Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Breakout Seminars A – 3:30 PM

  • Natasha Sistrunk Robinson
    • “Telling the Truth in our Writing” The first person we must learn to speak truth to is ourselves. The first person we must learn to lead is ourselves. Writing is a discipline that brings us face-to-face with God and ourselves, especially when we are writing about hard things. If we are to connect with our readers, and guide them on a path, then we must learn the sacred practice of truth-telling.
  • Kathy Helmers – literary agent
    • “A More Satisfying Creative Process in Five Steps” It used to be that “getting published” was every writer’s brass ring. Great for the lucky few who get signed—and whose books do well and stay in print. But what about everyone else who doesn’t get through that narrow funnel? I will identify what I think are the three biggest changes in the book industry and describe their implications for both published and unpublished writers, with real-life examples to illustrate. Then you and I will examine what this means for you by drilling down into the “so what” and “now what” of your creative process, helping you create a more satisfying way of defining and pursuing your writing goals.
  • Sarah Arthur
    • How to Write Books That Outlast You” What if our calling is not merely to write well for our generation but also to create works that will outlast us? Sometimes, in order to create something new but also lasting, you have to return to something old. This session will give practical tips to contemporary writers on how to take the long view by examining how classic authors structured their famous works and how those works have stood the test of time. By joining with the great creatives who have gone before us, authors can add depth to their stories and celebrate where fiction is going next.
  • Isaac Anderson
    • “Writing as Pilgrimage” A pilgrimage, writes the critic Paul Elie, is a journey undertaken in light of a story. This session will consider spiritual writing as an act of expression, cognition, and discovery—a process by which our stories can awaken and unsettle us as we work to give them form.
  • Brian Allain – Writing for Your Life
    • “Why You Should Consider Self Publishing” In this presentation we will discuss how changes in the publishing industry mean that there has never been a better time to consider self publishing. We will review recent and current industry structure, the top 10 reasons to consider self publishing (all the way from tools to economics to platform to sources of assistance), and deal with the concern of legitimacy. We will also consider a couple of examples.

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Breakout Seminars B – 9:00 AM

  • Marilyn McEntyre
    • “Make a List: How a Simple Practice Opens Avenues of Reflection “ This session—drawing on my 2018 book Make A List—will focus on how list making leads to other things—how lists open new possibilities, help clarify purposes, how lists grow up to be poems or tables of contents for books that want to be born. We’ll take time for brief directed exercises in letting lists grow and take you where they will.
  • Kathy Helmers – literary agent
    • “A More Satisfying Creative Process in Five Steps” It used to be that “getting published” was every writer’s brass ring. Great for the lucky few who get signed—and whose books do well and stay in print. But what about everyone else who doesn’t get through that narrow funnel? I will identify what I think are the three biggest changes in the book industry and describe their implications for both published and unpublished writers, with real-life examples to illustrate. Then you and I will examine what this means for you by drilling down into the “so what” and “now what” of your creative process, helping you create a more satisfying way of defining and pursuing your writing goals.
  • Sarah Arthur
    • How to Write Books That Outlast You” What if our calling is not merely to write well for our generation but also to create works that will outlast us? Sometimes, in order to create something new but also lasting, you have to return to something old. This session will give practical tips to contemporary writers on how to take the long view by examining how classic authors structured their famous works and how those works have stood the test of time. By joining with the great creatives who have gone before us, authors can add depth to their stories and celebrate where fiction is going next.
  • Kaitlin Curtice
    • “Everything is Connected: Being a Writer During Every Life Season” In American society, we like to individualize and compartmentalize the way we live and work. In this talk, Potawatomi author and speaker Kaitlin Curtice will respond to these ideas by considering the inter-connectedness of all things, and therefore, our work as writers as an overflow of a connected life. This mindset is practiced in Indigenous culture, and contrasts Western cultural ideas of the work-life balance. Join Kaitlin for a conversation about how to become writers who recognize that everything is sacredly connected, and our work as writers reflects that life flow.
  • Chuck DeGroat – Western Theological Seminary
    • “Getting Over Yourself” One of the great battles for every writer and aspiring author is ego. Our own egocentricity can cloud healthy discernment processes, impede our focus and depth, enslave us to a numbers-and-results mentality, and sabotage our joy. Chuck is the author of four published books and one self-published book, and he’ll offer reflections on his own writing journey beginning during his days as a pastor, along with practices which can cultivate greater wholeheartedness and joy in the writing process.

Breakout Seminars C – 1:30 PM

  • Natasha Sistrunk Robinson
    • “Telling the Truth in our Writing” The first person we must learn to speak truth to is ourselves. The first person we must learn to lead is ourselves. Writing is a discipline that brings us face-to-face with God and ourselves, especially when we are writing about hard things. If we are to connect with our readers, and guide them on a path, then we must learn the sacred practice of truth-telling.
  • Jeff Crosby – Publisher, InterVarsity Press
    • “Publishing for Spiritual Formation in the 21st Century” The publisher of bestselling spirituality authors including Richard J. Foster, Albert Haase, James Bryan Smith, Ruth Haley Barton, Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile explores the landscape of publishing in spiritual formation/spirituality and how to craft and sell a proposal to the right publisher. In addition to gaining a view of the publishing process, attendees will become aware of the ways in which the discipline of writing is a part of their own spiritual journey.
  • Lyn Cryderman – formerly Publisher of Zondervan and Managing Editor of Christianity Today
    • “Turn Your Sermon Series into a Book” Pastors communicate largely through the oral tradition of a sermon. Increasingly, contemporary pastors develop a series of sermons around a single theme or extended biblical passage. The study, research, and creativity that goes into a sermon series could be the foundation of a book-length manuscript. In fact, many best-selling books written by popular preachers began as a sermon series. In this workshop we will look at practical ways to turn a sermon series into a book, extending your audience from the people who attend your church to a broader one reached either through a commercial publisher or through self-publishing. Among other things we will look at the difference—and similarities—between written and oral communication, how to determine market viability, getting editorial input from your congregation, and developing your voice as a writer.
  • Isaac Anderson
    • “Writing as Pilgrimage” A pilgrimage, writes the critic Paul Elie, is a journey undertaken in light of a story. This session will consider spiritual writing as an act of expression, cognition, and discovery—a process by which our stories can awaken and unsettle us as we work to give them form.
  • Brian Allain – Writing for Your Life
    • “Why You Should Consider Self Publishing” In this presentation we will discuss how changes in the publishing industry mean that there has never been a better time to consider self publishing. We will review recent and current industry structure, the top 10 reasons to consider self publishing (all the way from tools to economics to platform to sources of assistance), and deal with the concern of legitimacy. We will also consider a couple of examples.

 

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Breakout Seminars D – 8:30 AM

  • Marilyn McEntyre
    • “Visions and Revisions” At various points in composition one’s “sense of the whole” can shift and change. This session will consider the gentle art of revision—what happens as you develop your first draft, and what can happen as you reread and rethink what you’ve written. Revision can range from tinkering and fine-tuning to radical reframing that takes courage, humility, and a sense of adventure.
  • Jeff Crosby – Publisher, InterVarsity Press
    • “Confessions of a Lifelong Reader: Elements of a Writing Project that Trigger the ‘Buy’ Button” A life-long reader and a veteran of 35 years in book retailing, wholesaling and publishing offers practical, real-life reflections on the elements of nonfiction writing that prompt prospective readers (and publishers) to say “yes” to projects across a variety of topics and categories.
  • Kaitlin Curtice
    • “Everything is Connected: Being a Writer During Every Life Season” In American society, we like to individualize and compartmentalize the way we live and work. In this talk, Potawatomi author and speaker Kaitlin Curtice will respond to these ideas by considering the inter-connectedness of all things, and therefore, our work as writers as an overflow of a connected life. This mindset is practiced in Indigenous culture, and contrasts Western cultural ideas of the work-life balance. Join Kaitlin for a conversation about how to become writers who recognize that everything is sacredly connected, and our work as writers reflects that life flow.
  • Lyn Cryderman – formerly Publisher of Zondervan and Managing Editor of Christianity Today
    • “Becoming a Writer—the Long View” Stephen King’s first novel, Carrie, was rejected thirty times by various agents and publishers. His perseverance paid off. Carrie has earned King more than $39 million in royalties. King was young, inexperienced, and almost gave up writing several times. This workshop is for the person in the early stages of thinking about writing. You likely do not have much of a social media platform (nonexistent when King started). You have not gained enough experience or writing credits to be accepted by an agent, let alone a publisher. Realistically, you are probably a couple of years away from even considering self-publishing. But you are serious about becoming a writer. Where do you start? What things need to happen before you can experience success as a writer? What, in fact, constitutes success? Attending this workshop will not guarantee that you earn $39 million. But it will show you what to do, what to avoid, and how to move from unsure and unpublished to confident and published.
  • Chuck DeGroat – Western Theological Seminary
    • “Getting Over Yourself” One of the great battles for every writer and aspiring author is ego. Our own egocentricity can cloud healthy discernment processes, impede our focus and depth, enslave us to a numbers-and-results mentality, and sabotage our joy. Chuck is the author of four published books and one self-published book, and he’ll offer reflections on his own writing journey beginning during his days as a pastor, along with practices which can cultivate greater wholeheartedness and joy in the writing process.

Breakout Seminars E – 10:45 AM

  • Natasha Sistrunk Robinson
    • “Telling the Truth in our Writing” The first person we must learn to speak truth to is ourselves. The first person we must learn to lead is ourselves. Writing is a discipline that brings us face-to-face with God and ourselves, especially when we are writing about hard things. If we are to connect with our readers, and guide them on a path, then we must learn the sacred practice of truth-telling.
  • Jeff Crosby – Publisher, InterVarsity Press
    • “Publishing for Spiritual Formation in the 21st Century” The publisher of bestselling spirituality authors including Richard J. Foster, Albert Haase, James Bryan Smith, Ruth Haley Barton, Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile explores the landscape of publishing in spiritual formation/spirituality and how to craft and sell a proposal to the right publisher. In addition to gaining a view of the publishing process, attendees will become aware of the ways in which the discipline of writing is a part of their own spiritual journey.
  • Kathy Helmers – literary agent
    • “A More Satisfying Creative Process in Five Steps” It used to be that “getting published” was every writer’s brass ring. Great for the lucky few who get signed—and whose books do well and stay in print. But what about everyone else who doesn’t get through that narrow funnel? I will identify what I think are the three biggest changes in the book industry and describe their implications for both published and unpublished writers, with real-life examples to illustrate. Then you and I will examine what this means for you by drilling down into the “so what” and “now what” of your creative process, helping you create a more satisfying way of defining and pursuing your writing goals.
  • Kaitlin Curtice
    • “Everything is Connected: Being a Writer During Every Life Season” In American society, we like to individualize and compartmentalize the way we live and work. In this talk, Potawatomi author and speaker Kaitlin Curtice will respond to these ideas by considering the inter-connectedness of all things, and therefore, our work as writers as an overflow of a connected life. This mindset is practiced in Indigenous culture, and contrasts Western cultural ideas of the work-life balance. Join Kaitlin for a conversation about how to become writers who recognize that everything is sacredly connected, and our work as writers reflects that life flow.
  • Isaac Anderson
    • “Writing as Pilgrimage” A pilgrimage, writes the critic Paul Elie, is a journey undertaken in light of a story. This session will consider spiritual writing as an act of expression, cognition, and discovery—a process by which our stories can awaken and unsettle us as we work to give them form.

Breakout Seminars F – 1:15 PM

  • Marilyn McEntyre
    • “Writing to Find Out” “How can I know what I think till I see what I say?” is a question worth claiming. It’s a reminder to writers that the process of writing isn’t recording thoughts or feelings that have already happened, but a process of generating or discovering or allowing thoughts and feelings to come, giving them a place and a way to be made explicit. We’ll reflect together on writing as receiving, exploring, and allowing, and do a few exercises designed to encourage receptivity, curiosity and discovery in the course of writing.
  • Sarah Arthur
    • How to Write Books That Outlast You” What if our calling is not merely to write well for our generation but also to create works that will outlast us? Sometimes, in order to create something new but also lasting, you have to return to something old. This session will give practical tips to contemporary writers on how to take the long view by examining how classic authors structured their famous works and how those works have stood the test of time. By joining with the great creatives who have gone before us, authors can add depth to their stories and celebrate where fiction is going next.
  • Chuck DeGroat – Western Theological Seminary
    • “Getting Over Yourself” One of the great battles for every writer and aspiring author is ego. Our own egocentricity can cloud healthy discernment processes, impede our focus and depth, enslave us to a numbers-and-results mentality, and sabotage our joy. Chuck is the author of four published books and one self-published book, and he’ll offer reflections on his own writing journey beginning during his days as a pastor, along with practices which can cultivate greater wholeheartedness and joy in the writing process.
  • Lyn Cryderman – formerly Publisher of Zondervan and Managing Editor of Christianity Today
    • “Turn Your Sermon Series into a Book” Pastors communicate largely through the oral tradition of a sermon. Increasingly, contemporary pastors develop a series of sermons around a single theme or extended biblical passage. The study, research, and creativity that goes into a sermon series could be the foundation of a book-length manuscript. In fact, many best-selling books written by popular preachers began as a sermon series. In this workshop we will look at practical ways to turn a sermon series into a book, extending your audience from the people who attend your church to a broader one reached either through a commercial publisher or through self-publishing. Among other things we will look at the difference—and similarities—between written and oral communication, how to determine market viability, getting editorial input from your congregation, and developing your voice as a writer.
  • Brian Allain – Writing for Your Life
    • “Why You Should Consider Self Publishing” In this presentation we will discuss how changes in the publishing industry mean that there has never been a better time to consider self publishing. We will review recent and current industry structure, the top 10 reasons to consider self publishing (all the way from tools to economics to platform to sources of assistance), and deal with the concern of legitimacy. We will also consider a couple of examples.

Return to main conference page.