We are almost through our Leadership lens! We've made it to our final writing project that we've been gearing up for by practicing our summarizing skills, learning how to tell an engaging story and finally, by becoming critical analyzers of our own word choice so we can present a polished piece for possible publication! (that was awesome alliteration and it wasn't even on purpose)
Study/Learn
In order to write for publication you need to be very familiar with the publication you will be writing for. In January the church switched over from The New Era to For the Strength of The Youth Magazine. They unfortunately haven't switched over their writers guidelines -- that's a sheet they put out for potential writers to see the types of articles they accept. I've scoured the old writers guidelines and went through every For the Strength of the Youth Magazine published this year to find an accurate representation of what they accept from youth writers.
To prepare to write your own personal story you need to read these articles, written by other youth that have been published in the last 9 months:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ftsoy/2021/09/07_i-didnt-make-the-dance-team?lang=eng
(500 words)
(299 words)
(244 words)
From the writers guidelines this is what they are looking for:
"Personal Experience Stories: We are looking for material that shows the gospel of Jesus Christ at work in the lives of young Latter-day Saints. We welcome stories about personal experiences, such as missionary work, conversion; family relationships; healthy, nurturing friendships; and maintaining standards.
How I Know Stories: A short account (200-500 words) of how you gained your testimony or discovered the benefits of living a gospel principle. What led up tot he event? What was the experience like? How has it affected you?
Scripture Lifeline: A short (200-500 word) account of how you faced a trial and found peace or a resolution by applying a particular scripture"
Notice above, I put the word count next to the link for each published article, NONE of them went over 500 words. Writers guidelines are not just a suggestion, they are a standard and if you don't follow that standard it's easy for them to disregard your article without even reading it.
Know/Understand
Now we are going to write our own personal experiences! First, I want you to get down on your knees and pray about what you can write about. One of the roles of the Spirit is to bring all things to our remembrance and He will help you to recall experiences that you can write about.
Your idea might not come right away, but be patient, talk with family and keep it on the back of your mind, the idea will come, you can trust in that :D
Once you have your idea, write a 200-500 word article that fits the guidelines above. Use your summarizing and storytelling skills to keep it concise and interesting. I would like your article to be TYPED so it will be easier for me to proof read.
Once you have written your article have one parent proof read it and give it back to you to make any changes they suggest.
Bring your proof-read, edited article to class on Thursday :)
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