Writing Tips/Tricks/Contest Links
http://www.artandwriting.org
+ This is the website for Scholastic inc's annual Art and Writing Awards - the contest I plan to enter this year.
http://www.nanowrimo.org
+ The National Novel Writing Month website - National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
http://www.springhole.net/quizzes/marysue.htm
+ A test THE test to take to see how Mary Sue-ish your characters are. (NOTE: Mary Sues are BAD.)
http://www.ponylandpress.com/ms-test.html
+ Another Mary Sue test to take, to get a second opinion on your characters.
http://www.katfeete.net/writing/marysue.html
+ And yet another Mary Sue Litmust Test, if you're still trying to convince yourself that your character isn't a Mary Sue. (But seriously, if you failed the first two, this one isn't going to help you at all.)