Breakout Seminar Descriptions – WFYL Atlanta 2023

Monday March 6, 2023

11:00 – 12:00: Breakout Seminars A

  • Patricia Raybon – Room 322
    • “Things That Work – 10 Craft Secrets of Writing That Sells.” After decades of selling her essays, articles, devotionals, books, and novels to national publications and global ministries, award-winning author Patricia Raybon goes back to the basics to explore craft secrets of writing that sells. Learn effective writing techniques and tips for turning up the sizzle in your writing style while increasing your writing output, enjoyment, and outreach. Ready to sharpen your writing skills to their crafting best? Here’s a workshop to help you achieve that goal.
  • Kate Rademacher – Room 421
    • “Writing for Money, Ministry, or Both?” – What does it mean to be a writer and an entrepreneur? What does it mean to approach your writing as a part of your ministry? Join author and small business owner, Kate H. Rademacher, for an interactive session that will help you clarify your goals as a writer and how you can achieve them. Is the main purpose of your writing to encourage, inspire, educate and/or entertain? Are you trying to make money as a writer? If yes, how much and by when? Participants in this seminar will complete a simple goal-setting exercise and develop a preliminary action plan with interim steps to achieve them. There will also be time for discussion and feedback.
  • Barb Roose – Room 411
    • “Greenlighting Your Way to Landing a Literary Agent” – Literary agents love partnering with hopeful and established authors who are serious about their publishing journeys. What factors prompt a literary agent say “yes” to one prospective client or “no” to another? Books & Such literary agent and traditionally published author Barb Roose will define the success path for both agents and clients, including three “greenlights” that speed an author’s goal toward landing a literary agent.
  • Kathy Izard – Room 401
    • “Is Independent Publishing Right for You?” – Do you have a finished (or almost finished) manuscript but are stuck on the next step? Should you keep querying agents and hoping for a book deal or are there other paths to publishing? Three-time author and book coach, Kathy Izard has published four books three ways (independent publishing, hybrid publishing and traditional publishing). Kathy’s first independently published book received a national 2017 Christopher Award for Inspirational Nonfiction and led to a book contract with a Big Five Publisher. Join Kathy as she walks you through the many ways to becoming a published author of adult or children’s books and learn the four key questions to ask when deciding what publishing  path that is right for you.

2:45 – 3:45: Breakout Seminars B

  • Carl McColman – Room 322
    • “Writing as a Contemplative Practice” — William Faulkner is supposed to have said he only wrote when he was inspired, but that inspiration came every morning at 9 AM. Beneath this clever bon mot is an important principle for any professional (or aspiring) writer: discipline is the path to freedom. But how do we rein in the mercurial and unpredictable nature of artistic creativity to establish a stable, daily routine of practical productivity? The answer to that question just might come from an unlikely source: the monks and mystics of the Christian contemplative tradition. This presentation will look at the culture that gave birth to some of the great spiritual writers of the last 1500 years, and consider how to apply the “wisdom of the cloister” to the writer’s life today.
  • Luther E. Smith – Room 411
    • “What About Justice?”  — Writing about the spiritual life entails crucial insights regarding the hunger of the heart, religious experiences, discernment, companionship, pilgrimage, and persistent personal challenges.  The necessity for justice is often ignored or mentioned only as an implication among authors who endeavor to present a holistic spirituality.  Seminar participants will be engaged in discussions guided by the questions:  How is justice crucial to spiritual formation?  Whether a social activist or not, how does a writer cultivate her/his authentic voice in writing about justice?  How can writers avoid being dismissed as political partisans?  When envisioning readers (those welcoming justice themes and those resisting them), how might the writing endeavor to be inspiring and transformative for all readers?
  • David Morris – Room 401
    • “Imagine Your Book Has Been Published: What Now?” – Let’s paint a picture: imagine that your book has been published. What will be the surprises? What happens next? With more than twenty-five years of publishing experience working with authors and publishers at all levels, publisher and literary agent David Morris will take you on a journey of being a published author. We’ll talk about what happens when your book is finally published, what success and failure looks like in spiritual writing, what a publisher does and doesn’t do, how book marketing works today, how much money you’re making, and what happens after your book is out. Whether you’re just starting out or have some books published, let this exercise in visualizing publishing in today’s marketplace help you better understand the challenges and opportunities of the journey of being an author.
  • Kate Rademacher and Brian Allain – Room 421
    • “Navigating a Bi-Vocational Life: Juggling Writing with Other Passions” – God calls many of us to more than one vocation. If one of your callings is to write, how do you honor that along with other parts of your life? This question has both practical implications (e.g., How will you find time for it all? How will you earn your living?) as well as spiritual dimensions (e.g., How do your vocations interact and ‘speak’ to one another?) Being bi-vocational also impacts the types of “platforms” we create as writers. If you have more than one vocation, how do you communicate about the various aspects of your life, including on social media? During this session, we will explore practical considerations including strategies to manage your time and craft your message. Participants will also engage in dialogue with one another about how we can discern and honor where God is calling us next.

4:00 – 6:00: Small Group Meetings – each meeting is 25 minutes, with 5 minutes to get to another meeting – come and go as you please

Tuesday March 7, 2023

9:45 – 10:45: Breakout Seminars C

  • Patricia Raybon – Room 322
    • “Things That Work – 10 Craft Secrets of Writing That Sells.” After decades of selling her essays, articles, devotionals, books, and novels to national publications and global ministries, award-winning author Patricia Raybon goes back to the basics to explore craft secrets of writing that sells. Learn effective writing techniques and tips for turning up the sizzle in your writing style while increasing your writing output, enjoyment, and outreach. Ready to sharpen your writing skills to their crafting best? Here’s a workshop to help you achieve that goal.
  • Luther E. Smith – Room 411
    • “What About Justice?”  — Writing about the spiritual life entails crucial insights regarding the hunger of the heart, religious experiences, discernment, companionship, pilgrimage, and persistent personal challenges.  The necessity for justice is often ignored or mentioned only as an implication among authors who endeavor to present a holistic spirituality.  Seminar participants will be engaged in discussions guided by the questions:  How is justice crucial to spiritual formation?  Whether a social activist or not, how does a writer cultivate her/his authentic voice in writing about justice?  How can writers avoid being dismissed as political partisans?  When envisioning readers (those welcoming justice themes and those resisting them), how might the writing endeavor to be inspiring and transformative for all readers?
  • Kate Rademacher – Room 421
    • “Writing for Money, Ministry, or Both?” – What does it mean to be a writer and an entrepreneur? What does it mean to approach your writing as a part of your ministry? Join author and small business owner, Kate H. Rademacher, for an interactive session that will help you clarify your goals as a writer and how you can achieve them. Is the main purpose of your writing to encourage, inspire, educate and/or entertain? Are you trying to make money as a writer? If yes, how much and by when? Participants in this seminar will complete a simple goal-setting exercise and develop a preliminary action plan with interim steps to achieve them. There will also be time for discussion and feedback.
  • Kathy Izard – Room 401
    • “Is Independent Publishing Right for You?” – Do you have a finished (or almost finished) manuscript but are stuck on the next step? Should you keep querying agents and hoping for a book deal or are there other paths to publishing? Three-time author and book coach, Kathy Izard has published four books three ways (independent publishing, hybrid publishing and traditional publishing). Kathy’s first independently published book received a national 2017 Christopher Award for Inspirational Nonfiction and led to a book contract with a Big Five Publisher. Join Kathy as she walks you through the many ways to becoming a published author of adult or children’s books and learn the four key questions to ask when deciding what publishing  path that is right for you.

1:45 – 2:45: Breakout Seminars D

  • Carl McColman – Room 322
    • “Writing as a Contemplative Practice” — William Faulkner is supposed to have said he only wrote when he was inspired, but that inspiration came every morning at 9 AM. Beneath this clever bon mot is an important principle for any professional (or aspiring) writer: discipline is the path to freedom. But how do we rein in the mercurial and unpredictable nature of artistic creativity to establish a stable, daily routine of practical productivity? The answer to that question just might come from an unlikely source: the monks and mystics of the Christian contemplative tradition. This presentation will look at the culture that gave birth to some of the great spiritual writers of the last 1500 years, and consider how to apply the “wisdom of the cloister” to the writer’s life today.
  • Barb Roose – Room 411
    • “Greenlighting Your Way to Landing a Literary Agent” – Literary agents love partnering with hopeful and established authors who are serious about their publishing journeys. What factors prompt a literary agent say “yes” to one prospective client or “no” to another? Books & Such literary agent and traditionally published author Barb Roose will define the success path for both agents and clients, including three “greenlights” that speed an author’s goal toward landing a literary agent.
  • David Morris – Room 401
    • “Imagine Your Book Has Been Published: What Now?” – Let’s paint a picture: imagine that your book has been published. What will be the surprises? What happens next? With more than twenty-five years of publishing experience working with authors and publishers at all levels, publisher and literary agent David Morris will take you on a journey of being a published author. We’ll talk about what happens when your book is finally published, what success and failure looks like in spiritual writing, what a publisher does and doesn’t do, how book marketing works today, how much money you’re making, and what happens after your book is out. Whether you’re just starting out or have some books published, let this exercise in visualizing publishing in today’s marketplace help you better understand the challenges and opportunities of the journey of being an author.
  • Brian Allain – Room 421
    • “The Miracle of How to Heal Our Divides” – In November of 2020, Brian Allain started discussing the idea of a new book with 25-30 contributors. The book was published less than 6 months later in May 2021!  How did that happen??!!  Find out how networking and independent publishing can work miracles!

4:15 – 4:45: Book signings/readings and Q&A

5:00 – 6:00: Small Group Meetings / Elevator Pitch Practice – each meeting is 25 minutes, with 5 minutes to get to another meeting – come and go as you please

Wednesday March 8, 2023

Optional post-conference seminar “The Business of Being a Spiritual Writer” (separate registration required) – Room 322

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All information subject to change.