A. Publishing 101

The Path to Publication (Sally Stuart)

Every writer must start somewhere, and this is the place to learn the essentials for achieving publication. The class will cover submission procedures, writing for the market, marketing your manuscripts, basic article structure, and article query letters.

Sally Stuart

1. Understanding the Basics

2. Selling What You Write

3. The Basics of Article Writing

4. Understanding the Query Letter

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.

Robin Jones Gunn

1. Identify Your Strengths and Style
2. Magnify Your Spin and Sparkle
3. A Refresher Course in the Basics

4. Let the Truth Set You Free

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 Christy Miller and Sierra Jensen series for teens. Robin began writing by taking the Christian Writers Guild's "What's Your Story?" course from Guild founder Norm Rohrer. She serves on the Board of The 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, characterizations, and style. Come prepared to have your usual way of writing challenged — and find new ways to do it better.

2. Finding Your Voice — and Your Story's

3. A Pattern in Time

4. The Right Word vs. the Almost-right Word

Dave Lambert is the author of nine published books, including the Gold Medallion Award-winner Jumper 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 an 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 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.

Bob Hostetler
1. The Concept

2. The Cover

3. The Copy

4. The Contract

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! (Dennis Hensley)

Dennis Hensley
1. Concepts and Markets

2. From Start to Finish

3. Research and Interviews

4. Polishing to Perfection

Dennis 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 on the Board of the Christian Writers Guild. 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.

2. Finding and Feeding Content-hungry Niches

3. It Takes a Social-Networking iVillage

4. Getting Paid for Web Writing

Chris 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)

Lissa Halls Johnson
1. Get a Grip
2. Getting Through the Locked Door

3. It's All in Your Head

4. Telling it Like it is

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 Digest, 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.

Registration is full-time only. Spouses are welcome to stay with you at The Broadmoor (more information about transportation and lodging). General sessions, workshops, and meals, however, are open only to registered WRITING for the SOUL conferees. If you'd like to have your spouse join you for the meals and the special speaker presentations at mealtime please see fees below.

Conference Fee (Meals are included. You are responsible for your own lodging and transportation costs. Spouses may stay in your room for no additional charge but must purchase the special Meal/Speaker pass to eat with you.)

PAYMENT PLANS AVAILABLE.

Please call (866) 495-5177 or email us for details.

Cancellation Policy. Refunds must be requested in writing prior to January 3, 2008. Written cancellations received before the deadline will be promptly refunded, less a lost deposit (nontransferable) of $150. After the refund deadline, no refunds will be issued.

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