Can
you believe summer is already over? It was good to see a great turnout
of LCW writers at both the Montrose and Greater Philly Christian Writers
Conference end of July. Whether you attended or enjoyed some quiet free
time this summer to write, I hope you are ready to crawl from your
metaphorical cave and join fellow writers again for our Lancaster
Christian Writers fall kickoff Saturday, 9/15/18, at Lancaster Alliance Church, 210
Pitney Rd (off Hwy 30 across from Costco) from 9:30AM-12 noon
(registration opens at 9). Whether you are a plotter or a
seat-of-the-pantser in your writing, you'll want to learn from novelist
and writing coach Donna Smith's practical workshop on making the most of
your writing style.
WORKSHOP: "Plotting for Pantsers." People
who write “organically” or by the seat of their pants are called
“pantsers.” They let their stories evolve but are sometimes criticized
for poor structure and not enough planning. This workshop will help
plotters of all sorts with their writing by giving tools for creating
stunning plot twists, making not breaking promises to the reader, using
struggles and conflict to drive the story along, and creating, raising,
and using public stakes to make your story unforgettable.
SPEAKER: Donna
L.H. Smith is a graduate of Christian Writer’s Guild Craftsman program
and holds two college degrees, both B.S. and M.A. in Mass Communication.
Her debut novel, Meghan’s Choice,
made the finals of both the Selah and Will Rogers Medallion Awards. She
blogs and speaks at workshops and retreats. Recently, she took on the
role of Managing Editor of Almost an Author.com, and serves as
ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) Mid-Atlantic Zone Director.
She is also a member of AWSA’s Protégé program (Advanced Writers &
Speaker’s Association). Find out more at: http://donnalhsmith.com
WRITING TO INSPIRE CHRISTIAN WRITERS WORKSHOP: And
LCW has also received an invitation from author and writers conference
director Rita Gerlach to their fall one-Christian writers workshop, also
on Saturday, September 15, 2018, on top of Gambrill Mountain in
Frederick, MD. Registration cost: $40.
Bestselling author Roseanna White will be guest speaker. Seating is
limited. Contact Rita Gerlach at rpkg@comcast.net for more information
or check out Writing to Inspire's Facebook Page
CRITIQUE GROUPS: And don't forget to bring your latest work-in-progress (ten copies up to 1500 words).
As always, for more info email questions or concerns to jeanette@jeanettewindle.com
Blessings,
Jeanette Windle
President, Lancaster Christian Writers
Lancaster Christian Writers' Super Saturday 2018!! is now just around the corner on April 7th, 2018, from 8:30am-4:30pm at Lancaster Bible College, 901 Eden Road, Lancaster, PA, 17601, with a wonderful faculty line-up in both fiction and non-fiction tracks. Success and continuation of this annual event depends on YOU helping get the word out--and your own registration in!--so please help us spread the word during these final weeks by posting data to your social media, inviting writer friends, or even printing a flyer to share at church or local library.
SS2018’s very affordable registration price of $55 is due by Wednesday, April 4th, and includes soup/sandwich buffet lunch and LCW membership. Registrations after April 4th and walk-ins day of the conference are $65. Seventh-twelfth grade aspiring writers are also welcome at a two-for-one rate, or half-off if accompanying a parent, which includes lunch buffet. Group rates for homeschool co-ops or Christian schools can be negotiated by contacting Jeanette Windle at jeanette@jeanettewindle.com
Please note one major change in faculty. Loree Lough has had to cancel due to health crisis (please pray for her). But we are excited to have author, conference speaker, and pastor Pierre Eade taking her keynote, and acquisition editor and author Donna Smith joining workshop lineup, along with writers conference director, author, editor Marlene Bagnull, writing coach and author Pierre Eade, best-selling Tyndale author Lynn Eib, and magazine writer Donna Brennan. A fiction track will be taught by award-winning novelists , Gayle Roper and Shawn Smucker. Agent/freelance editor Dave Fessenden and editor/novelist/journalist Jeanette Windle will also be taking editorial appointments.
Workshops cover such topics as:
- But I Love Her! Making Your Characters Live
- Seamless Self-Editing for Your Writing.
- Before You Write--Theology and Philosophy of Christian Fiction
- Hook ‘em from the Get-go, Hold ‘em to the End: A Bestseller’s Checklist to Sellable Articles
- Writing Out of This World: A Practical Guide to Speculative Fiction from Concept to Publication
- Make It Personal: Mastering Deep Point of View
- Faith-Based Writing Both Believers and Seekers Will Read
- The Power of Story: Using Personal Anecdote and Humor to Write Compelling Non-Fiction
A conference bookstore will offer a wide variety of writer resources and faculty titles. Personal consultations with faculty are on a first-come, first-serve basis. More information, including the Super Saturday 2018 Flyer/Registration Form and Press Release can be found at Lancaster Christian Writers Today(http://lancasterchristianwriterstoday.blogspot.com/) OR email LCW president Jeanette Windle at jeanette@jeanettewindle.com. Payment can be made online (http://lancasterchristianwriterstoday.blogspot.com/), or mail check/ money order payable to: Lancaster Christian Writers, c/o Jeanette Windle, 1776 Euclid Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601.
Take time out of your Thanksgiving rush to join Lancaster Christian Writers Saturday, November 18th, at Lancaster Alliance Church, 210 Pitney Rd (off Hwy 30 across from Costco) from 9:30AM-12 noon (registration opens at 9). Writer and journalist Donna L. H. Smith will be teaching you you can turn your story idea into publishing gold.
SPEAKER: Donna
L. H. Smith’s extensive writing experience over the past forty years
includes everything from radio journalism to newspaper to magazine
articles, script-writing of slide sets and filmstrips, public
relations and marketing, and promotional pieces. Her first novel Meghan’s Choice was a semi-finalist for Operation First Novel in 2015 and is being published in late 2017. Her novella Remember Honor
was a semi-finalist in the 2016 ACFW Genesis contest. Donna currently
serves as Mid-Atlantic Zone Director for ACFW (American Christian
Fiction Writers). You can find more about her at http://donnalhsmith.com.
WORKSHOP: Mining for Stories: Discovering Their Worth: Where
can you get a unique story idea that hasn’t been done before? How can
you know if a story idea is worth pursuing? Using the O2EU (Obscure,
Opposite, Extreme, Unusual) formula, this workshop will teach you how to
use every resource available to you to find to a unique angle for your
story. Once you’ve discovered your idea, how do you know if it’s worth
telling? A scoresheet will be included as a handout, but you’ll have to
be brutally honest with yourself when scoring your story idea.
WRITERS ONE-DAY INTENSIVE INVITE FROM MIKE DELLOSSO: Mike
Dellosso, a suspense novelist and writing coach well-known to our LCW
group, invites all writers to a one-day intensive writers conference, Creative Writing for Everyone, Saturday,
November 11, 2017, 8:00 am – 4:00 pm, at Calvary Bible Church, 603
Wilson Avenue, Hanover, PA 17331. Whether writing fiction or
non-fiction, experienced or novice, this conference is for you. Cost for
the day is $40 ($30 for students, ACFW, LCW members; simply mention
that you are LCW when you register). Registration and other information
can be found at: Creative Writing Instruction
SUPER SATURDAY 2018!!: And
it's never too late to get LCW's own one-day conference down on your
calendar. Next year's conference is confirmed for Saturday, April 7th,
at Lancaster Bible College. We are excited to have already confirmed a
stellar faculty lineup, including New York bestselling author Loree
Lough, author and conference speaker Pierre Eade, novelists Shawn
Smucker and Rita Gerlach, journalist and Tyndale author Lynn Eib,
conference director, editor, and author Marlene Bagnull, and more. Look for more info after the holidays.
CRITIQUE GROUPS: As
usual, we will be making time as well for our usual peer critique
groups, so if you have a piece you'd like critiqued, bring 10 copies of
up to 1500 words.
As always, email questions or concerns to jeanette@jeanettewindle.com
Blessings,
Jeanette Windle
President, Lancaster Christian Writers
