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WRITE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE CONTEST
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The judges have announced our latest contest winners (below)!

The Writing Assignment:

Tips from Author Deborah Morris

Writing a true story can be quite a challenge. First, you have to FIND a story... you can't just make one up as you do with fiction. For many of you, that will mean thinking back to something that's actually happened to you; for others, it will mean "interviewing" your mom, dad, grandmother, friends, or maybe a teacher about something exciting that's happened to them. You might be surprised to find out how much fun that can be! Your story doesn't have to have a happy ending, but it does have to have some ending. Before you start writing, decide where you're going to start and end your story.

Here are some tips to help you include the story elements which are part of this assignment:

  • Main Character. A main character is a central person around whom your story will center. It might be you, or it might be someone else. Just remind yourself as you write: "This is _________________'s story!"

  • ONE Point of View (POV). This means that you're to tell your story through the eyes, ears, thoughts and feelings of your main character. It's harder than you might think to do this! If your main character is you, for instance, you won't be able to write about the THOUGHTS of somebody else. Remember, this is a true story, and you're not a mind-reader! Keep asking yourself, "Did my main character see, hear, smell, think, or feel this?" If the answer is no, you can't put it in your story.

  • Dialogue. This is where you have characters in your story talking to each other. ("Like this," she said. "When I talk, this is called dialogue. It's always enclosed in quotation marks.") It would be a good idea to look back over some of our previous contests to get tips about how to write realistic dialogue.

  • Exciting Action. Is ALL action exciting? No. Does non-exciting action, told in great detail, make for a boring story? Yes. Pick carefully which events you plan to include in your story, and make sure they're exciting or interesting. Look back over our previous contests for more tips about how to keep your action exciting.

The Winners!

FIRST PLACE Entry by Geoffrey Kuester, Age 12
 Geoffrey receives an award certificate, a $50 check, and an autographed Real Kids, Real Adventures book.

CHAOS IN GERMANY

"Inge!" said Fritz. "Are you ready?"
Fritz was my husband. "Almost!" I replied. We were taking a trip to visit my husband's parents and bring them food for Christmas. They lived in East Germany. We lived in West Germany, and we had no clue what lay ahead of us. It was Christmas Eve.
"Alright then, let's go!" Fritz said with excitement.
I was also very excited! But it was a long trip for our feet. Finally, all the destruction WWII [World War II] had caused had ended, and there was peace again in Europe and the Pacific.
We finally reached the border. This was the tricky part. There were high fences full of barbed wire and guards at outposts armed with semi-automatic rifles. The border dividing Germany in two, the border of East and West Germany.
We started maneuvering through the wire. Then a voice startled me. It pulled me out of my good thoughts.
"Hey! You!" It was a guard. "You are under arrest for attempting to cross the border!"
He took us to the streets and lined us up with other Germans who had attempted the same feat. They started marching us in the evening. After about an hour, I broke out in tears.
"Why is she crying?" asked an officer. I hated him. He was ignorant and the gun he was holding to my back was getting annoying.
"She is marching in the street with a gun to her back on Christmas Eve," my husband said with an unfamiliar tone. "I'm surprised I'm not crying!"
After marching us for two hours, they locked us in cold cells. They locked women in separate cells. I just sat and cried with all the other women who were caught. Then I heard a noise, and I saw a hand motion to the lock. I thought it was the guard, and we were all doomed. But, no! I recognized the face. Fritz! The lock clicked and the door opened. I almost fell into my husband's arms. Over his shoulder I noticed a guard smiling. He whispered, "Merry Christmas!"
In minutes we were off running to my in-laws' house. I will always remember that guard. He marched us, locked us up in separate cells, and then felt sorry for us and let us out when he could be thrown in prison for it.
Some German guards did have hearts.

(c)Copyright 1999 Geoffrey Kuester
All Rights Reserved

SECOND PLACE Winner: Jamie Holloman (Age 9)   Story Title: "Trapped!"
Jamie receives an award certificate and a $25 check.

THIRD PLACE Winners (Tied):
Patrick Brice V (Age 11)   Story Title: "The Beehive (A True Story)"
Liza Shoenfeld (Age 12)   Story Title: "Mexico"
Patrick and Liza each receive an award certificate and a $10 check.
HONORABLE MENTION: Courtney Rypien (Age 9)   Story Title: "Angels Up Above"
Courtney receives an award certificate.

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