“Strangers in a Strange Land”
In Exodus 2:22, Moses names his son Gershom because Moses was a stranger in a strange land.
Christian writers, in some ways, are also “strangers”—in the secular publishing world.
How can we, if we’re Christians, honor Christ as writers in a largely non-Christian domain? What’s our calling as Christian writers? What’s our privilege? How do we fit—or fail to fit—in the secular publishing world? There are no easy answers. Nevertheless, in my interactive workshop “Strangers in a Strange Land,” we’ll examine ourselves, this “strange land,” ways to integrate our faith into our writing, and our presence in the secular world.
“Fiction Writing” (Teen Track)
I love teaching teens; they have out-of-this-world ideas for their characters and plots. True, sometimes their lack of inhibition must be tempered by plausibility, but their enthusiasm is contagious and inspirational!
In my Teen Track workshop, “Fiction Writing,” I’ll teach teens the following:
- how to exercise their muscle words (All groans aside, this skill does involve actual exercise!)
- how and why writers should use mentor texts
- how a red pencil is their best friend
- how to jazz up their writing by showing rather than telling
- how details make a difference in crafting genre fiction
“Writing Historical Fiction”
I love historical fiction almost as much as I love teaching teens!
My hands-on workshop “Writing Historical Fiction” will involve the following topics:
- R—Research. Should you read newspapers? Magazines? Books? Should you read fiction or nonfiction? Microfilm? How do you know when your research is done?
- E—Experts. How can you find experts to consult about your story? What should you ask them? How should you use an expert’s story to inform your story?
- A—Arrange. How can you create a system to keep track of notes, interviews, and photos?
- D—Details and drafts. What details do you need to create an authentic story? How do you move from writing rough drafts to homing in on your story?
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