Newsletters

Newsletter, February 4, 2018 - Assignment 6
Sunday, February 4, 2018 by Cindy Sproles

Week 6 - Assignment 6
OH MY WORD!  11 days away. YOU SHOULD SEE MY OFFICE.

This weeks assignment is from professional editor, Denise Loock. Each year we are able to glean from the skills of Denise Look and Andrea Merrell. They are both wise and wonderful. Denise continues today with a  lesson on adjectives. She gives you great examples and like I said, her knowledge and wisdom are excellent. I hope you'll read her blog post and apply it to your own work in progress. Visit our blog at http://www.ashevillechristianwritersconference.com/acwcwritersblog for Assignment 6.

CHECK THE SITE FOR UPDATES! 
As we approach the DAY, I'll be adding vital information for your check in on the update page and don't forget. You can keep up on the weekly info by clicking newsletters.

MENTORING - We still have a couple of spots open for mentoring with Yvonne Lehman. Yvonne will do fiction AND NON-FICTION. Don't miss out on the opportunity to sit with 40+years experience and over 50 books in print. Yvonne's knowledge is beyond amazing. When I first started attending the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, Yvonne was the director. I remember thinking, "I'd give an arm and a  leg to spend an hour with her just picking her brain." Over the years I've had that opportunity and I can tell you, she is amazing. In fact, I spent 4 Saturdays in a row this past July in an intense study with Yvonne. Time and money well spent. Don't miss your opportunity to spend an hour, one-on-one with Yvonne. She still has a couple of slots open. Even if you are not deep into a manuscript, make the decision to scoot in an hour of mentoring. Visit our http://www.ashevillechristianwritersconference.com/critiquesandmentoring   to get information and payment directions. You can contact Terri Kelly at  [email protected] to make that reservation. Don't miss this opportunity.

CRITIQUES - There is still time to purchase a paid critique with one of our faculty members. These are well worth your time and money. Professional suggestions on your work will help you see things you did not know were there. Check out the Critiques  and  Contests page for cost and information.

THE CONFERENCE UPDATE PAGE - I've been telling you all along you will have all the information you need on the CONFERENCE UPDATE PAGE. This is your go to page for check-in information, times, and general instruction. The Early Bird classes begin at 1:00 p.m. You may arrive at the Cove at 12 noon. Go straight to PILGRAMS INN, get your conference materials and name badge, then take the Cove bus the two blocks to the Training Center. Come to the 3rd floor. We inhabit the entire third floor. We'll get you headed in the right direction. YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS IF YOU TAKE TIME TO READ THE CONFERENCE UPDATE PAGE! So read it.

If you if entered the devotion contest take time to send your devotion to [email protected]. ChristianDevotions.us would love to add your work to the devotional site. Send them to Martin Wiles and if there needs to be some tweaking, he'll let you know. Get that puppy in order and we can publish it on the site. This can be your first writing credit. 

Of course, whether you enter a contest or not, we'd love to have you submit to Christian Devotions. For our guidelines, go to www.christiandevotions.us , click the link that says Write for Us. Download the pdf and we'll guide you on how to write devotions for our site. Whether you enter the contest or not we'd love to have you write for Christian Devotions. Consider this prime opportunity for your first publishing credit.

WHAT TO PRAY FOR
We always have prayer requests and those need to be first in our list of to-dos.  We've had several who have had to drop out of the conference for things like early babies arriving, sudden illness, and even some hospice. God knows each of these individuals. So pray for our fellow writers who have had to pull out due to circumstances, be it grand or sad.

Weather. Please seriously pray for good weather. It seems God has heard our prayers and currently the weather should be nice. BUT DON'T STOP PRAYING. We have yet to have weather that has been impossible. God has blessed us year after year. But we never stop praying for His hand in presenting us with good weather and safe travel. I have had several concerned about snow. And because of that, three years ago we sought out a company who provides travel insurance at an affordable rate.  I will list this information from the website if you want to check into the rate. It varies on age, distance, and area. But this is an option for you should you be afraid the weather may turn bad. 

The Cove never closes. And we do our best to be there despite - even though we've never had the "despite" to worry over. If you are concerned, check out AIG.

REMEMBER - Plan ahead - Plan to purchase the MP3s of the conference. AND plan to give to the BOB BOX for Cystic Fibrosis. What ever is given by the conferees, Christian Devotions and LPC work to match it. God tells us to care for those who are sick. This is your opportunity to do just that. We are a conference that gives back through it's tithe. Plan to tithe while you are at the conference. Meet Bob Hostetler and I guarantee he will happily tell you about Caylee and Ryder, his two grandchildren who fight the CF battle.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

ACWC is held in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Weather is something we cannot predict and since our conference is a winter conference, we have made arrangements for you to secure travel insurance should you chose to do so. We have yet to be snowed out, but it’s important you realize ACWC continues, regardless of the weather. If you fear that snow could be an issue, then you may purchase travel insurance on your own. ACWC cannot refund conference registrations due to weather.  ACWC is under contract with the Cove, and registrations must be paid and are non-refundable after a certain point. 

AIG Insurance offers a very affordable travel insurance (anywhere from $25-$90 depending on your age, amount to cover, and the state you live in).  As we noted – weather has never been an issue, but we don’t want you to be out your registration should you feel you cannot make the trip.

You may contact AIG at 1-800-826-4919. ACWC makes no money from the sale of travel insurance. This number is provided merely as a convenience to our conferees. Should you choose to purchase the insurance it is your responsibility to flesh out all the details.

THE CONFERENCE ROSTER
The Conference Roster is closed. I have sent final notes to those we have not received anything from. It's important to know that you will not be left out of the roster. If we have missed your photo and bio or you failed to send it, we will still list your name and email in the roster. This is not a be-all-end-all, but it's a nice networking tool for you to have plus you get to lay eyes on your peers before you arrive. This is just a networking tool. So if we don't have a photo and bio - the world will not end. You'll still be listed. We are not going to change bios once they are sent. We simply don't have time. Unless there is an email error, the bios go in AS IS.  We are not doing editing on these and though we feel this is very important information, it is a tool. If there is an email address error - let us know. Otherwise, we are not making additional changes. It's impossible to get it perfect. We want you in the roster so others can see you and know your contact info. I have KINDA harped on this since September. Just sayin . . .We will get this roster out to you in the form of a pdf or a link to the pdf by end of week. 

There are always those who don't read the instructions. HINT - before you submit to a publisher, learn to read the guidelines. I've mentioned numerous times, NOT TO REPLY to this newsletter. Send me an email to [email protected]. BECAUSE, the thread grows so long, things simply get lost. And this may have happened with some of the bios and photos. If your photo and bio are not there, it's nothing to get bent out of shape over. Just go with the flow, remember we are human, and STUFF happens. Your name and email are still listed.

And here is what God is speaking to my heart . . 

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. - 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 NIV

You have a responsibility to uphold when you say the words, "I'm a Christian writer." Nothing, as we say in the mountains, gets my hackles up faster, than someone who claims to be a Christian writer yet they continue to write what the world tells them to write. Quiet frankly, it's sad.

So the question becomes, do I have to put a Christian theme in everything I write? Easy answer - no! But, when you claim the name of CHRISTian, you are claiming a name that is above all worldly demands. No...every story you write doesn't have to have Christ, God, or scripture in it. But it should be held to a godly standard. The secular market needs wholesome, clean, reading as much as the Christian market. In fact, they probably need it more, so it's important to remember, that the words you pen are a glory to God. Will they set the bar higher than the standards of the world and when you come under fire, are you willing to take the heat?

Timothy reminded us that God's word is GOD-BREATHED, useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for EVERY GOOD WORK. In other words, you have the gift of scripture to set your standards by and as you do that, you become equipped. If you study His word, your internal "good" gauge (otherwise called the Holy Spirit,) will guide you with words that make an impact. Words that can and will change lives. It only need be written under fervent prayer. Whether your story is a sweet romance or a mystery, write it with the guidance of God-breathed words. It doesn't have to have a Christian theme, it merely needs to set a standard of a Christian heart. When the world pushes sex, show them how precious love is when that gift is protected. When you're tempted to write a curse word because you think it meets the reader where they are, rethink it. Exercise your writing skills and find descriptions that show frustration and anger rather than cursing.

You are a Christian writer with God-breathed words to lead you.

Don't let the world feed you lies. Instead, present yourself as acceptable. Be different. Set the bar. And I promise you, God will bless the work. 

When I wrote Mercy's Rain, it dealt with sexual child abuse under the age of 7. It was a horrible subject.  I prayed, "God are you sure? You know the church will send me to hell for this?" And His words spoke to my heart. "Trust me. When have I ever let anyone send you to hell?" 

Not only did God demand I write the story, but He gave me the emotion to write it. My imagination ran wild with scenarios that would drive home such a hard topic. I obeyed and my prayers became this: Oh Lord, use the words you are placing in my heart to your glory." 

When the book released, I prepared for the worst. Would my church friends despise me? Would they judge me, hate my work, and end my career before it got started? Actually, no - for God took hold of the work and lifted it beyond my imagination. Ministers and church leadership were sending me emails saying, "Thank you for addressing this subject." All I could do, was quietly praise Him who breathed the words into me.

Take time to think about the work you write. If it's secular, God bless you, but remember who's name you claim. Do the work as a glory to the Father and be it Christian or secular, tough subject or sweet, God will take hold so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for EVERY GOOD WORK.

If we teach you nothing more than this, then we have planted the seed God has given us to plant. It's His job to water and grow it.

 

Much love,

Cin


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