|
Back
to
main Conference page.
2. Selling What You Write
As
writers and would-be writers,
we are always concerned about
how and where to sell what we
have written. This session will
help you custom-fit your writing
to the market so you always
know where you're going to submit
before you write the manuscript.
Back to main Conference page.
3. The Basics
of Article Writing
It's
one thing to sit down and write
an article off the top of your
head, but quite another to know
what format that article should
take to fit a professional model
for structure and organization.
We'll also look at the admonition
to "show, don't tell."
Back
to main Conference page.
4. Understanding the
Query Letter
You'll
not only learn what a query
letter is, but also how to write
one that will sell your article
idea to a publisher —
and make you look like a professional.
Back to main Conference page.
Sally
Stuart has been writing
for 40 years — full-time
for the past 22. She has also
put out 22 editions of the Christian
Writers' Market Guide,
the only guide that specifically
targets the Christian market.
She has published a dozen other
books and countless articles
and columns. As marketing columnist
for Christian Communicator,
The Advanced Christian Writer,
and Oregon Writers,
she is considered the leading
authority on the Christian market.
She is in demand as a conference
speaker nationwide.
B.
Fiction 101
My
Novel Idea: What Am I Missing?
(Robin Jones Gunn)
A gripping story
idea set up camp in your imagination.
You wrote pages and pages —
then you got stuck, so you put
the project aside. But the story
idea won't leave you alone.
You know something is missing
... but what? Perhaps you're
compelled to write a novel,
but feel frozen because you
don't know where to begin. This
interactive workshop will demystify
the basics of fiction writing
and give you encouragement and
guidance to begin your novel
or restart a stalled story.
1. Identify
Your Strengths and Style
We'll start by
stepping back from your writing
project and identifying your
unique voice and message. Bring
your pen and be ready to do
some soul-searching. You'll
be surprised to discover how
this first step will affect
your writing for years to come.
Back to main Conference page.
2. Magnify
Your Spin and Sparkle
Now that you have a better grasp
on what makes you uniquely you,
how do you translate that spin
and sparkle into your story?
This interactive session will
help you clarify what you do
best in your storytelling and
show you how to incorporate
those strengths.
Back to main Conference page.
3.
A Refresher Course in the Basics
Check, check,
and double check.We'll look
at where you are in your novel
and make sure some of the basics
such as plot and character development
are still on track. You'll be
amazed and encouraged to see
how many options are available
in the creativity department.
Back
to main Conference page.
4. Let
the Truth Set You Free
A
few brave souls will be invited
to read from their work. Come
with a tender spirit, ready
to offer observations. Or bring
a sample of your story
Back to main Conference page.
Robin Jones Gunn is
the award-winning author of
62 books, with 3.5 million copies
sold. She's written the Sisterchicks®
and the Glenbrooke
fiction series for adults and
the Christian Writers Guild's
"What's Your Story?"
course from Guild founder Norm
Rohrer. She serves on the Reference
Board of Christian Writers Guild
and the Board of Directors for
Media Associates International.
She has taught at writers conferences
in Brazil and England as well
as across the United States.
Her awards include a Gold Medallion
finalist, Christy finalist,
Mount Hermon Pacesetter, and
the Sherwood E. Wirt award.
C. Fiction 201
Advanced
Fiction Techniques (Dave Lambert)
Novelists
who publish year after year
must commit themselves to becoming
better writers with each book,
constantly honing and improving
their craft. This class is designed
to start making you a better
writer of fiction. Among other
techniques we'll examine advanced
aspects of point of view, voice,
handling exposition and flashbacks,
characterization, and style.
Come prepared to have your usual
way of writing challenged —
and find new ways to do it better.
1. What
Fiction Is — and How It
Works
We'll begin with
a quick explanation and review
of the nature of fiction (and
why it's an especially useful
tool for Christian writers).
Then we'll examine —
more deeply and critically than
you may have before —
some of the basic techniques
of fiction: writing in scenes,
dialogue, and characterization.
Back
to main Conference page.
2. Finding
Your Voice — and Your
Story's
Point
of view and voice — two
related, yet distinct aspects
of fiction. We'll examine both
and look for the opportunities
they afford to make your story
stellar.
Back to main Conference page.
3.A Pattern
in Time
The
debate over whether to use flashbacks
ignores a central truth of fiction:
Each story, in its best form,
finds its own pattern in time.
That pattern may not be chronological.
We'll look at the options —
and how to choose the best one
for your story.
Back to main Conference page.
4. The
Right Word vs. the Almost-right
Word
Style
— the way you use words
— isn't a nice add-on
to your story if you have time.
It's an intrinsic part of what
makes your story work or fail.
We'll look at the use of language
in fiction and suggest ways
to make your prose and dialogue
sing. We'll also examine figurative
language and discuss why it's
essential.
Back
to main Conference page.
Dave
Lambert is
the author of nine published
books, including the Gold Medallion
Award-winning Jumber Fables,
coauthored with Ken Davis. Four
of the nine have been fiction
for juvenile or young adult
readers. His short fiction has
been published in periodicals
as diverse as TQ, The Chariton
Review, Sand, Virtue, Moody,
Guideposts for Kids, and
Story. Dave has and M.F.A.
in fiction writing from the
University of Montana. He has
held a variety of positions
in publishing, including managing
editor of a youth magazine and
founding editor of two others.
He spent 18 years as an acquiring
editor at Zondervan, most of
that time as executive editor
for fiction. He is now senior
fiction editor at Howard Books,
a division of Simon & Schuster.
Dave also sits on the Editorial
Board of the Christian Writers
Guild and wrote the Guild's
fiction curriculum.
D. Nonfiction
Your
Best Nonfiction Book Now! (Bob
Hostetler)
You'll
be smiling like Joel Osteen
as you are guided through the
process of conceiving, crafting,
completing — and selling
— the best nonfiction
book(s) you have in you. You'll
be on your way to joining the
more than 20 authors whose published
books have come out of this
class.
1. The Concept
From aardvark-breeding
to zoo management, the range
of nonfiction topics is unlimited.
But how do you know if your
idea will work? This session
details how to create, recognize,
and evaluate a killer concept.
Back
to main Conference page.
2. The Cover
Many aspiring
writers start — and sometimes
finish — a book before
the thing is ready to write.
As a result, they often waste
months or years — and
even ruin ideas that could have
worked if they had started differently.
This session will give you invaluable
tools to focus and develop your
ideas in ways that will make
the book immeasurably better.
Back
to main Conference page.
3. The Copy
Great ideas are
as common as pennies, but great
books are rare. This session
will dig into the craft of writing,
discuss the steps to produce
quality works, sentences, paragraphs,
and chapters — and detail
how to plan and produce a book-length
manuscript. It will also equip
you to edit your own work with
excercises guaranteed to raise
the level of your writing instantly.
Back
to main Conference page.
4. The Contract
What happens
when an editor wants to buy
your book? What if you get more
than one offer? What if it's
made into a movie? Before you
get too carried away, learn
about rights and contracts,
editors and agents, marketing
and promotion —
and more.
Back
to main Conference page.
Bob Hostetler
is a writer, editor,
pastor, and speaker from southwest
Ohio. His 25 books, which include
the award-winning Don't
Check Your Brains at the Door
(co-authored with Josh McDowell)
and American Idols: The
Worship of the American Dream,
have sold over 3 million copies.
He has won two Gold Medallion
Awards, three Ohio Associated
Press awards, and an Amy Foundation
Award. He is Pastor of Leadership
and Teaching at Cobblestone
Community Church in Oxford,
Ohio.
E. Magazine
Nonfiction
Articles: The Whole Gamut! (Dr.
Dennis Hensley)
Explore
the key avenues of nonfiction
article writing —
including interviews, columns,
profiles, comedy, investigative
journalism, travel features,
and reviews. Learn to improve
your writing style, enhance
your range of markets, create
a salable series that can lead
to a book, and discover myriad
ideas for writing topics. Beginners
and seasoned writers alike will
benefit.
1. Concepts
and Markets
This
session will start with the
basics of what to write about,
where to find ideas for interviews,
articles, and stories, then
how to match those manuscripts
with appropriate markets.
Back to main Conference page.
2.
From Start to Finish
Learn
to master the components of
article writing, including how
to come up with fantastic titles,
write grabber leads and satisfying
endings, and structure the article
with the right balance of quotes,
anecdotes, facts, and material
for takeaway value.
Back
to main Conference page.
3. Research
and Interviews
Discover
how to find expert sources to
interview for profiles or as
expert sources for your features.
Learn to conduct background
research, plus techniques of
interviewing by phone and in-person.
Back
to main Conference page.
4. Polishing
to Perfection
This
session will present the polish
aspects of writing: careful
proofreading, double-checked
research, proper manuscript
format, and excellent query
letters.
Back
to main Conference page.
Dr. Dennis E. Hensley
is the author of 50
books, including eight writing
textbooks that include How
to Write What You Love and Make
a Living at It and Teach
Yourself Grammar and Style in
24 Hours. He is a contributing
editor and columnist for both
Writer's Journal and
Advanced Christian Writer.
He directs the Taylor University
Fort Wayne professional writing
major, where he is a professor
of English. He serves as an
annual judge for the Christy
Fiction Awards, the Evangelical
Press Association Awards, and
the Gold Medallion Awards.
F.
Internet
Web Writing
Worth Reading (Chris Lyon)
As
the barriers to getting published
electronically have shrunk to
the cost of a laptop and an
Internet connection, the barriers
to getting read keep growing.
With so many choices, web readers
come back to sites — and
writers — that offer quality
content packaged for optimal
ingestion. And some website
publishers are willing to pay
writers who can deliver.
1. How
We Read the Web Now
The amount and variety of information
we're willing to gather from
the Web keeps growing. We'll
discuss how to tailor your writing
for the way users take it today.
Back
to main Conference page.
2.
Finding and Feeding Content-hungry
Niches
The sites that succeed on the
Web serve increasingly specific
audiences. Web editors need
writers who live and breathe
the areas of interest their
users want to learn and talk
about.
Back
to main Conference page.
3. It Takes
a Social-Networking iVillage
It's not just teens, and it's
not just MySpace and YouTube.
A growing number of Web readers
expect Websites to provide the
opportunity for interaction
between users, as well as contact
with content providers. We'll
talk about how to use Web communities
to become better Web writers.
Back
to main Conference page.
4. Getting
Paid for Web Writing
For those looking to earn a
living writing for the Web,
the bad news is that millions
of folks with a keyboard and
an hour to kill are willing
to do it for free. The good
news is that organizations and
popular Web sites still need
quality content from talented
writers with specific passion,
knowledge, and skill.
Back
to main Conference page.
Christopher
Lyon spent his first
decade in Christian publishing
creating content for magazines
and books printed on paper!
After serving as an editor for
Teen Quest magazine,
Scripture Press Publications,
and Go! Magazine, he
made the leap into the world
of Web writing and Web content
management for sites that include
PlanetWisdom.com, Guidepost's
Sweet16Mag.com, Focus
on the Family's PluggedInOnline.com,
and North American Mission Board's
GOstudents.net. He
reluctantly continues to contribute
to non-digital media, most recently
co-writing Living a Life
that Matters (Zondervan)
with Mark Matlock.
G. Teens
You're Never Too Young To Write
(Lissa Halls Johnson)
Prepare
for an intense, guided tour
of the secret world of professional
writing and publishing, including
the basics of nonfiction and
the key elements of effective
storytelling. We'll also discuss
protocols for manuscript preparation
and submission.
1. Get
a Grip
Learn the secret world of publication:
lingo, people, and process.
Publishing is its own little
community, complete with specialized
code language, and private inner
circle. Understanding this culture
goes far to help you to break
into this world. Who works there?
What happens once your manuscript
is opened? What happens if there
is interest in your manuscript?
What's the process of getting
published? And why you should
care. Added bonus:
how to approach the professional
writers and editors at this
conference.
Back
to main Conference page.
2. Getting
Through the Locked Door
How
to submit a professional manuscript
that will end up in the hands
of an eager editor, not in the
trash. What you don't know in
publishing can hurt
you. In this session you'll
learn what makes editors sigh,
roll their eyes, and toss the
submission — or get excited
over a manuscript. Layout, presentation,
and book proposals are just
some of the things you'll learn.
Back
to main Conference page.
3. It's
All in Your Head
The
foundations of story writing.
(Or how to tell lies and get
paid for it.) Have you ever
gotten writer's block —
or begun a story only to have
it fizzle somewhere in the middle?
Then you need to learn the basic
elements of story. With the
foundation of these simple rules,
your fiction will be compelling,
and your nonfiction will take
on a new depth. (And once you
know the basics you are free
to break some of the rules some
of the time.)
Back
to main Conference page.
4.
Telling it Like it is
The
basics of nonfiction. Nonfiction
uses some of the elements you
learned in our storytelling
session. But it also has some
unique elements of its own.
Learn about leads, titles, middles
and ends — and what needs
to be in each.
Back
to main Conference page.
Lissa Halls Johnson
is the author of novels
for teens, tweens, and young
adults. Formerly a book producer
at Focus on the Family, she
was the creator, editor, and
writer for the Brio
girls series and for the Kid
Witness book series. She
has contributed to Reader's
Diges, Brio, Breakaway, Focus
on the Family Magazine, TQ,
and other periodicals. She has
also written radio drama scripts
and was a member of the Adventures
in Odyssey creative team.
ONE-HOUR
ELECTIVE WORKSHOPS
A.
Special Guest Workshops
1.
How to Break Into Hollywood:
Dallas Jenkins
A filmmaker and author discusses
his difficult but rewarding
path in Hollywood and gives
practical advice on how Christians
can earn a place among the professionals
working in the world of film
and television.
Dallas
Jenkins is president
of Jenkins Entertainment in
Los Angeles. He produced the
company's first feature film,
Hometown Legend, served
as co-executive producer of
Though None Go With Me,
a feature that aired on The
Hallmark Channel, and directed
their new film, Midnight
Clear.
2.
A Common Sense Approach to Correct
Usage: Richard Lederer
Ever
get confused by a language that
lets you drive on a parkway
and park in a driveway? Linguist
Richard Lederer, also known
as Conan the Grammarian, offers
wisdom on how to approach modern
English, including the rules
of correct usage and why writers
should care.
Richard Lederer is
the author of more than 30 books
about language and humor, including
his current book, Word Wizard.
Dr. Lederer's column, "Looking
at Language," appears in
newspapers and magazines throughout
the United States. He has been
elected International Punster
of the Year and been profiled
in magazines as diverse as The
New Yorker, People, and
the National Enquirer.
He serves as language columnist
for The Toastmaster, Pages,
and the Farmers' Almanac
and hosted the one-hour show
"A Way with Words"
on public radio.
B.
Thick
Skinned Manuscript Clinic:
Jerry Jenkins, Andy Scheer
If
you're thick-skinned enough
to benefit from seeing your
work edited in front of your
peers, we have an opportunity
for you. In two workshops, Jerry
Jenkins and Andy Scheer will
edit and critique, using overhead
transparencies, two-page anonymous
samples from Writing for the
Soul conferees.
In each session they will work
with three different samples
of fiction and three of nonfiction.
While the workshops are open
to all, critiquing is limited
to the first 12 conference registrants
(6 for fiction; 6 for nonfiction)
who submit their two-page, double-spaced
sample by e-mail to andy@ChristianWritersGuild.com
. Mark the subject line “2008
Thick Skinned Manuscript Clinics.”
Fiction submissions should represent
the first two pages of a novel
or short story; nonfiction submissions
the first two pages of a book
or article. Samples must be
double-spaced using 12-point
Times New Roman with 1.25 inch
side margins and 1 inch margins
top and bottom.
Back to main Conference page.
Jerry B. Jenkins is
author of more than 170 books,
including both the best-selling
Left Behind series.
He is former vice president
for publishing and now writer-at-large
for the Moody Bible Institute.
Jerry's writing has appeared
in Reader's Digest, Parade,
Guideposts, and dozens
of Christian periodicals. His
biographies include books with
Hank Aaron, Bill Gaither, Luis
Palau, Walter Payton, Orel Hershiser,
Nolan Ryan, and Dr. Billy Graham.
His 2007 releases include Kingdom
Come (sequel to the Left
Behind series), The
Jesus Chronicles: Mark's Story,
Demon's Bluff with John
Perrodin, the initial books
in The Wormling series
with Chris Fabry, and the film
Midnight Clear, directed
by Dallas Jenkins and based
on a book by Jerry.
Andy Scheer is
Managing Editor and mentor for
the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian
Writers Guild in Colorado Springs,
Colo. An editor since 1976,
he served for 18 years with
Moody magazine in Chicago
— from 1999 to 2002 as managing
editor. A journalism graduate
of Colorado State University,
he also studied at Denver Seminary.
C.
Fiction: Dave Lambert
1.
The World of Christian Fiction:
What's Happening Now?
Twenty
years ago, the world of Christian
fiction consisted of two or
three publishing houses, prairie
romances, epic fantasy, and
a handful of authors. Now it
seems everyone is writing it,
publishing it, and reading it
—
and it ranges from courtroom
thrillers to mainstream, character-driven
novels. But what has really
changed, and what has stayed
the same? What will we see in
the next few years? And how
can we prepare for it?
2. Fiction
Proposals Editors Will Actually
Read
When submitting a fiction proposal
to an editor, what should it
contain and what should it look
like? How long should the synopsis
be? How many sample chapters?
And do you need an agent to
submit it for you? We'll examine
these questions and others in
an attempt to ensure that your
fiction proposal stays in the
editor's hands for longer than
the two minutes it takes most
editors to reject one.
Dave
Lambert is
the author of nine published
books, including the Gold Medallion
Award-winning Jumber Fables,
coauthored with Ken Davis. Four
of the nine have been fiction
for juvenile or young adult
readers. His short fiction has
been published in periodicals
as diverse as TQ, The Chariton
Review, Sand, Virtue, Moody,
Guideposts for Kids, and
Story. Dave has and M.F.A.
in fiction writing from the
University of Montana. He has
held a variety of positions
in publishing, including managing
editor of a youth magazine and
founding editor of two others.
He spent 18 years as an acquiring
editor at Zondervan, most of
that time as executive editor
for fiction. He is now senior
fiction editor at Howard Books,
a division of Simon & Schuster.
Dave also sits on the Editorial
Board of the Christian Writers
Guild and wrote the Guild's
fiction curriculum.
D.
Special Audience Fiction
1.
The Art of Telling the Truth
to Your Friends: Robin Jones
Gunn
Writers
of fiction for women have a
unique opportunity to speak
truth to their peers and see
hearts and lives changed for
eternity. As a novelist you
can speak through your characters
with the voice of a mother,
a mentor, a sister, a friend,
a counselor, and a teacher.
How can you best use this power
of storytelling when writing
fiction for women? This interactive
workshop will explore the ways
that fiction changes the lives
of women. We will focus on understandin
your unique voice and message
and discuss how you can develop
those strengths in your storytelling.
Robin
Jones Gunn is
the award-winning author of
62 books, with 3.5 million copies
sold. She's written the Sisterchicks®
and the Glenbrooke
fiction series for adults and
the Christian Writers Guild's
"What's Your Story?"
course from Guild founder Norm
Rohrer. She serves on the Reference
Board of Christian Writers Guild
and the Board of Directors for
Media Associates International.
She has taught at writers conferences
in Brazil and England as well
as across the United States.
Her awards include a Gold Medallion
finalist, Christy finalist,
Mount Hermon Pacesetter, and
the Sherwood E. Wirt award.
2. Transforming
Teen Mania into Teen Media:
Lissa Halls Johnson
Teens are some of the brightest,
wildest, greatest people on
earth. But sometimes it's tough
to reach them with fiction that's
meaningful. Gather hints, learn
tricks of the trade, and get
yourself ready to write for
the teens you care about; whether
you intend to entertain, get
them thinking, or change their
lives.
Lissa
Halls Johnson is the
author of novels for teens,
tweens, and young adults. Formerly
a book producer at Focus on
the Family, she was the creator,
editor, and writer for the Brio
girls series and for the Kid
Witness book series. She
has contributed to Reader's
Diges, Brio, Breakaway, Focus
on the Family Magazine, TQ,
and other periodicals. She has
also written radio drama scripts
and was a member of the Adventures
in Odyssey creative team.
E.
Nonfiction
1.
The Proposal-Driven Life:
Bob Hostetler
A
well-crafted book proposal answers
every editor's question: "Why
on earth should I buy your book?"
This workshop will help you
craft nonfiction book proposals
that will make editors forget
Rick Warren.
Bob
Hostetler is a writer,
editor, pastor, and speaker
from southwest Ohio. His 25
books, which include the award-winning
Don't Check Your Brains
at the Door (co-authored
with Josh McDowell) and American
Idols: The Worship of the American
Dream, have sold over 3
million copies. He has won two
Gold Medallion Awards, three
Ohio Associated Press awards,
and an Amy Foundation Award.
He is Pastor of Leadership and
Teaching at Cobblestone Community
Church in Oxford, Ohio.
2. Writing
Irresistible Query Letters:
Dennis Hensley
Learn
to write e-mail and hard-copy
query letters for nonfiction
articles. "Doc" Hensley
will explain such variations
as "the elevator pitch,"
"the series concept,"
and "the multiple idea
blitz letter." Also learn
to do preparatory work with
writers' guidelines; analysis
of a magazine's format, content,
and ads; and evaluations of
a periodical's target readership.
Dr. Hensley has sold more than
3,000 freelance articles to
business, religious, travel,
academic, and general interest
publications. This session will
show how he grabs an editor's
attention and pre-sells an article
via a solid query letter.
Dr. Dennis E. Hensley
is the author of 50
books, including eight writing
textbooks that include How
to Write What You Love and Make
a Living at It and Teach
Yourself Grammar and Style in
24 Hours. He is a contributing
editor and columnist for both
Writer's Journal and
Advanced Christian Writer.
He directs the Taylor University
Fort Wayne professional writing
major, where he is a professor
of English. He serves as an
annual judge for the Christy
Fiction Awards, the Evangelical
Press Association Awards, and
the Gold Medallion Awards.
F.
Internet
1.
You Are Your URL: Chris Lyon
"Do
you have a Web site?" is
quickly replacing "Do you
have a card?" Learn how
to build a home on the Web to
help potential readers find
your work; quickly get a handle
on who you are and what you
have to offer; and buy your
books with a click of a button.
2.
Don't Let the Search Engine
Drive You: Chris Lyon
The
Web has become the most powerful
research tool in the history
of the world. But it's still
far too easy for writers to
kill and afternoon Googling
ourselves into knowts trying
to land the information we need.
Discover how to make better,
qucker use of the Web for instant
searches, as well as deeper
research.
Christopher
Lyon spent his first
decade in Christian publishing
| 
