Writing competitions

I finally took the plunge and entered a piece into a writing competition.  I finally heard from them the other day.  It was in the form of "sorry you didn't win".

In other words, "thank you for entering our contest.. but your writing isn't good enough."

I have had enough rejection from employers, and I am tired of that.  I just don't apply for very many jobs anymore.  If you figure that I had to apply to 4 jobs a week and actually only got one in August. from Oct. 2012 to August 2013 there are alot of rejections.

Some reject you right away saying "you don't have the qualifications we needed."  Some just wait until they fill the job and then let you know that "we filled the job.  thank you.'  some you don't hear from at all.  Even if you get an interview, it may be weeks before you get the "sorry you weren't good enough for us. We enjoyed interviewing you (at least that is what they say) and then they say.  "We hired someone else."

I don't even try raffles, or anything like that (especially Publisher's Clearinghouse.. who actually wins that?) because I already know that I won't win.

So, my question for the year 2014, do I give up on writing?  Or do I just continue to write blogs, journals and bits and see if anything comes together?

I will let you know.

topic-Traditional ethnic food

here are some sentences that i wrote to help me write my paragraph.

Topic sentence:
               A traditional ethnic food for Sheboygan, Wisconsin USA is the bratwurst.

Supporting details:
                      A bratwurst is a spicy, fatty pork sausage which is served on (bread) with ketchup, mustard, onions and pickles.  I prefer pickles and ketchup.  The bread is a roll which is crunchy. 

Picnics are a great place to serve these sausages, many people serve baked beans and/or potato salad with these sandwiches.

Brats are typically cooked on an outdoor grill.  Some people prefer to par boil them, or partially cook them in butter, onions and beer before finishing them on the grill.

Many meat markets and sausage companies have their own version of the bratwurst.

Every summer our city has a festival celebrating the cooking and eating of this sausage.

Concluding sentence:
     The bratwurst is celebrated by families in Sheboygan, WI, USA.

A minimum of 15 sentences???  That is not a paragraph that is more like one half of a composition.

I just re read the assignment for my writing class.  They want a minimum of 15 sentences... Never heard of a paragraph that long...

Title: Bratwurst

Topic sentence:  A traditional ethnic food for Sheboygan, WI, USA is the bratwurst capital.


Supporting sentences:  (already explained what it was and how it can be cooked).

Bratwurst are also used as a fund raiser for many people as they are very popular..  People will eat them all the time.

Bratwurst are also served at local football and baseball stadiums.  They are easy to eat.

Other toppings can be added to bratwurst, which include: sauerkraut, fresh or fried onions, yellow or brown mustard, pickle relish, sweet pickles or dill pickles, some people might like peppers or other vegetables. My favorite is dill pickles and ketchup.

Bratwurst is made with spices specific to a meat company.  One meat company's product may not taste the same as another meat company's. because of the recipe and % of pork, beef and fat.  It may also have different spices in the sausages.

Bratwurst are also called "brats", with a long 'a' sound.

Last assignment in Writing class is writing a paragraph using one of five topics.  I will not be posting this online today... it may come later in the week.

I need adverb clauses, and adjective clauses.

1. which keeps the city warm... (adjective)

2. who tries to get things done... (adjective)

3. which is connected.. (adjective)

Apparently, I got these.  Now, for the adverbs.  which I am missing...


1. Because the neighborhood is so close... (adverb)

2. After summer ends, the tourists go home. (adverb)

3. When you need to go somewhere (adverb)


For the disadvantages, I need to make sure there are phrases, let me see what I have.

Noun phrases...

1. unless you work in a nursing home.

2. in a nursing home

3. Because the neighborhood is so close (not sure...)


Verb phrases (guess i got this.. now I have to put everything together)

1. to buy

2. to visit, to get

3. visiting, buying, shopping, knowing, knew,

Practice with phrases and clauses 2

Disadvantages of living in my town

Because the neighborhood is so close, everyone knows everybody's business.

It is hard to get a job, unless you can work in a nursing home, hospital, fast food restaurant or manufacturing facility.

It has two Wal-Marts which have taken business away from smaller shops.  The smaller shops which would encourage specialty shops cannot exist because there is no one to buy from them during nine months of the year.  Tourists mainly visit in the summer months.

There are too many restaurants and bars for the locals to visit so many of them don't last very long.

Practice with clauses and phrases 1

Advantages of living in my town.

The buses can take you almost anywhere.   It is located near Lake Michigan, which not only keeps the city warm in the winter, but cool in the summer.

Everyone in your neighborhood knows you.

People have easy access to the mayor, who tries to get things done.

There are several shopping areas where people can visit different types of stores including: grocery, clothing, department and maybe several specialty stores for clothing, games, or food.

It is not far away from major shopping, and two bigger cities are within a two hour driving distance.

It has a large local library which is connected to several smaller libraries.  There are many different and various religions.