This March, we will host the 14th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge here at Two Writing Teachers. Since 2008, the mission has remained the same: to support teachers who want to write daily. We believe that teachers who write regularly can better support the students they teach in writing workshops daily.
Across the next few weeks our team of coauthors will provide you with information regarding the Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOLSC), including information about the prizes you could win for writing and commenting daily. To get you started, here is some basic information for our March writing challenge.
First time slicer? This post is a great place to start: First-Timer Slicer FAQ.
Prize Information
This year, we will be hosting prize-related challenges throughout the month to add extra excitement to our community all month long. In addition, we’ll give away plenty of prizes at the end of the month to those who slice and comment every day throughout the challenge.
In order to be eligible to win a prize, you must meet these requirements:
- You must fill out the SOLSC Participant Data Form, which will go live on Friday, January 29.
- New this year: You must begin slicing on March 1.
- You must submit a link to your “slice” just ONCE daily, no later than 11:59 p.m. EST (New York time), throughout the month of March. (Multiple submissions are not permitted).
More details to come throughout the month of March.
Using a Consistent Username Throughout the Month
Please use the same username/email information for all of your March comments. Tips:
- Having a WordPress username makes it easier and faster to post your comments when you visit Two Writing Teachers.
- You don’t have to have a WordPress blog to sign-up for a WordPress username.
- Using a consistent username minimizes the chances of your comment/link to slice going to our spam folder.
- To find your username on WordPress, find your profile pic in one of the corners of the screen and click on it to view your WordPress profile, which includes your username. You can also go to “Profile” from the WordPress Admin Menu.
Comment Guidelines
We reserve the right to delete comments that fall into the following categories:
- Self Promotion: Please don’t use your comment or link to your blog for self-promotion. The links in the comment section fo our Slice of Life Story Challenge are meant to lead our readers to stories from each other’s lives–not just what was on your blog that day.
- Linking and Running: Please do not just drop off the link to your Slice without commenting on at least three other Slice of Life stories. Comments are the foundation of this community. If you choose to link early in the morning, please return later to leave at least three comments.
- Spam: It’s not just big advertisers who spam. Spam can include: Copying and pasting a comment from one post to another, or leaving a message such as, “Nice post. Visit my blog at….” These are forms of spam.
Adults Only in the Individual Challenge
The individual challenge is for educators at any stage of their career. We realize some participants may have a child and/or a student who you’d like to invite to participate in the SOLSC alongside you. If this is the case, we invite your children or individual students to participate in the April Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge.
Please note: The Classroom Slice of Life Story Challenge is for students 18 & under. Individuals who are not part of a classroom community must have an adult sponsor and reader to participate. Any minor’s adult sponsor must leave the link to their child’s/student’s daily slice of life post on their behalf.
Look for Kathleen’s overview of the Classroom Slice of Life post on January 15 for more details.
Technical Support and Questions
Throughout the challenge, you’ll be assigned to a “concierge” who is a member of our team that can support you with all your SOLSC-related questions. You can find your assigned concierge listed in every SOLSC post, listed alphabetically by participant last names.
Please direct your question to the appropriate coauthor:
- Individual SOLSC Challenge:
- If your last name begins with the letters A – F, please email questions to Amy Ellerman at ellermanamy[at]gmail.com.
- If your last name begins with the letters G – L, please email questions to Betsy Hubbard at betsymhubbard[at]gmail.com.
- If your last name begins with the letters M – Q, please email questions to Beth Moore at beth[at]elizabethmoore.work.
- If your last name begins with the letters R – U, please email questions to Melanie Meehan at meehanmelanie[at]gmail.com.
- If your last name begins with the letters V – Z, please email questions to Stacey Shubitz at stacey[at]staceyshubitz.com.
- Classroom SOLSC Challenge:
- If you have any questions, please email questions to Kathleen Neagle Sokolowski at mrs.sokolowski[at]gmail.com.
Did you find a link that is not working? Having trouble with your own permalink? For these and other tech-specific questions, you can email Beth Moore, beth[at]elizabethmoore.work.
For New Slicers: The Welcome Wagon
Welcome Wagon volunteers are each assigned to a group of brand new slicers. The number will vary, based on the total number of volunteers and new slicers, but it is typically between five and seven.
Each day of the challenge, the volunteer will visit the sites of their new slicers, leaving supportive comments. This serves both to encourage the writer and to model the kind of feedback the new slicer might leave for others. Over the course of the month, seasoned and new slicers will get to know each other, connecting and sharing.
For newcomers who fill out the SOLSC Participant Data Form, and begin slicing on March 1, you will be assigned a Welcome Wagon volunteer who will provide support (and comments!) throughout the challenge.
A Note About Our Website and Spam
On occasion, a Slicer’s comment is marked as spam by WordPress. Recently, our site has been receiving thousands of spam comments each week, making it difficult for our team to monitor when real comments are sent to spam. During the March challenge, if you believe your comment inadvertently went to spam, please contact your assigned concierge. When you contact us, include the approximate time you posted your comment.
Facebook Live Session
Last year’s Slice of Life Story Challenge helped members of our writing community feel more connected as educators and humans when COVID-19 hit many of our communities. As the pandemic continues to rage, the #TWTBlog team recognizes the strain on educators. We hope the Slice of Life Community can offer balance to an imbalanced and imperfect world.
Are you wondering how to make space for a daily writing habit in a hectic year?Join #TWTBlog Co-Authors, Stacey Shubitz and Betsy Hubbard, along with eight members of the Slice of Life Community for a Facebook Live Session on Sunday, January 31st at 2:00 p.m. EDT. We’ll be talking about why taking the time to cultivate and maintain a daily writing habit matters — especially now.
TWO WRITING TEACHERS 