Richmond Christians Who Write

First Friday Book Club @ Crossroads Coffee and Ice Cream

2011-05-30T07:35:00.000-07:00

First Friday Book Club at Crossroads Coffee and Ice Cream

(3600 Forest Hill Avenue)
Meets This Friday, June 3rd
When? 10:00 AM
Where? In the Small room at Crossroads

Please join us for fellowship and discussion of
Irregular People
by
Joyce Landorf Heatherley

Looking ahead
*July 1st book club selection is

Through Gates of Splendor
by
Elizabeth Elliot

For further information, please email

Susan Herring at herringfishes@verizon.net

May 2011 Meeting Notice

2011-05-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

2:00-2:15 Sign In and Fellowship

2:15 Opening Prayer

2:15-2:45 Introductions and Toot-Your-Own-Horn

2:45-4:00 Guest Speaker: Linda Pate: "How to Publish and Market Your Dream"

Includes discussing ebooks, websites, blogs and topics related to publication. (Her bio is below.)

4:00 Refreshments - Fellowship/Networking with our speaker, visitors and members.

From Linda Pate: Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Linda Pate, owner of Precious Memories Reading and Collectibles Bookstore.

Just over seven years ago Precious Memories Reading and Collectibles was a dream; a vision and a passion that burned brightly within me. I had no idea where it would take me and have been blessed to see it grow into what it is today. Now, I want to increase the vision by helping others see their dreams come true.

Since its inception, Precious Memories Reading and Collectibles has offered unique reading programs for the community such as: The "Talking Book," "Let’s Read" and the "Dream Readers". We are an organization with a clear vision and a passion for Richmond’s children and youth.

As an Outreach Bookstore, we believe that if the young can catch the Dream to read, the outcome will be a lifetime of creative potential that will impact not only the Richmond community, but our nation as a whole. No child will be left behind if they excel in reading!

I am proud of our store and the opportunities it has afforded me in bringing the community closer together through books. Precious Memories has also hosted a number of community events such as: Chocolate Sip and Dip which was featured on the front page of the Food section of the Richmond Times Dispatch last February. We have assisted authors with Journaling Workshops, Publish Your Dream workshops and OUT marketing strategies. We also offer book signings for local authors to get their name out into the community.

JULY MONTHLY MEETING NOTICE - JULY 18

2010-07-10T04:52:00.000-07:00

JULY 18, 2010, TWO SESSIONS JULY MONTHLY MEETING AGENDA
2:00 to 2:15-SIGN IN & FELLOWSHIP
2:15-OPENING PRAYER
2:15-2:45-Announcements, introductions and Toot-Your-Own-Horn
2:45-3:45-REV. DR. JOEL SUTTON: The Five Master Patterns of Writing.
3:45-4:00 Refreshment Time
4:00-4:30 Wendy McCaig sharing her road to publication
4:30-5:00 Mary Moss sharing her road to publication

Rev. Dr. Joel Sutton Bio.:
Our speaker next month, Joel Sutton, has an exciting discovery to share. He found that God designed everything in the universe, from the grandest scale to the smallest, utilizing five simple patterns. When we follow these patterns, life unfolds as God intended. The same holds true for our writing.

The Five Master Patterns are key to insuring that our literary creations are well-constructed and capable of communicating God’s truth. Come learn about these five patterns and how they can help your compositions be the best they can be.

Joel Sutton served as a missionary with the International Mission Board for 11 years. He now serves as a Personnel Consultant for prospective missionaries. He counsels them in regard to their readiness for overseas ministry and directs them through the application process.

As a writer, Joel, has seen his devotionals published in *Open Windows*, a devotional quarterly, for the past 10 years. His research theses have been utilized at New York University. He is currently writing a year’s worth of devotionals, all based on the Five Master Patterns. Joel has a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education, a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Seminary, and a Doctorate of Religious Philosophy.

WRITING CONFERENCES

August 11-14, Greater Philadelphia Writers Conference: www.writerhisanswer.com/Philadelphia (Note: Scholarships may be available. Several RCWW members have received them. Check this out.)

September 17-20, American Christian Fiction Writers National Conference: www.acfw.com

October 8-9, James River Writers: www.jamesriverwriters.org

October 16, RCWW Saturday Writers Workshop - Details to follow.

July First Friday Book Club Meeting

2010-06-29T04:06:00.001-07:00

At Crossroads Coffee & Ice Cream

3600 Forest Hill Avenue

will meet this Thursday, July 1st
10:00 AM in the small room at Crossroad Coffee
We are meeting on Thursday this month because of the holiday weekend.

Please join us for our July meeting when we discuss
Getting Through The Night
by
Eugenia Price

Note about August Meeting:

The August meeting will be on Friday, August 6th
The book we will be reading and discussing . is Nine O'Clock in the Morning
by Episcopal Priest and author Dennis Bennett.

Nine O'clock in the Morning is Father Bennett's testimony of how God "can and will release His power to His people if we allow Him to truly become the Lord of our lives....When, in 1960, Father Dennis Bennett announced to his congregation that he had experienced a new outpouring of God's Spirit ...the renewal movement can be said to have begun. This book is now considered a classic story which tells how the renewal began and swept into churches across America."

For further information, contact Susan Herring at herringfishes@verizon.net

Local Writing Contests and Book Signings

2010-06-22T04:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some events for Richmond readers and writers:

Style Weekly Comic Strip Contest (due July 12th): If you have “something humorous or perceptive to say about Richmond” Style Weekly wants you to send them your best Richmond-related comic strip! The winning entry and selected runners-up will be printed in their first-ever Comic Strip Issue on July 21st. See www.styleweekly.com/comic for more information.

Skirt Magazine (Richmond Edition): Skirt Magazine has several editions including a Richmond edition. The magazine publishes personal essays that meet their monthly themes. Upcoming themes include The Smile Issue (October), The Comfort Zone (November) and The Leap Issue (December). See http://skirt.com for more information about their Contributor Guidelines.

Interested in more local contests? Want to attend a book signing by a local author? Click HERE to read Katrina Robinson's full article. When you get there, why not subscribe to her column so you stay in the loop of the local writing/reading scene!

While you're at it, check out Margaret Oleksa's column (she's also a local "books" columnist) where she published weekly book sightings (book signing events and workshops)

June Meeting Announcement

2010-06-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

JUNE 13, 2010, 2ND SUNDAY TO AVOID MEETING ON FATHER’S DAY
TWO SESSIONS JUNE MONTHLY MEETING AGENDA

2:00 TO 2:15: SIGN IN & FELLOWSHIP
2:15: OPENING PRAYER
2:15-2:45: Announcements, introductions and Toot-Your-Own-Horn
2:45-3:45: Nancy Slocum, Artist, Writer and Speaker. Bio below.
Topic: How to Build an Online Presence Through Blogging and Submitting
Articles to Ezine Magazines.
3:45-4:00: REFRESHMENT TIME: This is a vital time for networking. Make a new writer friend. Talk to people you don’t know. They may know something you need to know.

4:00-5:00: Rebekah Robb Critique Sessions March 21st. Guidelines:
Please bring at least 5 copies of your ms (if you can afford 10, that would be better), up to 5
pages double spaced.
Bring blue, pink & yellow highlighter, red and black pens
We’ll furnish forms to follow for critiquing. This makes critiques uniform and less
subjective. This will provide basic critique.

WRITING CONFERENCES

August 11-14, Greater Philadelphia Writers Conference: www.writerhisanswer.com/Philadelphia (Note: Scholarships may be available. Several RCWW members have received them. Check this out.)
September 17-20, American Christian Fiction Writers National Conference: www.acfw.com
October 8-9, James River Writers: www.jamesriverwriters.org
October 16, RCWW Saturday Writers Workshop - Details to follow.

ATTENDANCE & MEMBERSHIP DOWN - A message from our Founder

This news should not come as a shock to anyone. The economy is slowing every thing down, but PTL we’re still moving forward and open for business - the Lord’s Writing Business. But I do have a concern, and hopefully RCWW may help you accomplish your role and goal as a writer.

Money is tight, but RCWW has a scholarship program in effect. A former member, Donna Rogers (before her writing vacation took her out of the area) made the first donation to The Donna Rogers Scholarship Fund.

As founder, and now co-director of RCWW, I reserve the right to award these scholarships without peer or committee approval. If you need help to maintain full membership let me know. There is no stigma in asking for help. Remember, you benefit RCWW as much as RCWW benefits you. We all lose if a tight budget from time to time prevents you from sharing your expertise with others. E-mail or call.

DUES-Scholarships

Annual dues are payable January 1st, $25 per year. Mail checks to: Richmond Christians Who Write, 12114 Walnut Hill Dr., Rockville, VA 23146.

What a Great Meeting!

2010-01-20T03:59:00.000-08:00

Our January meeting was phenomenal! Our guest speaker, Fredric Almond, Sr. uplifted and motivated us not only in sharing his story of his journey from the edge of death to forgiveness and wholeness through Christ but as writers! He urged us to "tell the story God gave us to tell."

At age eleven, Fredric Almond, Sr., had to face a horrific event that left him on the floor bleeding from being stabbed thirty-nine times. The situation, as you can imagine, changed his entire life as a young boy. With courage, perseverance, and willingness, he overcame the scar.

Fredric says, “I currently work within the community and local churches, encouraging young, middle aged and older people about not giving up hope and explaining to them that their scar is the reason why they are still alive; reminding them that they are alive to fulfill their God given purpose.”

Frederic is a soft-spoken young man with a self-effacing style and powerful message of forgiveness and redemption that doesn't get lost behind his boyish charm. His book, Scarred for Life, can be ordered from Tate Publishing through Frederic's website, Scarred 2 Live.

While Frederic's presentation was a "hard act to follow" our co-directors each offered us words of encouragement to "get back on the writing horse" and "keep moving marbles." In other words, get busy and keep writing!

If you would like to learn more about Marble Moving, watch for an upcoming post or leave a comment. If you would like to have a phone call, email our director at RichmondCWW@aol.com with your phone number. Better yet, come to our next meeting on February 21.

We've got an amazing, inspiring year planned! Don't miss out! Join us!

January Meeting Notice

2010-01-10T17:45:00.000-08:00

Meeting Schedule

2:00 - 2:15: SIGN IN & FELLOWSHIP
2:15: OPENING PRAYER

THREE SESSIONS SUNDAY, JANUARY 17, 2010

2:15-2:45: Announcements, introductions and Toot-Your-Own-Horn
2:45-3:45: Fredric Almond, Sr. Author of: Scarred for Life. Topic: "Inspiration and Motivation for Your Writing." You don’t want to miss this! See his bio below.

3:45-4:00: REFRESHMENT TIME: This is a vital time for networking. Make a new writer friend. Talk to people you don’t know. They may know something you need to know.
4:00-4:30: Rebekah Robb, Falling Off the Writing Horse
4:30-5:00 Tom Lacy, Don’t Slip on the Marbles

Bio: Fredric Almond, Sr.

At age eleven, Fredric Almond, Sr., had to face a horrific event that left him on the floor bleeding from being stabbed thirty-nine times. The situation, as you can imagine, changed his entire life as a young boy. With courage, perseverance, and willingness, he overcame the scar.

Fredric says, “I currently work within the community and local churches, encouraging young, middle aged and older people about not giving up hope and explaining to them that their scar is the reason why they are still alive; reminding them that they are alive to fulfill their God given purpose.”

2009-11-03T10:43:00.000-08:00

CHRISTIAN WRITERS RETREAT
OFFERED BY PUBLISHED AUTHOR LINK &

WILLIAMSBURG CHRISTIAN RETREAT CENTER

JOANNE LIGGAN, EVENT COORDINATOR

An event for Christians who write, not necessarily writers
who write Christian material.
Non-Christians are welcome with the understanding
there will be prayer and discussion in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ and no offensive material will be tolerated.

If you have questions concerning the definition of
offensive material, please contact Joanne Liggan by e-mail at

jliggan@verizon.net.

DATE: February 19 - 21 (Friday, Saturday, & Sunday)

LOCATION: Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center;
9275 Barnes Road; Toano, VA 23168

COST: $175/person Includes: Lodging for 2 nights Meals from
Friday evening through Sunday morning

Workshops/Discussions/Devotions to encourage and stimulate writers

Fellowship with other writers and Christians

(Anyone living in Williamsburg, and therefore not requiring lodging,
the cost is $95 for meals and attending daily events.)

EMAIL jliggan@verizon.net for a registration form!

First Friday Inspirational Book Club-November 6

2009-11-02T10:19:00.001-08:00

*** You are invited to****
First Friday Inspirational Book Club
at
Crossroads Coffee and Ice Cream
(3600 Forest Hill Avenue)
This Friday November 6th
10:00 A.M.
(in the small room)
for sharing and discussing
Me and My Big Mouth
by
Joyce Meyer

RCWW Christian Writer’s Conference - Saturday, October 17, 2009

2009-10-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

RCWW Christian Writer’s Conference -

Saturday, October 17th

with Karen Whiting

Karen is a freelance author of ten books for women, families, and children, with three more contracted. Her writing experience includes more than 400 magazine articles, over 100 puppet scripts, and writing columns for magazines and newspapers. She wrote for Focus on the Family’s Parenting magazines until they ceased publication in 2009 and wrote for Charisma’s Children’s church programs for two years, until the sale of the division. She writes a time management column for Enrichment Magazine and is a writer with Suite101. Karen loves helping aspiring writers get published and led a productive critique group in Miami for ten years.

AGENDA:

9:15-9:30am Registration

9:30-10:00am Welcome/ Prayer/ Introduction

10:00-10:50am
Is Your Idea Write: Elements needed to make articles,
books, devotions, and even poems saleable

10:50-11:00am Break

11:00-11:50pm
Queries/Proposals/Pitches that sell:
Elements of each, presentation, standing out in the slush pile

11:50-1:00pm Lunch

1:00-1:50pm
Avoiding the Writers Cemetery: Avoiding pitfalls that keep you
from getting published, Setting goals that work

1:50-2:00pm Break

2:00-2:50pm
Basics of Good Writing: Active versus passive voice,
Effective focus or thesis statements, and Self-Editing

2:50-3:30
Questions, Book selling/signing,
Door Prizes and Good-byes

3 SEPTEMBER WRITING CONTESTS

2009-08-17T04:16:00.000-07:00

3 SEPTEMBER WRITING CONTESTS

WritersMarket.com lists more than 900 contests & awards. Here are three that have September deadlines:
•
Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest offers more than 40 awards with the top prize being $10,000 for an essay on the philosophic ideas of Ayn Rand. The prize is open to high school seniors and college undergraduate and graduate students. Deadline is September 17.
•

Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Series is open to unpublished collections of poetry with a first place prize of publication and $1,000. The deadline is actually to have your submission postmarked by October 1 (though that's close enough to September to count).
•
Robert Watson Literary Prizes offers prizes in both fiction and poetry. First place for each is $500. Winners will also receive publication in The Greensboro Review. Deadline is September 15 (postmarked).

Log in (or sign up) to WritersMarket.com to have access to more than 6,000 listings for contests, book publishers, magazines, and more at WritersMarket.com.

Here's a link to review some FAQ's about WritersMarket.com

The WritersMarket.com team has updated:

23 market listings in the past 7 days.
77 market listings in the past 30 days.

August RCWW Meeting Notice

2009-08-10T07:27:00.000-07:00

TWO SESSIONS SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2009

2:45-3:45: Katy Pistole: Writing as Worship
4:00-5:00: Katy Pistole: The Long Parable & Basic Writing Tips

Katy Pistole is an award-winning author whose favorite topics are horses and brokenness. The Lord has repeatedly used horses in her life to reveal His Truth about surrender, unconditional love, and Life. Katy in turn loves to share through words written and spoken. You can find out more about The Sonrise Farm Series at www.thepalominobook.com . You may also visit www.katypistole.com to discover more about Katy.

First Friday Book Club

2009-08-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

You are invited to First Friday Inspirational Book Club
at Crossroads Coffee and Ice Cream
( 3600 Forest Hill Avenue)
This Friday
August 7th
10:00A.M.
In small room
Healing of Memories
(Prayer and Confession steps to Inner Healing)
by
Dennis and Matthew Linn

Contact Susan Herring at herringfishes@verizon.net if you need further details.

Looking ahead... Date change...Thursday ,September 3rd
Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman by Anne Ortlund
October meeting will be first Friday, October 2nd.Choose one of two books...both will be discussed.
1) 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper with Cecil Murphy 2) 23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese

Sizzling Summer Series - Trademark and Copyright

2009-07-30T07:07:00.000-07:00

Law Offices of Cheryl L. Black
PRESS RELEASE
July/29/2009
For Immediate Release
Contact: Cheryl L Black

Sizzling Summer Series
Teleconferences on Hot Issues
Affecting Trademark and Copyright Owners

Glen Allen, Virginia - Call in every Thursday at 12:30PM (EST) in the month of August to hear 30-minute informative presentations on trademark and copyright issues. Attorney Cheryl L. Black, 18-year veteran in the area of intellectual property law, will enlighten listeners on trademark protection and infringement, publishing agreements, tips for maintaining federal trademark registrations, and how the fair use doctrine applies on the internet. There is no registration fee. Visit our blog to sign up for one or all of the following teleconferences.

Safeguard Your Trademarks: They're More Valuable than You Realize (August 6, 2009)

Demystifying Publishing Agreements: Negotiating a Book Contract from the Writer's Perspective (August 13, 2009)

Tips for Obtaining and Maintaining a Federal Trademark Registration: Common Pitfalls to Avoid Before and After Filing (August 20, 2009)

When it's Fair to Use: Clarifyng the Copyright Fair Use Doctrine for Internet Users (August 27, 2009)

The Law Offices of Cheryl L. Black handle trademark counseling, searching, prosecution, licensing, and maintenance. Domain name registration and enforcement. Copyright counseling, registration, and licensing. Publishing contracts and negotiations. We represent individuals and businesses and assist law firms and corporations as a service provider for the intellectual property needs of their clients and organizations.

Law Office of Cheryl L. Black 4860 Cox Road Suite 200 Glen Allen VA 23060

The AuthorizeMe Seminar

2009-07-29T15:20:00.000-07:00

The AuthorizeMe Seminar is ready to launch you into your publishing future for the fourth year in a row at Sandy Cove Christian Conference Center. Immediately following the new Arts & Communicators Spiritual Retreat, you’ll have 9 hours of coaching instruction helping you get your book idea out of your head, down onto paper, completely outlined, and into a professional book proposal format.

Please e-mail Sharon Elliott, AuthorizeMe founder and CEO, with your intention to attend at AuthorizeMe@sbcglobal.net

. We need a minimum number of attendees, so I need to hear from you right away. Please let me know you’re coming by August 6th.

(Send your intention to attend. Registration for the seminar is handled directly through www.AuthorizeMe.net and will begin in late August.)

Here are the AuthorizeMe particulars:

Price includes an overnight stay, 3 meals, and seminar tuition.

Dates: October 1 – 2, 2010
¨ Single occupancy = $375 per person
¨ Double occupancy = $325 per person (must have your own roommate)
¨ Triple occupancy = $295 per person ( “ “ “ “ roommates)
¨ Quad occupancy = $275 per person ( “ “ “ “ “ )

****************************

And don’t forget the new Arts & Communicators Spiritual Retreat -
Ignite the Passion of your heart
September 28-30, 2009 - A Unique Writer’s Retreat
http://www.sandycove.org/arts/
New affordable two day format
with the option of adding a third day for additional content.

Retreat rates begin at $258 per person (quad occupancy) and include 2 nights lodging, all meals, sessions, specialty tracks and activities. ($269 triple, $289 double, $299 single)
Three night package: Single $449 / Double $434 / Triple $404 / Quad $387

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings

2009-07-26T05:57:00.000-07:00

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings
101 Stories of Gratitude, Fortitude, and Silver Linings

This follow-on book to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Tough Times, Tough People continues Chicken Soup for the Soul's focus on inspiration and hope in these difficult times. These inspirational stories remind us that each day holds something to be thankful for -- whether it is having the sun shine or having food on the table. Power outages and storms, health scares and illnesses, job woes and financial insecurities, housing challenges and family worries test us all. But there is always a silver lining. The simple pleasures of family, home, health, and inexpensive good times are described.

We are looking for true stories and poems written in the first person of no more than 1,200 words. Stories can be serious or humorous, or both. They should not have been previously published by Chicken Soup for the Soul or other major publications.

Here are a few suggested topics:

How you count your blessings or express your gratitude
What made you realize that your life is good and that you are grateful
Silver linings that you have discovered in the midst of challenging events
What is really valuable in your life
Major life changes or events for which you are grateful
How you spread the message of gratitude to your family and friends
The joy of simple pleasures
The unexpected benefits of health challenges or other life changes

This book is in the process of being completed and will go to the printer in September for publication in October! It is a featured Chicken Soup for the Soul title for Christmas 2009. The deadline for submissions is soon, so if you can submit quickly you have a better chance than normal of being chosen.

If your story is chosen, you will be a published author and your bio will be printed in the book if you so choose. You will also receive a check for $200 and 10 free copies of your book, worth more than $100. You will retain the copyright for your story.

SUBMISSIONS GO TO http://chickensoupfhttp://chihttp://chhttp://chickenshttp:/

DEADLINE IS MONDAY AUGUST 3rd. THANK YOU!

RCWW JULY MEETING

2009-07-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

TWO SESSIONS ON JULY 19:

2:45 to 3:45: Martha Young: "Grammar and Writing"

4:00 TO 5:00: Martha Young: “A Hands-on Session”

Speaker Bio:

Martha Young works for the English Language Program at VCU and is both a Teacher Mentor Coordinator and language teacher frequently teaching Writing. She has been in English As a Second Language with an MA TESL for more than 15 years. Prior to that she was in Elementary Education.

Mrs. Young has lived in Oklahoma, Minnesota, Kentucky, Bermuda, Washington DC and Thailand. She has traveled to Hong Kong, China, Cambodia, Macau, Ireland, England, Spain, France, Germany, Austria and most recently to Turkey. When not moving or traveling, Martha delights in learning from the international students at VCU, in poetry that's accessible, and talking about international politics and religion Her other interests include her 2 children and their interests, cooking good food, conflict analysis and resolution, music and neuro-linguistics.

Remaining 2009 Schedule:
Sunday, August 16;
Sunday, September 20;
Friday night & Saturday, October 16-17*;
Saturday, November 14 (2nd Saturday) 4th Annual Family Dinner.
No meeting in December.

Writing Short Fiction For Anthologies

2009-07-08T10:22:00.000-07:00

by Lee Masterson

One of the best ways to get your creative ideas flowing is tosearch through calls for submissions into anthologies. Anthologies are generally collections of short stories based around a central theme.

While the pay rate for fiction published in anthologies is generally not high, there are many advantages to writing for these compilation markets.

1. You have a new published credit to add to your portfolio.

2. You can stimulate your own creativity by reading through the submission guidelines of anthologies that interest you.

3. You have the opportunity to break out of writer's block bywriting something short on a topic created by someone else.

4. You can learn to hone your writing skills by mastering the shortstory.

5. You are able to show a future novel editor that you're able to write.

6. You get that unique warm-fuzzy-proud feeling of being able to hold the completed book in your hand once it's published.

7. You might actually receive a check for a few extra dollars!

There are plenty more reasons why writing for anthologies can behugely beneficial for all writers, but these are the main ones that came to mind. Now we've looked into why writing and submittingshort fiction to these markets can be a good thing, what happens ifthe story you write isn't accepted?

Potentially, any anthology editor is going to receive severalhundred submissions for a book that can only hold 20 or 25 stories.

How can you increase your chances of getting your story accepted?

Let's look into some things you should remember when you're dealingwith anthology editors.

Theme
The object of most anthology collections is to compile severalstories that revolve around a central theme or genre. Most editorsare very thorough about telling writers exactly what kind of storythey want to see. They usually make a huge mention of the thingsthey don't like or things they won't accept too. Keep those limitations in mind when it comes time to write.When you're browsing through lists of anthology markets, try tostick to themes or genres that you enjoy or that you feel you couldwork for you.

Light a Spark
As you read through each set of guidelines, you'll notice that somejust won't appeal to you, however there will be others that light abit of a spark within the creative part of your mind. Write downthe first idea that comes to you surrounding those particularguidelines and then see if there's room to expand on that idea.

Think Outside the Box
Always keep in mind that the most obvious idea that pops into yourhead is very likely to be the similar to every other submissionthat editor will receive. Take a careful look at your original ideaand see where you can add a unique twist or if you can approach thesituation from a fresh angle.The more unusual or unexpected your story line is, the more chanceyou have of making your tale stick in the editor's mind.

Submit Early
Most anthology listings have a clear deadline by which yoursubmission needs to reach the editor's desk. Many writers tend toleave their submissions until the last possible moment. If youimagine several hundred submissions landing on that editor's deskwithin a couple of days, how focused do you think that poor editoris going to be after reading through them all?

If you can get your story submitted early then you have a much bigger chance of the editor reading it with fresh eyes without the distraction of all those other submissions.

Submit!
It's surprising how many writers create beautiful stories and thencan't find the courage to submit them to a market. Be brave andsend your story out the door!

Finding Anthology Markets
There are plenty of sites offering anthology listings. One of thebiggest genre anthology listings is www.ralan.com/antho/index.htm .

Do a simple search on any search engine and you'll be sure to findplenty of places offering submission guidelines for these under-rated markets.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lee Masterson is a freelance writer from South Australia. She isalso the editor of Fiction Factor - an online magazine for writers, offering tips and advice on getting published, articles to improveyour writing skills, heaps of writer's resources and much more.http://www.fictionfactor.com

ID:ad09701

For many more articles check out Writing 101http://www.worldwidefreelance.com/writing.htm

Utmost Christian Writer Poetry Contest

2009-07-08T10:16:00.000-07:00

Utmost Christian Writer is sponsoring a poetry contest. This contest allows poems posted on the internet to be included as "unpublished." Still need to read the rules carefully, though!

1. This contest is open only to Christians. It is open to all Christians. You do not need to be a member of Utmost Christian Writers to enter this contest, but you must be a Christian believer.

2. Send up to five (5) poems with your entry fees to: Utmost Christian Writers Poetry Contest, 121 Morin Maze, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6K 1V1 (Do not send entries by email.)

Make your check payable to: Utmost Christian Writers (You have the option of paying by cash, check, international money order or on-line: see Rule #8). Please note that your poetic entries must be sent to us by regular postal mail—with an official entry form—even if you pay your fees by Internet.

FIRST PRIZE: $500.00
SECOND PRIZE: $300.00
THIRD PRIZE: $200.00
HON. MENTIONS (7): $100.00 each
BEST RHYMING POEM: $200.00
BEST TRADITIONAL RHYMING POEM: $100.00
(Christian theme required for this prize only)

Here's the link for more details: http://www.utmostchristianwriters.com/poetry-contest/poetry-contest-rules.php

RCWW October Writers Conference

2009-07-05T05:44:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendar now for the RCWW October Writers Conference October 16 & 17!

The October conference has yet to be finalized, but set aside Friday evening the 16th and Saturday the 17th. We’ll fill in the details in the weeks to come. Be prepared by being prayed up! Get the word out!

Invite fellow church members to join our group.

I've Got a Story to Tell - Wednesday, July 1

2009-06-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Spotlight on "I've Got a Story to Tell" conference

www.blogtalkradio.com/leadershiplessons

Leadership Lessons with Life Coach and Consultant Dr. Milondra Coleman provides listeners with thought-provoking action-inspiring tips and strategies that propel them to new heights in their areas of leadership

First Friday Book Club

2009-06-28T04:04:00.000-07:00

First Friday Book Club at Crossroads Coffee and Ice Cream Meets
( 3600 Forest Hill Avenue )
This Thursday, July 2nd
because of the holiday weekend
10:00 A.M. in the small room

Join us for discussion of
Tramp for The Lord
Sequel to The Hiding Place
by
Corrie Ten Boom

Excerpt from the book:
The story begins where The Hiding Place ended...
This is Corrie Ten Boom's story beginning where her profoundly moving bestseller ended,taking us on a uniquely thrilling tour to the nearest and farthest corners of the earth. She is a modest and simple woman who has seen and known a world few others could imagine; a survivor of Hitler's worst concentration camps and one of the most remarkable evangelists of our time.

Miracles do happen. Corrie Ten Boom's life is living proof. From her near-destitute days in postwar New York to heart-stopping adventures in Africa, let her be your once-in-a-lifetime guide on a world wide trip that could only have been planned by God.

For further information, email Susan Herring at herringfishes@verizon.net or call her at 272-1124.

Crossroads Book Club will meet in August on Friday, August 7th

For those who cannot be with us this Thursday, the book of the month for August

Healing of Memories
(Prayer and Confession
Steps to Inner Healing)
by
Dennis and Matthew Linn

THREE SESSIONS MAY 17, 2009

2009-05-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

This month we will be blessed with three sessions!

2:45 to 3:45: Mary Moss: Setting Up and Maintaining a Blog.
Blogging is more than posting your own writing. Blogging allows dialog with people you can develop as followers and potential purchasers of your books and articles.

4:00 TO 4:15: Rebekah Robb: Testimony: Christian v/s Secular Writing Groups

4:15 to 5:00: Tom Lacy: Dos and Don’ts for Beginner and Aspiring Writers. Tom will present a list of dos and don’ts gleaned from some of today's top Christian authors.

MARBLE MOVERS MAKE MONEY

In 2007 I introduced the marble Movers program. It was not original with me although I have been a goal setter for years. I read about it in The Christian Communicator and passed it along to the group. Seven members who had never been published reached the Marble Movers goal of being published for pay in six months or less. Quite an accomplishment, I’d say.

If you’d like to learn how to set reachable goals in writing, and other areas of your personal life, let me hear from you soon. I’m always looking for more Marble Movers to encourage.

2009 Meeting Schedule
June 14 (2nd Sunday to avoid meeting on Father’s Day); July 19; August 16; September 20; Friday night & Saturday, October 16-17*; Saturday, November 14 (2nd Saturday) 4th Annual Family Dinner. No meeting in December.

June 3-6, 2009
Open the Door to Getting Your Work Published at the Write to Publish Conference, Chicago Area
www.abounding.org

August 6-8, 2009Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference www.writehisanswer.com/

*RCWW October Writers Conference

The October conference has yet to be finalized, but set aside Friday evening the 16th and Saturday the 17th. We’ll fill in the details in the weeks to come. Be prepared by being prayed up!Get the word out!

Invite fellow church members to join our group. Here is an easy way to do it. Contact your church office and ask if they will run a notice in the church bulletin the week before our meeting. Ask them, if they publish a monthly news letter, to allow us a small space to notify their members of our meeting.

If they will do this, send me your church contact person and I will get the notices to them according to their publishing schedule.

Recently, by the end of each year, we have a paid membership of about fifty. Through our April meeting we have 35 members. We need/want more -- not for the sake of numbers -- we need them to share their skills/talents with us so we will all be better witnesses for the Kingdom!

APRIL MEETING NOTICE

2009-04-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

April 19th - Yvonne Ortega, author and speaker, will hold a two-part workshop on self editing.

2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Join us!

MARCH MEETING NOTICE

2009-03-07T06:38:00.000-08:00

TWO SESSIONS MARCH 15, 2009: See Bios Below.

2:45 to 3:45: Jennifer Erin Valent, Character Development

4:00 to 5:00: Nina Wells, Kingdom Publishing Group, Inc.

2009 Meeting Schedule

April 19; May 17; June 14 (2nd Sunday to avoid meeting on Father’s Day); July 19; August 16; September 20;

Friday night & Saturday, October 16-17*;

Saturday, November 14 (2nd Saturday) 4th Annual Family Dinner. No meeting in December.

April 19th - Yvonne Ortega, author and speaker, will hold a two-part workshop on self editing.

June 3-6, 2009 Open the Door to Getting Your Work Published at the Write to Publish Conference, Chicago Area http://www.abounding.org/

*RCWW October Writers Conference
The October conference has yet to be finalized, but set aside Friday evening the 16th and Saturday the 17th. We’ll fill in the details in the weeks to come. Be prepared by being prayed up!

DUES: Annual dues are $25. Visitors are welcomed but are asked to pay dues at the second meeting they attend. Pay at the march meeting or mailed to: Richmond Christians Who Write, 12114 Walnut Hill Dr., Rockville, VA 23146.

REFRESHMENTS:This is a vital time for networking. If we save time between 2:15 and 2:45 it will be added to our refreshment and fellowship time. Make a new writer friend. Talk to people you do not know.

We look forward to seeing you March 15th. Bring a friend and help them develop their writing skills and career.

In His Service,

Tom Lacy
Rebekah Robb
Co-directors ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Speakers Bios:
Jennifer Erin Valent is the 2007 winner of the Christian Writers Guild’s Operation First Novel contest. A lifelong resident of the South, her surroundings help to color the scenes and characters she writes. When not penning novels, she works as a nanny and freelance writer in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia.

Nina Wells: Kingdom Publishing Group, Inc. is purposed to educate, inspire, and motivate Christians to publish, produce and promote work that exemplifies and glorifies God. We believe that the creative arts are gifts from God, "The Creator," and as such, we have been called to serve as a conduit to assist you in getting your God inspired work out to the world.

Kingdom Publishing Group, Inc. consists of a dynamic network of individuals who engage, and offer expertise, in the process of proclaiming the Gospel. As such, we encourage, support, and celebrate all who offer their gift..., first to God, and, in turn, to others.

We offer a full range of book publishing, music production, and marketing & promotional services, and a host of outreach and community service initiatives that serve to support the arts. In fulfilling this vision, we have become the area’s leading publisher of Christian books; producer of Christian music; and promoter of inspirational visual and performing arts.

Spread the Word 2009 Two-day Conference

2009-03-07T06:33:00.000-08:00

Fruitbearer Women's Conference #2

March 13-14, 2009

The Inn at Canal Square, Lewes, DE

This year's conference is in the form of a retreat.
Our keynote speaker, Gloria Adams,
author of Time Management God's Way

Contact: Info@fruitbearer.com

For information about please visit our web site Writing Conference information page:

http://www.writersinthemarketplace.org/writingconference.html

Speakers include Terry Whalin, author of Book Proposals That Sell and Media and Presentation Coach Linda Goldfarb

FEBRUARY 15, 2009 - RCWW MEETING

2009-02-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

SIGN IN AND FELLOWSHIP FROM 2:00 TO 2:15. OPENING PRAYER 2:15. See you there!

TWO SESSIONS SESSIONS FEBRUARY 15, 2009: See Bios Below.

2:45 to 3:45: Barbara Baranowski and Martha Kalichman will walk you through the process they followed in self publishing.

4:00 to 5:00: Robyn Williams is a publicist for the WinePress Group. Robyn finds it a joy to help writers share their stories.

2009 Meeting Schedule

March 15, April 19, May 17, June 14 (2nd Sunday to avoid meeting on Father’s Day), July 19, August 16, September 20, Friday night & Saturday, October 16-17,* Saturday, November 14 (2nd Saturday) 4th Annual Family Dinner. No meeting in December.

Speakers Bios:

Barbara Baranowski is an educator and inspirational writer, helping
her father self publish, Understanding the Times.

Martha Kalichman, author of Reaching for Answers to Crohn’s Disease, is a registered nurse, graduating from Norfolk General Hospital School of Nursing. For many years she has diligently researched health issues that have affected her husband and two children.

Robyn Williams serves as a publicist for the WinePress Group. She has experience working with media organizations such as TV and radio stations, newspapers and bookstores to schedule interviews and events, aides in promoting the heart and message behind each author's book.

Best Unpublished Novel Contest Deadline Approaching

2008-12-29T15:06:00.000-08:00

James River Writers and Richmond Magazine
are partnering to present
Third Annual Best Unpublished Novel Contest.

Do you have what it takes to be a published author?

Deadline (postmark): Thursday, January 15, 2009

Entry fee: $25. Checks should be made out to James River Writers.

PRIZES: First prize: $500, publication of an excerpt in Richmond magazine, a ticket to the 2009 James River Writers conference, and feedback from a JRW board member. Two finalists will each receive $200.

Entries: Submit the first 50 pages of your manuscript by Jan. 15, 2009 (postmark deadline) to

Richmond magazine
Best Unpublished Novel Contest
2201 W. Broad St., Suite 105
Richmond, VA 23220

Full manuscripts will be requested later if the submission passes the first round of judging. Please do not submit duplicates of manuscripts entered in previous years.

Rules of the road: Entries must not include the author's name or will be disqualified. Each submission must have a cover sheet with the author's name, contact information and the novel's title. Each page of the manuscript must have the title in the upper left corner, page numbers in the upper right, double-spaced, one-inch margins, Times New Roman or Arial font, size 12. Limit of two submissions per writer @ $25 per submission. This is a fiction contest. Richmond magazine writers and other employees, and JRW employees and board members cannot enter. To submit an entry, the author must be a resident of Virginia, a student at a Virginia college or university, or a member of JRW. The winner will be published in the July 2009 issue of the magazine. Submissions will be returned only if accompanied by a SASE. All submissions will receive comments from a professional writer.

Link to original post HERE.

RCWW MEETINGS = PAID WRITING ASSIGNMENTS FOR 2 MEMBERS!

2008-12-11T14:49:00.000-08:00

PRAISE THE LORD!!!! I received my first paid assignment to write seven daily devotionals for Light from the Word, a daily devotional published by Wesleyan Publishing House!

I thank RCWW again because, I received the information through the group!!! Be encouraged my brothers and sisters---my greatest writing victories lately have come at discouraging times when I wanted to set my writing on a shelf. (I got several rejections prior to this.) Galatians 6:9 (NIV) Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Please pray for me in writing these devotionals. My prayer is that God would inspire and direct my writing so that the readers know and serve Him more.
Laurie Vines: oneway2heaven@verizon.net

I too celebrate with Laurie; I too have received a paid assignment for Light from the Word, and I also found this information through RCWW. Special thanks to Rebekah for bringing back all those opportunities from her writers conference. This is my 2nd paid assignment, the 1st I also got from Rebekah and RCWW.

What a blessing this group is to writers! Thank you, and Merry Christmas to all.

Kelly Combs
www.chattykelly.blogspot.com
www.kellycombs.com

What Are Your 2009 Writing Resolutions?

2008-12-08T18:05:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. Time to start thinking about your writing resolutions for 2009! That's right, we're less than a month away from a brand new year.

What are your 2009 writing resolutions? Click here to go straight to the forum post (after you've logged in or signed up). Be sure to include your name and I may highlight your answer along with a link to the thread in a future issue of the newsletter.

Maximizing Your Web Presence, Take a Survey and a Reminder

2008-12-08T17:43:00.000-08:00

This month's issues of WM.com offers these great tips for how to maximize your internet presence using networks and online communities.

How to Make a Friend:
-Click on another person's profile.
-Under the person's profile pic, there should be an Add Friend button.
-Click on the Add Friend button.
-Once you do this, a friend request will go to the person's community home page, where he or she will approve or deny the friend request.
-There are many reasons a person might deny a friend request, but the most common may be that the person doesn't know you and/or thinks you could potentially be a spammer. So to improve your chances of having your friend request approved, you could send a message introducing yourself. (Of course, if you're already friends with someone, it's still a good idea to send a message from time-to-time to just be friendly.)

How to Send a Message:
-Click on another person's profile.
-Under the person's profile pic, there should be a Send Message button.
-Click on the Send Message button.
-Type in a subject in the subject line and type a message in the Your Message box.
-Once you're happy with your message, click the Send Message button.

If you would like your own subscription to to WritersMarket.com click here .

QUICK SURVEY
As 2008 winds down, we're trying to figure out the best ways

to help serve your needs as users of WritersMarket.com.

Please participate in the following survey to help us serve you:

Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Ox_2ffJVyz6aAaNDanqXHM_2fA_3d_3d

As a thank you gift for participating, we will assign you a special

discount code you can use in the "Writing" section of the F+W Bookstore at http://www.fwbookstore.com/category/writing that gives 25% off anything found there.

Don't forget about WritersMarket.com's

Freelance Success Stories Contest

To read the previous post click here .

VABOOK-NEWS

2008-12-06T11:27:00.000-08:00

Hello from VABook-News!

It's time to get a glimpse of who'll be coming to the Virginia Festival of the Book in March. Early signers news below, and a new ticketed event announced with Adriana Trigiani and David Baldacci.

Also, don't miss our "Mixed Bag Challenge"--15 weeks of questions and your answer/comments. The weekly prize is one of our Festival shopping bags, and every entry is eligible for the grand prize. See more below.

Enjoy!

Kevin McFadden
Assoc. Program Director, VABook!

*Contents:*
I.	VABook! 2009 Announces Early Signers
II.	Just Announced: Trigiani and Baldacci Event
III.	The Mixed Bag: 15 Weeks of Bookish Challenges
IV.	Festival Bags--Take Home the Savings

VABook! 2009 Announces Early Signers

The Virginia Festival of the Book is pleased to announce a selection of “early signers”—those who have committed to appear in its 15^th anniversary celebration of books and literacy, March 18-22, 2009.

Fiction luminaries include John Grisham (The Associate), Stephen L. Carter (Emperor of Ocean Park, Palace Council), Mary Doria Russell (Dreamers of the Day), Jean Hanff Korelitz (Admission), Alan Cheuse (To Catch the Lightning), Katherine Neville (The Fire), and emerging writers like Virginia Literary Award winner Helon Habila (Measuring Time) and New South novelist Inman Majors (The Millionaires).

For vampire fans, the Festival is featuring two well-known genre writers Kim Harrison (White Witch, Black Curse), Mario Acevedo (Jailbait Zombie) and recovering pop culture critic Eric Nuzum (The Dead Travel Fast: Stalking Vampires from Nosferatu to Count Chocula).

Launching poetry books at the Festival will be Rita Dove (Sonata Mulattica) and Gregory Orr (How Beautiful the Beloved). Irish poet Paul Muldoon (Horse Latitudes) and Australian poet laureate Kevin Hart (Night Music) will read, as will a host of poets with Virginia ties: John Casteen (Free Union), Michael Chitwood (Spill), Ted Genoways (Anna, Washing), Sarah Kennedy (Home Remedies), Debra Nystrom (Bad River Road), R.T. Smith (Outlaw Style), and Lisa Russ Spaar (Satin Cash).

Virginia Civil Rights icon John A. Stokes will return to the Festival with his young adult book Students on Strike. Featured photographers will include Sam Abell (The Life of a Photograph) and Robert Llewellyn (Remarkable Trees of Virginia).

Writers with Charlottesville connections include constitutional lawyer John Whitehead (The Change Manifesto), memoirist Peach Friedman (Diary of an Exercise Addict), science historian Eric Vettel (Biotech: The Countercultural Origins of an Industry), New York Times crossword puzzle creator Arthur Schulman (Websterisms: A Collection of Words and Definitions Set Forth by the Founding Father of American English), and public health professor Jeff Goldsmith (The Long Baby Boom).

Participant information and programs will be on the site soon, as details are confirmed.

Just Announced: Trigiani and Baldacci Event

Wine & Words with Adriana and David

Thursday, March 19, 4 - 6 p.m.

Enoteca ($50)

It's la dolce vita with Adriana Trigiani (Very Valentine) and David Baldacci (Divine Justice). Enjoy an assortment of Italian meats, cheeses, grapes, olives, and a glass of wine at this intimate engagement followed by remarks and a booksigning by two of Virginia's best-loved and bestselling authors.

This event will make a great gift for the book lover you know, hosted at Enoteca wine & panini bar on the Downtown Mall. Order tickets online here.

The Mixed Bag: 15 Weeks of Bookish Challenges

We've got just 15 weeks til the Virginia Festival of the Book. What better way to get in the mood for our milestone anniversary than a related challenge question each week. The weekly winner with the most clever, creative, or funny answer gets a free Festival shopping bag (stuffed with great coupons, see below) and every entrant will have a chance to win two tickets to the Trigiani-Baldacci reception on Thursday, March 19 (see above). Take the Mixed Bag Challenge!

Enter by adding a comment to our Mixed Bag Challenge blog. We'll collect these comments week by week and enlist special judges for each challenge. We're giving our newsletter readers a head-start, the first two challenges are below:

The first challenge is live now on the site:

1. What do you love about the Virginia Festival of the Book in 15 words? (Answer online here.)

Sneak Peak for next week:

2. What's your "Martha Stewart" idea for getting the most use out of a Festival shopping bag? (Will post 12/10/08)

Festival Bags--Take Home the Savings

The Virginia Festival of the Book, in partnership with Federal Realty/Barracks Road Shopping Center, have produced 15th anniversary bags, perfect for carrying your favorite books, groceries or anything else!

The bags, made from recycled materials, are on sale for $10 and include more than $200 in free coupons for stores at Barracks Road Shopping Center. You can get your money back in savings on the same shopping trip! Proceeds support VABook!

The 15th Anniversary bags are now available at:

Chimney Corner (434-295-1044)

Blue Ridge Mountain Sports (434-977-4400)

Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters (434-977-1415)

Plow & Hearth (after January 2009 only, 434-977-3707)

Coupons inside are good at the following Barracks Road stores: Origins, Chimney Corner, Rebecca's Natural Food, Smoothie King, Peace Frogs Travel/Outfitters, Tara Thai, HotCakes, The Virginia Shop, Oil & Vinegar, and Plow & Hearth.

JAMES RIVER WRITING CONTESTS AND PRIZES

2008-12-03T05:08:00.000-08:00

WRITING CONTESTS!

PRIZES!

The First Annual Poetry Contest
Submit up to four original, never-published poems by Dec. 15, 2008.
A poet may enter only once.
Submissions must be mailed to
Richmond Magazine,
Best Poetry Contest
2201 W. Broad St., Suite 105
Richmond, VA 23220.

Entry fee: $15 (one fee covers all four poems).
Checks should be made out to James River Writers.
First prize: $500, plus one or more winning poems published in Richmond magazine
and a ticket to the 2009 James River Writers conference.

Two finalists will receive $200 prizes.

Entry fee: $15 poetry

ALSO:
The 3rd Annual Best Unpublished Novel Contest
Do you have what it takes to be a published author?

Deadline (postmark): Thursday, January 15, 2009

Entry fee: $25.
Checks should be made out to

James River Writers.
PRIZES: First prize: $500, publication of an excerpt in
Richmond magazine, a ticket to the 2009 James River Writers conference,
and feedback from a JRW board member.

Two finalists will each receive $200.

Entries: Submit the first 50 pages of your manuscript by
Jan. 15, 2009 (postmark deadline) to
Richmond magazine
Best Unpublished Novel Contest
2201 W. Broad St., Suite 105
Richmond, VA 23220

Full manuscripts will be requested later if the submission passes the first round of judging. Please do not submit duplicates of manuscripts entered in previous years.

For complete rules and details, go to

JamesRiverWriters.com

THE WAY BACK MACHINE!

2008-11-29T10:09:00.000-08:00

If you have ever lost writing, or web pages, or blogs when a site moved or shut down, you will want to know about this. There is a tool called The Way Back Machine (the web as it was).

It is available at http://www.archive.org/web/web.php

It archives, you guessed it, the web. You won't find everything, and I didn't find searching by subject or keywords worked too well, but I found things back from 1998! It works the best if you know the old web address. Your lost pages might be there! Check it out.

Writer's Digest Wants Your Shorts!

2008-11-17T03:43:00.000-08:00

The 9th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition is accepting entries!

They're looking for fiction that's bold, brilliant ...but brief.

Send your best in 1,500 words or less.

But don't be too long about it—the deadline is December 1, 2008.

The Grand-Prize winner will receive $3,000 (that's $2—or more—per word).

For guidelines, prizes and to enter online, click here.

Writer’s Digest University: Editors’ Intensive

2008-11-10T10:34:00.000-08:00

Your exclusive chance to learn

first-hand from publishing experts!

December 13-14, 2008

Cincinnati, OH

Click here to register now!

You’ve been asking us for years… and now, for the first time ever, Writer’s Digest is opening its doors for a brand-new publishing event. That’s right—you’re invited to the heart of WD Headquarters to take part in exclusive panel discussions and manuscript critiques featuring these top editors:

Jane Friedman, Publisher & Editorial Director, Writer’s Digest
Chuck Sambuchino, Editor, Guide to Literary Agents
Alice Pope, Editor, Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market
Joe Stollenwerk, Director, WritersOnlineWorkshops.com

During a full-day’s worth of workshops, they’ll give you the insider tips you need to publish your work in today’s competitive market. You’ll learn how to…

> Research and identify the right agent
> Write a killer one-page query for your novel
> Write a bulletproof nonfiction book proposal
> Avoid sabotaging your career and move faster down the publishing path
> Break into tough markets and get responses from busy editors and agents

Best of all, you’ll meet one-on-one with a WD editor who will provide an individual critique of either your query letter and proposal package (up to 50 pages), or the first 50 pages of your manuscript—plus offer a customized list of best-bet markets for selling your work!

Please Note: Due to the personalized nature of this event, space is limited to 50 attendees.

Click here to learn more and reserve your space today!

WRITER'S DIGEST FREELANCE SUCCESS STORIES CONTEST

2008-11-10T10:26:00.001-08:00

Once question every writer, novice or seasoned asks from time to time is how to decide where to submit a particular article, story or poem. For some great discussions on this topic you can visit the Writer's Digest Forum on How to Decide Where to Submit Your Work.

Also in this month's Writer's Digest:

FREELANCE SUCCESS STORIES CONTEST

This year's contest has a deadline of December 31. It's open to any writer and should be between 800-1,500 words in length. As usual, there is no entry fee. An exciting development is that I've increased the first place prize to $500 along with publication in the 2010 Writer's Market!

Entries can be sent to writersmarket@fwmedia.com with "Freelance Success Stories Entry" in the subject line.

This month's Writer's Digest issue is full of great information about latest industry news as well as how to network with other Writer's Digest subscribers. Go to www.WritersMarket.com to log in or sign up now.

A New Book Review Program for Bloggers

2008-10-30T03:28:00.000-07:00

by Michael S. Hyatt, President & CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers

A few months ago, we began an experiment. We offered a free book to anyone who agreed to post a 200-word review on their blog. We were so pleased with the results, we decided to do it again.

I challenged Lindsey Nobles, my Director of Corporate Communications, to create a Web site specifically designed for bloggers who are interested in reviewing our books. As a result, we launched the Thomas Nelson Book Review Bloggers (BRB) site

If you are a blogger, this new site has at least three benefits:

1. Free copies of our best books. We will send you a free copy of the book you are interested in reviewing. In addition, after you have requested a review copy, we will email you a PDF of the first two chapters so you can immediately get started. Meanwhile, we will drop a physical copy of the book in the mail.
2. Content resources for your blog. We will provide you with free resources to use in your review. These include things like cover art, video or audio clips (when available), external links to other related items, etc. Frankly, this is the part of the site that we need to expand upon the most.
3. External links to your blog. We will provide a link back to the your actual review of the book. As you may know, external links are what drive up your blog’s ranking on Google. In general, the more links the better.

What do we require? Bloggers must agree to write a 200-word review—good, bad, or ugly—and post it on their blog and on the Amazon detail page for that book. Obviously, the review can be longer, but we wanted to set the bar low in order to encourage participation.

If you are interested in checking it out, click here to sign up for the program.

RCWW Contest - $20 Prize!

2008-10-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

This is just a reminder about the RCWW Contest we are having.

The guidelines are below.
Don't miss the deadline!
It's October 19th!!!
You can't win if you don't try!
If you have any questions, please let me know.

Guidelines: Writing Devotional, 500-600 words.
Use a verse or two of scripture and short
prayer at the end as part of the word count.
Prize: $20
Due By: October 19th.

Email submissions to tcrobb@integrity.com, put "writing contest" in subject line, or mail to Rebekah Robb, 9600 January Way, Richmond, VA 23238.

NO LATE ENTRIES ACCEPTED!
***Winner will be announced on November 15th at the 2008 Writers Celebration (you must be present to win).

Happy Writing!Rebekah Robb

RCWW November Annual Meeting

2008-10-10T13:06:00.000-07:00

Dear RCWW,
Here is info about our November Annual Meeting.
More details to come.

Richmond Christians Who WritePresents
2008 Writers Celebration
November 15, 2008
From 5-8pm

Come enjoy an evening of fellowship with other writers
and celebrate what God has done this year in our writing.

Cost: TBD
Dinner will be provided.

Location: Winn's Baptist Church
12320 Winns Church Rd
Glen Allen, VA 23059

** We have a few members that have trouble driving at night and would need a ride. Please contact me if you are able to help with this.
***Please no perfume, we have members with severe allergies to perfume. Thank you for being so considerate!

RSVP by November 1st to Rebekah Robb at tcrobb@integrity.com or 527-0913.
Spouses, friends and family members are most welcome.

Kingdom Publishing Group Announces New Office Headquarters

2008-10-03T03:18:00.000-07:00

Richmond, Virginia - October 1, 2008 - Kingdom Publishing Group, Inc. (KPG), the area's leading publisher, producer and promoter of Christian books and music, opened its doors to their new office headquarters today! "Truly this is a Divine blessing from God, the Father," proclaims Nina L. Wells, Executive Vice President of KPG. "This timely and dynamic move has launched KPG into a new realm of possibilities for its company and clients."

Formerly located in the Lakeside Professional Building, KPG has moved its office headquarters to One Paragon Place, conveniently located at Broad Street and Glenside Drive in the west end of Richmond, Virginia.

Kingdom Publishing Group, Inc. invites you to come visit them at their new location

6800 Paragon Place
Suite 112
Richmond,Virginia 23230

For more information about Kingdom Publishing Group, Inc., and the services they offer, please contact Denise Watson-Smith, Director of Marketing, Promotions and Outreach at: denise@kingdompublishing.org.

KINGDOM PUBLISHING GROUP, INC.
(804) 515-9100
www.kingdompublishing.org
www.myspace.com/kingdompublishing
info@kingdompublishing.org

FALL WRITER'S CONFERENCE IN RICHMOND - OCTOBER 2008

2008-09-26T16:19:00.000-07:00

Click this link for details previously posted!

4 New Videos from WritersDigest.tv- On Demand Writer's Conferences

2008-09-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

Can't attend a writing conference, or missed out on a session you really wanted to see? Watch complete instructional sessions, workshops, panel discussions and interviews from ThrillerFest 2008 - featuring Sandra Brown, David Morrell, R.L. Stine, Lee Child, David Baldacci, Kathleen Antrim, Bob Mayer, D.P. Lyle, M.D. and others - at your convenience, from the comfort of your home or office, at a fraction of the cost of attending in person.Enjoy four all-new conference video workshops on WritersDigest.tv direct from the ThrillerFest 2008 conference.

Get exclusive access to these professionally filmed conferences workshops, featuring D.P. Lyle, M.D. (Howdunit Forensics) on "The Psychology of Character Thought, Action and Dialogue", plus in "Thriller Fan to Thriller Writer" Shane Gericke, Lawrence Light, Jordan Dane, Alan Jacobson, Susan Crandall and Philip Donlay on how they got their agents, marketed their books and became bestselling writers.

New York Times bestselling author Lee Child (Jack Reacher series) teaches how to ask a question and make readers stick around for the answer in "How Do You Create Suspense?"
"Learn How to Pitch Your Book" with Kathleen Antrim (Capital Offense) and Bob Mayer (The Novel Writer's Toolkit), and watch bestselling author David Baldacci (The Whole Truth) in his informal Q&A as he answers questions about researching techniques, traveling through Europe, writing Absolute Power and more.

-->Get a clear view into the writing market from dozens of top authors who give candid and insightful advice from one of the best writing conferences in the country. And remember, you can view any purchased workshop as often as you want - any time you want - even pause, rewind and fast forward!Please stop by WritersDigest.tv today and have a look at the free preview videos - I think you'll like what you see.

Note: If you've already purchased a 6-month subscription to all WritersDigest.tv workshops, you can view these new workshops when you log into the site and go to your "My Purchased Workshops" page. -->Sincerely, -->Scott Francisfor WritersDigest.tv
NEW ThrillerMaster: Sandra Brown, Interviewed by M. Diane Vogt

Sandra Brown, author of 56 New York Times bestselling novels, says the key to writing thriller novels is planting a question in the first scene and answering it in the last scene. In this 40-minute presentation, she explains the ins and outs of writing a thriller, titling books and the work ethic that contributed to her success.
NEW "The First Year as a Published Author, " Moderated by Laura Benedict

Authors Robert Gregory Browne, Heather Terrell, J.T. Ellison, Jason Pinter, D.L. Wilson and S.L. Linnea discuss book promotion, writing organizations, the difference between advertising and publicity, and how to sell without getting a call from Oprah.
NEW "After Harry: Young Adult Thrillers, " Moderated by Jim Fusilli

Authors R.L. Stine, Wendy Corsi Staub, Robert Lipanulo and Jon Land talk about defeating the obstacles all YA thriller writers face when trying to get published, trying to sell their work and trying to write a successful series.
NEW "What Makes a Great Villain?" Moderated by David Morrell

Authors Thomas O'Callahan, Meredith Anthony, Carla Neggers, Allison Brennan and Jim Daher talk about their approach to writing villainous characters, the elements of serial killers and the subtle differences between good and evil.

9th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competiton

2008-09-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

The 9th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competition is accepting entries!

We're looking for fiction that's bold, brilliant ... but brief.

Send us your best in 1,500 words or less. But don't be too long about it—the deadline is December 1, 2008.

The Grand-Prize winner will receive $3,000 (that's $2—or more—per word).

For guidelines, prizes and to enter online, click here.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

2008-09-26T16:07:00.000-07:00

Alice Pope, who will be editing the 2010 edition of Novel & Short Story Writer's Market, welcomes submissions for the next edition of NSSWM.

Alice would like pitches for articles and interviews that fit the following sections in the book: The Writing Life, Craft & Technique, Getting Published, For Mystery Writers, For Romance Writers, and For Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Writers.

To get an even better idea of what is wanted, you should check out a copy of the 2009 Novel & Short Story Writer's Market at your local bookstore or library.

Queries can be sent to Alice's attention at nsswm@fwpubs.com.

CREATED WORD CHRISTIAN WRITERS SEMINAR

2008-09-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday, November 1, 2008

CREATED WORD CHRISTIAN WRITERS SEMINAR

8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Church of the Epiphany, Herndon, VA

Early Bird/Members: $35 (before August 30, 2008)
Early Bird/Non-Members: $40 (before August 30, 2008)

Capital Christian Writers and Northern Virginia Christian Writers Fellowship are pleased to announce their 2008 fall seminar featuring Christian suspense novelist Wanda Dyson who will lead a two-part, hands-on fiction workshop. Also Melanie Rigney, former editor of Writers Digest, will provide an overview of the non-fiction market in two parts. Topics include articles, essays, memoirs, and more.

One-on-one paid critiques available with Candice Speare, (fiction) content editor/cozy mystery writer and Lori Smith, (nonfiction) freelance writer/memoir author. Thirty minute sessions/$30.

For Full Details: http://www.ccwriters.org/

Write2Ignite Conference - November 7-8, in Durham, NC.

2008-09-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

Aloha from Karen Whiting!

I’m writing to ask you to let members of your critique group know about a new
conference for children’s writers. I’m attaching the flyer. It is the Write2Ignite
Conference that will take place November 7-8, in Durham, NC.

I’ll be one of the faculty members. We are limiting the number of conferees to 100 and have a great lineup of speakers. For details go to http://write2ignite.com/

Let’s Ignite the Next Generation! The news for writing for children is mixed. Many publishers indicate picture books and other books for children are not selling.

At the same time stores are indicating the one area not effected by the Internet are children’s book sales, especially picture books. Last year our nations report card showed the highest score ever in reading for children. And last year more books were sold than any other year, just not in the traditional store.

Come and find out more about how you can get published and reach today’s children.

www.karenhwhiting.com

FALL 2008 CHRISTIAN WRITER'S SEMINAR IN RICHMOND - OCTOBER 18

2008-09-11T03:22:00.000-07:00

Have you registered for the Fall Christian Writer's Seminar sponsored by the Richmond Christians Who Write?

Are you seeking

- encouragement in your writing?
- tips and techniques to improve your writing skills?
- an opportunity to network with other writers in the area?

Then don't miss this opportunity to receive advice from a successful
author and businesswoman!

Our Presenter is Lisa Crayton, author of several books and the editor and publisher of Spirit-Led Writer, an online magazine which Writer's Digest named as one of the "101 Best Web Sites for Writers."

The session topics include, Writing Nonfiction (articles and short pieces), Writing Christian Fiction: What Judges and Editors Look For, General Overview--Writing to Publish, Writing for the Web/Writer's Websites.

This is a wonderful opportunity to attend a conference right here in our area!

Cost:
Early Bird Registration (postmarked by Sept. 27) - $65.00
Regular Registration (postmarked by October 4 ) - $75.00
Late Registration (postmarked by October 11) - $85.00

--Registration includes all sessions, coffee breaks and lunch--

To obtain a registration form contact Rebekah Robb at tcrobb@integrity.com. Don't miss out on this great opportunity!

The Craft of Poetry Online Course

2008-08-25T02:50:00.000-07:00

The Craft of Poetry: Let’s Begin (Online Course) (EGL 103 W)

Do you enjoy reading and writing poetry? Do you want to write your own poems but find it difficult to begin? This course will serve as a dynamic introduction to the foundational structures of poetry writing.

We will consider a wide variety of poetic styles and themes, and address the use of meter, rhyme, and other sonic qualities in peer-driven discussions. Students will use the course readings as reference points in the creation of their own work, and everyone will put together a manuscript of ten to twelve new poems.

Students will receive detailed comments on their drafts from the instructor, and have the opportunity to view and critique one another’s work. The course will include brief reading assignments, group discussion, and weekly guided-writing exercises.

Please note: This is an online course.
Course Details:

10 weeks
Sept 22 - Dec 7
3 units $750
Limit: 17
Drop by: Sep 25

(No class November 23 - 29)

Special refund deadline: September 25

To register, visit http://continuingstudies.stanford.edu/course/egl103w.ASP

Instructor: Kirsten Andersen, Stegner Fellow
Kirsten Andersen received an MFA from New York University, and her work has been published in the Notre Dame Review, Fourteen Hills, Barrow Street, Greensboro Review, and other journals. Andersen has been awarded grants from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and the Edward Albee Foundation. She was a 2003 writing fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown.

RECEIVE A FREE ISSUE OF WRITER'S DIGEST

2008-08-13T16:30:00.000-07:00

Click here to try Writer's Digest today with No Risk and No Obligation.

See how Writer's Digest can help enhance your writing career!

Here are just some of the great features you'll find in your FREE ISSUE:

Technique Articles to strengthen your craft
Tips and Tricks to rekindle your creative spark
Inspiring Stories of writers who've made it — so you can too
The Latest (and Greatest!) Markets for selling your work
Expert Advice on negotiating contracts, finding agents, contacting editors ... and more!

Join the 200,000+ writers who turn to Writer's Digest for expert writing instruction, advice and inspiration, and up-to-date marketing information.

National Christian Writers Conference & Book Expo

2008-08-12T16:02:00.000-07:00

Registration is underway for the fifth annual National Christian Writers’ Conference and Book Expo to be held on Saturday, September 20, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza, Virginia Beach 4453 Bonney Road .. Aspiring writers and individuals from Virginia and across the nation who want to learn more about the writing, publishing and book marketing industry are invited to attend.

Early bird registration (on or before August 15, 2008) is $49.00, full registration (after August 15, 2008) is $75.00. Special pricing for Active Duty Military and/or Veterans is $49.00 and College Student or Teen with identification is $49..00. The registration fee will cover breakfast, lunch, all workshops and workshop materials, as well as entrance to the book expo.

For more information about the National Christian Writers Conference and Book Expo please visit http://www.NationalChristianWritersConference.com or call Renee Bobb at 804-998-8014 and via e-mail to bobbrenee@yahoo.com. You may also visit http://www.ReneeBobb.com.

Pick Your Perfect Writing Workshop!

2008-08-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

Writersonlineworkshops.com

Try a WOW course with absolutely no risk or obligation!

For a limited-time only, we're offering a special no-risk registration that lets you cancel your workshop even after your first session has begun - without paying the customary administrative fees and penalties.

Simply put, if something unforeseen happens or you aren't happy with the class,you won't have to pay if you don't stay in the course.

Try WOW today, risk-free PLUS, sign-up today and you'll receive a FREE Writer's Resource CDfrom Writer's Digest!

Here are just a few of the worship titles, presenters and dates:
Essentials Of Mystery Writing
G. Miki Hayden
8/14/2008
Essentials Of Writing Personal Essays
Gloria Kempton
8/14/2008
Elements of Effective Writing I: Grammar and Mechanics
Mark Konkel
8/14/2008
Elements of Effective Writing I: Grammar and Mechanics
Holly Chaker
8/28/2008
Writing The Query Letter
Kristen Johnson Ingram
8/28/2008
Extended Short Story Writing Workshop
Celia Ann Leaman
8/28/2008
Essentials Of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writing
John DeChancie
8/28/2008
Extended Magazine Article Writing Workshop
Jack Adler
8/28/2008
Essentials Of Writing Personal Essays
Christina Xenos
8/28/2008
Creativity & Expression
Kara Gebhart Uhl
8/28/2008
Creativity & Expression
Karen Gibson
8/28/2008
Getting Started In Writing
Joyce Ferman Wells
8/28/2008
Accelerated Getting Started In Writing
Karlyn Thayer
8/28/2008
Fundamentals Of Fiction Writing
Elizabeth Delisi
8/28/2008
Focus On The Novel
John DeChancie
8/28/2008
Advanced Poetry Writing Workshop
Natalie Peeterse
8/28/2008
Marketing Your Short Stories
Gloria Kempton
8/28/2008
Advanced Novel Writing Workshop
Alice Duncan
8/28/2008
Getting Started (Quickly) In Scrapbook Journaling
Julia Kressig
8/28/2008
Marketing Your Magazine Articles
Kelly Boyer Sagert
8/28/2008
Focus On The Nonfiction Magazine Article
Kara Gebhart Uhl
8/28/2008
Advanced Novel Writing Workshop
Paul Bagdon
8/28/2008
Writing Effective Dialogue
Karlyn Thayer
8/28/2008
Essentials Of Writing To Inspire
G. Miki Hayden
8/28/2008
Focus On The Personal/Family Memoir
Sharon DeBartolo Carmack
9/4/2008

Free! 2008 Muse Conference

2008-08-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

REGISTRATIONS ARE NOW OPEN FOR THE
2008 CONFERENCE
to be held
OCTOBER 13 - 19, 2008
are now open.
To register, apply here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2008MuseConference/

The conference is FREE but donations help support this site and
allow us to continue offering FREE workshops each year.
Your generosity is appreciated.

HOW Magazine Freelancer Conference - August 27-29

2008-08-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

The Creative Freelancer Conference, presented by HOW magazine (sister publication to Writer's Digest) and Marketing Mentor, is just 20 days away!

Luckily for you, there are still a few spots available—just go to creativefreelancerconference.com and register as soon as possible. Then start making plans to join us in Chicago August 27-29. And trust us, the time out of the office will be worth it.

Here's why:
1. You'll get expert information from speakers who've been in your place—they've made the mistakes, figured out the solutions, and now they want to share their hard-earned knowledge with you.
2. It's a chance to network with your peers...an invaluable opportunity for someone who makes a living working solo.
3. You'll get a well-deserved break and a chance to explore the fabulous city of Chicago.
4. Creative people=creative solutions. Talk with everyone you meet, whether they (or you)are a writer, designer, photographer or illustrator. Chances are good they've encountered the same roadblocks as you, and they've likely come up with some creative solutions.

Fall Christian Writers Seminar - Oct. 18

2008-08-08T14:40:00.000-07:00

RCWW is hosting a Fall Christian Writers Seminar
on October 18, 2008.

Lisa Crayton www.lisacrayton.com is the guest speaker.
She is author and editor of Spirit-led Writer: www.spiritledwriter.com

Check back soon for more information!

101 Best Websites for Writers

2008-05-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

Whether you're looking for quotes, advice, markets, critiques—or just a place to meet other writers online—we've got you covered.

In the June issue of Writer's Digest, Brian A. Klems offers up our annual roundup of websites:Type the word "writer" into the Google search engine and it'll bring up an astonishing 243 million websites—and no, we're not exaggerating.

The idea of sifting through all of them can make your head spin like the child in The Exorcist—especially when all you need is a little copyright advice. Where to begin, where to begin, where to begin ...

Luckily, your favorite editors at Writer's Digest have done the grunt work for you.

For the full list of our 101 Best Websites for Writers, isit:http://writersdigest.com/101BestSites

Book Festival at Town Point Park, Norfolk, Virginia

2008-05-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

I would like to invite you to be a part of our Book Festival at Town Point Park. Our local Fest Events promotion group has asked us to put together this event as part of the 3rd Annual AT&T Sunrise to Sunset Acoustic Music Festival, Sunday, September 28, 2008.

There will also be a Folk Art Show at this event. The Book Festival portion will be from 12:00-4:00 PM. We anticipate having between 50-60 local, regional and nationally known authors at this event. The event will be outside under tents in the park area. The exact details of the setup will be sent out about the end of June.

If you are interested in participating, please contact me at your earliest convenience so I can start planning what I believe to be a wonderful event and a great opportunity to showcase our wonderful authors.

John Zimmerman and Lindsay Anderson - Events Coordinators
Barnes & Noble at Tidewater Community College
MacArthur Center Mall
300 Monticello Avenue Norfolk, Virginia 23510
Phone; 757 625-3459
Fax: 757 625-3465 Cell: 757 343-9202
Please send all correspondence to the store e-mail:
sm507@bncollege.com

HANOVER BOOK FESTIVAL UPDATE!

2008-05-26T07:54:00.000-07:00

From Joanne Liggan:

Hello Fellow Writers!

I want to welcome you as a participating author of this year's festival. In an effort to make sure your experience is a good one, I want to keep you updated about the progress we are making on the event. Please feel free to ask any questions or express any concerns you might have.

Your table space is your responsibility to decorate. Since marketing is such an important part of selling, we are awarding a prize for the best display, so be creative. The judging criteria is which display is likely to sell the most books, not how elaborate or pretty it is.

On your registration form, if you indicated you would donate a book for the door prizes, please send your book(s) as soon as you can. I am adding pages to the program with pictures of the donated books so those who donate will receive a little extra promotion. Mail your book(s) to:

Hanover Book Festival
C/O Joanne Liggan
8201 N Shall Drive
Mechanicsville, VA 23111

If I receive the books before the program goes to print (July 1), they will be included. After that date, I will not be able to add any more.

Also, if you signed up for the one-on-one interview with a publisher or agent, you may visit the website at www.hanoverbookfestival.com and view the four we have scheduled to attend.

Publishers and Agents are:
Karen Syed with Echelon Press
Dave Smitherman with Palari Publishing
Robert Pruett with Brandylane Publishers
Lisa Hagan with Paraview Literary Agency

Send an e-mail to me with your first and second preference. I will TRY to accommodate each of you with your choice, but it is not guaranteed. If too many request one particular publisher or agent, I will need to change some of you to whomever has an opening.

If you want to talk to more than one, send in the extra $15 for your second choice. To be fair to everyone and give everyone a chance to talk to at least one, your second choice will be scheduled after everyone has been scheduled for their first interview. If we run out of time-slots, your second $15 payment will be refunded.

We have added another workshop! If you signed up prior to May 15, the registration form did not include our third workshop. Novelist Kathleen Mix will be presenting "From Bahamas to Bookshelf: Building a Suspense Novel" (see details on the website). If you wish to participate in this workshop, please send in your check for $20 with a note requesting a reservation, and I will add it to your registration form.

Thank you for registering. I look forward to seeing you in August!

Joanne Liggan
Hanover Book Festival Committee Chairman
www.hanoverbookfestival.com
Author/Public Speaker/Instructor
www.liggan.net jliggan@comcast.net
804-779-2660

Freelancer Conference

2008-05-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Freelancer Family:

If you haven’t already done so, I hope you will get your registration in for our first-ever freelancer conference July 14-16, 2008 in Orlando, Florida. Only a few more days remain for the $225 “early bird” registration! The ICRS (The Christian Bookseller’s Association’s International Christian Retail Show), with which this conference is partnering, looks like it will be a great event—one where you can learn a great deal about the publishing industry as a whole and your place in it. You will have a floor badge and plenty of time to walk the floor.

I want to remind you to email me if you would like to find a roommate for the conference or have any other needs we can help you with. I also thought you might like to hear about those individuals who will be taking care of our workshops and events.

Workshop – Freelancing for Fun and Money
This workshop will show you how to earn a portfolio full of credits and money in the bank.
The presenter will be Vicki J. Kuyper. Vicki has a very long list of freelance credits, spanning a number of years. She used a lot of her freelance earnings to travel and now is an established author. Her book documenting her travels is entitled, Wonderlust and was published by New Hope.

Workshop – Publishing Straight Up!
This workshop provides an overview of the publishing industry in simple, understandable terms.
The presenter will by Patrick L. Judd. Pat has a long and successful history in publishing and now runs his own publishing house, True North Publishing.

Workshop – Freelancer Is Another Word for Entrepreneur!
This workshop will give you strategies for running your own small freelance business. There will be tips on marketing, financials, wise business principles, working at home, and taking care of the tax man.
The presenter will be Dennis Currington (yes, my husband). He has served as the Director of Small Business Development for a number of years at the Tulsa Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Workshop – All About Editing
This workshop discusses the various types of editing—macro, substantive, line, copy, and proofreading—what they entail and how you can go about becoming proficient in them.
The presenter is Kathryn Deering, who for many years worked as an in-house editor in several Christian publishing houses. Now she works as a top-of-the-line freelancer editor, specializing in fiction.

Workshop – Devotional Writing
This workshop will show you the secrets of touching hearts by writing thought-provoking, life-changing devotionals, without preaching. You will learn the concept of the “embedded message,” how to write inspiring material even within strict specifications, and how to give publishers what they’re looking for.
The presenter is Rebecca Currington. Yep, that’s me! I have been writing devotionals for 20 years and believe that devotional writing is a distinct discipline from other types of writing and one that has the potential to change lives.

Workshop – Story Writing
This workshop will teach you the elements of good story writing, how to make your stories sizzle, hold a readers interest, and how to best market your stories in the industry.
The presenter will be Karen Linamen. Karen is the author of a number of humor story books, the most recent being “Due to Rising Energy Costs, the Light at the End of the Tunnel Has Been Turned Off!” Karen writes a great deal of humor with big doses of spirituality worked in.

Workshop – Technical Tips and Tools of the Trade
This workshop will show you how to provide a technically clean manuscript, computer shortcuts that will save you time and frustration, and what style books, dictionaries, and other tools you will need to do your freelance job with excellence.
The presenter will be Patricia Lutherbeck. A long-time employee of Snapdragon Group, many of you have heard from her by phone and email. She’ll be here to show you how to work smarter rather than harder.

Luncheon – Snapdragon Celebration Luncheon
The speaker will be Todd Hafer, editorial director for Hallmark’s book division. Todd is also a prolific author, his most recent title being Bad Idea, published by NavPress. Todd has been told to give you the benefit of his wisdom, inspire you to great things, and put you in a mood to laugh all the way back home.
Be sure to watch the website for updates.

Blessings,
Rebecca Currington
President
Snapdragon Group

www.snapdragongroup.com. If you go to the freelancer page, the password is snapgroupie.

Ligonier Valley Writers Conference

2008-05-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

Ligonier Valley Writers Conference to Take Place July 26

Mark your calendar for the 21st Ligonier Valley Writers Conference on Saturday, July 26.

Four great faculty members will present workshops and seminars and will work with you to improve your writing.

o Fiction: Damian Dressick is a Pushcart nominee and winner of the 2007 Harriette Arnow Award for short fiction. His work has appeared or is slated toappear in more than 25 literary journals, including failbetter.com, New Delta Review, Alimentum, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Caketrain and Vestal Review. Founding curator of Pittsburgh's UPWords Reading Series, Damian has written extensively about Pennsylvania' appear in more than 25 literary journals, including failbetter.com, New Delta Review, Alimentum, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Caketrain and Vestal Review. Founding curator of Pittsburgh's UPWords Reading Series, Damian has written extensively about Pennsylvania's coal country, including a historical novel and "Home Brew."

o Nonfiction: Lori Jakiela, author of Miss New York Has Everything (Warner, 2006). The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette review says, "This is a marvel of a memoir, both laugh-out-loud funny and sweetly moving, about a western Pennsylvania girl who escapes her small-town roots. She comes home, ditching her big-city dreams, when her father gets sick." Lori is also the author of a poetry chapbook, The Regulars (Liquid Paper Press, 2001). Her essays have appeared in the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Creative Nonfiction, Pittsburgh Quarterly, River Styx, and elsewhere. Her essay "I'm Not a Zombie but I Played One on TV" was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She serves as a speaker for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council and teaches in the writing program at Pitt Greensburg. She lives and writes in the house where she grew up in Trafford (birthplace of the chocolate-covered pickle). Visit Lori at www.lorijakiela.

o Poetry: Nancy Krygowski, whose first book of poems, Velocity, won the 2006 Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize from the University of Pittsburgh Press. Gerald Stern says, "This is a wide-eyed, modest, assertive, wild, well-read, street-smart, edgy, loving, suffering, heaven-crazed poet. It's a joy to find her." A recipient of a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship, a Pittsburgh Foundation Grant, and awards from the Academy of American Poets and the Association of Writers & Writing Programs, Nancy is cofounder and assistant artistic director of the Gist Street Reading Series. She works as an adult literacy instructor.

o Mystery: Casey Daniels, author of the Pepper Martin series, in which a cemetery tour guide in Cleveland finds herself solving crimes for ghosts. The first book in the series is Don of the Dead, about a Mafia don who wants Pepper to solve his murder. Publishers Weekly said of the second book in the series, The Chick and the Dead, "Daniels keeps things moving and amusing with her breezy chick-lit style andsharp dialogue." Visit Casey at www.caseydaniels. sharp dialogue." Visit Casey at www.casey sharp diRepresentatives from several Pittsburgh-area literary magazines will also be available to meet with writers one on one.This year the conference has been streamlined to save writers both time and money. We've squeezed the workshops and seminars on all four genres into one day (not to mention the picnic dinner and faculty readings).

The cost of the conference is only $70 for LVW members and $80 for nonmembers, plus $15 for the dinner Saturday night. Conference brochures will be available soon. To request a brochure and registration form, visit www.ligoniervalleyw

This year the conference has been streamlined to save write jgallagher@lhtot.jga .

Ligonier Valley Writers is a nonprofit group serving writers and readers throughout western Pennsylvania. Full membership is open to everyone interested in writing in any genre.

LVW offers workshops, lectures, writing contests, and other events throughout the year. For more information about any LVW event or publication, visit www.ligoniervalleyw Ligonier Va

Richmond Christians Who Write

First Friday Book Club @ Crossroads Coffee and Ice Cream

May 2011 Meeting Notice

JULY MONTHLY MEETING NOTICE - JULY 18

July First Friday Book Club Meeting

Local Writing Contests and Book Signings

June Meeting Announcement

What a Great Meeting!

January Meeting Notice

First Friday Inspirational Book Club-November 6

RCWW Christian Writer’s Conference - Saturday, October 17, 2009

3 SEPTEMBER WRITING CONTESTS

August RCWW Meeting Notice

First Friday Book Club

Sizzling Summer Series - Trademark and Copyright

The AuthorizeMe Seminar

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings

RCWW JULY MEETING

Writing Short Fiction For Anthologies

Utmost Christian Writer Poetry Contest

RCWW October Writers Conference

I've Got a Story to Tell - Wednesday, July 1

Wednesday, July 1, 2009 Spotlight on "I've Got a Story to Tell" conference www.blogtalkradio.com/leadershiplessons

First Friday Book Club

THREE SESSIONS MAY 17, 2009

APRIL MEETING NOTICE

MARCH MEETING NOTICE

Spread the Word 2009 Two-day Conference

FEBRUARY 15, 2009 - RCWW MEETING

Best Unpublished Novel Contest Deadline Approaching

RCWW MEETINGS = PAID WRITING ASSIGNMENTS FOR 2 MEMBERS!

What Are Your 2009 Writing Resolutions?

Maximizing Your Web Presence, Take a Survey and a Reminder

VABOOK-NEWS

JAMES RIVER WRITING CONTESTS AND PRIZES

THE WAY BACK MACHINE!

Writer's Digest Wants Your Shorts!

Writer’s Digest University: Editors’ Intensive

WRITER'S DIGEST FREELANCE SUCCESS STORIES CONTEST

A New Book Review Program for Bloggers

RCWW Contest - $20 Prize!

RCWW November Annual Meeting

Kingdom Publishing Group Announces New Office Headquarters

FALL WRITER'S CONFERENCE IN RICHMOND - OCTOBER 2008

4 New Videos from WritersDigest.tv- On Demand Writer's Conferences

9th Annual Writer's Digest Short Short Story Competiton

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

CREATED WORD CHRISTIAN WRITERS SEMINAR

Write2Ignite Conference - November 7-8, in Durham, NC.

FALL 2008 CHRISTIAN WRITER'S SEMINAR IN RICHMOND - OCTOBER 18

The Craft of Poetry Online Course

RECEIVE A FREE ISSUE OF WRITER'S DIGEST

National Christian Writers Conference & Book Expo

Pick Your Perfect Writing Workshop!

Free! 2008 Muse Conference

HOW Magazine Freelancer Conference - August 27-29

Fall Christian Writers Seminar - Oct. 18

101 Best Websites for Writers

Book Festival at Town Point Park, Norfolk, Virginia

HANOVER BOOK FESTIVAL UPDATE!

Freelancer Conference

Ligonier Valley Writers Conference

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Spotlight on "I've Got a Story to Tell" conference

www.blogtalkradio.com/leadershiplessons