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To encourage, recognize, and reward good writing – we’ve been doing it for 100 years! – the Charlotte Writers Club sponsors a variety of programs for specifically for students: virtual office hours during the school year, an annual Ask an Author event, student-oriented workshops, and a writing contest.
Services in the Charlotte Writers Club’s (CWC) Student Writing Program are open to all students in the Charlotte Metro area (public, private, homeschooled, etc.).
All components included in our Student Writing Program are FREE to local students. The Program is part of our mission to support local writers of all ages and genres, and promote their development through education, recognition, and community.
If you have any questions, please contact our Student Coordinator: studentscwc@yahoo.com
Office hours are held twice a month during the school year and take place virtually (via Zoom) to accommodate as many students as possible. Office hours allow students to engage with CWC members and other authors willing to assist with writing projects (school papers, fiction, non-fiction, poetry—really anything!). Students can share their work, discuss the craft of writing and its challenges, whatever proves beneficial.
Two CWC volunteers are available during each office hour session. We are working on scheduling, so please check back or send an email if you have questions.
Ask an Author
Ask an Author takes place each October. Published authors will discuss the craft of writing, the business of writing, the artistic process, inspiration, generating ideas, and even the dreaded writer’s block (yes, it happens to everyone!). It’s an opportunity for young writers to engage informally with authors and ask questions.
Workshops
Each February, CWC offers creative writing workshops—always free and always virtual (via Zoom) for convenience. Registration (this is the only school-ishly formal part) begins in mid-January. We will hold two workshops, one for grades 5-8, another for grades 9-12. Seats are limited so register early!
Our student workshops are a time to have fun with your creativity. Best part! There is absolutely NO homework!
Possible workshop themes may include:
Creating Your Story (any genre)
Building a Better “Writing” Mouse Trap: The idea is to use a book character, setting, or problem and recreate it making it a better or different version. This would give students a jumpstart about writing using something they are familiar with already.
Submissions to our student writing contests begin at the conclusion of the creative writing workshops and remain open for 60 days. There are two categories: grades 5-8 and 9-12.
There is no entry fee for the student writing contest.
The writing category for the student contests is short fiction from 500 to 1,000 words.
There are two divisions, one for students in grades 5 through 8, a second for students in grades 9 through 12.
Creative Writing Contests for Students
A. For students in grades 5 through 8
B. For students in grades 9 through 12
Please read the Contest Rules and Submission Guidelines before entering.
Good luck to everyone! We are excited about the possibilities and looking forward to reading your entries!
5th Grade – 8th Grade Division
9th Grade – 12th Grade Division
JOYCE MOYER HOSTETTER
When Joyce Moyer Hostetter was in seventh grade, a teacher noticed her flair for words and predicted she’d become a writer. Later Joyce attended Lenoir Rhyne University where she earned her degree in Early Childhood Education. Since then, she’s established a thriving pre-school program, taught Exceptional Children in public schools, and worked in a camp for inner city youth.
But eventually the urge to write was irresistible.
She now writes historical fiction for middle graders. Joyce’s award winning novel, BLUE retells the story of North Carolina’s 1944 polio epidemic. The sequel, COMFORT explores the after-effects of polio and war. AIM, a prequel to Blue and Comfort is the story of a teen figuring out life in the wake of his father’s death. DRIVE is the story of twin sisters exploring separate identities in the midst of fierce personal competition. EQUAL, a civil rights story, was published in May of 2021.
HEALING WATER is the story of a 13 year-old boy banished to
Hawaii’s leprosy settlement in 1869.
Classrooms across North Carolina use her books and Joyce visits schools to talk about writing, researching, and getting published. Joyce and her husband, Chuck, live near Hickory, NC where they enjoy their adult children and lots of grandchildren. When she’s not writing or speaking, she is often researching. She loves anything that has a history including furniture, clothes, and books.
Visit Joyce on the web at www.joycemoyerhostetter.com.
Student Writing Contest Judge: Joyce Moyer Hostetter
