Tuesday, February 15, 2011

SUPER SATURDAY 2011 WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

 Dear Lancaster Christian Writers:

Many have been asking exactly what workshops our wonderful faculty will be offering for Super Saturday 2011. The descriptions are now in. Check them out below and share them with your friends.


HANA HAATAINEN CAYE: "The Business of Writing--Ways to Make Money as a Freelance Writer." Running a freelance writing business can be more profitable than you may think. This workshop will cover the various types of business and creative writing opportunities that exist for writers who see beyond their fiction and poetry and want to find a way to make a living, or simply earn some extra cash, through the written word. Examples include press releases, advertising copy, magazine articles, on hold message scripts, sales letters, webpage writing, search engine optimized writing, newsletters, and more.

EMILY PARKE CHASE: "Pro/Con: Cool it!" Hot topics like politics, abortion, and homosexuality can separate readers into opposing camps.  Incorporating humor and anecdotes into your writing can lower temperatures and bridge the divide that stalls dialog on important issues.

TERRI GILLESPIE: "Apples of Gold—Writing for the Devotional Market." Devotional writing is a great way to break into publishing and to reach others with sweet, life changing messages of God’s redemption. This class will give you markets and practical formats for devotional writing.

T.L. HIGLEY: "Stereotypes: Love ‘em and Leave ‘em." Learn to both utilize and break from personality types to create memorable characters that leap off the page.

CRAIG ALAN LOEWEN: "Fantasy is a Christian Genre Too!" Christian-themed fantasy/sci-fi has a growing fan base within both the CBA and ABA marketplace. This interactive workshop will cover the various sub-genres of fantasy writing as well as carry the participant through the process of creating ideas for the story, doing research for the background, writing and revising the story, and then having it published in a suitable market. The tips and resources will be helpful to all writers regardless of the genre they prefer to work in.

JOYCE MAGNIN: "Make ‘em Laugh—But not too much." It’s been said that there would be no laughter without sorrow. Discover the science behind the funny and learn how to infuse your fiction and nonfiction with a laugh track. Sometimes it takes the unexpected to get a chuckle and other times it’s simply a tiny curlicue on a sentence or two to relieve the tension.

CAROL WEDEVEN: “Choosing WORDS for Kids.” Enjoy the adventure of discovering WORDS of gold which will thrill the reading child. Don’t settle for less. Collect the best. Get rid of tongue twisters. Put characters in place. Use color-coded WORDS. Every manuscript deserves your rapt attention to detail.

JEANETTE WINDLE: "The Nuts and Bolts of Plotting High-Octane Fiction." Developing a compelling story lies not only in who, what, where, and when, but how and especially why. Interweaving plot lines, conflict, POV, dialogue, forward motion vs. flashback, character vs. action-driven are among the elements necessary to tell an effective story.

Lancaster Christian Writers February News/Opportunities

Dear Lancaster Christian Writers:
 
What a talented group you are, as we were privileged to see and hear at our January LCW meeting. With the weather, holidays, and no guest speaker, I will admit I'd expected a small turnout. Instead upwards of fifty braved the cold, and we were blessed by a truly outstanding compilation of poetry, inspirational, short story, and comedy pieces shared by LCW members. Thank you all who participated, and a special thanks to Shirley Shenberger whose devotional presentation was a true reminder of what Christmas is really about--the restoration of peace between a lost humanity and a loving Creator.
 
JUST A FEW NEWS TIDBITS:
 
1) February LCW meeting: Don't forget that we are meeting this coming month on the second Saturday, February 12th, instead of the third, at Lancaster Evangelical Free Church, 419 Pierson Rd, Lititz, PA, 17543 from 9:30AM-12 noon. We will be meeting downstairs in the church lower level due to activities on the main floor, so be aware of that change. We will make sure there are signs posted to get downstairs. We are privileged to have award-winning journalist Lisa Bartelt sharing a work shop: "Dr. English and Mrs. Twitter: Tips for living with a love for words in an age of texts and tweets." Lisa amplifies, "I'll be sharing information about how to write within word count guidelines, when to use short words vs. long words, and some exercises to help us keep our writing readable. The information is based on my 8 years of experience as a (award-winning!) journalist and editor for daily newspapers in Illinois and a workshop I attended at Blue Ridge Writers Conference given by an editor from The Upper Room magazine."
 
2) Florida Christian Writers Conference: The FCWC is coming up quickly March 3-6, 2011. FCWC is one of the larger Christian writers conferences with a lot of editors, agents, publishers in attendance. If you are interested in attending, LCW has just received a partial scholarship offer from FCWC director Billie Wilson--$200 off the usual price. Registration must be received by February 15, 2011. Not available for online registration. No other discounts apply. Attached is the scholarship form. For further information, email: billiewilson@cfl.rr.com  FAX 321-267-9654.
 
3) And a request for input has come into LCW from local area Christian journalist and editor Valery Weaver-Zercher:
 
       "Are you trying your hand at Amish fiction? Or know another writer who is?  A journalist/editor in the Harrisburg area, I am writing a book about Amish romance novels and would like to speak with any writers, published or unpublished, who are working in that genre. Contact Valerie Weaver-Zercher at valerie@vweaver-zercher.com if you’re open to speaking about your writing, your hopes for your work, and your reflections on the Amish fiction market. More info at website: www.vweaver-zercher.com."

4) Super Saturday 2011: And finally, I hope you've got Saturday, March 19th, blocked out on your calendar to attend SS2011. More information as to faculty bios and workshop titles will be up soon at our LCW Blog. Meanwhile, please do help us get the news out, above all by forwarding the SS2011 flyer to anyone you can. Thank you again, Rebecca Wenger, for putting that together for us.

Blessings,
Jeanette Windle
Chapter President, Lancaster Christian Writers