Dreaming in yellow

Yesterday, I ate a banana and all I could think about was the short story I’m writing for the Martyn Godfrey Young Writers’ Award. The banana was a tad on the green side, but even at its ripest, it’s not quite canola yellow.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve been hanging out with Grandpa on his canola field – but until I started writing this short story, I didn’t realize how may different shades of yellow there are. And think of all the synonyms!

Banana

Chartreuse

Chiffon

Cream

Gold

Lemon (Oh yum, Grandma makes the best Lemon Meringue Pie!)

Saffron

The list seems to go on and on.

My Language Arts teacher told me that it’s important to pay attention to details whenever I’m writing anything, especially a short story, because that’s what will make it unique.

Well, I’m paying close attention all right. Everywhere I go, I see yellow. Bright yellow, pastel yellow, golden yellow… I didn’t know there was so much yellow!

If only I could look out my window and see canola yellow. But Grandpa says seeding doesn’t even start until late April or early May. And this year, there’s so much snow to melt, the seeds would freeze and never grow if they were planted too soon. So it may not be until the middle of May.

How’s your story coming? This weekend, I'll be posting some writing tips on this blog – maybe they'll help spark some ideas! Or…find me on Twitter and Facebook. I’m posting regular writing tips to keep myself motivated. Maybe it will help you, too!

See you next week.

- Chase Superman Duffy

I'm entering a writing contest!

Grandpa always says I’m one of the funniest kids he knows – and that’s saying something since my grandfather knows a lot of people in the community.

Grandpa also knows I like to write, so he told me about the Martyn Godrey Young Writers’ Award, where the grand prize is a trip to a summer writing camp called WordsWorth. I’m all over that.

I need to write a humourous short story, anywhere between 500 and 1500 words. But the best part is that the story must somehow include the colour yellow. Not just any yellow, but canola yellow.

When I look outside at all of the snow, it’s hard to imagine the colour of Grandpa’s canola field – so I’m going to do some research. My first stop will be the Alberta Canola Producers’ Commission website.

Can you imagine if I win the contest? Of all the entries, two young writers (you have to be in junior high school in Alberta) will be picked to win a trip to the camp, an author visit to his or her school, and a copy of the new book Fields of Home.

Want to enter the contest with me?

Read the official rules at the Young Alberta Book Society’s website and then check back here weekly. I’ll be posting writing tips, and some of the research I find on the colour yellow.

But hurry! The contest deadline is May 6, 2011 and the first 100 kids to enter will get a free Martyn Godfrey book – and something yellow.

Happy writing!

-    Chase Superman Duffy