Let’s Get the Juices Flowing!

 

Here’s a sneak peek at the Conference sessions, described by the presenters themselves. Watch for new “teaser” posts each Monday.

You still have time to take advantage of the Early Bird Discount.

See:  https://write2ignite.com/registration-2019/

 

                                                 

Todd Williams -  Engaging Pages

What does it take to truly communicate with your readers? Believe it or not, God’s Word gives us some extremely helpful insights about good, engaging writing. The term logos (translated “Word” in 1 John 1:1) is full of meaning and wisdom that can help us become more skilled in the creative use of words. Come ready to learn practical ways to understand the logic of communication guided by biblical concepts.

 

 

 

 

Lori Hatcher – (Practically) Painless Editing for the Grammatically-Challenged

 

Everyone loves to write, but few love to edit. If you want to rise to the top of the slush pile (or avoid it altogether), creative editing can make all the difference in the worldd wurld werld world. If parallelism sounds to you like a gymnastic event, the Oxford comma a dance you might do in the UK, and the singular “they” like a personality disorder, this is the workshop for you. We’ll laugh and learn our way through ten of the most common manuscript errors and have fun doing it in this hands-on, interactive workshop.

 

Vanessa Fortenberry – Importance of the 3R’s – WRiting, Research, and Revision

 

 

So you think you’re familiar with the three R’s. Be assured; it’s not the basic skills you learned in school. Of course, you remember reading, writing, and arithmetic. Who doesn’t? If you’re like most of us writers, fractions are not one of your strengths. Therefore, let’s change the equation a little. Instead, let’s take away the math; add a dash of Writing, a smidgen of Research and a pinch of Revision. Attend “Writing 101: The Importance of the 3 R’s (WRiting, Research, and Revision)” and walk away with a mixture of handy measurements for successful writing!

 

Jean Matthew Hall – What is a Picture Book?

 

A picture book illustrator needs to tell a story with pictures.

A picture book author needs to show the same story with words.

So, how are they woven together to make one compelling story?

In Jean Matthew Hall’s workshop, “What Is A Picture Book,” we’ll work together to decide what authors need to say, and NOT to say, in their picture book manuscripts, and leave everything else to the illustrators

Attention Teens!! (Teen Track – grades 6 – 12)

      You have a Warm-Up Session with Daniel Blackaby – “Worldbuilding”

Join Daniel from 3:15-3:55

Imagine that you suddenly were given the power to create the world from scratch. What sort of world would it be? Would there be endless summers? A purple sun? Do dragons dwell there? Can people fly?  If you’re a writer, then you do have this power. Great books teleport us into imaginative and exciting new worlds. Have you visited Narnia? Middle-Earth? Tatooine? Hogwarts? Panem? Oz? Westeros? Pandora? All the great books have well-crafted worlds. In this seminar, you will not only learn how to do worldbuilding, you will become a worldbuilder yourself! Join Daniel Blackaby and others in this fun and interactive experience and see what crazy world you can build together! 

AND

Teen Keynote with Daniel Blackaby

“Tolkien, Lewis, & Christian Imagination”

4:00-5:00

How would you feel if your best friends called your book “almost worthless” or a “carelessly written jumble”? This was J. R. R. Tolkien’s review of C. S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The two dear friends are forever linked together as fathers of Christian fiction and Art, but each had a radically different idea of what Christian fiction should be. Their greatest legacy was not to establish a narrow template for Christian writers to follow, but to demonstrate that there is no template. In this seminar, Daniel Blackaby will explore these two vastly different approaches and showcase the great freedom you have as a Christian writer. 

Have You Heard?

The WRITE2IGNITE team has been working hard to select a theme and faculty for the 2019 conference. Just in case you missed our announcements, here are the links:

THEME: A True Witness

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

TEEN TRACK WORKSHOP OPTIONS

ADULT WORKSHOPS

FACULTY 

 

Can you tell we’re excited about this conference? We’re praying that it will minster to Christians who desire to use their writing gifts to write quality literature for children and young adults. Spring Registration (with the biggest discount) is on unto the end of this month. We look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones!

Do you have any questions? Feel free to leave them in the comments and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

Write2Ignite Conference Publishes “Too Big for a Band-Aid”

  a service project of Write2Ignite Conference  devotional book with covers

In September 2017, the Write2Ignite Team was meeting to plan the 2018 Conference and explore other possible programs. Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, shortly followed by Maria, were fresh on everyone’s minds. The subject of a service project came up, and we wondered, what can we do?

Because other, much larger organizations were in place to deliver money and supplies to affected areas, we focused on what writers have to work with – writing and books. The idea of a devotional focusing on kids going through hard times like storms, fires, injury, school shootings, and other traumatic events began to take shape, and the W2I kids’ devotional was born.

The project proved a lot more complex than we expected. First, it turns out that writing a devotional (which most of us hadn’t been doing) is a lot harder than we expected! We chose a format similar to that used on the Keys for Kids website [ https://www.keysforkids.org/ ] and set our first deadline.

Nothing.

We tried another deadline.

Nothing.

We prayed and recommitted to the project, and gradually, met later deadlines for turning in the stories. Two of our Team members, Brenda Covert and Grace Geide, edited these.

Then, we complicated the project further by deciding it would be a good idea to (1) add a plan of salvation and (2) make this collection bilingual. Fortunately, several Team members knew people who are fluent in Spanish. They agreed to donate their time and expertise to translate different portions of the devotional. Translations are the work of retired North Greenville University Instructor Rebecca Deal, former missionary Ellen Garcia, and artist Annel Lilly, all busy women involved in multiple ministries.

Team member Robyn Grage, who was already up to her elbows in work on the #Write2Ignite2018 Resource Manual, graciously accepted the challenge of working up a layout and cover for the devotional book. Over time, this project had morphed from what we thought would be a stapled booklet of 10 to 12 pages to a book of over 50 pages, with a heavy stock cover and perfect binding. Did we mention that adding (and obtaining translations of) credits, translator bios, and Bible copyright statements added still more time and pages?

Down to the wire, as the September 21-22, 2018 Conference approached, we aimed for devotional completion so that we could give the finished books to presenters and participants.

Thanks to the diligent efforts of Gary Southern and Timm Artus of the Print Hub at North Greenville University, we received not only completed Resource Manuals on September 20, but also completed devotional books September 21!

Here it is! Too Big for a Band-Aid has a first printing of 500 copies. They are currently being given to churches, mission groups, and individuals.

Our plan has always been to distribute it free, primarily as a pdf file to be shared and downloaded as widely as possible to individuals and groups. The book’s purpose is to benefit kids who need encouragement and reminders of God’s love as they navigate the tough events that they, their families, and communities, encounter.

Please enjoy this collection, share the file widely, and watch for additional links where the pdf may be displayed in coming months. To God Be the Glory! His inspiration led us to the idea and helped us plan and carry out the book’s content, to produce a digital and print book that we pray will bless many young people around the world.

Sincerely,

The #Write2Ignite2018 Conference Team

Christmas in July!

Today is exactly two months until the 2018 Write2Ignite conference!

To celebrate, we’re having a Christmas in July event for our Teen Track participants! Teens, if you register between July 22 and 31, you’ll receive a free journal, courtesy of Write2Ignite. (You can pick up your journal at the registration table when you arrive at the conference.)

We can’t wait to fellowship and learn with you at the conference this September!

Reminder: Don’t forget to check the guidelines for the “Faith and Freedom” writing contest cosponsored by EABooks Publishing and W2I. That contest is open to both adults and students attending W2I on September 21–22. The deadline for submissions is August 20! Winners of the “Faith and Freedom” contest will be announced at the W2I conference on September 22.

Time’s Running Out!

Today is exactly 3 months until the 2018 Write2Ignite conference. It’s also the last day of our summer registration sale.

Have you registered yet? Take advantage of this great sale price before it disappears!

Today only—pay only $100 for Write2Ignite’s adult tuition. That’s a $20 savings!

Register today at https://bit.ly/2JVDXcQ.

Summer Registration Sale!

National Flip-Flop Day is today, June 15, just a few days before summer begins on June 21. Make Someone Smile Day is also in June. We hope you have a reason to smile every day, but just in case you need something to smile about, here it is!

Write2Ignite Summer Registration Sale
June 15–21, 2018
For one week only, you can pay only $100 for Write2Ignite’s 
adult tuition. That’s a $20 savings!
Register today!

Pitch Your Picture Book through a Twitter Party!

“For what event would you pack an ax, a vial of serum, and dog booties? Racing in the Iditarod! Find out what else mushers pack. #PBPitch #NF

“Jersey wishes she had spots like the other cows, so she knits herself a spotted sweater, and all the other cows want one too. #PBPitch #H

The above are just two of many pitches made to agents and editors during a past picture book Twitter party. If you have a Twitter account and a completed but unpublished picture book, join the fun of making your Twitter pitch! If you aren’t on Twitter, now’s the time to dive in and learn how to tweet so you can participate too!

Here are the rules:

  1. Be succinct. Twitter gives you only 140 characters to describe your story. You must include the hashtag #PBPitch so agents and editors can easily find your tweet.
  2. You may pitch each completed picture book twice: once before 2 p.m. and once after 2 p.m. (Your second tweet should be reworded slightly from the first.) The party lasts from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST.
  3. Likes and retweets should come only from agents and editors. That makes it easy for each author to see whether an agent or editor wants him or her to submit a manuscript for further consideration. So even if you want to show a fellow author some love for his or her picture book idea, don’t do it!
  4. You can include a genre hashtag if you have room. Here are some hashtags suggested by the PBPitch people: #F (for funny), #CD (for character driven), #NF (for nonfiction), #C (for concept), #L (for lyrical), #I (for interactive), and #FT (for fairy tale/folk tale).
  5. Illustrators can participate too! You must have a completed manuscript to go with the illustration you choose to share.

There are other pitch parties on Twitter, but this is the only one devoted to picture books. Participation is free and takes very little time, so what’ve you got to lose?

The next PBPitch party is scheduled for June 22, 2017, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. EST. You can learn more and read success stories at PBPitch.com. Good luck!

ArtSlam Live!

Six artists with one hour (or less!) to paint a picture that’s three feet square in size. What else could it be but ArtSlam Live?

For the past two years, I’ve had the privilege of participating in ArtSlam Live, a timed art competition created by artist, writer, and creative coach Tony Snipes. Although a winner is chosen each time by those who are watching, ArtSlam Live is so much more than a contest.

artslam-3For viewers, ArtSlam is a way to meet different artists and learn about their techniques. In the contests I’ve participated in, each artist had a different art background and style. I’ve taught a lot of beginning art classes, and I usually paint nature scenes or wildlife. Another artist drew caricatures at a theme park for several years; his work is bright, crazy, and fun. Another artist started painting just a few years ago and has already sold many of her pieces in galleries and online.

For artists, ArtSlam is a challenge to do something outside comfort zones. The competition was way outside of my comfort zone. I was so nervous the first time—worried that my art wouldn’t quite measure up with that of my competitors. But with each contest, my confidence grows. ArtSlam is also a great time for artists to connect with the public and promote their work. And that’s what Tony is all about—providing opportunities and direction for creative people as they strive to discover their true purpose.

I’m so excitedartslam-1 that Tony will be teaching at Write2Ignite this year. If you can’t wait until then to hear from him, be sure to check out his website. You’ll find a description of his book, God’s 7 Keys for Creative People, there, as well as lots of free resources.

October is……

October is rolling right along and as with all months, there are numerous things                                                                 to celebrate or become aware of.  (Thanks to Edie Melson at The Write Conversation for most of the following list)

Daily celebrations include:

  • Poetry Day,
  •  Face Your Fears Day,
  •  World Mental Health Day,
  •  Evaluate Your Life Day,
  • National Tell a Story Day (in Scotland and the UK)

To the writer in me, those celebrations just beg me to grab a pen and paper.
Not to leave the artists out, we have:

  • International Artists Day and Animation Day.  (Sorry there aren’t more days devoted to art-                                              I didn’t make these days up, I am just writing about them).

Some of these daily celebrations sound delicious:

  • National Caramel Apple Day,
  • Pumpkin Cheesecake Day,
  • National Frappe Day,
  • National Candy Corn Day (I happen to like candy corn),
  • Cupcake day,
  • Angel Food Cake Day,
  • World Egg Day.

The following daily celebrations would make interesting writing prompts:

  • Create a Great Funeral Day,
  • National Frankenstein Day (Different from Frankenstein Friday),
  • National Knock-Knock Jokes Day,
  • Curious Events Day,

Weekly Celebrations include, but are not limited to:

  • Get organized Week,
  • Earth Science week,
  •  Freedom of Speech Week,
  •  National Friends of Libraries Week and Great Books week.

The list of things to be aware of or do includes:

  • Adopt a Shelter Dog Month,
  •  Clergy Appreciation Month,
  • Breast Cancer Awareness Month,
  • Infant Loss and Miscarriage Awareness,
  • National Diabetes Month,
  •  Lupus Awareness Month,
  •  Domestic Violence Awareness Month,
  • National Bullying Prevention Month
  • National Popcorn Popping Month,
  • Pizza Month,
  • Cookie Month.

My point with listing these daily, weekly and monthly celebrations is to get your wheels turning and get you thinking of ideas to write.  Maybe someone you know and love has one of these ailments. Perhaps write a story for their child or grandchild.  Maybe you are passionate about a cause- shelter dogs, your clergy or domestic violence.  Write about it!

Speaking of writing,  you do know Write2Ignite has a Fall Writing Contest underway. The target audience is young Adult readers.  We are seeking submission of stories set in autumn! Have you written a story with students going back to school? Set at a high school football game? Enjoying a bonfire or hayride?   But hurry! The deadline is November 15th!     Click the home tab (above) and follow the link therefor further details.

Written for the W2I blog by Jan Prahl