2024 Classes
BELOW CLASSES WERE 2023 – NEW CLASSES WILL POST IN THE FALL
Early Bird Friday Classes
Edie Melson 2023
Hows and Whys of Social Media – Many writers, mistakenly assume it’s either too late or too early to build a solid social media presence. Edie will walk you through the reason social media is non-negotiable for almost all writers and how to find a way to make it work for your specific situation. Included will be information on why we need a social media presence before we get a contract. Which networks work best for which audience (and why you need to be active on more than one). How to use scheduling programs to keep your social media time commitment manageable. How to compose effective updates that increase shares. What you need to know to connect with your book’s potential audience.
Billy Wayne Arrington
Lyric Crafting - Did you ever want to write a song but didn't know where to start? This songwriting class is for you. Scripture says we should speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melodies in our hearts to the Lord. This class will equip you with tools for making "melody in your hearts" for the Lord and sharing His message with others.
Martin Wiles 2023
Writing Dynamic Devotions – Have you been sitting on a devotion that needs to see the light of day? Perhaps, you haven't even written it yet, but you have hundreds of ideas floating around in your head but don't know how to organize them into a devotion. Maybe, you are an article writer or book author who has never written a devotion. Well, this class is for you. We'll show you how to HOOK your audience and give them a TOOK from God's Word that will take hold of their lives. We'll teach you how to write a dynamic devotion with guidelines that will allow you to publish your devotion with Christian Devotions and have a good chance at having it published at almost any site that publishes devotions. A devotion is sometimes the only Bible some people read, and it is often read by more people than an article, short story, or book ever will be. You will not want to miss this class.
Saturday Classes
Bob Hostetler 2023
The Well-Rounded Writer – A hands-on workshop that approaches writing as ministry, business, craft, and play.
Masterful Writing – A fast-paced session on “Masterful Article Writing,” ”Masterful Platform Building,” ”Mastering Your Craft” (self-editing, primarily), and “Masterful Marketing.”
Maggie Rowe 2023
Speaking for His Glory - You see yourself as a writer, but what if you’re asked to speak? Or perhaps you’re an experienced speaker who is launching her first book. How do you establish and maintain a speaking ministry that is first and foremost for God’s glory? A former college speech instructor and thirty-year professional speaker will discuss with you the call, cost, content, and channel of delivering messages that bring glory to God as well as the practical considerations of obedience to a speaking ministry. (Can also be a two-part workshop).
Edwina Perkins 2023
Sensitivity and Diversity in Manuscripts – The number of books with ethnic characters has risen over the last few years. Because publishing houses are looking for more diversity in what authors are submitting, non-ethnic writers need to address some important issues when it pertains to diversity in their manuscripts. This workshop addresses writing about a culture outside of your own and the need for sensitivity readers.
Eva Marie Everson 2023
Those All-Important First Pages – They are among the first thing a prospective agent, editor, or purchaser of your book sees--your first pages. This means they are not just important; they are very important. They're often not the first lines you write but they should be the last thing you "dust off" before submitting. Eva Marie Everson invites you to join her in this workshop to look at the first pages of several works of fiction and nonfiction so that you can learn why they work and how you can polish the best first pages ever.
Lynette Eason 2023
Writing Suspense – Are you interested in learning what makes a great suspense story? Come join Lynette to learn what goes into making a suspense story stand out from all the rest.
Taking Your Suspense to the Next Level – Have you already written your story but feel like it just needs something more? Come learn some tips and tricks to up your suspense and keep your readers terrified for your protagonist.
Pepper Basham 2023
5G Tips of Connecting with Your Pre-published Self – Speaking from her experience as an author who pursued publication for eleven years before getting "the call", Pepper Basham provides five encouraging, devotional, and practical tips to help authors as they navigate the road toward publication.
Sarah Loudin Thomas 2023
SETTING AS CHARACTER - Appalachia is practically its own character in my novels. We'll talk about how a place can add depth to a story. How do you choose your setting? How do you bring it to life? How much research should you do? We'll answer those questions and others you might have about bringing your setting to life.
Vincent Davis 2023
Amazon Boot Camp (Advanced) – Amazon is where books are sold. Nearly 80% of all eBooks are sold on Amazon, and upwards of 40% of paperbacks are also sold there. But if other online stores feel like barren deserts, sometimes Amazon can feel like attempting to sell in shark-infested waters. But there are tools and tricks available to all authors to improve their visibility on Amazon, and in this course we’ll be discussing some of the very best. We’ll go over the basics of metadata (keywords and categories), price points and price promotions, and the benefits of Amazon exclusivity. Whether you’re a bestseller or a first-time author, this course will give you additional tools to help your book become more discoverable on the world’s largest bookstore.
Tammy Karasek 2023
How to Give and Receive a Constructive Critique – Whether you are a new writer or a seasoned one, the value of finding a critique partner or partners is an important aspect in continuing to strengthen your writing. As a new writer they can help you fix those tell/tale signs that you are a new writer. As the seasoned writer, your partner(s) can help where something in your work is not clear, comes off as harsh to the reader, or just isn’t quite right. I will share tips to give a helpful critique even if you are new and help you be less harsh if you’re the seasoned one. And what about those tough ones? We will discuss what to do when that happens.
One-on-One Mentoring – 2023
Larry Leech, Edie Melson, Lori Marett, Les Stobbe, Billy Wayne Arrington, and Terri Kelly serve as mentors. Most all will be available for private appointments.
Mentoring spots are open to writers with novel or non-fiction manuscripts.
Edie will work with you on your website, blog, and social media.
Larry will help with your non-fiction, magazine submissions, and memoirs.
Les has years of experience editing and managing non-fiction titles.
Billy Wayne is awesome with the Arts, like the screenplay, song lyrics, writing scripts, and ministry development.
Lori – will help brainstorm your project, give your manuscript clarity and direction with solid content, and mentor scripts.
