Past Season 2011-12

"A GENRE EXPLOSION" MINI-CONFERENCE

WWCWG board members Jennifer Taylor, Sheila Wilkinson, Michelle Rayburn, Cheryl Frisch, and Patti Nicholson will present five mini seminars in what we’re calling “A Genre Explosion.” There’s sure to be something for everyone as we explore:

• Some Facts About Fiction – Getting that story out of your head and onto paper.
• Children's Writing: Big words, little words. This short, that long. Large print, tiny script. A look at the variety options in the children's market and deciding where to plug in.
• Short and Complete- writing devotionals that teach a lesson without preaching a sermon.
• Bringing Real Life to Print- Using your own experience to affect your readers.
• Lighting the Fuse- Getting beyond just writing into the realm of submitting your work for publication.

Join us for “A Genre Explosion” and you’ll likely have a blast.

SUSAN BRILL - "BECOMING YOUR OWN BEST EDITOR". Learn how to go from being your own worst critic to your own best editor. Susan will share her expertise with us and teach us how to make our writing ready for publication.

Susan Brill is a writer and editor with 17 years of experience in communications for non-profits. She offers Web consulting; book editing; and communication services including writing press releases, newsletters, and brochures. She offers writing and editing services through The Winsome Word.

With a degree in journalism, she is part-time director of communications for the Mission America Coalition, a gathering of evangelistic ministries, cityreachers, and individuals with a passion for evangelism. She has a heart for missions and those struggling with their faith. She served with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) from 1998 - 2005 as the Internet managing editor, pioneering the ministry's web presence - producing more than 30 websites for its various divisions, webcasting, and developing online evangelism. Other ministry adventures include the role of donor communication manager for Compassion International, telling the stories of Compassion's work with children in impoverished areas of the world, and assistant editor for the Evangelical Free Church of America magazines, editing articles and writing countless personality profiles of Christians in the marketplace.

JULIE BOWE - "CREATING A PUBLISHED CHILDREN'S NOVEL". Julie will speak about her journey to publication, sharing hands-on examples of editorial letters, edited manuscripts, galleys, and book contracts from her own experience in getting her children's novels published.

Julie Bowe grew up in Luck, Wisconsin. She is the author of the Friends for Keeps series: My Last Best Friend, which is perfect “for readers who have graduated from Sara Pennypacker’s ‘Clementine’ stories, Barbara Park’s ‘Junie B. Jones’ series, and Megan McDonald’s ‘Judy Moody’ books,” according to School Library Journal; My New Best Friend, My Best Frenemy, My Forever Friends, and the forthcoming My Extra Best Friend (Dial, 2012). She doesn’t live in Luck anymore, but she still feels very lucky to be a children’s author. Julie can be found online at www.juliebowe.com

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION Join us for an evening of food, fun and fellowship as we celebrate Christmas with readings from guild members. Plus plenty of inspiration to make it a special part of your Christmas holiday.

JANE JEFFRIES - Jane will be speaking about writing short dramas and skits. Whether writing for personal pleasure, dramas for church, or scripts for publication, the practical advice in this session will help writers improve their short drama techniques. And writers of most genres are sure to learn valuable tips from Jane's expertise that will help them improve their writing and explore new styles.

Jane (www.madrigaldinners.com) earned her B.A. from the University of Evansville in Indiana and her M.A. from Penn State University. Besides writing plays, Jane has kept her hand in drama with the Chippewa Valley Theatre Guild and helped create a children’s summer drama camp and a high school Shakespeare camp. Currently, she teaches English at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Jane and her husband Jim have been writing and producing madrigal dinner scripts together since 1995.

SANDRA SUNQUIST STANTON - This month WWCWG presents Sandi Stanton with: TUNE IN ANDTUNE UP YOUR BRAIN TO TURN ON YOUR WRITING. Do you ever wonder how your amazing brain works? It gathers, stores and revises everything you’ve learned and experienced so you can help others live, laugh, love and grow. Find out how to take care of it so your writing can shine!

Sandra Sunquist Stanton MS, NCC, LPC (www.ourbrainbuddies.com) has studied the brain for 25 years and teaches Brain Coaching to educators, parents, seniors and students. A professional school counselor for 25 years, she served on an Air Force Base in Germany, elementary, middle-school and high schools in Wisconsin, and was invited to set up a guidance program in Kunming, China. A charter member of the WWCWG, Sandi lives in Eau Claire with her husband and yellow lab, Bogey. With the help of her nine grandchildren, she’s writing children’s books, yet to be published.

MONICA HOLTZ -"SELF-PUBLISHING 101". Monica will cover almost everything you ever wanted to know about the new age of self-publishing printed books and e-books. She will also talk about her experiences in publishing and marketing, offer advice, answer questions, and as always, Monica brings very helpful handouts with resources you'll refer back to often.

After working as a reporter and editor at daily and weekly newspapers for many years, Monica Holtz started her own business as a book publishing consultant in 2005. Her business, Holtz Creative Enterprises, is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Monica’s experiences as a writer, editor, mother, and grandmother prompted her to write her first children’s book, Emily at the Zoo, published in October 2009. Her second children’s book, Behind the Zoo, was released in August 2011.

JOYCE ELLIS - “ENHANCING THE RHYTHM AND FLOW OF YOUR WRITING” Good writers outshine ho-hum writers and get fewer rejections by taking time to “craft” their articles and/or fiction pieces. Learn tips from an award-winning writer regarding word choice and placement, sentence structure and cadence, paragraphing and transitions—and more—all working together for maximum impact. Not a grammar or self-editing workshop, this session will offer tools for sculpting an ordinary manuscript into a masterpiece for God’s glory.

Joyce K. Ellis, award-winning author of more than a dozen books and hundreds of magazine articles, has a B.A. in English with a Writing Concentration. A former magazine editor, Joyce also has been editing books for various book publishers and individuals for more than 30 years. In addition to mentoring students for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild correspondence course, she also teaches at writers conferences and speaks for women’s events across the country, and she writes a monthly grammar column for the Christian Communicator magazine, called “Your Writing GPS” [Grammar, Punctuation & Style].

MICHELLE RAYBURN -"HAVE YOUR BEST YEAR YET: 10 CHARACTERISTICS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE WRITERS"

What does it take to be an extraordinary writer? How can we overcome our biggest challenges in our writing? Michelle will speak on how you can be successful and fulfilled in your work and in your play when you take charge of your time and your life. This practical session will help writers discover how to cultivate characteristics that will help them achieve their dreams and be more effective with their writing.

Michelle Rayburn is a freelance writer and speaker from New Auburn, WI. She has published more than 100 articles and stories in publications includingWisconsin Christian News, Christian Communicator, Focus on the Family, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Queen of the Castle, and more. She speaks for writers' conferences, women's retreats, and community events. Michelle is part of the WWCWG Leadership Team, currently serving as guild president.

This meeting will wrap our season for the year and we will begin our next season in September.