2014 Writers' Workshops this June

It's Valentine's day and we've got a sweet treat for you!

The class list is now posted over on the website for the 2014 Saint Davids Christian Writers Conference. 

We've got a little bit of something for everyone lined up this year. As you may have read from a previous post, our faculty line up, the class list filled with some great opportunities for writers to improve in many areas of your writing no matter what stage you are currently in. 

Poetry

Participating in the Poem

Writing for Children

Writing for Young Children: Tapping into Your Inner Child 

Using Knowledge of Child Development to Write for Young Children

Putting it all Together: Prioritizing, Collaborating, and Publishing

Writing Life 

Why You Should Hire an Agent 

How to Get Published

The Writing Life

Craft of Writing

Proposals that Pop

Be Your Own Best Editor

Make Money Writing for Specialty Markets

Non-Fiction Writing

Article Writing: Beyond the Basics

The Art of Interviewing and Shaping Articles from Interviews

Research Techniques for Both Fiction and Nonfiction

Writing Curriculum

Fiction Writing

Concept to Synopsis and Proposal

From Synopsis to Plot 

Marketing and Platform

Marketing and Platform: Turning These Twin Dreads into Your Biggest Assets

Queries

Taking Advantage of the e-Book Trend

Many of the classes listed above are continueing workshops. To find out more about these classes hop over to our workshop description page on our site. 

We'll have a schedule posted shortly and registration will open come mid-March. 

Which classes do you think you'll take? 
Which ones sound interesting? 

 

Announcing the 2014 Faculty for St Davids Christian Writers Conference

This year, Saint Davids Christian Writers Association is happy to announce the 2014 faculty members for our upcoming conference in June. 

 


CHERI COWELL - MARKETING & PLATFORM

Cheri Cowell, an accomplished speaker and author with more than 300 articles in such magazines as Marriage Partnership and the Lookout, draws upon nearly 22 years in both professional and lay Christian ministry and a Masters degree in Theology from Asbury Theological Seminary to address the unspoken questions of faith. Through her books, Direction: Discernment for the Decisions of Your Life and See For Yourself: 52 Weeks of Devotion, and with her Following God™ Bible study on the New Testament parables, Cheri challenges her readers to build their lives upon a solid and firm foundation—the Word and character of God. However, it is through her work in Word Weavers and teaching at writers conferences Cheri is able to make her big impact for the kingdom. Says Cheri “Through teaching at writers’ conferences I’m able to give back what I’ve been so generously given. By encouraging writers to share their passions and gifts with excellence, I’m able to impact the Kingdom exponentially.”

JOYCE K. ELLIS - NONFICTION

Not long into her writing career, people in the writing and publishing industry began to encourage Joyce to pass along her insights and writing skills in workshops at writers conferences and seminars. Later, Jerry Jenkins (author of the Left Behind series) invited her to serve as a mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild (CWG) correspondence courses. Over the years she has shepherded scores of writers through several of the courses the CWG offers. "It's a great way for people interested in writing to get started or grow in their writing skills with personal feedback from a seasoned writer assigned to them," Joyce says.

She now serves as contributing editor to the Christian Communicator magazine, writing a monthly grammar column called "Your Writing GPS" (Grammar, Punctuation, and Style). A couple of those articles are available for purchase in the store, and another is yours for free!

Joyce teaches at writers conferences and seminars across the country and internationally, and also serves as assistant director for the Write-to-Publish Conference on the Wheaton College campus (Chicago area) every June.

She is also the editorial assistant for Prayer Connect; speaker; Gold Medallion Book Award and EPA Higher Goals Award recipient.

JIM HART - LITERARY AGENT

Jim Hart is a musician/songwriter/worship leader with an ever-growing library of fictional titles, as well as books on Christian growth, ministry, and biographies of the Heroes of the Faith.
Jim is looking for authors who can write unique and engaging fictional suspense, romance, women’s fiction, spiritual warfare, YA, and some sci-fi. He is also interested in some non-fiction regarding church growth, Christian living, and self-help. Keep in mind that non-fiction topics require a certain level of credentials, experience and expertise.
Philippians 4:8 is the filter in which Jim uses to select any material“….whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Jim gets excited when Christians use their creative spark to fire the imagination of others. He is also passionate about the local church, its role in the community, and in seeing people becoming mature followers of Christ. Jim is a credentialed minister with the Assemblies of God, and serves part-time as Worship Pastor in his local church in Southwestern Pennsylvania. He holds a degree in Production Journalism and worked for twenty years in direct mail advertising before taking a job with an urban social services agency, where he worked for twelve years. All during his professional career, Jim has served with the local church doing youth ministry and music/worship ministry.

LIN JOHNSON - BEGINNERS

Lin Johnson is a full-time freelancer, whose business includes editing, writing, proofreading, and training. She is managing editor of Christian Communicator, a monthly magazine for writers and speakers; Advanced Christian Writer, a bimonthly newsletter for published authors; and Church Libraries, a quarterly magazine for church and Christian school librarians. Plus she proofs and edits for Friends of Israel. Lin also owns and directs the Write-to-Publish Conference in the Chicago area and teaches at writers conferences around the world. 
            The author of more than 70 books, Lin specializes in Bible curriculum and is a Gold Medallion Book Award and an EPA Higher Goals award recipient. Her books include Everything the Bible Says about Money, The Smart Guide to the Bible: John, Encouraging Others, Christian Education: Foundations for the Future (co-editor), 2 Timothy & Titus: Fighting the Good Fight and 1 Timothy: Standing Firm (with John Stott), Mark and Ephesians (with N. T. Wright), and the Extracting the Precious series of Bible studies (with Donna Partow). She has also contributed to several books, including A Complete Guide to Writing for Publication and The NIV Quiet Time Bible.
            She has a B.A. in Christian education from Cedarville University, a B.A. in Bible-theology from Moody Bible Institute, and an M.S. in adult and continuing education from National-Louis University. She is a former special instructor of Christian education at Moody Bible Institute and a current adjunct professor of writing at Taylor University.

ANNE MARO SLANINA, Ph.D - CHILDRENAnne is the author of The Adventures of Annie  Mouse children’s books, which include a chapter book:  Annie Mouse’s Route 66 Family Vacation, and five picture books:  Annie Mouse Meets her Guardian Angel,  Baby Brother Goes to the Hospital, Annie Mouse Meets a New Friend, Where the Rainbow Touches Ground, and Annie Mouse’s Route 66 Adventure: A Photo Journal.  She is an associate professor of early childhood education at Slippery Rock University and previously taught in several schools in the Youngstown and Cleveland areas.  She holds a Ph.D in Curriculum and Instruction from Kent State University, a Master’s degree in Reading Education from Youngstown State University and degrees in elementary education and early childhood education.  You can learn more about Anne on her website: www.anniemousebooks.com

SHIRLEY STEVENS - POETRY

Shirley Stevens is the author of the Academy's home study Poetry Series, and she critiques assignments for the Poetry Series and the Story series. She has been a frequent teacher at Writing Academy seminars and other conferences, including the St. David's Writer's Conference in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Whether attending a literary Victorian Tea or dressing up like Cat-in-the-Hat to lead a Seussabration, she is always doing something that sounds like fun.

Shirley is the author of Pronouncing what We Wish to Keep, a book of poetry, and her work has appeared in such publications as the English Journal, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Poet Lore, Time of Singing, and the Christian Century--to mention only a few. She has won awards from the Westmoreland Arts Festival, The Pensylvania Poetry Society, the Pittsburgh Poetry Society, and the West Virginia Poetry Society. In 1990 she received the Lois Henderson Award, given by the St. David's conference for excellence in writing. 

LINDA WINDSOR - FICTION
 With over a million books in print, Linda Windsor is an award-winning author of  sixteen secular historical and contemporary romances and fifteen award-winning romantic comedies and historical fiction for the inspirational market. Her switch to the inspirational fiction in 1999 was more like Jonah going to Ninevah than a flash of enlightenment. Windsor claims God pushed her, kicking and screaming all the way. In retrospect, the author can see how God prepared her for His writing in her early publishing years and then claimed, not just her music, but her writing when she was ready. At that point, He brushed away all her reservations regarding inspirational fiction and she took the leap of faith. Windsor has never looked back in the fifteen years since that leap. The author lives on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and enjoys a music and speaking ministry in addition to writing. 


You can also find this information and more at our website. 
In the following weeks we will be announcing class offerings, editor and agent appointment availability, and other important information and updates leading to June's conference. 

I hope you are as excited as we are for this year's conference. Don't forget to mark your calendars for June 17 - 21, 2014.  Registration will open in March!

My First Tutoring Experience

  "Seriously?"  Marsha Hubler peered over her glasses at me.  I felt like a third grader.  As her blue eyes stared at me, I gulped.  She handed my manuscript back to me.  

  Maybe signing up for tutoring my first year at St. David's Christian Writer's Conference wasn't a good idea.  When it came to writing, I didn't really know what I was doing.  Family and friends said I should write my stories down, but when they read what I'd written, their eyes glazed over. 

  "Okay," she said, "Your first problem is that your book starts with the hero sitting at a table telling his story.  That's a classic beginner's mistake.  First, we will write a one-page synopsis of your story."  So we wrote down everything that happened in the book.

  "Go back; rewrite this synopsis," Marsha ordered.  "I forbid you to use the verbs: am, is, are, was, were, be, been.  Those verbs belong in dialogue and nonfiction, but not in fiction.  When you use them, you are telling the story and not showing it."  Scrutinizing every sentence I met became a game to change my verbs from passive to active voice.  I struggled, but we persevered.  When Marsha saw me take her advice to heart, she helped me cram action into my writing.   

        

  "Take your synopsis and break the action into chapters.  Then write each chapter from the movie playing in your head.  Use the tools I've taught you," she urged.

  Marsha Hubler knows her craft, because she authored the Keystone Stables Series for young readers who love horses.  She lifted my writing to a new plane.  When I edit and toss out my weak verbiage, I thank God for her telling me the truth.     

  I return to St. David's every year because I learn so much.  I've found others there like me who want to hone their writing skills.  We tell the truth to each other about what we write at St. David's.  It's the only way to grow.

Sue Boltz

Forever a Fan of St. David's Christian Writer's Conference

Sisterhood of Saints with Melanie Rigney

God’s a funny guy.

I always considered myself an editor, not a writer. And, unchurched from the age of sixteen, I considered myself spiritual but not religious. I believed in Christ. I believed nearly all the things I had learned in catechism. But that part about Him loving me… not so much.

Wonderful editing jobs kept coming my way, including five years as the editor of Writer’s Digest magazine. While there, I put a Christian author—Allison Bottke—on the cover for the first time in the magazine’s history. I put together the WD’s first special issue on inspirational writing. After all, the Left Behind series was selling like crazy. I’d heard Marianne Williamson at the Maui Writers’ Conference, and was puzzled by how offput and uncomfortable her message of God’s love made many of the attendees and other presenters. I spoke at Christian writers’ conferences on basic craft and marketing topics. At one of those conferences, I acquired more articles for the magazine than at any other conference I’d ever attended. But it never occurred to me God was knocking on my soul. I figured it all just made good business sense.

I lost that job, and ended up speaking a couple years later at another Christian writers’ conference because a friend told the director she had to ask me. And there, on my forty-ninth birthday, I asked someone to pray over me for the first time. I returned to full communion with the Catholic Church six months later, and began to believe in and work on a daily basis the two greatest commandments. The following year, I started writing for a Catholic blog; a few years later, I began writing for a large Catholic devotional publication, and co-authored a book on how parishes can set up programs for returning Catholics.

This year, my first solo bookcame out. It’s a 366-day devotional about female saints. In promotional material, the publisher referred to me as “a freelance religion writer.” It stopped me dead in my tracks. Then I realized, that is exactly what I am. It has nothing to do with business sense. It’s what I’m called to do—and I love it.

As I said, God’s a funny guy.