January 18, Assignments 2 & 3

January 18, Assignments 2 & 3
Saturday, January 18, 2020 by Cindy Sproles

TWO ASSIGNMENTS ARE UP ON THE SITE!
Well, at least one is up now, the second will hit the site around 7 p.m. This week we are giving you 2 assignments. Why? Well, because we have great faculty - that 's why. Andrea Merrell has done assignment 2 and it's all about wading through your conference experience. Good stuff. Many are brand new...so you need this information to 1) lessen the stress and 2) help you be prepared. Then later tonight Bob Hostetler has a post on Bio's. (Oh my aching heart!) This post is especially important because your bio will be the single one most important thing you learn to master in your writing. There are bios for a more relaxed blog post and then there are bi-line bios that are one liners. Finally, there are professional bios that require a lot of information. So take time. Read through these this week. Take advantage of this additional learning we try to make available to you.

ALSO, if you have not yet sent your bio and (25-50 words) and a photo to Andrea . Just click her name and an email will pop up for you to send it to her. These bios are important for our conference. It's part of our networking tool. Please help us by sending these along asap.

Assignment one Link:
https://ashevillechristianwritersconference.com/acwcwritersblog/118-How-to-Make-the-Most-of-Your-Conference-Experience--Assignment-2?sel=1-

Assignment two Link
https://ashevillechristianwritersconference.com/acwcwritersblog/107-Dont-Write-Your-Bio--Write-WHY-ME--Assignment-3?sel=1-
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If you have not joined our ACWC facebook page - please do. From here forward, you'll find important updates as well as posts from InspireAFire.com, which is part of our ministry. ( https://www.facebook.com/Asheville-Christian-Writers-Conference-388703764478971/ ).
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MENTORING AND CRITIQUES

Mentoring - There are still some individual mentoring appointments available. I cannot stress to you enough the important of this valuable one-on-one time with professionals. You can learn so much in one hour of undistracted work. The cost is min. and the information you will glean from this time will be amazing. Our mentors are:
Edie Melson - social media and blogs
Linda Gilden - Non-fiction and speaking
Larry Leech - Fiction and non-fiction
Les Stobbe - Non-fiction and fiction
Eddie Jones - Fiction and self-publishing the right way
Yvonne Lehman - Fiction
Folks, again, this is money well spent. You don't have to a full manuscript to do mentoring. You simply have to have a few pages that your mentor can work with. Now...this is not to say they will teach you to write. That's your responsibility but baby...will they guide what you do. Take advantage of this. Every one of these mentors have 20-50 years of experience. Don't miss this opportunity.

Critique - A paid critique is just a bite in time. A fast look as a short piece of work for some immediate fixes and suggestions. Again, money well spent. I've done critiques with conferees that needed some little tweaks and boom, they published on websites and in magazines. These are great 15 minute appointments directed specifically at your work.

You can contact Terri Kelly via email to sign up for your mentoring or critique. Terri will give you all the necessary information you need to participate in this. Just click her name for the link to her email.
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SOLD OUT? - If we were staying at the Cove this year, we would be officially sold out. But because Ridgecrest rolls a little different we still have a few rooms to tinker with. I am still getting off campus registrations and there are approx. 4-5 rooms still available in Mountain Laurel. After we fill those, I will just need to check to see if housing is available on campus. Off campus registration will continue. So if you have friends who would like to attend...now is the time!
They can contact me for housing information (DO NOT CALL RIDGECREST - They will just tell you to email me). Contact me at [email protected]
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BEAR WITH ME
I never want you to think that I am too busy for you. I do try my very best to respond to your emails same day. I do my VERY best to do the things you ask of me within 24 hours. Please know that I also work a day job. This conference is not my only job. My hands are in so many pots right now that I do occasionally screw up. I have notes everywhere. And Eddie and Bennie and EDIE MELSON will tell you, I've called them multiple times to make sure I have my head on straight. Please, please, don't think you are a problem. If my response to an email comes across odd - well, just remember you're dealing with an oddball. I don't mean anything I say to be short or abrupt. I may ask for grace, but that's a mountain thing. We ask for grace a lot. And I do try to show grace. I'M A MOUNTAIN GIRL....we're pretty nice. Just know that this is crunch time. I have to be sure I get all the t's crossed and the i's dotted. I ALWAYS HAVE TIME FOR YOU. Please don't think otherwise. That just makes me sad. AND WE'RE HAPPY ON THIS END. I want this conference to be PERFECT for you. I want everything in place so that when God enters the room, you WON'T DOUBT IT. Grace purty please.
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TO THE FACULTY - If you want to add books to the bookstore and you have not yet sent your consignment sheet to Bennie. Please do that like NOW. We do our bookstore inventory through our banking system. We need to add the inventory to our store so that we can accurately keep count of your books we sell. IF you need to ship books, please ship them to:
Asheville Christian Writers Conference
C/O Ridgecrest Conference Center
1 Ridgecrest Drive
Ridgecrest, NC 28770

Bennie's email is [email protected]. Contact her asap so she can get your consignment sheet and inventory entered and logged.

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REMEMBER TO CONTINUE TO CHECK THE WEBSITE CONFERENCE UPDATES

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Wind in the Sails
God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.- 1 Corinthians 1:9 NIV

I love my grandson. Of course I'm partial. No one has a grand any grander than mine. (Just ask any grandparent. We all feel the same.) But good ole Declan takes me back a step or two every week. Perhaps it's his innocence or maybe it's his blatant honesty. But I will say, his momma and daddy are raising him with a positive attitude. And I love that.

This past week we were headed to church with the grand in the backseat. We chatted a little and then it grew quiet in the car. That's when I heard Declan huffing and puffing. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Uh huh. I'm just blowing air." His cheeks looked like a hamster the boys had when they were kids.

"And why are your blowing air? Some special reason?"

"Hold out your arms Nana. Pretend you have sails. I am the wind in your sails. I will set you sailing."

If I could have reached him, I'd have hugged him real tight. It was such a sweet inspiring thing for me. I'm in crunch time right now. Between my day job, my night job (the conference), and managing a family (which includes my 93 year-old Momma wanting me to run errands, I kinda felt like the wind had fizzled out. But then there was this sweet grand that made things feel new again.

We all get swamped especially when we are trying to write. Life tends to stomp on us and take the wind outta our sails. But one thing is certain, God is faithful to us. I continually tell writers, don't stop. Write anything. A list. A note. A page. An idea, but don't NOT write. There are times when it's hard to sit down at the computer. Trust me I know. I've grown very weary over the last 5 months, yet each day is new. Each morning is fresh. And I am blessed and grateful.

I can step out on the front porch before the sun rises and see the mountain mist that covers the darkness. Yes, you really can see it in the dark. I can take in the moist air and fill my lungs with the freshness of God's faithfulness. I can't recall one time I've walked out on my porch at 5 a.m. and not felt His faithfulness.

God has gifted you with a talent and a passion. He won't write for you, but He will inspire you. Clear the cobwebs. Give you the words when you pick up the pen. When your life gets chaotic, don't give in. God is faithful. He is the wind in your sails. Pray for the gust you need to get over the hump.

Much love to you all.
Cin

Blessings to you all.
Cindy Sproles
Director, Asheville Christian Writers Conference