“The greatest gift we can give one another is rapt attention to one another’s existence.” ~ Sue Atchley Ebaugh
As I perused my lovely Mother’s Day gifts this morning, each one reflected the specialness of the giver and warmed my heart. But more than gifts or praises, we mothers desire something more precious than store-bought sentiment - the gift of time. I love my children, but not for the gifts they bring. The gifts are a sweet representation of their love, but their presence in my life means more than I can describe.
On that thought, God nudges me. Is He trying to tell me something? After all, writers busy themselves with many a project, trying to honor Him with thoughtful, well-put words. In the process, we sometimes forget what He desires most. As much as words and stories bless His heart, He just wants us. If we but spend precious time with Him, the words will come.
A good week to concentrate on the Giver, and not so much the gifts. Let us honor God with all we write, but remember that good writing flows from a bountiful relationship with Him.
He is the Author and Perfector of our faith, amen?
“Don’t confuse your success as a writer with your worth as a person. As a child of God, the first has no bearing on the second.” ~Ann Tatlock
May 18-22, 2008
2008 Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference
October 5-9, 2008
Advanced Christian Writers Conference
Workshop Descriptions:
Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced
If you’ve read the blog So You Wanna Be Published you’ve discovered the tender heart of Mary DeMuth towards writers. Her excellent blog addresses vital topics, near and dear to our writerly hearts.
And if you’ve yet to be published, don’t despair. Mary shares:
“I have to admit before I was published, I thought that if I reached that nirvana called “published author,” I’d have sweet validation. Every day would be smiles and dancing. You know what? I was wrong. Being published is terrific, mind you, but it doesn’t bring happiness or validation. Instead, it adds more stress to your life.”
Mary doesn’t stop there. Please, go read the rest of this wonderful post where Mary explains the difference between “blocked” goals and attainable goals, and where our true validation lies.
Publishing Doesn’t Validate Your Life
Just received info from Joe Carter at Evangelical Outpost, inviting everyone to participate in the 2008 EO/Wheatstone Academy Symposium, sponsored this year by Wheatstone Academy:
Every year I host a blog symposium on a topic of interest to Christian bloggers in the hopes of fostering an engaging and fruitful discussion. Normally, I don’t send out an email promoting the event but I’ve decided to make an exception this year since my generous co-sponsors (Wheatstone Academy, Stand To Reason, Touchstone magazine) have provided over $1,300(!) in prizes.
Topic this year: “If the medium affects the message, how will the Christian message be affected by the new media?”
Joe states:
“Putting together the symposiums takes a huge amount of work but I’ve found it to be a great way for the Christian blogging community to discover new voices and to join together for serious discussion. I hope you’ll help me promote this event by mentioning it on your blogs or by forwarding this email to others who might be interested.”
Top five posts chosen by our panel of judges (James Kushiner from Touchstone magazine’s Mere Comments, Melinda Penner from Stand to Reason, Matt Lewis from Townhall.com, and Matthew Anderson from Mere Orthodoxy) will receive:
(1) A full tuition scholarship for a Christian high school student of the winner’s choice to Wheatstone Academy. [A $950 value]
(2) The ‘Quintessentials’ from Stand to Reason, including the Ambassador Basic Curriculum, Tactics in Defending the Faith DVD, Decision Making and the Will of God CD set, and a signed copy of Greg Koukl’s new book Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air. [A $150 value]
(3) A $200 donation made to Compassion International in the name of the winning blogger.
(4) A full-tuition scholarship to the upcoming GodBlogCon (September 2008). [A $150 value]
(5) A two-year subscription to Touchstone Magazine. [A $59.95 value]
(6) A year subscription to Townhall magazine. [A $34.95 value]
“Those who choose only to write a brief comment promoting the Symposium are still eligible to receive a prize for participating. Anyone who includes a link to Joe’s post and a brief comment will be entered into a separate drawing for one of three copies of The New Media Frontier, forthcoming from Crossway Books.”
And now the link you’ve all been waiting for:
Symposium info
Some wonderful tidbits from Living Your Calling by Kevin & Kay Marie Brennfleck:
“Hopes, dreams, and perceptions of our callings are often fragile in the beginning. Choose carefully the people with whom you share them.”
“Choosing to see the positive in ourselves and in the life situations we encounter comes down to a matter of faith. Optimism for people of faith is founded on trusting that God is in control; regardless of how bleak or challenging circumstances seem to be, he is using them for our good and his glory.”
“We need the Creator of time to guide us away from living the stressed-out, overscheduled, and anxiety-ridden life of driven people and into living the centered, purposeful, and joyful life of people who are called.”
Author, Camy Tang, known for her romance novels with a “kick of wasabe,” is hosting an incredible giveaway for writers! If you still don’t have an iPod (like me), this is not a contest to forget! For every referral, you get three more entries in the giveaway, so DO mention my name and “nursewriter02″ when you sign up and help a gal out.
According to Camy:
1st place winner will receive a copy of my book when it comes out (September 2007), a basket of books by other Christian authors, and one of the brand new 8 GB iPod Nanos. (The winner can also elect to receive a 4 GB colored Nano instead of the 8 GB Nano, which is only available in black.)
2nd place winner will receive a copy of my book when it comes out, books by other Christian authors, and one of the new, extra-small 1 GB iPod Shuffles
3rd place winner will receive a copy of my book when it comes out and one of the new, extra-small 1GB iPod Shuffles
20 Honorable Mentions will receive a copy of my book when it comes out.
You read that right! 23 winners in all!
Now, go here for contest rules and form.
If you’re a poet, it’s time to gather all your rhymes, free verse, haiku, and more! Writer’s Digest Poetry Awards is calling for submissions. Some of you are really good poets, so please consider entering this contest. Regardless of style, if your poems are 32 lines or fewer, Writer’s Digest wants them all.
Remember: Entry deadline is Wednesday, December 20, 2006.
For more info, go here
National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.
Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.
Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It’s all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly.
Make no mistake: You will be writing a lot of crap. And that’s a good thing. By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create. To build without tearing down.
As you spend November writing, you can draw comfort from the fact that, all around the world, other National Novel Writing Month participants are going through the same joys and sorrows of producing the Great Frantic Novel. Wrimos meet throughout the month to offer encouragement, commiseration, and — when the thing is done — the kind of raucous celebrations that tend to frighten animals and small children.
In 2005, we had over 59,000 participants. Nearly 10,000 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.
So, to recap:
What: Writing one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month’s time.
Who: You! We can’t do this unless we have some other people trying it as well. Let’s write laughably awful yet lengthy prose together.
Why: The reasons are endless! To actively participate in one of our era’s most enchanting art forms! To write without having to obsess over quality. To be able to make obscure references to passages from our novels at parties. To be able to mock real novelists who dawdle on and on, taking far longer than 30 days to produce their work.
When: Sign-ups begin October 1, 2006. Writing begins November 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by November 30 at midnight. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.
Still confused? Just visit the How NaNoWriMo Works page!
Check it out, folks! I need to choke my internal editor for a solid month, so I’m thinking this might be the way to go. But hurry! Only a few more days before NaNoWriMo begins!
NaNoWriMo website
How it works
Washington Post.com article
Godly Creative People invites you to name their new literary and arts magazine, scheduled to launch January 2007! One lucky winner will receive a free lifetime enhanced hosting account with eChristian Web Hosting and have his or her art featured in the first edition of the magazine.
Contest begins: Monday, September 4, 2006
Contest ends: Monday, October 2, 2006
Winner Announced: Monday, October 16, 2006
Eligibility:
Contest is open to all GCP members 18 years of age and older. Individuals who have registered on the main site and forums are considered members of GCP. Current GCP authors and their families are NOT eligible to enter.
Submission Guidelines:
GCP will launch its new literary and arts magazine January 1, 2007. The mission of the magazine is to teach, encourage, and strengthen artists in their pursuits of creative success, while honoring God in the process. The magazine will provide creative inspiration, practical tools and resources, and timely, relevant articles that inspire artistic and spiritual growth. The title for GCP’s ezine should:
*Reflect the mission of GCP
*Target the GCP audience
*Grab the reader’s attention
*Create a clear, concise, and compelling image
*Consist of no more than 4 words
*Reflect original, creative thought
*Entries will be judged on the criteria listed in items 1 through 6 above.
Submit your entries using the form. Please be sure to include your complete name, email, and website URL, if applicable, with your entry.
The PRIZE:
A FREE LIFETIME ENHANCED hosting account with eChristian Web Hosting!
For further details and entry form, see the Contest Rules page.
This from Utmost Christian Writers:
“We have received some excellent entries for our Novice Christian Poetry Contest, but we had hoped for a much greater response. The number of entries has not met our expectations. All prizes will be awarded in this contest regardless of how few poems are entered. The deadline for mailing your entry is August 31.
This major contest for Christian poets dispersed almost $4,000 in cash to poets of Christian faith in April 2006. This contest is for poets who are unpublished.
Total Prizes: $1750.00
FIRST PRIZE: $500.00
SECOND PRIZE: $300.00
THIRD PRIZE: $100.00
HONORABLE MENTIONS (12): $50.00 each
BEST RHYMING POEM: $250.00
Don’t delay! Deadline is August 31, 2006. $10 entry fee.
For guidelines, go here.
Congratulations to Violet Nesdoly of Surrey, British Columbia, Utmost Christian Writers Foundation’s International Christian Poet Laureate. Violet was selected from a number of applicants by the Utmost Board of Directors. Violet serves as Poet Laureate until Spring 2007.
