garmon said...

Yay, Sierra!! Cheering for you.

I love having to slow myself down when I'm reading, Emii. You're onto something--I think we writers must become BF's with our characters--such good friends that these people we write about are real!! I keep pictures of my characters all around my computer. Some days, I actually talk to them.

Ms. Blasé said...

When you start "calling all writers under age 40" let me know :-)

Julie Garmon said...

I'm smiling, Ms. Blase. What do you write?

Ms. Blasé said...

Hi Julie G.! I'm not sure if you were joking, but I'll put it out there anyway. I've written a couple of screenplays, several poems, and song lyrics. Then there's that blog thing I started recently...

What about yourself?

Julie Garmon said...

Yes, I was serious, Ms. Blase. Wow--you are a busy writer. That's so neat. I'm an inspirational nonfiction writer working hard at becoming a novelist. I write for Guideposts magazine, and have published with several other magazines. I blog weekly for Guideposts too. :-) Thanks for asking.

Ms. Blasé said...

WOW! Published! Mega-impressed!!! So far that's still just a dream for me, Julie. Keep up the excellent work!

All right, I'll go post on another entry now and stop hogging all the space on this page ;)

-Peace

Anonymous said...

How often do you judge the entries?