SWCWS

Oops!

We have a new site. We know that Google directs some people here and we apologize for any inconvience. Southwest Christian Writers Studio and Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference are located at www.my-cwc.com. Just click the link and you will be at the super-site. Thanks.

www.brmcwc.com and www.swcws.com both work too.

The Future of Magazines

Here is a little demonstration of the newest digital magazine to cause a buzz. I'll admit it: I'm impressed with what Sir Richard Branson and team have done. An amazing product and I'm sure there will be more to come. As content providers we need to be aware of these changes. What do you think? Is this the future?

 

Alton Gansky

A New Addition to the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference

 

PRESS RELEASE

A New Addition to the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference

We’re pleased to announce Edie Melson's as the new Assistant Director of the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference. So many of you already know Edie Melson, but for those who don’t let us introduce you. 

Edie is a freelance writer and editor with over 16 years experience in the publishing industry. She’s a prolific writer, publishing over 700 articles in 2010. She also has a popular writing blog (www.thewriteconversation.blogspot.com) and is a frequent contributor to many others. As a sought after writing instructor, her heart to help others define and reach their dreams has connected her with writers all over the country. In keeping up with the leading edge of all things digital Edie has become known as one of the go-to experts on Twitter, Facebook, and social media for writers wanting to learn how to plug in.

Last year, in addition to being part of the faculty, Edie helped organize, facilitate and moderate the Yahoo Group and Facebook page for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and Southwest Christian Writers Studio. These additions allowed writers to begin their conference experience months before arriving in the mountains and continue the experience throughout the year. 

Edie brings experience and passion to the conferences. Her addition will help BRMCWC and SWCWS go to the next level of training and encouraging writers. 

Join us in welcoming Edie to the team—and stay tuned for even more exciting announcements to come!

Shut Up, Bradbury!

On Monday I wrote about the joy I had at finding an old collection of stories while moving books from the garage into the house (a never ending task, it seems). The book is a collection of oft overlooked science fiction writer Henry Kuttner. Ray Bradbury wrote the introduction, and wrote it as only Bradbury can. In the introduction he discusses his early years with Kuttner:

At our first meeting I was seventeen, which means--in my case, anyway--I was so unsure of myself that I did a lot of running around, shouting, and speechifying to hide my confusions and private despairs. Kuttner put up with this for an inordinate number of years and then gave me the best piece of creative advice I ever got.

“Ray,” he said one day, “do me a favor?”

“What?” I asked.

“Shut up,” he said.

“I beg pardon?”

“You’re always running around, grabbing people’s elbows, pulling their lapels, shouting your ideas,” Kuttner replied. “You give away all your steam. No wonder you never finish your stories. You talk them all out. Shut up.”

And shut up I did.

Instead of giving my stories away free, by mouth, I began to write a story a week. Since that time I have never spoken about my ideas until, in their final form, they were on their way East via airmail.

Sometimes we fall so in love with our own stories that we can’t wait to share them. We talk them out instead of write them out. Such is not the way of writers. Our craft demands a closed mouth and busy fingers over keyboard.

Kuttner did Ray Bradbury a favor by being blunt. (Do notice that it took a few years before Kuttner decided to lay the truth on the line for Bradbury. His bluntness was reasoned and well considered.)

Perhaps we want reassurance that our ideas are interesting and compelling. Maybe, because writing is such a solitary affair, we hunger to share an idea before it is ripe. Could it be for some of us that we, like Ray Bradbury, are hiding our confusions and private despairs? Whatever the reason behind the compulsion, most writers learn what Bradbury learned: write it, then talk about it.

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Alton Gansky is the director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in North Carolina and the Southwest Christian Writers Studio in New Mexico. He is the author/co-author of 40 books and is founder of Gansky Communications. He lives in central California.

 

 

An Interesting Piece on Words and Grammar

I found this over at the Novel Journey blog posted by BRMCWC frequent attender Ane Mulligan. It's riveting in composition and presentation. Word lovers will appreciate the message as will anyone who has ever been edited. Just for fun, the author makes a reference to people using Sharpies to correct apostrophe gaffs in grocery store. Can you tell me what book the author has in mind?

Enjoy.

Al Gansky

PS. Stay tuned for more news about BRMCWC 2011.

A New Writer’s Journey—Sink or Swim

[Meet Ginny Dent Brant, an alumna of our Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference whose new book is just out. I remember sitting with her in the cafeteria discussing her father and her work-in-progress, now a new release. I asked her to share a little of her experience. Whether you attend a large conference like BRMCWC or a studio-sized conference like Southwest Christian Writers Studio, the experience may help get your career started.

Be sure to watch the book trailer at the end of the post. --ALG]

 

By Ginny Dent Brant

When I was in Romania with my dad, Harry S. Dent, I reveled in everything I experienced. Who would believe all this could have happened? Years before my dad almost lost his freedom due to Watergate. Was this the same man who persecuted me – now winning souls to Christ? It was then that I knew I would one day write a book about the change in my father’s life, but his care due to Alzheimer’s disease consumed me from 2000 to 2007.

In 2007 after my father’s death, I began my writing career with a book. Probably not my brightest of ideas. I should have starting crafting the art and building my reputation as a writer first. Instead I dove in headfirst with a book and almost drowned!

Oh, the mistakes I made. I wrote my book proposal and submitted it without any advice. No wonder agents ran in the opposite direction. Linda Gilden finally reviewed my book proposal and advised me to attend the upcoming Glorietta Writer’s Conference. She encouraged me to capitalize on the father-daughter relationship in my memoir. The workshops offered were just what a doctor would order to bring my project back to life.

I’ll never forget sharing my book proposal with a major publisher and the first words out of his mouth were “That title sucks!”  Ouch, that hurt. But I knew God had given me that title My Simple Prayer—because everything happened as a result of my teenage prayers. Later that day I heard it again, “That title—it sucks! It took hearing it for the third time to shock me into finally realizing I needed a new title. I wallowed in my tears that day.  I realized God was telling me to emphasize those prayers.  In the end my simple prayer was woven throughout and emphasized again on the last page. I realized I had to toughen up to endure the race before me.

Then I attended Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference and I learned even more about how to write a book. Sometimes the advice I heard was hard to hear. I had to get the water out of my ears (after all I almost drowned), and listen to those who knew far more than I did. I needed a village to help me and God provided that village through Christian Writer’s conferences. 

The title of my book was my main marketing tool and those few words took me more deliberating than any other words in my book. I met with Cec Murphy and I begged him to suggest a title. He said, “The title must come from within you, Ginny.” But it wasn’t coming!  Steven James encouraged me to relate my book to people’s concerns. “It’s all about the reader,” he said. Ramona Richards looked at my elevator pitch and highlighted these words—from the white house to the world. About two months later in the middle of my dreams, the word “freedom” woke me up. After 18 months I finally had a title capable of grabbing someone’s attention—Finding True Freedom: From the White House to the World. Alton Gansky agreed to review my book proposal and encouraged me to not give up. He thought my story was very publishable.

I met with ten publishers through conferences and nine allowed me to submit. Then came rejection, rejection, rejection. Did I say rejection? “Memoirs are not selling,” “you’re a new author,” “mission stories do not sell,” “we love the story, but. . .”—I had heard it all. One publisher who almost took the book helped me to submit it to other publishers. With many doors closed, I persisted and looked for a cracked window. Finally, three publishers were interested, but with the economy, two wanted to hold until the economy improved. I went with the one who was ready to take it now. Time in my case was important. So I bit the bullet without any agents and negotiated my own contract with advice from other authors.

Then came grueling editing, editing, and more editing. No wonder publishers don’t want new authors! I was struggling to swim to the shore and wondered if it was in sight. Established authors warned me about the current I might face—spiritual warfare.  I took their advice and built a trusted tribe to pray with me as the water currents attempted to pull me under.  Then my publisher decided to take the fast route and turn the book out six months earlier. Yikes! I tried to swim faster and with a full time job and ailing in-laws, I finally reached the shore—only to find there was another island I needed to swim to—marketing.  That’s another journey, but Jim Rubart and Michelle Adams taught us how to do that at Blue Ridge and I’m doing it now.

Yes, I’ve learned a lot, but I’ve got a lot more to learn. Writing is a process like learning to swim. And I’m still learning. I’m not a champion yet, but I did get my first book published. It took a village to mentor me and teach me the discipline of writing. It was Christian writers who kept me afloat. It’s not about me, it’s not about them—it’s all about Him. Writers work together. In our writing we hope to throw a life preserver to those who are treading water. The goal of our writing is to point to the only Life Guard who can save them and make a difference in their life. It’s not competition—it’s cooperation and coaching. And I have been the recipient of the sharing hearts of many writers. Thanks to all!

www.ginnybrant.com 

 

 

 

Got an E-book in You?

Few things have changed the world of publishing more than the digital age. The Internet is abuzz with conversation, praise, and complaints about e-books, e-magazines, and the new paradigm of reaching readers with content--whatever that content might be.

It's difficult get through a week without reading about the Kindle, the Nook, and the iPad, and those are just the well known devices.

I admit it. I'm a fan. I love reading on the Kindle and I love reading on my iPad. These devices have changed the way I read. But what of the writer. Is digital delivery of content a good thing for wordsmiths?

Faculty member and multi-award winning author has been investigating this subject for some time and has recently put numerous of his books online for download. He has agreed to teach a session about the plusses and minus of digital publishing. He will talk about how to be your own publisher.

Yep, just one more reason to attend SWCWS this year.

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Fiction Bonus Material by Jack Cavanaugh

Who would have guessed a few short decades ago that storytelling would take such a momentous leap from bound pages to electronic books? Yet, here we are.  Online mega-bookstore Amazon.com reports that they are now selling more e-books than hard covers.

With new technology comes new opportunities. Out of print books can be given new life. Authors can now target online readers directly rather than hope to entice them into a bookstore. Shelf space and printing costs are history. Books can be ordered, paid for, and delivered to readers in seconds.

Having spent the summer exploring this exciting new territory, I’ll share my journey with you and help you determine whether it’s a path you want to take.

 

How to Write For Kids When You Don’t Have Any of Your Own

by Michelle Adams

“Stop it, Ally!” screamed her older sister, Abby.

Still, the taunting continued in the backseat.

“Abby is a stupid head!” Ally shouted in a sing-songy manner.

“That’s enough,” I interjected, glaring at my two preschoolers in the rearview mirror.

After a few moments of quiet bliss, Abby leaned forward and very seriously asked, “Mommy, can we just sell Ally?”

“No, I think we better keep her,” I answered, trying to stifle my giggles.

As Abby sank back into the car seat, I made a mental note: “Write a picture book about wanting to sell a little sister.”

Out of that encounter with my bickering babes, Sister For Sale was birthed—a picture book released in March 2002 by Zonderkidz, and since released in a paperback version (2004) and a special I CAN READ format (2007).

In fact, most of my ideas for children’s stories have come from observing Abby and Ally going about their everyday kid life; listening to their delightful dialogue; and eavesdropping on them and their friends. But, what happens now that they are both teenagers?  I’m not about to have more babies just so I can stay “in touch” with today’s kiddos. (Hey, I’m dedicated to my craft, but that’s pushing it!) So, how can we write for little children when we no longer have young kiddos living in our homes? We have to embrace the three important “R’s” – Rent, Research and Remember.

1. Rent a Child for the Day: If you don’t have any children, you need to hang out with children so that you’ll understand kid lingo, children’s likes and dislikes, current trends, etc.

      *Offer to babysit for the neighbors’ children or your relatives’ children.

      *Take your turn working the nursery at church.

      *Work with Girl Scouts; Boy Scouts; other children’s groups.

2. Research: hang out where kiddos hang out; read what they are reading; watch what they are watching; get into their world! You’ll want to observe children at play. Watch how they interact. Listen to how they talk. Observe how they move and what they wear, etc.

      *Go to the Park.

      *Go to Chuck E. Cheese.

      *Go to the zoo.

      *See the latest animated movie and tune into the Nickelodeon and Disney channels on TV.

      *Read the Newberry and Caldecott winning picture books each year.

3. Remember: think back to when you were a kid: Times may have changed but the raw emotion of a story never goes out of style.

      *Draw from your own childhood experiences.

      *Tap into memories of your proudest, saddest, most embarrassing or disappointing moments. Slang, toys, and fashions come and go, but feelings are universal and timeless.

      *Childhood memories may be the story buds for numerous future articles and books. The key is to remember with all of your senses—what you saw, how it felt,    how it smelled, etc. Become that child again…

The old writer’s cliché, “Write what you know,” is still as true as the first time some wise person said it. So, get to know the children you’re writing for, and enjoy becoming a kid again. Now, don’t bother me. “iCarly” is about to come on Nickelodeon…

 

Faculty member Michelle Medlock Adams is an award-winning author of 28 children’s titles and 44 books in all. When not writing, she enjoys watching “Project Runway” with her two teenage daughters and attending a gazillion sporting events with her husband. The Adams family resides in Bedford, IN. www.michellemedlockadams.com

 

Have you registered for the first annual Southwest Christian Writers Studio? It won't be the same without you. About SWCWS.

Sustainable Writing—Research, Redo and Reuse

by Edie Melson

Sustainable Writing is the way I describe freelance writing for a profit. Having a regular income as a freelance writer requires multiple streams of income. Managing those streams and keeping them afloat is where the sustainable part happens. Just like the environment, we have to be good stewards of our time and resources as writers and business owners.

As a matter of fact, there is a lot we, as writers, can learn from the environmental awareness movement. If you don't believe me, just substitute the word TIME for the word ENVIRONMENT and you’ll be surprised what becomes applicable.

When we think about sustainable writing, we need to have a recycling mindset. We should never waste anything. Say you’re doing research for an article titled, Remodel Your Kitchen. If you pay attention, you’ll find material to write several dozen articles. How about one called New Trends in Lighting Your Kitchen or Using Kitchen Cabinets in the Bathroom. Once you know where to look, the possibilities are endless.

This works with more than just research, you can repurpose articles—change them by 50 percent—and sell them as a new article to another source. Or, don’t change them at all and sell the reprint rights.

Here are some ways to apply this attitude to your writing.

• Research - When you research a topic or person for an article or book, keep all your notes. I keep all mine in a single computer file. Within that file it’s important to have a document that lists all the websites you’ve visited to get your information. I’ve gotten in the habit of copying and pasting the web address into this document the first time I determine the importance of the webpage I visit. I also keep a transcript and/or notes from any interviews I conduct on the subject. 
• Rough Drafts - Many times when I’m writing an article it will start off way over the word count I need. I keep a copy of that first draft in my file before I start cutting it and revising it. Often I’ve come back to it and pulled parts out for a new article. 
• Related Subjects - I've also learned to make a list of possible related subjects while I'm working on an article. Frequently, when I’m writing an article, ideas for other articles will come to mind. When that happens I’ve learned to immediately make a note of my thought. If I wait, the idea disappears. 

Over the years I've learned a lot about how to keep writing income alive, most of them from other writers. I'll be sharing my tips and I hope you'll share yours. We live in an exciting time for writers and, with the advent of the Internet, we've even more in demand.

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Edie Melson

Edie Melson is a freelance writer and editor with a passion for life’s stories. She loves to share her 16+ years experience in the field of writing through mentoring and teaching others. She began as a technical writer in the 80’s and quickly moved into freelance writing, a perfect fit for someone who loves new challenges. Hundreds of articles and devotions, including those for Focus on the Family, CBN.com, Crosswalk.com and Christiandevotions.us, have flowed from her pen to her audience.

She also has a thriving copy writing business and teaches others how to write for the internet with an emphasis on SEO/keyword formatting. She began sharing her knowledge of the writing industry with other writers in 2001, by helping start a local writers group. She has also co-directed and taught an annual writer’s retreat since 2002 and is a member of a weekly critique group. From March of 2009 through March 2010 she worked as Managing Editor for Centered Magazine. She has a popular writing blog, www.thewriteconversation.blogspot.com and is a contributing editor with www.thebookdoctorbd.blogspot.com.

She’s a member of several professional writing organizations, including The Christian Pen, The Christian Writer’s View I and ACFW, where she serves as the Editor for the Southeast Zone Newsletter and staff reviewer for Afictionado Magazine. Married 29 years to husband, Kirk, they have raised three sons.

Teaching Track: Writing Articles for Print and the Internet

Writing for print and the Internet can give you the opportunity to reach millions of readers. But in this day and time, it can be intimidating. The skills needed to tap into these markets seem to change almost hourly and it sometimes seems writers need an IT degree to understand today’s technology.  Not true, good writing is still the standard and the rest is easy to learn. Edie will help you develop the skills to showcase your writing for markets today—from the Internet to print, devotions to personal essays. She knows, firsthand, what editors are looking for and can help you deliver a professional product every time. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just beginning, Edie will break down the process and give you the tools to move to the next level.

Jack Cavanaugh talks about Christian fiction and family

SWCWS faculty member Jack Cavanaugh is an award winning novelist and one of the pioneers in modern Christian fiction. Learn more about Jack and the courses he'll be teaching by clicking the faculty link. --AG

Q: What is the potential of fiction to encourage and challenge believers? To reach the lost?

JC: Stories have the ability to reach people on several levels: intellectual, visual, and emotional. This triple punch is a powerful method of teaching spiritual truth. A well-told story contains a lesson that helps us to see things clearly and motivates us to embody the truth in our own lives. I have witnessed the power of stories -- first as a preacher, now as a writer -- to teach that God's ways are always best.

People who would never step foot in a church to hear me preach will read my novels. As a novelist, my ministry has expanded geographically beyond the local pastorate to a ministry that spans the globe. And because it's the printed word, my ministry will continue beyond my lifetime.

Q: How well is Christian fiction doing as a means of spreading the Gospel?

JC: Novels are uniquely suited to spread the Gospel message. In real life, things happen that don't make sense. Not so in novels. In a story, everything has to make sense; a character's motivation has to be believable, a character's actions always have consequences. What a perfect fit for the Christian message that teaches we will all give an account for our actions.

One of the standard themes of fiction is good vs. evil. How many stories -- both secular and Christian -- have explored this theme? Again, we have a perfect fit for the Christian message. Isn't the belief that good will triumph over evil the core of our preaching? This standard theme in fiction mirrors what the Bible has been telling us for centuries.

Q: What are the problems you see with Christian fiction? How about encouraging signs?

JC: At present, the problem I see is in the area of quality of fiction. I include myself in this assessment. In times past, Christian writers were often among the greatest writers of their time -- Milton, for example. His epic poem Paradise Lost is a masterpiece.

We're in a rebirth of Christian fiction. When I first wanted to write fiction 25 years ago, Christian publishers told me flatly that it doesn't sell. Things have changed. Consequently, we're in the infancy of a re-emergence of Christian fiction. It's going to take time to grow quality Christian novelists. Think of it in terms of another art form -- music. A person doesn't become a violin virtuoso overnight. The same holds true with Christian fiction. There's some good Christian fiction being produced today, but there's plenty of room for improvement. In time, I think we're going to see some real masterpieces.

Q: From your own work, what are your favorite titles?

JC: That's like asking which of my three children is my favorite. I'm not sure I can give you favorite titles, but I can give you some memories attached to various titles. The Puritans will always have a special place in my heart because it was my first novel. Beyond the Sacred Page was my troubled child, born out of personal heath problems, but is one of my strongest stories. Postmarked Heaven is different from all the others, a fictional devotional book, not a novel. "Songs in the Night" series are my triplets, one story in three volumes. Death Watch is my first contemporary suspense. And "The Great Awakenings" series is special to me because I was privileged to co-author with a man who has had a tremendous impact on 20th-century Christianity.

Q: Who are some of your role models, mentors or favorite writers in Christian fiction?

JC: My mentors are largely historical. Some people learn by doing, others learn by listening, I learn by reading. My library is probably my most precious possession. Most recently I have been learning how to communicate spiritual truth through fiction by studying the works of Dante Alighieri (The Divine Comedy) and John Milton (Paradise Lost). I know that sounds like boring English Lit classes, but you have to remember that in their day, these works were bestsellers. These writers knew their audiences, worked their craft, and produced epic stories that were not only popular in their day, but have proven to be of value over hundreds of years. As a writer, that's my goal -- to produce popular fiction that stands the test of time.

Q: What are a few of your favorite Christian novels?

JC: I'm indebted to Brock and Bodie Thoene for blazing the historical fiction trail in the Christian market, and to Frank Peretti's This Present Darkness for expanding the market. Since I write historical fiction and am now branching out to the supernatural suspense genre, it makes sense that these authors are counted among my favorites.

Q: Tell us a little about your family.

JC: I met Marni at Azusa Pacific College where we fell in love. We were engaged for two years before we got married and then waited five years before we had children. I say this because I believe that those early years with just the two of us were formative in a relationship that is still happy thirty-seven years later.

We have three children, all grown now. All of them are talented artistically. Elizabeth, 31, lives nearby and is a gifted writer; expect to see a novel from her someday. Keri, 29, has a wonderful singing voice and has does musical theater here in San Diego. Both girls are dispatchers for the San Diego Police Department. And Sam, 27, lives in Los Angeles, works at Disneyland as the Mad Hatter by day and performs in musical theater productions at night. His most recent role is Cosmo (Donald O’Connor in the movie) in Singing in the Rain, a part he loves. 

Q: What are some of your family's favorite activities together?

JC: Laughing. Both my immediate family and extended family spend a good deal of time laughing. We get together for holidays and birthdays. Brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, all of us get along famously. We play games, and there is always a lot of laughing.