Write2Ignite 2020

If you write Christian fiction for children or young adults, here is an outstanding workshop with my mentor, Joyce Moyer Hostetter. I have learned so much from her--this is your opportunity to do the same!

Mark your calendars. Registration opens May 1.

Write2Ignite 2019 Wrap-Up

Congratulations to Susan Rice who won Invisible Lizard in Love and Connie Saunders who won Back Roads, Country Toads from last week's blog.

The 2019 Write2Ignite conference is now history. Here are my highlights as well as photos and quotes from my friends who were first time attendees.  

MY HIGHLIGHTS

Besides being the Write2Ignite blogmeister, I am also the teen track co-ordinator. In other words, I get to spend time talking with teens about their stories and hearing their imaginative ideas for stories. I led three sessions and the most interactive one was "Out of this World Science Fiction and Fantasy." I put up this slide and led a discussion about the physical world, it's history, and some potential characters.

I loved hearing the teens' responses which included that this was a world where anarchists had taken over and didn't allow the citizens  to know the history of their queen. 

Time travel was thrown in as well as a prince who thought the anarchists were the bad guys, but as it turned out, they were preventing the citizens from an even worse catastrophe. And by the way...the arms were escaping from the gritty ground. I loved their use of Muscle Words!

I was also inspired by Nancy Lohr's keynote on "Truth-FULL Writing." Her encouragement that if we are Christians our world view will be communicated in our writing will stick with me. 

• "Draw from your own faith well." 
• "Don't try to write like someone else." 
• "What is your readers's felt need? Write to meet that need."
• As in life, "You can't enjoy a good ending if you skip through all the hard parts."
• "Write as salt and light."

MY FRIENDS' HIGHLIGHTS

I had the privilege of critiquing Jarm Del Boccio's WIP, SOLI'S SAVING GRACE. Having received many critiques myself, I enjoyed coming alongside her and pointing out some aspects of her manuscript that were terrific and some areas that needed strengthening. Like many writers, she was too easy on her characters; I encouraged her to make her antagonist more of a bad guy which would bring more conflict into the story.

Here she is with her debut middle grade novel, The Heart Changer.

”Write2Ignite was a boost to my writing journey in many ways. The sessions were informative, and appointments enlightening and productive. What an encouragement to chat with those walking alongside me on the road to publication! Even though our journeys are unique, they lead to the same destination: a manuscript that brings glory to God.” Jarm Del Boccio 

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Several young adults who I haven't seen in a year, attended Write2Ignite for the first time.

Charissa Garcia (our NGU intern)
and
Olivia Rollins (a fantastic teen writer!)

Charissa said,  "All of the sessions were excellent, especially the key-note sessions, and I appreciated the emphasis on the fact that because we are Christians and because we are writers, therefore we are Christian writers. There isn’t something you need to add to have the magic formula in order to make your book a “Christian” book. If you have faith in Christ, that will come out in your writing." 

Olivia said,  "I loved Write2Ignite!! I learned so much in just two days. Each of the speakers was engaging and God-centered, and I loved the variety and being able to choose which one sounded the best. A few lectures in particular made me reevaluate aspects of my own writing in a way I hadn't before. Whether you're a young aspiring author, or experienced and published, the dynamic of being immersed in other writers and getting to meet them is so enriching. Overall, I think what made the longest-lasting impression on me was how encouraged I felt, to keep writing, and to glorify the Lord in my writing. And definitely to come back next year. " 😀

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Recently Karen Wallace and I have become friends bonding over shared life experiences, writing, and our commitment to the Lord. She showed me her guided journal, ABC's of What Children Need From Their Parents and asked me to help edit the introduction. Each attendee received a copy which was a great addition to our conference bags!

Karen said, "In Linda Phillips' and Daniel Blackaby's workshops, word and picture prompts were effectively used to draw out creative writing from each attendee. This got me excited for what might be be drawn out of each person who interacts with the word prompts in the ABCs journal."

I was glad that my friends, Hadassah and Kelilah Murdock, came.

Tessa Emily Hall, Kelilah Murdock, Hadassah Murdock

"Writing is not my forte. Yet as I went to the sessions and spoke with some of the accomplished authors and felt my interest being kindled; I was inspired to give higher priority to learning more about the art of writing.  After a long summer of complacency, I feel motivated to dive back into my school writing projects and sharpen my skills. I am already planning to go again next year and highly recommend this workshop to anyone who has or who needs to cultivate an interest in all things paper." Hadassah Murdock

"Here are some of the many things that I enjoyed about W2I:

• The presenters and speakers showed a genuine interest in the attendees, answering questions and taking time to talk personally about writing and story crafting with us.
• There was a broad range of speakers (authors of many genres, editors and agents) and themes.  From the nuts and bolts of word crafting to the imaginative scope of world building, there was something useful and interesting for everyone, regardless of ability or level of involvement." Kelilah Murdock 

Unable to attend this year? Mark your calendar for 2020!

What's New with Write2Ignite 2019

Congratulations to Jana Leah Burkhardt who won The Perfect Candidate and Sandra Warren who won The Next to the Last Mistake from recent blog giveaways.

After presenting at Write2Ignite 2018, I decided to volunteer my services to this South Carolina based organization dedicated to training Christian writers to provide quality literature for children and young adults. Since then, I've become their official blogmeister and am presenting three teen workshops at the annual conference on September 20-21 at North Greenville University. I'm turning this blog over to my fellow team members who have created several informational videos. Feel free to share this blog with a friend or teen who aspires to be a writer! The Early Bird discount ends August 31.  

Teen/Tween Writing Contest

In this video, Director Deborah DiCiantis, talks about a GREAT contest for teens and tweens. The winner will receive a scholarship to the conference! Check this out for more details.

Make the Most of Your Conference Meeting

Here is Diane Buie on making the most of your 15 minute meeting at a writer's conference:

A Good Critique Experience is Precious

Brenda Covert talks about the critique opportunities at the conference:

Other Conference Benefits

Jasmine Covert, Brenda's daughter, shares some of the benefits teens receive from attending:

Linda Phillips Helps Announce our Bring a Friend Discount!

This discount has been extended through the entire registration period. You and your friend will each receive $15.00 off when you register. 

And Some Writing Tips From Yours Truly 

Of course, I had to add my own video to the Write2Ignite collection. Here I am sharing five writing tips particularly for new writers. 

Coming Up on Write 2 Ignite!

Congratulations to Deb Allmand who won the Audio book of Between the Lines on last week's blog.

I'm excited about several upcoming teaching opportunities. In September I'll be presenting three workshops at the Write2Ignite Conference. Geared towards Christian writers who want to write for the children's and young adult market, as well as to teen writers, Write2Ignite is a day and a half of learning, networking and encouragement. 

I hope these teasers will inspire you--or a writer you know--to register for the conference.

Strangers in a Strange Land

In Exodus 2:22. Moses named his son Gershom because he was a stranger in a strange land. As Christians, in some ways, we are also "strangers" in the secular publishing world. 

How do we honor Christ as writers in a largely non-Christian domain? What is our calling as Christian writers? What is our privilege?  How do we fit in--or don't fit in--to the secular publishing world? There are no easy answers. But in this interactive workshop we’ll examine ourselves, what this "strange" land is, the ways we can 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 has to be tempered by plausibility--but their enthusiasm is contagious and inspirational! 

For my part, I'll teach them to,

• Exercise their muscle words (all groans aside, this does involve actual EXERCISE!).
• How and why writers need to use mentor texts.
• How the red pencil is their best friend.
• How to jazz up their writing through "Show, Don’t Tell."
• How details make the difference when crafting genre fiction.

Writing Historical Fiction

I love historical fiction almost as much as I love teaching teens! 😁


This hands-on workshop will include: 

• R—Research. Should you read newspapers? Magazines? Books? Fiction or nonfiction? Microfilm? How do you know when your research is done? 
• E—Experts. How to find experts for your story? What do you ask? How do you use your expert's story to inform yours?
• A—Arrange. 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 rough drafts to honing on your story?

If you plan to attend this workshop, please bring your favorite historical novel. If you're working on a project, bring one or two pages of your work.

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Please share this post with a writer or teen who might be interested in attending the conference. And stay tuned. In a few weeks I'll share my other teaching opportunity coming up in October!

Write2Ignite!

On February 19 I have the privilege of teaching the teen track at the Write2Ignite! conference in Greenville, S.C. Jean Hall, one of the founders of the organization and a terrific blogger, agreed to be interviewed here.

Carol: How did you and your team get the idea for Write2Ignite?

Jean: The idea was birthed by three Christian writers who met through SCBWI. We agreed that we loved the SCBWI conferences, but we felt a need for a similar event for those who desired to write for children from a Christian world view. Samantha Bell, Dr. Gail Hayes and I chatted and prayed about it. Then we decided to meet and see where God would take us.


Carol: How do you work together?
Jean: Dr. Hayes is no longer affiliated with Write2Ignite. We have a planning team with six members who are all equally passionate about children’s literature and telling children about Christ. Most of our “meetings” are done via conference calls and emails. We haven’t tried Skype yet, but that might be next.


Carol: How has the Lord had prepared each of you for this?

Jean: We all love to teach and parent children.


     We all love Jesus and want to proclaim Him to the next generation.


      We are all passionate about the power of literature in children’s lives.


     We all have the desire to mentor and encourage other writers and illustrators.


     We are all crazy enough to step out in faith following God’s promptings—and enjoy doing it!


     We each have our specializations:


Samantha Bell is a true artist. She came up with our name and our logo.


Donna Earnhardt is a spill-way of enthusiasm. Poetry, music and spontaneity are her specialties.


Jill Roman Lord keeps us down to earth. She reminds us of details and possible complications and has the most publishing experience.


Debbie S. De Ciantis is our liaison with North Greenville University. We couldn’t function without her.


Linda Andersen comes up with some of the coolest ideas. She’s enthusiastic, flexible and learning to enjoy the view from out on a limb.


Kristi Butler keeps us grounded on our Solid Rock. She reminds us of the eternal significance in what we do.


Cindy Jacobs is our PR person. She is thorough and lends her professionalism to what we do.


And I, Jean, am the organizer God plugged into this Team. I enjoy keeping all the plates spinning at once.


Carol: Briefly tell me about your own personal goals for writing.

Jean: My involvement with Write2Ignite! has forced me to re-examine and re-prioritize my writing. I haven’t accomplished last year’s goals yet, so they will carry over to 2011. Eventually I want to publish several picture books. My goal to complete the first draft of my first novel (an inspirational YA) is a carryover from last year. I’m also shooting towards the goals of mastering Rebus writing and transforming my Conversations blog posts into a devotional book.


My one overarching goal, however, is to write encouraging words. Regardless of the genre or age group, I want every manuscript to lift readers up, to encourage them, to reveal to them some truth about themselves and about God.


Carol: How does Write 2Ignite fit in with your sense of who you are as a writer and as a Christian?
Jean: I’m an encourager. That is God’s call to me as a relational being and as a writer. Write2Ignite! gives me the opportunities to build good things into other people’s lives and to encourage them.

Carol: Anything else you would like to share?
Jean: On Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011 Samantha Bell and one of our presenters, agent Les Stobbe, will be interviewed by Rhonda Odom on WGGS TV-16 in Taylors, SC. Nite Line runs from 8:00 – 10:00 PM and streams live  24/7 at http://www.wggs16.com/. Our interview will
be during the first half. 


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As part of the faculty for this event, I can attest to the fact that Jean had worked hard to make this a successful conference. Check out the packed conference schedule and register. Hope to see you, or your teens, there!

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