2010 Conference Follow-up

During our worship time at KCWC 2010, we sang “The Love of God” by Frederick M. Lehman. Written in 1917, it’s one of the “old” songs that has experienced a comeback.

It begins: “The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell.” Right away, the writer reminds us that preachers and writers over the centuries have attempted to describe the love of God. But, total understanding of that love is really beyond human description because it can’t be measured or contained.

The refrain following each verse continues that thought:

Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

But, for writers, the third verse brings it home.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Some of our writers might feel inadequate hearing this. They might think, “If it’s not possible to describe God’s love, why should we even try? There are so many people who can do a better job than me anyway.”

But, I see these words as encouraging. We can all contribute our words to the total picture. A jigsaw puzzle contains many pieces, each needed to reveal the whole image. Individual writers and preachers contribute their words to piece together a picture of God’s love for subsequent generations. Each piece is as unique as the person who contributed it. And, each piece is needed to make the picture complete.

So—writers, preachers, musicians—don’t be discouraged. Keep contributing to the body of work that attempts to describe the love of God.

Listen to "The Love of God" online here . See complete lyrics here. 
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Note: In one of her keynote addresses, Virginia Smith mentioned that she will be teaching an online class entitled Introduction to Writing the Christian Novel. Details available here. Deadline to register is July 7, 2010.

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The Clock Is Ticking: Register Soon

The KCWC steering committee met last weekend, and the excitement is building for 2010 conference. For those who have attended in the past, did you notice that we're offering more workshops this year? Virginia Smith, our featured speaker for 2010, has offered fiction workshops at KCWC each year since 2007. For 2010, we've added more fiction workshops to the schedule. Non-fiction writers, don't worry. We offer a great selection of workshops for you, too. If you're still undecided about attending this year, see the Conference Details page and the Schedule page.

Register early. You get a discount and a better chance of getting the faculty appointment you want. The dates you need to know are:

  *Deadline for early registration discount is May 1st.
  *Seniors (age 65 up) or students have until May 11th to get your discount.

Register online or by mail. See details on the registration page. 

KCWC a Positive Experience by Londa S. (Suzy) Hayden

Suzy recommended KCWC on her blog, so we asked her to critique the conference for our blog. See the post on her blog here. Here's what she has to say about KCWC.

I remember meeting Virginia Smith and attending a couple of her workshops, which were very helpful. Virginia was approachable and encouraging. Unlike the non-Christian conferences I have attended, KCWC always begins with prayer and worship which set the tone for the day in a positive light. The conference experience helped me to hone my skills as a writer. Learning about how the business side of publishing works has helped take away the intimidation factor that sometimes comes with meeting published writers, editors or agents. The more I attend such conferences and rub shoulders with the best, the more my writing will benefit.

I don't feel like I have accomplished all that much in my own writing endeavors, and I find myself discouraged from time to time. Sometimes I feel like the turtle in Aesops fable, but then I remember that "slow and steady" wins the race. Last year, the one thing I remembered Terry Whalin saying over and over again was that you have to stay with it if you want to succeed. In other words, “failure is not an option.” Hearing that, I walked away encouraged to persist with my writing endeavors.  

I believe in God's plan for my life and that He will bring about divine encounters in His time. I believe, “...All things work together for those that love the Lord.” I may think my efforts are lame and worthless. I may question if it is God's will for me to be a writer, but, if I'm not called, why would I have a desire to write in the first place? Of course, it's God's will for me to write and to make a difference in the lives of His people. Is it my right to stop trying, to stop preparing so that, when the opportunity arises, I won't be ready to take hold of the blessing?  Yes, but, if I stop, then all my efforts will have been in vain.  I choose to keep trying. I choose to make my efforts count.

If you're still trying to decide whether to attend KCWC this year, maybe you should take a look at the website: www.kychristianwriters.com. If you register by May 1st, you'll get the early discount. If you have questions, e-mail jvsliger@gmail.com or kcwcinfo@gmail.com.

Preparing for Conference: First, REGISTER!

Registration for 2010 KCWC is now open. The sooner you register and pay, the better your chance of getting the faculty appointment you want. Register before May 10 for early bird discount. Registration details are on the site here. If you're concerned that something could happen to prevent you from coming to conference after you've registered, we do have a refund policy. See the registration page for details.

Register first. Then make your room reservation. Check out Ramada Inn conference rate. See other Etown hotels here.

Now, get your head in gear for KCWC 2010. Keynote speaker Virginia Smith has posted these articles previously. If you missed them, check them out now:

• The Right Tools for Writing
• Encourage and Be Encouraged

 Take a few minutes to learn more about this year's faculty in this previous post and this one.

 Writer John Vonhof has created a wonderful resource with how-to information on writers' conferences. Go to Writers Conference Guidelines site to browse.

It's only two months away. Are you excited yet?

If you have specific questions about KCWC 2010, e-mail jvsliger@gmail.com or kcwcinfo@gmail.com.

2010 Faculty Taking Shape

If you've been following this blog, you know that Virginia Smith is our featured speaker for 2010. Judy Sliger, KCWC coordinator, says the rest of the faculty is almost complete.

Returning:

Rev. Michael Brewer - sessions on crafting articles.
Wendy Brown - repeating her popular "Employed by God" workshop plus a workshop on using scripture in your writing.
Lettie Kirkpatrick Burress - repeating her beginner sessions, selling reprints.
Tracy Crump - writing for compilations, writing on "tough topics."
Carlton Hughes - writing for children's ministry, plotting (fiction).

New:

Ann H. Gabhart, Christian fiction writer from Lexington, KY will teach fiction workshops on developing characters and revising your work.
David Pierce, writing instructor/mentor, adjunct faculty at Western Kentucky University. He will teach workshops on mystery writing and memoir.
Kim Peterson, writer-at-large for Bethel College (Mishawaka, IN) and a mentor for Christian Writers Guild, will lead sessions on writing for children and young adults.

In the works:

Upper Room will send a representative, but, at this point, we do not know which editor will attend. Jim Stafford will be attending his class reunion in 2010. We anticipate that either Mary Lou Redding or Susan King will represent Upper Room.

By mid-January, we should be ready to announce the workshop titles and any additions to faculty. We do expect to offer more workshop sessions this year, and there will be more fiction. Check back next month to see what develops.

If you haven't already subscribed, please do so now. Sign up for e-mail updates or by RSS feed at the top right of the page.

More Kudos for Virginia Smith

Christian Writing Examiner published an article on Ginny today. Read it here.

It's too soon to get excited about KCWC 2010, when Smith will be our featured speaker. Or is it?

Mark Your Calendar: June 11-12, 2010

The KCWC committee is already organizing for 2010. In recent years, we've held conference on the third weekend in June, but, for 2010, we have moved it to the second weekend. Make a note of it on your calendar now so that you can avoid conflicts.

We are delighted that Virginia (Ginny) Smith has agreed to be our featured speaker. She has served on faculty for the past two years teaching very popular fiction and humor workshops. Check out her Web site, and subscribe to her newsletter at the bottom of the home page. Visit her Journal page, too, while you're there.

When KCWC was just starting out, there was very little Christian fiction. The genre has experienced a boom in recent years. It's safe to say that there's more opportunity for fiction writers in the Christian market than ever before. We hope to offer more fiction workshops at KCWC 2010.

PS---there's an excellent article on why fiction is valuable to Christians on the Breakpoint website. Click here to read the article by Mary DeMuth.

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KY Writers Nominated for ACFW Awards

The results are in on the Daphne Du Maurier award for which Virginia Smith's A Taste of Murder was nominated. See previous post here.

Smith didn't win that one, but she's been nominated for another prestigious award. This time, it's the American Christian Fiction Writers awards. Virginia's Stuck in the Middle is nominated in the Long Contemporary category. See details on her blog here.

Another central Kentucky writer is also up for the same award in the same category. Ann H. Gabhart of Lexington is nominated for her inspirational fiction work, Summer of Joy. Learn more about Gabhart on her website.

Winners will be announced at the ACFW meeting in September. We'll keep you posted.

What Now? Conference Follow-up

Now that we're all back home and wondering what to do with what we learned at KCWC 2009, please remember, it's not all about what you learned. Some of your benefit from attending KCWC this year will come from the people you met.

Follow up by writing notes to faculty, committee members, and other writers who gave you contact information. Use e-mail if possible, because that's the primary communication method that publishers and professional writers use these days. Some of the people you met this year might be your link to getting your work published.

Conference coordinator, Judy Sliger, said, "This was a conference of connections: connecting with other writers, connecting with faculty, connecting with ways to improve our writing. But, most of all, it was about connecting with God's plan for each person as a writer. Now we need to connect our fingers to the computer or our pens to our paper, so we can connect with the readers God wants us to reach!"

Mark your calendar for June 11-12, 2010. Virginia (Ginny) Smith will be our featured speaker, and we'll have other top-notch faculty for workshops and private appointments. Subscribe to this blog to get updates as the committee plans for next year.

See photos from 2009 conference here.

Virginia Smith: She Did It Again!

Virginia Smith can safely call herself an award-winning novelist. Last year, she won Writer of the Year at Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference in California. Check out our blog post on that award here.

Well---she's done it again! She's a finalist for yet another award. Here's the announcement from straight from Virginia:

"I recently received an exciting bit of news. A Taste of Murder, the first book in the Classical Trio series, has been named a finalist in the Inspirational category of the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense! The winner will be announced at an award ceremony in July during the Romance Writers of America's national conference in Washington D.C."

For details on the RWA contest, go to their website. Find out more about A Taste of Murder and Smith's other mystery novels on her website, where you can read sample chapters of most of her books. Visit the mystery page here.

And---there's still time to register for KY Christian Writers Conference 2009, where Virginia will be teaching fiction workshops.

"I'm Counting the Days!" by Virginia Smith

I was down at the Southern Kentucky Book Fest the other day, and ran into a familiar face - Barbara Wells! I love running into writing friends at book events. Seeing her reminded me to look at my calendar and count the days until this year's conference. It's almost here!

I first attended Kentucky Christian Writers Conference three years ago, when I was invited to co-present a fiction workshop with Kathy Carlton Willis. What a great time we had! I'd been to some of the national Christian writers conferences before then, but KCWC was my first exposure to a local conference. I have to tell you, I was impressed. The number of attendees, the caliber of the speakers, the variety of offerings on the program, the smooth execution -- we in the Kentucky area are so lucky to have such a terrific conference within driving distance!

This year I'm excited about the two fiction workshops I'll present. In "Make Your Point Without Preaching," we'll discuss ways to effectively relay the spiritual message that means so much to us, without lapsing into a preachy tone. I've talked to some of the top Christian fiction writers in the industry to find out how they get their point across in their stories, and I'll share advice from many of them. We'll look at examples, and figure out together why they work.

My second workshop is, "Tickling Those Elusive Funny Bones." Here's the deal, folks: humor in writing is so much more than just telling jokes! Since six of my ten novels (so far!) have been humorous, I've picked up a few tricks along the way. We'll discuss different techniques for making your readers chuckle, how to use each one effectively, and again, we'll look at examples. So bring your sense of humor, and come prepared to laugh.

Still can't decide if you want to attend my workshops? Okay, here's a blatant bribe: in each one, I'll conduct drawings for free books. And, I'll have chocolate!

See you in E-town!

Virginia Smith

http://www.virginiasmith.org/

Faculty Book Reviews on Blog

I meant to post this message sometime in May, but I made a mistake today that makes it necessary for me to go ahead and post it now.

You may have just received a blog post containing a book review that seemed to have nothing to to with KCWC. Well, you're right. It didn't! Somehow, I managed to select the wrong blog from my Blogger dashboard when I posted that one. I did delete the post from the KCWC blog, but I couldn't stop it from sending the feed to subscribers.

Now, let me tell you about my book review blog. Earlier this year, I decided I wanted to post reviews of books by our 2009 KCWC faculty so that potential conferees could become familiar with some of these writers' work. I may add some more during May, so you might want to bookmark the blog or subscribe. For now, here are the direct links to faculty reviews:

Terry Whalin: Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams

Virginia Smith: Just as I Am

Lettie Kirkpatrick Burress: Glimpses of Grace: Stories of Hope

James Watkins: Squeezing the Good Out of Bad

Michael Brewer: Lessons from the Carpenter

If new reviews are posted, I will try to remember to announce it on the KCWC blog.

And again, my apologies for the "blog post from outer space."

PS---May 10th is the deadline for early registration and senior discounts. Visit the website now: http://www.kychristianwriters.com.

2008 Faculty Member Receives Award

We are pleased to announce that Virginia "Ginny" Smith was chosen as Writer of the Year at Mt. Hermon Christian Writers Conference in CA earlier this year. How exciting for KCWC to have an award-winning author teaching fiction workshops at KCWC 2008.

For the official press release on Ginny's award, please see our website at http://www.kychristianwriters.com/Updates.dsp.

For Ginny's reaction, see her website at http://www.virginiasmith.org/funstuff.html.

At this year's conference, Ginny will offer workshops entitled Creating Great Characters and Stories that Sparkle. If you're interested in writing fiction, don't miss KCWC 2008.