Today’s Writers’ Tip: For Newbies – After the Conference

Writers’ Tips for Newbies: After the Conference

Today’s tips are for all you beginning writers out there who have a great idea and don’t know where to start.

If you attended the last Montrose Christian Writers Conference in July, I trust you learned all kinds of things to help you become a published author. Let’s rehearse a few tips you probably learned to get you writing the next best seller!

If you’ve never attended any writers’ conference, it might be a consideration if you’ve got some ideas about becoming an author.

1. Start writing. Don’t just talk about it. Do you have an idea? Many good ideas? Don’t let those great creative ideas die in your brain cells! Get that computer out and start pecking away.

2. Join a local critique group. This has helped me become a better writer more than any other training, reading, or writing I’ve done. You must have a thick skin and be willing to accept criticism, but in the long run, your writing will improve drastically. Our group in the Susquehanna Valley (PA) meets once a month when everyone brings copies of about five pages of their latest work to have critiqued.

3. Attend writers conferences. Second only to the critique group, writers conferences have molded me into the author I am today. Writers conferences offer numerous workshops on different genres. You also meet other writers who have the passion to write as you do. They UNDERSTAND YOU! And … try to attend conferences where editors and agents are on faculty. Many writers have acquired contracts by meeting “the in-crowd” at conferences. Three of my four book contracts and several purchased articles resulted from contacts at writers’ conferences. Conferences are an essential part of your training.

4. Read, read, read! If you want to write juvenile fiction, read all the published juvenile fiction you can get your hands on. Likewise, if you’re into Amish romance, don’t spend time reading science fiction or fantasy. If you want to learn how to handle your genre, then study your genre. I have pages and pages of “good writing” excerpts that I’ve copied from published books. Once in a while, I open that file and read through the segments that show me excellent dialogue, good narration, and well-done character description.

So, there you have it. If you have the burning desire deep down in your soul to write, then get going! But consider yourself a work-in-progress just as your manuscript is. The more you learn, the better your writing will be!

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Today’s Writers’ Tip: The Necessity of Writers’ Conferences

THE NECESSITY OF WRITERS’ CONFERENCES

The best training you’ll ever receive is that which you’ll get by attending writers conferences. Next to your local critique group, writers workshops and conferences will give you the knowledge you need to become a better writer. The various workshops offered usually take you from A to Z concerning the writing/publishing business with fresh ideas for you to try.

You also make new long-lasting writer friends, kindred spirits who think just like you do. (They don’t call us “Odd Ducks” for nothing.)

Writers conferences also offer you the opportunity to present your work face to face to agents and editors of publishing companies. I’ve acquired four of my five book contracts by meeting editors at the Montrose Christian Writers Conference held in Montrose, PA, every July.

Speaking of conferences, starting in March, why don’t you check out the details of our next Montrose Christian Writers Conference at http://www.montrosebible.org Plan to come to our next one from July 16th to July21st , 2023. We plan to have three agents, a poetry publisher, and award-winning authors on our faculty.

If you’ve never been to a writers’ conference, you don’t know what you’re missing!

Director of MCWC Marsha Hubler
www.marshahublerauthor.com
www.marshahubler.wordpress.com
Author of the bewt-selling Keystone Stables Series

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Today’s Writers’ Tip: The 2020 Montrose Christian Writers Conference is History!

The 2020 Montrose Christian Writers Conference is History!

 Conference center director, Jim Fahringer, and former writers’ conference director, Patti Souder

WE MADE IT!

    The 2020 Montrose Christian Writers Conference began Sunday evening, July 12th and ended Friday, July 17th on the campus of the beautiful restored home and conference center of world-renowned evangelist, missionary, and author R.A. Torrey.
   We had 12 on faculty including award-winning and best-selling authors, and we had about 60 conferees attend. With over 50 classes teaching anything from the basics of editing and writing well to marketing and promoting your book, the conferees went home with their heads stuffed full of knowledge they can apply to their own writing career.
Our wonderful faculty shared invaluable information to help beginners as well as those who’ve been published. We also had a Praise and Worship time every day with gifted pianist Kathy Brittain. That time is always a highlight for mostly everyone.
 With the ongoing COVID -19 threat, the conference center director, Jim Fahringer, and his staff did everything humanly possible to keep everyone safe, including taking our temperatures every morning, everyone wearing masks, having hand sanitizer available all over the place, and practicing social distancing. The kitchen and dining room crew went, what I consider, way beyond “playing it safe,” handling food meticulously with no salad bar and using paper/Styrofoam products. We even practiced social distancing at the dining room tables.
For you who attended,  you know God richly blessed the week. We made new friends and renewed old acquaintances. Some folks were in tears on Friday when we dismissed because their week had been so blessed. One faculty member said, “I don’t want to leave.” Another one told me, “I’d love to move here!”
 For you who missed because of a number of reasons, I pray that next year we’ll be able to resume “normalcy” and once again have another writers’ conference to encourage and uplift every faculty member and conferee who will attend.  In a few weeks, I’ll begin planning for the 32nd MCWC!
Thank you all for your prayers. God did bless in a marvelous way!
Marsha
Director

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Merry Christmas from Marsha

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Writers, let’s just put away our writing for a few minutes and enjoy the Christmas season.

 

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Today’s Writers’ Tip: Working with an Editor

On Writing: Working with an Editor

When it finally happens, you know, the phone call or e-mail that says, “Congratulations! You’ve got a contract with our company!”, prepare yourself for the exciting adventure of seeing your name in print. There’s nothing quite like it after you’ve been trying for years to do so. Have a party or go to Dunkin for a latte or buy your dog a big box of treats. Celebrate somehow. Then prepare yourself for the next step in your writing life.

As you enter this new phase of writing/publishing, determine in your heart to do the best job you can with the editor to whom you are assigned. The editor is your friend, not your arch enemy who is set on destroying every clever phrase you ever penned.

Here are a few tips that I learned along the way that might help you in your “strange encounter of the first kind” with the person who has been hired to make you look real good:

1. Before you ever submit your first draft to your editor, revise, revise, revise your manuscript. Have a critique group edit it; have another writer friend or two critique it, and send the best possible manuscript to the editor after you’ve rewritten it at least seven or eight times. Your editor is NOT your high school English teacher. He/she expects you to know how to use commas, quotation marks, and colons.
2. Be on time with assignments – editors are on a very tight schedule. Don’t give them deadline headaches. If you have excuses for not meeting those deadlines, you won’t be invited back for another contract.
3. Divorce yourself from your manuscript and analyze it objectively. Your editor is going to suggest changes you won’t like. The words you wrote are not written in stone, and, as much as you think your manuscript is your newborn baby, it is not. Accept with a learning spirit the changes the editor wants.
4. If you are set on keeping your words, discuss the matter with your editor. Explain your reasoning but be willing to listen to his/her explanation. Your editor is a hired professional who knows the ins and outs of publishing. He/she KNOWS what will work 99% of the time.
5. Thank your editor often. When the project is done, send him/her a card of gratitude, at least. (A small gift as a token of your appreciation would be well received.) He/she just might remember you the next time the company is looking for an author in your genre specialty.

So, there you have the basics of working with that editor who wants you to succeed as much as you do. Remember, you’re on the same team. Just let the editor be the quarterback.

Marsha

*****

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Today’s Writers’ Tip: Six Tips for Beginners

Six Tips for Beginners

So, you’ve got your blank screen before you, you’ve got a tremendous idea for the “next great American novel,” you’ve got your dictionary, thesaurus, Elements of Style, and your Chicago Manual of Style ready. You rub your hands together, blow on your fingernails, and say, “Look out, world. Here comes brilliance!”

If you’ve never tried writing anything but eight-line poems or a letter to the newspaper’s editor once in a while, there are a few tips I’d like to share with you to help you not only write well but also get published. You might not be ready for a novel; perhaps, a 1200-word fiction story or article would be the best way to start.

Whether you’re determined to write a novel or start with shorter stuff, the tips I want to share will help. They’ll also be brief and to the point. In other words, I will not expound with long, convoluted sentences, which is one of the tips I have for you.

Tips to Help You Write Well:

1. Don’t write long, convoluted sentences. Write short, poignant sentences with very few flowery words and long descriptive paragraphs. Today’s readers won’t stand for your showing off for pages of narration that will bore them to death and cause them to set a match to your work.

2. Avoid the exclamation mark! One per page is often too many. Use clever words to emphasize emotion and action. Stay away from the exclamation mark!

3. Even if you’re writing fiction, be accurate. Do your homework. If you’re describing a fire scene, make sure you visit your local fire company and get all the details of what fire fighting is all about.

4. Stay away from fancy words. Go for simple active verbs, not descriptive adverbs and impressive adjectives. Instead of “She walked limply and lazily” try “She hobbled.”

5. Avoid figures of speech. They often distract your readers from the real core meaning of your sentence or paragraph. It just makes your reader think you were too lazy to put your own words together to write a clever line.

6. Try to stay in the background, like, invisible. A skillful writer will have his/her readers engrossed in the story, identifying with the character or theme and will not give the author a second thought. Not until the last page. Then the readers are free to exclaim, “Wow! What a story!” (And with the exclamation marks!)

Marsha Hubler
www.marshahubler.com
www.marshahubler.wordpress.com
Author of the Keystone Stables Series

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Start saving and make plans to join us next July 12th to the 17th at the 31st Montrose Christian Writers Conference in Montrose, PA. We have editors, agents, and best-selling authors on faculty to help you with any facet of your writing. :) 

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Today’s Writers’ Tips: The Montrose Christian Writers Conference

THE MONTROSE CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE

Writers, the 2019 Montrose Christian Writers Conference is history for a month already. With over 100 writers, agents, and editors gathered together in mid-July, we had a wonderful week of fellowship and learning how to write better for God’s glory.

Believe it or not, I’m already working on the 2020 MCWC and already have verbal commitments from about 10 authors, editors, and agents. Lord willing, our next conference will be held from Sunday, July 12th to Friday, July 17th, 2020. A few folks who’ve already said yes to coming on faculty are freelance editor Vie Herlocker, literary agents Sally Apokedak and Michelle Lazurek, authors Annette Whipple, Joyce Magnin, and Tiffany Amber Stockton, social media expert Don Catlett, and marketing guru Karen Whiting. There are still about five or six more potential faculty members, so check in often to see the final line-up, hopefully before the holidays are upon us.

Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned writer and whether you write fiction or nonfiction, there will be over 40 classes presenting all facets of the writing/publishing world. We also have interesting and fun events Monday through Thursday evenings, often allowing conferees interaction with faculty members.

Then there’s Frank and Bucky, who always liven up the week’s boring moments (if there is such a thing.)

So mark your calendar and start sprucing up your manuscripts. Next July you just might find yourself with a contract in your hands.

 

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The 2019 Montrose Christian Writers Conference

THE 2019 MONTROSE CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE IS OVER!  

BUT PLAN FOR MCWC 2020!

The 2019 Montrose Christian Writers Conference is history. I can’t believe it’s almost a week ago already that the conference ended. What a blessing this year’s conference was to me as the director. Without the help of my “committee,” I wouldn’t have been able to pull this off. Thank you, gals. You are deeply appreciated. (And you know who you are!)

I want to personally thank Jim Fahringer and his wonderful staff for providing such an excellent place at the Montrose Bible Conference Center, including fine meals and homey rooms. Without exception, folks say the beautiful setting and family atmosphere are tops.

I also want to thank each faculty member, who made this year’s conference one of the best we’ve ever had. We’ve had almost 100% of positive feedback from the conferees, who gleaned from the faculty’s expertise.

Thank you, Alison Everill, talented musician, who provided spirit-filled Praise and Worship times every morning to start our days with thoughts about our wonderful God.

Then I want to thank each conferee who sacrificed a lot of money and time to attend this conference. Besides paying tuition, room, and board, the conferees opened their hearts to the needs of others by donating used books for our Budget Book Sale. I’m guessing we had at least 100 books to sell. Thank you, Kathie Mitchell, for spearheading that big project.

Along with those book donations, faculty and conferees “purchased” dozens and dozens of those used books and many MCWC can coolers (koozies😊)to support the General Scholarship Fund. We raised over $500 to help future conferees with their finances as well as donating over $400 to the kitchen staff, many who work as volunteers or get paid minimal salaries.

When our conference closed on Friday, July 19th, we ended with a short praise and worship time, a challenge from a faculty member-author Gayle Roper-and a circle of friendship and prayer. It’s not unusual for conferees and faculty members to part with tears in their eyes, pledging to return next July. Once anyone attends MCWC, he/she is considered “family,” and we look forward to seeing each one every year.

I overheard one gal say, “I just have to come back next year,” and she plans to save all her loose change to put toward next year’s expenses. That’s an excellent idea for those who have to count every penny in their budget. In a year’s time, quite a few dollars can mount up. Another gal with tears in her eyes told me, “I love my family and my life back home, but I don’t want to leave. This was wonderful.”

If you’ve never been to our Montrose Christian Writers Conference, please consider joining us next year. The dates are forthcoming. I promise you won’t be sorry.

For you who’ve been there for 15 years or just for one year, I look forward, Lord willing, to seeing you again in 2020! God bless your writing endeavors over the next year.

P.S. Whether you attended or not, you might enjoy looking at my Pinterest 2019 MCWC Board with over 100 photos of the conference’s faculty, conferees, and events. I’ve just started downloading photos from the conference, so it’ll take me awhile, but check the board at your convenience:

If you weren’t at the conference and would like to know what you missed, check out the conference’s details:

http://www.montrosebible.org/OurEvents/tabid/113/page_550/1/eventid_550/58/Default.aspx

God bless you as you pray and ask God to help you write for His glory.

Marsha, Director

1 Corinthians 15:10

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More 2018 MCWC Conference Photos

2018 Montrose Christian Writers Conference Photos

Writers, this will be the last 2018 MCWC photo post in this blog. I need to get back to posting blogs about writing well, which I plan to do next week. So enjoy the photos included here. You’ll also see more from time to time in the Writers of Any Genre group in Facebook.

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THE 2018 MONTROSE CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE IS HISTORY

August 6, 2018

THE 2018 MONTROSE CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE IS HISTORY!

From Sunday evening, July 22^nd to Friday morning, July 27^th, a stellar faculty of 14, and about 70 eager conferees gathered at the Montrose Bible Conference campus for almost a full week of over 45 workshops to help any writer, newbie or experienced. The evening activities also brought more insight into the world of writing/publishing as well as lots of laughs.

(For all the details of the conference, please go to https://bit.ly/2pdcYQC)

Pictures are worth 1000 words. Thus, no more words…just pictures of the exciting time….

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