If you think you don't have time to write, think again. See what you can produce with ten minutes of your time, a list of words, and an everyday saying with this creative writing exercise.

I always say that the contests dry up over the summer, and then June turns out to be an excellent month for them. In the first half of the month alone, we have three contests from respected journals: the Indiana Review "1/2 K" Prize for prose poems and short shorts (June 9, with Russell Edson judging), the Chelsea Awards for Short Fiction (June 15), and Hunger Mountain's Howard Frank Mosher Short Fiction Prize (June 15). In addition, there are worthwhile regional opportunities, with the Dallas Museum of Art's Arts and Letters Live Texas Bound Series (June 6), the Bronx Writers' Center Literary Arts Fellowship and Residency (June 15), and the Towson Prize for Literature (June 15) for Maryland writers.

I found this prompt in Beth Baruch Joselow's Writing Without the Muse, but it just as easily could have come from Woody Allen's Alice. In it you're asked to imagine a scene you might witness if you were invisible.

The biggest names in mysteries, including Mary Higgins Clark, Harlan Coben, and Lawrence Block gathered tonight to celebrate the 62nd Annual Mystery Writers of America Edgar Awards in NYC. Twelve people left with the Edgar Allan Poe busts that have become synonymous with excellence in the genre.

See more pictures from the Edgar Awards and read about the winners.

Grande Dame of Mysteries Mary Higgins Clark and MWA President Harlan Coben before the awards ceremony.

Tomorrow night the Mystery Writers of America, the club to be in if you're a mystery or crime writer, will present the Edgar Awards in New York City. (If you're not a mystery buff, these are basically their Oscars.) This year's nominees include Michael Chabon, for Best Novel for The Yiddish Policemen's Union; Jean Gould O'Connell, for her biography of her father, the creator of Dick Tracey, Chester Gould (Best Critical/Biography); and Vincent Bugliosi, for Best Fact Crime for his book on the assassination of JFK, Reclaiming History. And the winner is...? All in good time. For now, mystery buffs can weigh in below. (Or look up other nominees on the MWA site.)

When I've used this creative writing exercise in a class, it's consistently resulted in interesting work. You'll begin the exercise by thinking of someone for whom you have strong feelings, and then respond to five writing prompts. Though the prompts may not seem to relate to each other initially, if you trust the exercise, it will lead to some interesting associations -- and hopefully to something that you can craft into a poem or short story.

For this week, to hone your powers of description, spend some time describing the most memorable person you've ever met. Include both physical and psychological characteristics, and be as detailed as possible. Go back to it in a few days and note what's particularly vivid and what's unclear -- or even what seems extraneous -- and edit it. (But wait few days to edit. At first just let the words spill.)

Or if you'd prefer, work on something else with a different writing prompt.

May brings a number of good opportunities, including the Eastern Washington University Press Spokane Prize for Short Fiction (May 15), the University of Georgia Press Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction (May 31), and a fun online contest hosted by the online zine Ramble Underground (May 15).

Also, see articles on how to publish your short stories -- and how to know if you're even ready to publish.

To submit the names of contests and awards for the month that I may have missed, please email me at fictionwriting.guide@about.com.

Reader Tami wrote in about online writing classes: "I've been writing in some form all of my life. I'm now considering the big plunge -- a novel. Could you recommend an online school or workshop? There are so many.

Ginny responded: "That's a very good question. The one I can personally recommend, because I know people who have taught there, is the Gotham Writers' Workshop, which does have a novel class. I would also trust classes offered through colleges and universities. I found one program at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, for example. I think you're definitely doing the right thing in seeking a class, though. It's really helpful to get feedback and support from other writers, and online classes are a convenient, cheaper alternative."

Asking our community: Do you have any experiences with online classes? Were they positive or negative? Share your experiences and recommendations in the comments section. And for general information on choosing a writing class, see "How to Find a Writing Class."

Thinking about tax time, I turned to the chapter on money in The Artist's Way. At the end of the chapter, she advised artists to spend a week taking stock of where their money goes. So this week, record every nickel you spend in a small pocket notepad. Be thorough, without being judgmental. She writes, "It will teach you what you value in terms of your spending. Often our spending differs from our real values. We fritter away cash on things we don't cherish and deny ourselves those things we do. For many of us, counting is a necessary prelude to learning creative luxury."