Hello Call to Pens Contestants!

I am writing from the Office of Admissions at Patrick Henry College on behalf of the school and the Call to Pens competition to apologize for the inexcusable amount of time the contestants were made to wait in receiving word back on the results.

 Below you will find a letter of explanation and apology from one of our literature professors here at the school. Patrick Henry College does not officially run this writing contest, although from the way the website and Facebook page are crafted, it certainly seems as though we do. We understand the confusion and are deeply sorry for the way this was handled.We hope this will help shed some light on what went awry and explain the whole situation more fully. The Office of Admissions is now working to complete the competition and get the results out to you all.

The results of the contest will be forthcoming and each family and contestant will be contacted individually.

Here is the transcript of the letter:

"Dear Call to Pens Contestants and Parents Thereof,

I am writing to offer an apology for and a brief explanation of the unfortunate delay(s) in judging the Call to Pens submissions and in responding to inquiries made about the timeline and the judging process.  Perhaps I should first introduce myself, however.  My name is Dr. Cory Grewell.  I am an Associate Professor of Literature at Patrick Henry College, and I am also the faculty advisor for the student who is administrating the Call to Pens Competition, Sarah Armstrong.

First, I must echo the apologies of the College Admissions Department for the lack of response to inquiries from parents and contestants made since mid-May about the competition.  These should have been answered as promptly as possible.  I have reached out to Miss Armstrong about why they were not, though to date I have not yet received a response, so I cannot at this time provide a reason for the sudden disappearance of communication.

One thing I can do is provide a more clear explanation of what the Call to Pens Competition is and how it runs, which might temper some of your concerns about the integrity of education at Patrick Henry College.  It should be noted that the Call to Pens Competition is in its essence an independent student project.  The initiative was started by Peter Forbes (Literature ’09) while he was an undergraduate student here.  He came up with the idea of a short story competition, ran it through the college, and assembled a team of judges from among the college community to evaluate submissions in the first year of the competition.  Subsequent students have occasionally resurrected the competition for internship credit.  Miss Armstrong was one such student.  Under my oversight as a mentor, Sarah developed the theme, established the guidelines and prizes, and used the networking resources of PHC to solicit submissions.  She and I were in fairly regular contact through the end of the academic year, though the credit phase of Miss Armstrong’s internship ended in December ‘15. But as of our last contact in early spring, the judging team was assembled and the contest was due to be completed within a few days.  That it wouldn’t, and that communication had apparently stopped as of mid-May came as a great surprise to me when I learned of it this week.  I will say, as faculty advisor for Sarah’s internship, I should have kept myself more aware of the progress of the competition through its entire completion, and I apologize for not knowing what was transpiring during the summer.

Currently, our Admissions Office is working to make sure that the competition is brought to an expedient conclusion.  It is unfortunate that Miss Armstrong let communication lapse.  In her defense, I can tell you that this was something of an overwhelming spring for Sarah.  One of the distinctives of a PHC education, and something we are usually quite proud of, is how much we ask of our students and how much they accomplish.  Unfortunately, I think we may have asked too much of Sarah this spring, and as her advisor, I will personally accept the blame for not being proactive enough in providing her the support and oversight she needed to see all of her projects through to a prompt conclusion.  This does not excuse the lack of any communication, but perhaps when you imagine yourselves or your own children in the crunch of the end of a busy semester, you might be inclined towards a generous measure of grace towards Miss Armstrong herself.

In any event, it is my hope that the relative failure of this particular iteration of the Call to Pens competition will not reflect entirely negatively on the college as a whole.  I would stress again that the competition is a semi-independent student project, not an official initiative of the College.  I will also stress that we will all learn from this.  We will make good on seeing this Call to Pens competition set to right, and going forward, we will make sure that, provided the Lord puts it upon a Literature student to administrate the competition, we will provide her with adequate support and oversight to see it through expediently and thoroughly.

If you have any questions or further concerns, do feel free to email me at clgrewell@phc.edu.  I will answer your emails as quickly as I can.

Thank you and God bless,"

Dr. Cory Grewell

Associate Professor of Literature

Patrick Henry College

10 Patrick Henry Circle

Purcellville, VA  20132   

Hello Call to Pens Contestants!

I am writing from the Office of Admissions at Patrick Henry College on behalf of the school and the Call to Pens competition to apologize for the inexcusable amount of time the contestants were made to wait in receiving word back on the results.

 Below you will find a letter of explanation and apology from one of our literature professors here at the school. Patrick Henry College does not officially run this writing contest, although from the way the website and Facebook page are crafted, it certainly seems as though we do. We understand the confusion and are deeply sorry for the way this was handled.We hope this will help shed some light on what went awry and explain the whole situation more fully. The Office of Admissions is now working to complete the competition and get the results out to you all.

The results of the contest will be forthcoming and each family and contestant will be contacted individually.

Here is the transcript of the letter:

"Dear Call to Pens Contestants and Parents Thereof,

I am writing to offer an apology for and a brief explanation of the unfortunate delay(s) in judging the Call to Pens submissions and in responding to inquiries made about the timeline and the judging process.  Perhaps I should first introduce myself, however.  My name is Dr. Cory Grewell.  I am an Associate Professor of Literature at Patrick Henry College, and I am also the faculty advisor for the student who is administrating the Call to Pens Competition, Sarah Armstrong.

First, I must echo the apologies of the College Admissions Department for the lack of response to inquiries from parents and contestants made since mid-May about the competition.  These should have been answered as promptly as possible.  I have reached out to Miss Armstrong about why they were not, though to date I have not yet received a response, so I cannot at this time provide a reason for the sudden disappearance of communication.

One thing I can do is provide a more clear explanation of what the Call to Pens Competition is and how it runs, which might temper some of your concerns about the integrity of education at Patrick Henry College.  It should be noted that the Call to Pens Competition is in its essence an independent student project.  The initiative was started by Peter Forbes (Literature ’09) while he was an undergraduate student here.  He came up with the idea of a short story competition, ran it through the college, and assembled a team of judges from among the college community to evaluate submissions in the first year of the competition.  Subsequent students have occasionally resurrected the competition for internship credit.  Miss Armstrong was one such student.  Under my oversight as a mentor, Sarah developed the theme, established the guidelines and prizes, and used the networking resources of PHC to solicit submissions.  She and I were in fairly regular contact through the end of the academic year, though the credit phase of Miss Armstrong’s internship ended in December ‘15. But as of our last contact in early spring, the judging team was assembled and the contest was due to be completed within a few days.  That it wouldn’t, and that communication had apparently stopped as of mid-May came as a great surprise to me when I learned of it this week.  I will say, as faculty advisor for Sarah’s internship, I should have kept myself more aware of the progress of the competition through its entire completion, and I apologize for not knowing what was transpiring during the summer.

Currently, our Admissions Office is working to make sure that the competition is brought to an expedient conclusion.  It is unfortunate that Miss Armstrong let communication lapse.  In her defense, I can tell you that this was something of an overwhelming spring for Sarah.  One of the distinctives of a PHC education, and something we are usually quite proud of, is how much we ask of our students and how much they accomplish.  Unfortunately, I think we may have asked too much of Sarah this spring, and as her advisor, I will personally accept the blame for not being proactive enough in providing her the support and oversight she needed to see all of her projects through to a prompt conclusion.  This does not excuse the lack of any communication, but perhaps when you imagine yourselves or your own children in the crunch of the end of a busy semester, you might be inclined towards a generous measure of grace towards Miss Armstrong herself.

In any event, it is my hope that the relative failure of this particular iteration of the Call to Pens competition will not reflect entirely negatively on the college as a whole.  I would stress again that the competition is a semi-independent student project, not an official initiative of the College.  I will also stress that we will all learn from this.  We will make good on seeing this Call to Pens competition set to right, and going forward, we will make sure that, provided the Lord puts it upon a Literature student to administrate the competition, we will provide her with adequate support and oversight to see it through expediently and thoroughly.

If you have any questions or further concerns, do feel free to email me at clgrewell@phc.edu.  I will answer your emails as quickly as I can.

Thank you and God bless,"

Dr. Cory Grewell

Associate Professor of Literature

Patrick Henry College

10 Patrick Henry Circle

Purcellville, VA  20132   

Deadline Extended!

For those who were not able to get their story in on time, have no fear! After some considerations, we have decided to extend the deadline for A Call to Pens.  

The deadline for A Call to Pens has been extended to March 21, 2016. All entries and fees must be postmarked by this date. 

We still expect the winners to be announced in April 2016.

A Call to Pens' website (www.phc.edu/acalltopens) will be updated shortly. 

If you have any questions, please email shortstory@phc.edu 

Blessings,

Sarah Armstrong

A Call to Pens Coordinator

shortstory@phc.edu  

It's the Final Day to Submit Your Story!

Today is the last day to mail in submissions! My, how time flies.

I want to send out a huge thank you to all the students who are participating in this contest. We appreciate all the time, energy, creativity, and imagination you've poured out into your stories, and we look forward to reading them!

We will continue to keep you updated about the contest through our social media accounts (including this blog!) and through email.

Blessings,

Sarah Armstrong
A Call to Pens Coordinator
shortstory@phc.edu

*Late entries will be considered on a case-by-case basis. If you won't be finished with your story and have it submitted on time, please email shortstory@phc.edu.

The Deadline Approaches!

The deadline for A Call to Pens is a little over a week away!

So, whether you're polishing up that final draft or still in the midst of getting that story idea onto paper, keep writing! We look forward to reading your submissions.

Submissions must be postmarked by February 8th, 2016. If you have any questions about the contest, please send an email to shortstory@phc.edu.

Blessings,

Sarah Armstrong

A Call to Pens Coordinator

shortstory@phc.edu

A Call to Pens 2015-2016

Patrick Henry College's A Call to Pens is excited to announce its 2015-2016 short story competition!

Students in the first division, ages twelve to fifteen, will craft stories exploring the theme "Unmerited Compassion. Students in the second division, ages sixteen to eighteen, will pen fiction with the theme "Perseverance Through Failure."

Prizes will be awarded to the top three entries in both divisions.

The deadline is February 8, 2016.

For more information and contest rules, visit our website at phc.edu/acalltopens.php.

Blessings,
Sarah Armstrong
A Call to Pens Coordinator

Winners decided!

The winners have been decided and will be contacted in the next couple of days. Check your emails!

We received a number of good stories and have at last chosen the winners for this year's contest. The official announcement will come out at the beginning of next week.

Winners Announcement coming soon!

With the semester ended and finals looming over our heads, the process of choosing the winners is underway! Look for the announcement soon. We received some good stories and are currently deciding among them.

Again, look for the announcement soon!

Hannah

Twas the Night Before Christmas...

And all through the house, every pen was a-writing, even that of the mouse!

Apologies for the long intervals between posts here. With the semester done and Christmas coming in a matter of hours, I hope that all of us will get some rest in the next couple of weeks. I also hope that you are finishing your stories and getting ready to send them!

As a reminder, all mailed entries should be sent here:

ATTN: PHC Short Story Competition
Patrick Henry College
10 Patrick Henry Circle
Purcellville, VA 20132

There is also a $10 fee per entry, which can be mailed with the story submission or, if the story is emailed, the fee can be mailed separately to the above address.

In the way of editing, I strongly suggest that you read your story aloud, either to a family member or to yourself, to check for spelling errors, etc. This way is quite effective and will help you catch the tiny details.

With that said, I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

~Hannah

Musings on the Grotesque

          What is the place of grotesque and even unnerving characters in fiction? Can we as writers, particularly Christian writers, include characters whose morals may be corrupt or whose outward appearance startles the reader? I venture to answer that yes, we can and at times even should engage in such a thing. In Hayao Miyasaki’s anime film Spirited Away, a young girl accidently stumbles into a world populated by spirits. Some of these spirits are inherently friendly; others wreak havoc and attempt to satisfy their malicious desires through various means. All of the characters in this film in some way exhibit grotesqueness, whether subtly as in the case of Haku, a young boy who can turn into a dragon at will; or not so subtly, as in the case of No-Face, a lonely white-masked spirit who tries to make friends in a very ineffectual way. One of the movie’s characteristics is the odd and the strange, yet all of these unusual characters are critical to the story, because they establish the story’s point and plot. Similarly, most fantasy novels—that is, novels either set in an imagined world or somehow connected to one—also bear an element of the grotesque. Tolkien’s infamous character Gollum, for instance, at times makes one cringe at how twisted he is. Yet Gollum (or Smeagol) dominates the story from the inside. The entire trilogy would not really exist without his character to forward its plot.

            As Christian writers, one of our models of storytelling should be Scripture itself. It cannot be denied that Scripture is rife with such characters. In Fiction Writing class a few weeks ago, we discussed the technique of taking biblical stories and writing their modern equivalents, using the story of Rahab and the spies for an example. Though Rahab was obviously not an ideal character in any sense, her faith and her action as a result of this faith was the entire point of the story. Countless other examples abound; every character in the Bible is strange in some way, often in more than one area of his life. The point is, God can use every type of David or Saul or Rahab to further His purposes.

            In a similar way, I think, we as Christians and especially as Christian writers have the ability to see man as his Creator sees him, and as such we are able to incorporate characters such as populate the pages of Scripture into our own stories. When Christ redeemed us, He redeemed us wholly, not simply our souls or our bodies, but all parts of us, including our imagination. This imagination enables us to see past imperfect or undesirable appearances to what the character is inside, how his character advances the story, and what the author intended for him. This ability, I think, encompasses both the tangible everyday world in which we live and the world of stories and novels.

            Now my point is not to say that every grotesque or strange character is redeemed, or that we should focus on such characters at the cost of dismissing others. Figures such as Gollum and No-Face have their place in literature, but there are occasions when we shouldn’t let them venture outside their boundaries. In other words, writers should know when to avoid depicting people or situations whose nature would disturb their readers beyond what is acceptable, or to cause them to stumble. Author Flannery O’Connor’s work often contains sickening levels of the grotesque, and as such needs to be read carefully, with the knowledge of how much one can take. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka also uses an extreme (perhaps even more than O’Connor’s work) of the grotesque to make its point. His story, I think, takes the grotesque too far. Something can be disturbing, or it can be disturbing beyond the limits of taste and morality. As Christian writers in particular we should be aware of the distinction and should approach such works from a perspective oriented toward Christ.

            What makes Flannery O’Connor’s stories so difficult is their portrayal of the distortion that can exist even in ordinary people and events. In reading the newspaper one experiences the same kind of horror at how close such things can be. Again, we have a great gift in our ability to write. I propose that a method of dealing with our fallen world is to write about it. In my Fiction Writing class with Dr. Aikman this method has suddenly bloomed and come alive to me. My most successful stories in this class have been based either on actual events I read in the newspaper or on conglomerations of characters and events garnered from my actual experience. One such story I based on an article telling of two young men who bound themselves to a pact that stated one would “pull the plug” on the other if his friend suffered a life-changing injury. One of them became a quadriplegic through being mugged one night; the other waited a number of years before killing this man and subsequently killing himself. Their story arrested me as soon as I saw it; I knew I had to write about it. Such a story is compelling because of its horror, which is why, I think, it demanded a story from me.

            You see my point, I hope. There are different levels of the grotesque; there are limitations to how we can and should employ it, certainly. Yet we shouldn't simply dismiss the grotesque without understanding how it can be used rightly in literature. G.K. Chesterton’s book Alarms and Discursions discusses the Gothic idea of art: even grotesque beasts such as gargoyles can glorify the Creator. Chesterton writes, “The medieval Christians summoned all things to worship their [god], dwarfs and pelicans, monkeys and madmen. The modern realists summon all these million creatures to worship their god; and then have no god for them to worship. Paganism was in art a pure beauty; that was the dawn. Christianity was a beauty created by controlling a million monsters of ugliness; and that in my belief was the zenith and the noon…Christianity, with its gargoyles and grotesques, really amounted to saying this: that a donkey could go before all the horses of the world when it was really going to the temple.”[1] As Christian writers, we have the authority to show this understanding in what we write. We can write about Haku and No-Face and Gollum to the glory of God.

---

[1] G.K. Chesterton, Alarms and Discursions (NuVision Publications, 2008), 9.

On Consistency

Ali O'Leary, our guest blogger for this post, is a senior literature major at Patrick Henry College. Ali greatly loves writing, particularly novels, as you will read in her post; and she hopes to be published one day. In the meantime, besides writing, she enjoys drawing, superheroes, and coffee, not necessarily in that order.

Greetings, fellow writers! You are about to embark – or maybe have even already embarked – upon the great adventure of writing a story. Be it a short story or the beginning of a novel, you are in for a wonderful journey.

I myself have just come back from my own journey. The month of November has come and gone, which, if you are familiar with a fairly well-known writing challenge, is the end of National Novel Writing month (more commonly known as “NaNoWriMo”). The goal of this challenge is to write 50,000 words (technically novel-length) in a month. I have always enjoyed writing novels, but I struggle at times to be consistent with writing every day. But with this challenge, you are kind of forced to write a little every day or you risk falling dreadfully behind.

So I buckled down and I wrote every day.

At first, I thought Oh, this is easy. I totally got this. The Lord is always quick to nip that thought in the bud. I did well right up until I hit week three in November. My novel was coming to an end and I still had 20,000 more words to write.

What am I going to do?! I wailed. I am going to have to turn out a lot of fluff if I am ever going to meet my word count.

Therein, I discovered another problem of mine. I do not like to write my stories fast unless I know exactly where they are going. Otherwise, they end up being messy mixtures of fluff, some good writing, and dozens of rabbit trails that cut off abruptly in the middle of their journey. I always like to take my time, work out some intricate details, maybe add an unexpected plot twist, and then sit down and write a few hundred words or so.

But NaNoWriMo does not work that why. While my inner editor died a slow and painful death, I churned out 20,000 more words, most of which will probably be deleted when I go back through and edit my story.

“What is the point?” you may ask.

You may have heard that the only way to become a better writer is to write more. I am afraid for those of you who are hoping for a different way that this method really is the only way to get better. Like anything worth learning, you have to practice to become more accomplished. While I have always enjoyed writing, this past month of writing every day taught me something new – consistency.

For someone who is aspiring to be a published author one day, I have always struggled to write consistently. I would write for a couple days in a row, go a week or two without writing , come back and try to figure out where I left off, start writing again, get stuck for months, and then get a burst of inspiration and rush to the end. Hence, why it took me nearly five years to finish one novel. I have been slowly narrowing that gap down to about two years now, but still, I would like to be more consistent. NaNoWriMo taught me that you can’t rely on those fuzzy feelings of “inspiration” to get writing – you just have to do the hard work of sitting down every day and write whether you feel like it or not.

That lesson is what I would like to pass on to all of you. Maybe you are not planning on becoming an author one day, maybe you just like to write as a hobby, but you want to get better. Try writing every day – it does not even have to be a fictional story. It could be a blog post, a poem, a few lines in a journal, but write! You will be surprised at how much you improve over time.

May God bless you all wherever your writing journey takes you!

Thoughts on Autumn and the Contest Themes

As Autumn sweeps in and turns the trees into flaming colors, a number of things come to mind. Food, for example: cider and pumpkin pie and gingerbread and hot cocoa and heaps of other yumminess. :) But did you ever stop to think about the fact that the trees are really dying? It's not a morbid thought, it's simply the truth. Great beauty, as we see at this time of year, can arise from death. Yes, death can bring sadness, but it also brings transformation, and transformation brings hope.

Autumn also signals the arrival of harvest. While harvest is not so significant to many of us in this century, we can still enjoy it by doing things like picking apples. (Not far from Patrick Henry, there's an apple orchard whose apples are fantastically good.) But harvest also has a spiritual component. I'm reminded of the lines from Aaron Keyes' popular hymn My Soul Finds Rest, which is based on Psalm 62: "Though riches come and riches go/Don't set your heart upon them/The fields of hope in which I sow/Are harvested in heaven." This theme, that of sowing on earth and reaping in heaven, can be traced through much of the New Testament, particularly the epistles of Paul. Consider these verses from 1 Corinthians 15: "So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; ⁴³ it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴ it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body." 

Thence (at least in part) come the themes for this year's contest. The second division theme, finding beauty in brokenness; or, life through death, stems both from Scripture and from the themes of T.S. Eliot's poem The Wasteland, the major component of which is imagery of the Resurrection and of death leading to new life. Though a somewhat disturbing image, the lines at the end of the first section point directly to this theme: "That corpse you planted last year in your garden/Has it begun to sprout? Will it bloom this year?/Or has the sudden frost disturbed its bed?" His use of the corpse metaphor continues throughout the poem. The first division theme, reaping the reward; or, the harvest, relate both to the current season and to Scripture. For inspiration on either of these themes, you might get a good concordance of the Bible and research reward, death, harvest, etc. The Bible, as the greatest book of all time, can be the source of much inspiration.

So happy writing, fellow ink-spillers! Look for more to come here as the contest progresses. (And if you happen to read this before the announcement is posted on the PHC website, be assured: the official guidelines will posted there.)

~Hannah

Introducing our 2012-2013 Contest Coordinator

Our minds have been working feverishly and our pens have been scribbling busily. We've consumed much coffee and tea in our efforts to bring together the themes for next year's contest. Rest assured, o writers: you are not forgotten!

Since it's the start of a new contest, it's also time to introduce you to our new contest coordinator, Hannah Walker. Hannah is a junior studying Literature at Patrick Henry College.

When did you start writing?

I've been interested in the concept of writing since I was around eight years old. Notice I said concept; I'm making a distinction here between actually writing and merely being fascinated by the idea of writing. When I was younger I kept notebooks full of bits of writing and ideas and writing "exercises" which I would give myself. Needless to say none of this was very productive, although it did make me write some every day. I think I have around fifteen or sixteen of these notebooks now. I also began several novels, the ideas of which were not very good at all, and none of which I finished. I also wrote stories for a creative writing class I took in private school; this also spurred me to write a number of short stories.

Then, I think when I was about seventeen or eighteen, I developed a strong interest in poetry. I read numerous books on writing poetry, researched all different sorts of forms, studied meter and rhyme, and entered online contests, quite I few of which I won. (These contests, I must admit, were on a poetry website which, now that I've gained more experience, I can see was not a particularly high-caliber place. Still, it was rather encouraging to have people read my work there.) When I began to take classes at PHC, I entered various poems in our literary journal Cuttlefish. As a sophomore, I also helped edit the Poetry section of this journal, and am now one of two official editors for the genre.

Since coming to Patrick Henry College my vision of writing has matured considerably. While I am certainly still growing as a writer I now have a clearer knowledge of what I write best, what I want to write in the future, and where God might be leading me through writing.

What are your favorite fiction books? Favorite books on writing?

Oh dear, favorite fiction books... well, I have a great love of children's fiction, which is also the genre in which I hope to write the most. One of my favorite authors is Edith Nesbit, who wrote Five Children and It, The Magic City, The Railway Children, and many others. Another of my favorite authors falls on the extreme opposite end from Nesbit: Gary Schmidt, who wrote The Wednesday Wars, Okay for Now, and Straw into Gold (which is one of my very favorite books in the world). C.S. Lewis is another of my literary heroes, as is J.R.R. Tolkien.

As far as books on writing, I actually have not read many, apart from books on poetry. It might seem odd, but I don't really recommend reading books on the craft of poetry until you've written a considerable amount. In general poetry won't be good unless it comes from your own observations, whether they're about a tremendous subject like death, or simply about the way a spiderweb looks covered in dew. Books that tell you how to write poetry can often force poetry from you, rather than coax it out gently. I do recommend, however, reading encyclopedias of poetic forms. I read many such books, and discovered many obscure forms of poetry which turned out to be wonderful to write. For writing in general I recommend Francine Prose' Reading like a Writer.

What's one piece of advice you would give young writers?

Hmmm. I would probably advise them to write what they love. When you write what you think others want to hear you will find yourself dissatisfied. When you write what you love your audience will be able to tell the difference. Recently I had an assignment to write a short story. At first, my inclination was to write what I thought the professor wanted to hear. In the end, I wrote what I loved, and it turned out far better than I expected, and also showed me where my skill lies. Also, do a lot of people-watching, and write down what you see. Notice how people walk, what their eyes are like, how they hold their hands. Besides finding many ideas for stories, you will also find them fascinating in themselves.

As I hand over the reins, I'm excited that you all have the chance to hear Hannah's insights as she takes leadership of A Call to Pens.

Keep writing!

Blessings,

Alicia Constant
2011-12 Call to Pens Contest Coordinator.

2012 Winner Spotlight

 I'm very proud to announce our excellent winners of this year's Call to Pens competition! Read below to find out a little bit more about them, click the links to read their stories, and consider entering next year!

Division 1

First Place | Sarah McCleskey, 15, Virginia | "Princesses"
I’m a 15-year-old high school freshman, I’ve been homeschooled my entire life, and I get a lot of ideas for my writing through my position as the second-oldest of 7 kids!  When I was little, I used to just go off and write in my free time. However, my serious interest with words began when I was diagnosed with a challenging chronic illness at age 12.  Since then, I have discovered a passion for writing that God has used in amazing ways.  Witnessing to the world through the poems, novels, essays, and short stories I create has become one of the greatest joys of my life!  I also enjoy photography and caring for people.

Second Place | Hannah Williams, Oregon | "The Mailman and the Princess"
I am a 10th grade homeschooler living in Oregon with my parents, Grammie, and big brother.  Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved storytelling, and writing stories has developed into my passion over the past few years.  I am currently working on fantasy novels which I plan to publish.  Occasionally, I write a lighthearted fairytale such as the one in the contest.  I also love to illustrate my books.  I hope to use my gifts for God's greater glory!

Third Place | AnneMarie McPherson, 15, Virginia | "As Many As the Stars"
I am a fifteen-year-old 10th grade home schooler who loves all things book related! I've always enjoyed reading, and as a natural outcome I spend much of my time writing my own stories. My favorite genres to write (and read) are fantasy and science fiction, but I also like poetry. There are many reasons why I write, such as I appreciate a creative outlet, but my main purpose is so that I can communicate Christ's love with form and feeling.

Fourth Place/Honorable Mention | Spencer Kolssak, 15, Illinois | "The World Above"

I am a fifteen-year-old homeschool sophomore. I currently live with my mom and dad, three brothers, and two cats. I have been writing stories ever since I first learned to write. Since then, I have penned many short stories and even a few novels. I also tell stories in other forms, including art and video. I hope to continue my pursuit of creative writing in the future. Most importantly, I hope to glorify God in my writing and use my gifts for the good of His Kingdom. 

Division 2

First Place | Shelby Griffith, 17, Tennessee | "The Writing Desk"
My name is Shelby Griffith, and I am a 17-year-old homeschool senior with a passion for words. My tastes range from Shakespeare to Star Trek, and when I’m not writing, you can find me reading, playing piano, making birthday cards, or watching Alias. Job 32:18 says, “For I am full of words, and the Spirit within me compels me…” This verse is who I am. I love to write because it makes my soul sing. When I’m at the computer keys or scratching a pen across the page--that’s when I know I’m where I belong. It doesn’t matter what I write; whether poetry, fan fiction, blog posts, or short stories, I write them because I must. My greatest dreams are to serve the Lord with every word that I write, and to let my readers know that I understand.

Second Place | Olivia Heisey, Idaho | "The Wind Forgets"
My name is Olivia Heisey. I am 17 years old and live in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where I am homeschooled. I’ve always loved writing, and can never remember a time when I wasn’t writing books. I used to make picture books with construction paper and put them together with yarn and give them to my parents. Giving stories as gifts to my cousins, grandparents or aunts and uncles was something I was famous for. I am also an avid reader, and can never get enough of the written word. It’s pretty convenient that I have a part time job working at our local library. I love hanging out with friends. We like going for walks, watching movies, and swimming at the lake. In the winter, we go sledding and skiing. Photography is another hobby of mine and I have won ribbons at the North Idaho Fair for my pictures and drawings.

Third Place | Emma Justis, Nevada | "The Cost of Leaving"
Emma is currently a junior in high school and is homeschooled. She is a writer fascinated by history and inspired by travel. Her pen is carried with her everywhere because story ideas always seem to arise unexpectedly! Writing, for Emma, has always been a passion. Recently she has taken to the skies and found the love of flying as well. Her goal is to find ways to do both of the activities that she is devoted to.

Fourth Place/Honorable Mention | Scott Bradley, 17, Missouri | "Become the Mask"

My name is Scott Bradley, and I am a home-educated lover of the art of written expression of thought. I am 17 years old, and doing everything I can to build the skills necessary to become a professional writer. Currently, I am working on a novel, the first draft of which I plan to finish by the end of my senior year (summer 2012). The short story I submitted for the Call to Pens contest is placed in the same world (though the events do not coincide with those in the novel).

My interest in story writing has evolved naturally from a voracious appetite for good fiction. This is true of many others, but Tolkien and his grand tales have inspired me more than perhaps anything else. Though my own stories are often not as hopeful in theme, I suspect traces of Tolkien's influence can be seen in my works.

Keep writing.

When I was around 14, I entered a poetry contest. I made sure the entry form was filled out just right and I met all the guidelines. Then, I set my manilla envelope in the mail and waited for the truth. This is the test of my ability as a writer, I thought secretly. I didn't tell anyone, but I hoped that I'd be the lucky one, that one person good enough to make it to the top, or at least make it to an honorable mention.

I didn't win.

I didn't even place, or get even so much as a nod from the powers-that-be. That's it, I thought. I don't have a gift.

So I stopped writing. I told myself I'd never write another poem, or, at least, never enter another poetry contest.

I learned two things from that experience. The first was that writing contests are subjective. As much as you'd like to believe there is a single paragon for the perfect short story, it's not out there. Every story will have its flaws because every writer-- even Lewis or Sayers or Dickens or O. Henry-- has his or her flaws. We live in a fallen world and it's just a reality.

Though I believe there are objective standards to what makes writing good, true, and beautiful, sometimes contest decisions will come down to the judge's personal taste. Perhaps you've written a fairy story, and the judges have just read 16 stories about fairies and miss the unique facets of your piece. Perhaps the judges were sick to their stomachs, and you wrote a story about a delicious banquet that to them sounded purely revolting. Though we try to avoid such subjectivities in our judging as much as possible, you can't write for your audience because you don't know us. You have to take your chances, do your best, and hope your story stands on its own merits.

The second thing I learned was not to let one writing experience define you. At 14, I presumed I had the ability to decide whether I had talent worth pursuing. You may look back someday on the story you submitted and realize that though you thought it was good at the time, it was actually trash. That's what happened to the poem I wrote for that contest. I dug it up in some boxes from my childhood a few months ago, and realized I had attempted to manufacture something for a contest theme rather than letting something from my life inspire me. I was still trying to find my voice and figure out where I belonged. And the poem's images didn't ring true because they weren't. They were simply awkward words on a page, and I, in my attachment to my creation, thought them perfect.

Admitting you still have a lot of growing to do takes humility. A wise person once told me, "There will always be someone out there that can write better than you." Who is the best writer in the world? Who knows? All those writers who've won Newbery Medals might be topped by a single old lady in Nebraska who weaves tales for her grandchildren while she rocks on the back porch. As I learned that summer, reading bitterly through the winners of the poetry contest I'd entered (and thinking bitterly, of course, that my poem had been better), writing is not about being best. It's about telling a true story. It's about portraying the world as it is and should be, the already and the not-yet. It's about creating something of beauty to glorify our Creator.

There is a vast difference between current ability and potential. Even if your writing frustrates you now, or even if you're pretty good for your age group (even if you won this contest!), your growth will be shaped by how much you keep writing. You might have a very bright writing potential, but if you let one person's negative comments or one contest's results keep you from telling the stories in your soul, you'll never get there.

I still write poetry, and probably always will. You see, despite my resolution, poetry bubbled up from my soul. I'd see the wind herding a line of shopping carts like branding cattle into a corral, or a friend would hurt me and I'd feel the pain of not belonging. And I'd have to write about it. I couldn't just live; I am a writer, and writing is an intrinsic part of how I live. And as I've kept writing, I keep growing. Though I still have a long way to go, I've come a long way from my 14-year-old musings. Hopefully by the time I'm 80, I'll have gone a lot further.

Winners announced!

Hi everyone!
At long last we have our winners! Please visit the PHC Call to Pens site for more info and to read the winning stories.
Thank you to everyone who entered; you make this contest possible, and enjoyable for me and the rest of our judging panel. May the Lord bless your writing.

For the judges,

Alicia Constant
A Call to Pens Contest Coordinator

P.S. In a couple days, we'll be posting bios of our winners on the blog. Stay tuned, and check back for next year's topic!

Winner notifications

Hi everyone!

At long last, the judges' votes have been tallied, and we have our winners! E-mail notifications are going out now; expect an announcement on the blog at the end of the week.

Thank you for sending your stories and making this competition so much fun to judge! Every year the judges and I  enjoy reading your works. May the Lord bless your writing development!

Blessings,

Alicia Constant
A Call to Pens Contest Coordinator

The Need for Honesty in Christian Fiction

As we continue to work on choosing our winners, here's a guest post from last year's contest coordinator, Crista Richey.

As creators of art, fiction, and film, we Christians like to preach. In fact, we often take it as our calling to preach. After all, God's people are charged to act as salt and light in a dark and twisted world, and to proclaim the gospel to all nations. If our vocation is to write, shouldn't we pen masterpieces that exemplify God's moral standards for living and present the good news of salvation?

Well, yes—and no. It is true that stories exert a powerful influence over their readers and listeners, for good or for evil, and it is tempting to take advantage of that by employing didacticism. But may I suggest that didacticism—at least in terms of current literature—is itself remarkably un-Christian? It is un-Christian because, in most types of fiction currently published, it is dishonest. 

There are exceptions to this, of course. For the purposes of this article, however, I am addressing didacticism used in “realistic” fiction. By realistic, I do not mean realistic content, but rather realistic presentation. (The Chronicles of Narnia, for example, are realistic in presentation but not in content. The story is believable within its established context, but not within ours.) Most fiction published today is realistic in presentation, and it is within that broad category that didacticism becomes notably dishonest.

Maybe you know what I'm talking about. Christian writers seem particularly susceptible to the disease because they often feel obligated to “convert” or “inspire” their readers. The result? Long-winded lectures on vice or virtue, yes; but also, a picture-perfect portrait of life that is utterly foreign to the experiences of real people. A sound-bite presentation of the gospel, followed by a dramatic conversion; family prayer, immediately restoring a broken relationship between family members; virtuous acts, quickly and generously rewarded; characters painted in stark terms of black or white...

Here's the crux: if you want to write realistic fiction, you need to write realistically. Otherwise, it's dishonest. We have to acknowledge—or rather, explore—the complexity of human beings and the crazy, broken, beautiful world we live in. Life is hard. It's confusing. People are confusing. And no wonder: depraved, marred by sin, but created in the image of God? What strange creatures we are! Simplistic characters and easily-resolved plots won't do. They're not real. They're not honest. And if humans are a mystery to themselves, what about Christ? Can we really use a Kodak moment to explain the gospel? To explain God?

We need to be careful here. A good story is not the equivalent of a good sermon—nor is it a “slice of life.” A story has structure. It has conflict, climax, and resolution, condensing the characters' experiences and hard-won wisdom into a streamlined version of the “actual” event. Our lives are not formatted like a story! (Or if they are, we are not usually in a position to realize it.) And yet, somehow, a good story must exhibit the author's understanding of real life. If the author is exploring deeper spiritual realities in his work, he must do so without resorting to didacticism.

This is not easy to do, but it is a worthy objective to strive for. It allows the author to share a deeper and much more meaningful story with his readers—one that readers will instinctively recognize as demonstrating a thoughtful understanding of the world and the people who inhabit it. They may not agree with the author's conclusions, but they are more likely to listen if they know the author is being honest. And that is truly worth the effort. How else can we act as salt and light to an audience that doesn't necessarily trust our judgment? Or serve a God who defines truth itself?

Something to think about. 

First round of judging is wrapping up...

Hello everyone! Just a quick update-- all the judges' results are filtering in, and I am tabulating results for the first round of judging. Out of over 200 stories received, they have chosen around 40 to move on to the second round. If everything goes according to schedule, hopefully our second round will begin this week! We will be picking our winners, so please stay tuned for more results.

Blessings,

Alicia Constant

Today is the deadline!

Just a reminder-- all your entries are due by email today, Feb. 1, at 11:59p.m., or they must be postmarked today! I will be spending a week and a half processing entries and waiting for mailed entries to come in, and then our first round of judging will begin.
Thank you for your entries. We'll keep you posted.

For the judges,

Alicia