Magalia, California--Unhappy that her grandchildren seemed shy with her and with one another, Diane Schultz, 60, initiated a letter-writing contest to break the ice. First, she sent out a letter announcing the contest and the categories for prizes, including the most letters, the funniest letter, the most original letter, and the most creative letter (there were eight categories in all, enough for all participating grandchildren).
The kids, who hail from California, Washington, and Oklahoma, could write to anyone, not just to Grandma. However, to be considered for the prizes, they had to send her a photocopy of their letters. And when they wrote her directly, they had to fulfill two requirements: tell her something she didn't know and ask her something they wanted to know. This led Krystal, 15, to inform her grandmother about Brad Pitt. "She had a mad crush on Brad Pitt and made clear she'd appreciate anything collectible," Diane remembers. And Rose, 16, began educating her grandmother about driver's ed ("I think she thought they didn't have cars in my day," Diane says).
After the letter-writing contest, Diane suggested that the cousins, no longer shy, compose a story together. Krystal began the tale, stopped mid-sentence, and sent it on to another cousin. After the story wended its way through the cousins, Rose wrote the conclusion.
