Karen Moore Artl: Going the Extra Mile

KCWC has never had a specific conference theme before 2008, but keynote speaker Karen Moore Artl requested that we adopt the theme “Be Thou My Vision” this year. Her goal was to help writers develop a vision for their writing, and that goal is reflected in her prayer from her opening keynote.

Grant us wisdom in the things we say and write,
Be our “best thought” day or night.

In her keynote addresses, Karen showed us the path to publication from initial idea through market research to writing and selling the idea to Christian publishers. A conferee said, "I loved this conference and am going home much encouraged about my writing and with a better idea of what I need to do to find a publisher. I especially appreciate that Karen made time to meet with me when I was unable to get an appointment during sign-up."

Karen received many rave reviews from other attendees. "Karen was awesome speaker," said one person. Another said, "I really enjoyed Karen Artl. She was warm and encouraging in sharing her knowledge." Not only did she deliver inspiring keynotes, she also provided valuable advice to people on an individual basis.

From the conference committee’s point of view, Karen exceeded expectations. “She was a blessing,” said Mary Gaskins, 2008 conference coordinator. “She challenged all of us to higher standards and is a living example of how to move with God's timing."

Conference Preparations Heating Up

In previous posts, we noted that Karen Moore Artl of Thomas Nelson Publishers will be our featured speaker for 2008. But there's more!

Bruce and Lynne Drysdale Patterson will be leading the worship sessions this year, and Lynne will be offering a workshop on songwriting. See their bios at http://www.messiahsongs.com/bio.html.

The official conference brochure will be mailed out soon, and we'll post conferences details on the KCWC website at http://www.kychristianwriters.com/. Bookmark the site and watch for updates.

Also, please subscribe to this blog, as we plan to post the updates here as well as on the site. If you subscribe, you won't miss a single update. If you need assistance in subscribing, please e-mail KCWCpub2008@gmail.com.

KCWC Plans for 2008

At the July meeting, the KCWC committee discussed the evaluations from the 2007 conference. Faculty and conferees alike offered praise for the spiritual atmosphere and for the content. Some said they felt a little rushed. Perhaps that's because the committee wants to pack as much information and encouragement as possible into the two-day conference.

At the August meeting, the committee will be working on next year's schedule. Karen Moore Artl of Thomas Nelson Publishers is the featured speaker. We want to offer workshops for unpublished writers, but we also want to provide continuing education and encouragement for experienced writers. All in two days' time!

Organizing a conference with a committee of volunteers is always a challenge. However, this committee holds a prayer time before each meeting. This week, would you also pray for 2008 planning as the committee makes decisions on scheduling and choosing faculty.