Dear Lancaster Christian Writers:
This fall's LCW kickoff with award-winning author Tracy Higley was such a blessing and learning experience for all who were able to attend. Thank you, Tracy, for your expert tips on bringing research to life on the page. And thank you, Lisa Betz, for your timely devotional on the power of story-telling. We continue to have a great lineup of speakers and learning opportunities throughout the coming months, so I hope you are marking LCW on your event calendar. Meetings will always be the 3rd Saturday of month unless there is a major conflict (as there was in September), in which case you will be notified well in advance. Here are some upcoming reasons to mark that calendar:
OCTOBER 16TH: Jeanette Windle (http://www.jeanettewindle.com/) will be leading an interactive workshop on Using the Six Senses Purposefully in bringing setting and story alive. Whether writing fiction or non-fiction, effective telling of the story is what transports your reader into the world you want to share. And this is done most effectively through the six senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste, and that all-important sixth sense of the writer--emotion. Bring pen, paper and creativity because this will be a hands-on exercise.
NOVEMBER 20TH: From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Hana Haatainen Caye is a rare breed among writers in that she makes a full-time living in freelance writing, editing, and voice over talent. Her work has appeared in dozens of magazines, websites and anthologies. Because conservatives can be green, too, Hana's new passion is blogging as the Green Grandma (http://thegreengrandma.blogspot.com), where old-fashioned ways combine with 21st century common sense. She will be sharing how you too as a writer can utilize personal initiative, talent, and savvy marketing to make a living at your craft.
DECEMBER 18TH: Joyce Magnin, author of The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow, chosen as one of the "Top 5 Best Christian Fiction Books of 2009" by Library Journal, and co-author of non-fiction title, Linked to Someone in Pain, as well as other fiction novels and numerous magazine articles, will be offering a workshop this month, title and subject still to be determined.
OTHER LCW NEWSBITES:
1. We still have openings for speakers/workshops throughout the year, so if you have a suggestion for a speaker, please do let me know along with contact information. We also have openings if you would like to share a writer-relevant devotional (5-10 minutes) at the monthly meetings. Please contact me if you'd like to get on the calendar for this.
2. Our on-line peer critique program is off the ground in the fiction genre with enough signed up for two full groups. Scifi/Fantasy writer Ruth Morris is spearheading this, so if you are interested in joining in, email her directly at: rmm@paonline.com. To this point we haven't had enough interest for a non-fiction on-line group. If you are interested in the latter, please let me know. The purpose is to permit 3-4 writers to exchange larger chunks of manuscript back and forth for peer critique than can be shared at an LCW meeting, committing to critiquing each other's material (3-4 chapters during the month).
3. Also, a reminder that LCW's news blog, Lancaster Christian Writers Today, is up at www.lancasterchristianwriterstoday.blogspot.com. If you haven't yet become a follower, please do. LCW news will be posted there on a regular basis.
If anyone has any news or writing opportunities pertinent to LCW members, please do send them to me, and we will make sure they are shared with the group. And please do pass on LCW news and opportunities to friends, family, church members with interest in the writing craft.
Until October.
Blessings,
Jeanette Windle
Chapter President, Lancaster Christian Writers
