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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Goodbye, MCWC, for Another Year!

IT’S OVER! 

 

Thursday Evening’s Writers’ Theatre

BUT PLAN FOR MCWC 2018!

The 2017 Montrose Christian Writers Conference is history. I can’t believe it’s three weeks ago already that the conference was underway. 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, Conrad and Donna Krieger, talented musicians, who once again 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 300 books to sell. Along with those book donations, faculty and conferees “purchased” dozens and dozens of those used books and many MCWC can coolers to support the General Scholarship Fund. We raised over $500 to help future conferees with their finances as well as donating $350 to the kitchen staff, many who work as volunteers or get paid minimal salaries.

When our conference closed on Friday, July 21st, we always end with a short praise and worship time, a challenge from a faculty member, 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 “just had to come back next year” and she planned 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.

If you’ve never been to our Montrose Christian Writers Conference, please consider joining us next year. Mark the dates on your calendar: July 22nd to the 27th. 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 11 short months! God bless your writing endeavors over the next year.

P.S. Whether you attended or not, you might enjoy looking at my Pinterest 2017 MCWC Board with over 100 photos of the conference’s faculty, conferees, and events:

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

Marsha, Director

1 Corinthians 15:10

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10 Reasons Why You Should Attend a Writers’ Conference

TEN REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND A WRITERS’ CONFERENCE

              Two 2017 MCWC Faculty Members: Torry Martin + Carol Wedeven

1. Your family loves what you’ve written, but now you’ll get the full scoop from editors and agents of how good your manuscript really is (or isn’t).
2. You’ll learn how to properly submit your work to a publisher.
3. You’ll discover that your high school English needs A LOT of brushing up.
4. Words like “genre,” “royalty publishing,” “submission,” and “elevator pitch” will finally have meaning.
5. You’ll have the opportunity to talk shop with best-selling authors.
6. You’ll be able to attend dozens of workshops that will teach you all aspects of the writing/publishing business.
7. You’ll be able to purchase “how-to-write” books at a reduced price that will help you hone your craft.
8. You’ll be able to meet the editor or agent of your choice to show your work.
9. You’ll make new writer friends who will encourage you by email or phone.
10. You’ll leave with the determination to revise, revise, revise and get your work published.

Faculty Member:
Artist Dave Weiss

 

We just had a terrific week at the Montrose Christian Writers Conference. I’m sorry if you weren’t able to join us. Take a peek at what you missed and make plans to attend next year.

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

Marsha, Director

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Writers, Have You Ever Asked Yourself These Questions?

Writers, Have You Ever Asked Yourself These Questions?

Writing for publication can sometimes be a lonely and discouraging career path to take. For the last 27 years, dozens of Montrose Christian Writers Conference faculty members have attempted to encourage writers to keep plugging on and to share with them how to become the writers God wants them to be. Too often folks with talent for writing give up too soon on their publishing dreams and quit right before they would have landed that contract.

If you’re a discouraged writer, the 2017 MCWC is just for you. If you’ve ever felt as if there was no hope for what you’ve written, you probably asked yourself some of the following questions. But there’s an answer (a title of a workshop) for every one of your concerns with the classes offered this year:

1. How do I prepare my manuscript to submit to a publisher?   Formatting before Beginning
2. How do I get rid of this annoying writers’ block? Three years is long enough!  21 Ways to Overcome Writers Block
3. How can I change my short story into a drama?  Creating a Viable Stage Production
4. Would I have a chance at winning a writing contest?  Writing for Guideposts Contests
5. Will social media, especially a blog, help me sell books?  Blogging 101
6. Why should I bother writing poetry? No one reads it anyhow.  The Art and Craft of Poetry
7. Someone told me my characters are “flat” in my kids’ story. How can I fix them?   Putting Characters in Place
8. Do I need to apply for a tax number to write? To sell my books at book signings?  Understanding the Business of Writing for Publication
9. What questions should I ask the person for whom I’m writing a profile piece?  Writing the Profile Piece
10. Is my devotional book different from the tons of devotionals out there already?   Writing Compelling Devotions
11. Will anyone be interested in buying the book I’m writing?  Marketing for Writers Who Don’t Like to Market
12. Do folks ever read Bible studies anymore?  Bible Studies That Sell

We could go on and on, telling you about the 40+ workshops offered at this year’s conference, but I think you get the idea. We’ll have practically all genres and pertinent issues about writing/publishing addressed at the conference.

The opening exercise is Sunday evening at 7:30 at the Montrose Bible Conference Center, Montrose, PA. And … as long as there are rooms available for lodging, it’s not too late to register! Even better, if all the rooms  are taken and you are close enough to commute, you can register anytime, even after the conference is underway!

Please check out all the of the classes and special perks available at http://www.montrosebible.org/OurEvents/tabid/113/page_550/1/eventid_550/58/Default.aspx

and register today! You’ll never be sorry!

Marsha, Director

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This Year’s Montrose Christian Writers Conference Has Classes for That!

Our Writers Conference Has Classes for That!

(Eva Marie Everson teaching in 2015)

 

Writers, isn’t it time to get that manuscript ready for publication?

What have you written that you’d like to see published?

A NOVEL?

SHORT STORIES?

POETRY?

PROFILES?

PICTURE BOOKS?

DRAMA?

ARTICLES FOR CONTESTS?

DEVOTIONALS?

MAGAZINE ARTICLES?

FILM SCRIPTS?

BIBLE STUDIES?

WE HAVE CLASSES FOR ALL THOSE AND MORE AT THIS YEAR’S

MONTROSE CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE!

(SOME OF THE CLASSES OFFERED)

Indie Publishing vs. Royalty Publishing. What’s New?

Why Drama?

Formatting before Beginning

Fiction: Character Building

21 Ways to Overcome Writers Block

Get the Most out of the Conference

The Art of Collaborative Writing

Conducting High Profile Interviews

Blogging 101

Creating a Viable Stage Production

Shock the Clock: Time Management

Marketing for Writers Who Don’t Like to Market

Seeing Through the Eyes of a Child

Powerful Sentence Structures

Fiction: Setting and Description

Write for your Life

Prayer in the Life of a Writer

Creative Blockbusters

Making your Fiction Matter

Writing for Parenting Magazines

Blogging 102

Format and Performance Know-how

Writing Compelling Devotions

No Market for your Book? What to Do

Putting Characters in Place

PUGS Specifics for Christian Writers

Writing for Guideposts and the Guideposts Contest

Graduation Time; What’s Next?

Bible Studies that Sell

Real “Artist-Ship”

Aspects of the Editing Process

Breaking into Anthologies

Social Media 101

Sharing the Fun of Drama

Column Writer as a Platform Builder

Peace in the Literary Storm

Writing for Picture: Magazine or Picture Book for Children?

Understanding the Business of Writing for Publication

Selling Personal Experience Short Stories

What’s an Edit?

Irresistible Queries and Proposals

Proofread with Excellence

Writing the Profile Piece

In two weeks, we’ll be at Montrose, but it’s not too late to register for the 2017 Montrose Christian Writers Conference, July 16^th to the 21^st. If you can’t come for the entire time, then sign up for a day or two of your choice.

Check all the details at http://www.montrosebible.org/OurEvents/tabid/113/page_550/1/eventid_550/58/Default.aspx

And register today!

Marsha, Director

 

 

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A Personal Word from the Director of MCWC 2017!

MORE PERKS AT THE 2017 MCWC

A Personal Word from the Director!

Three weeks from now, the 2017 Montrose Christian Writers Conference will be under way. Besides over 40 workshops, 4 Major Morning sessions, and 3 Work-in-Progress Seminars, there are numerous “perks” planned throughout the week. Just a few of them are:

1. A Life-Changing Event: In 2001, I met Barbara Scott, who at that time was the acquisitions editor at Zonderkidz. Through that 15-minute meeting on the porch at the conference center, I received contracts to write the 8-book Keystone Stables Series, which is a best-seller (and still selling today!) You never know where your one-on-one meetings with an agent or editor might lead you. Take advantage of the opportunities at Montrose this year. (I acquired two additional contracts from other publishers at Montrose over the years as well.) Barbara will be with us again. She’s now an independent editor, but if you want the scoop on whether your manuscript is ready for publication, meet with her on the porch. She’ll give it to you straight!
2. The Budget Book Sale! Every third year or so, we have a budget book sale, when faculty and conferees donate unwanted books. We then sell dozens, if not hundreds, of wholesome books of all genres at a much-reduced price. All the proceeds go to the scholarship funds. So raid your bookshelves and bring all those dusty books you don’t want anymore. Then bring some loose change and take a bagful of “new” used books home with you!
3. Painting Class with Artist Dave Weiss: On Tuesday evening, Dave will teach a painting class. Every participant will have his/her own canvas, paints, and brushes to paint a picture that might have seemed impossible before the class started.
4. Praise and Worship Time with Conrad and Donna Krieger: Every year, the attendees rate this half hour presentation and song time every morning as the highlight of the week. Conrad and Donna are gifted musicians, who lead us in a spiritually uplifting time of worship that starts every day on a God-honoring note.
5. Writers’ Theatre on Thursday Evening: This is your time to shine. Bring a piece no longer than three minutes long and read it to an audience of your peers in a nostalgic setting with beautiful decorations by Ginny Merritt and dimmed lights with the spotlight on YOU.

So, this is just a sample of the “perks” the 2017 Montrose Christian Writers Conference will offer this year. It’s not too late to register, so go to http://www.montrosebible.org/OurEvents/tabid/113/page_550/1/eventid_550/58/Default.aspx

 and get your name on our conferee list. I’d love to meet you in a few weeks. Set your GPS to Montrose, PA, for July 16^th!

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Writers, Get Your Manuscript Ready for Publication!

WRITERS, GET YOUR MANUSCRIPT READY FOR PUBLICATION!

Writers, what’s your passion? Fiction? Devotionals? Personal interest stories? Film? Poetry? Picture books? Drama? Other?

Then it’s your time to come to the Montrose Christian Writers Conference, July 16^th to the 21^st at the Montrose Bible Conference Center, Montrose, PA. You’ll have a choice of over 40 classes, work-in-progress seminars, peer critique group interaction, and private interviews with faculty members to help you get your manuscript ready for publication. Following is a list of the afternoon classes offered:

Indie Publishing vs. Royalty Publishing. What’s New? Faculty Panel Discussion

Why Drama?

Formatting before Beginning

Fiction: Character Building (Part One)

21 Ways to Overcome Writers Block

Get the Most out of the Conference

The Art of Collaborative Writing

Fiction: Character Building (Part Two)

Conducting High Profile Interviews

Blogging 101

Creating a Viable Stage Production

Shock the Clock: Time Management

Marketing for Writers Who Don’t Like to Market

Seeing Through the Eyes of a Child

Powerful Sentence Structures

Fiction: Setting and Description

Write for your Life

Prayer in the Life of a Writer

Creative Blockbusters

Making your Fiction Matter

Writing for Parenting Magazines

Blogging 102

Format and Performance Know-how

Writing Compelling Devotions

No Market for your Book? What to Do

Putting Characters in Place

PUGS Specifics for Christian Writers

Writing for Guideposts and the Guideposts Contest

Graduation Time; What’s Next?

Bible Studies that Sell

Real “Artist-Ship”

Aspects of the Editing Process

Breaking into Anthologies

Social Media 101

Sharing the Fun of Drama

Column Writer as a Platform Builder

Peace in the Literary Storm

Writing for Picture: Magazine or Picture Book for Children?

Understanding the Business of Writing for Publication

Selling Personal Experience Short Stories

What’s an Edit?

Irresistible Queries and Proposals

Proofread with Excellence

Writing the Profile Piece

Please check out all th details at

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

I look forward to meeting you  July 16^th!

Marsha, Director

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The Evening Sessions and Perks at this Year’s Montrose Chr. Writers Conference are Dynamite!

The Evening Sessions and Perks at this Year’s MCWC

Learning to write well and how to get that manuscript published is just the start of the terrific week planned for the 2017 Montrose Christian Writers Conference from Sunday, July 16th to Friday, July 21st. Besides a keynote address by Torry Martin on Sunday evening, four morning challenges, and over 40 workshops, there are numerous evening activities and perks to keep every writer’s mind churning with new ideas:

EVENING EVENTS

MONDAY: TORRY’S POTPOURRI – an organic event that will leave you talking. Whether that’s good or bad is yet to be determined.

TUESDAY: MASTER-piece PAINT NIGHT or TORRY’S MOVIE or FREE TIME –

Painting: a fun activity simplified so anyone can do it. Cost for the event is $20. (Dave Weiss) or A Night at the Movies: view one of Torry Martin’s latest films, “Heaven Bound.”

WEDNESDAY: PICTURES OF JESUS – Dave Weiss will present “Pictures of Jesus,” a program including storytelling, video, and five live paintings each painted in six minutes or less.

THURSDAY: WRITERS’ THEATER: another opportunity for you to shine! Bring your own work, an excerpt from a short story, memoir, novel, or a poem and trimmed to three minutes and read it to the conferees at the Writers’ Theater, a delightful program that celebrates your creativity.

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES

EDITORIAL APPOINTMENTS: Private 15-minute appointments with editors and agents to show them material which may be suitable for their publications and/or to discuss ideas for stories. Sign-up sheets available at the conference. Bring professionally prepared manuscripts. Be sure to bring copies! No charge.

PROFESSIONAL CRITIQUES: a great opportunity to have your work evaluated by a published professional. You’ll receive a written evaluation of your manuscript plus a 30-minute private appointment to discuss ways to improve and/or market your piece.

Register for MCWC by June 27 and request guidelines for emailing your manuscript. $40.00 per critique.

• Vie Herlocker–Christian living, devotionals, memoirs, fiction – any except romance (max. 6 )
• Gloria Penwell – Bible studies (max. 4)
• Patti Souder – Drama sketches, monologues, 10-minute plays. (Max. 6)
• Mike Dellosso – suspense/mystery, spec fic., contemporary, and memoir. No romance, historical, or Amish. (max. 6)
• B.J. Taylor – Inspirational short stories for Guideposts/Angels on Earth/Mysterious Ways/Chicken Soup for the Soul; Memoirs (max. 6)
• Diane Stark – Creative nonfiction, essays, parenting articles, 1^st person pieces for anthologies (max. 5)

MORNING WORK-IN-PROGRESS: Picture books with Carol Wedeven: $40 (4 sessions) OR a Teen Track with Cathy Mayfield: $25 (4 sessions)

AFTERNOON WORK-IN-PROGRESS: Poetry with Lora Zill: $25 (3 sessions)

CRITIQUE GROUPS and GENRES of INTEREST GROUPS: Opportunity for feedback from other writers. No charge. Held from Monday to Thursday at 4:30

BOOK TABLE: Features books by faculty and conferees. When registering, please indicate books you’ve written which you would like to sell.

BUDGET BOOK SALE AGAIN THIS YEAR! Too many books on your shelves? Bring them with you and donate them to our Budget Book Sale. Looking for some good books at budget prices? Check out this special sale. All proceeds go to the General Scholarship Fund.

FREEBIES: Complimentary publishers’ guidelines and sample copies to save you time and postage.

RECORDINGS: Listen to the sessions you missed or those you want to hear again (Easily loaded into your computer). 

SCHOLARSHIPS:

Shirley Brinkerhoff Memorial Scholarship – $100 grant for tuition: Awarded to a writer actively striving to hone the craft of writing who has not yet secured a publishing contract. Applications are available at montrosebible.org/writers.htm.

General Scholarship help is available according to need. Please inquire when registering.

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Don’t wait any longer to register. The classes are filling up fast! (Check out all the details at http://www.montrosebible.org/OurEvents/tabid/113/page_550/1/eventid_550/58/Default.aspx )

Marsha, Director

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Join us at the Montrose Christian Writers Conference

The 2017 MONTROSE CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE

Classes and Workshops for Practically Every Genre

With over 50 classes and workshops, you’ll be sure to find something to help you get that manuscript ready for publication. Following are just a few of the seminars and classes offered:

MAJOR MORNING CLASSES 10:40-12:10 Monday-Thurs.

                                        

WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?  TORRY MARTIN

WHERE DO I BEGIN? (Help for Newbies)     BARBARA SCOTT

THE JOURNEY TO PUBLISHING NONFICTION     B. J. TAYLOR

THE ART & CRAFT OF POETRY                              LORA ZILL

WORK-IN-PROGRESS SEMINARS (LIMIT 8 CONFEREES EACH)

Morning: 10:40 – 12:10 Monday-Thursday

(Class size: Limit 8 conferees)

PICTURE BOOKS FOR PUBLICATION

CAROL WEDEVEN

READY, SET, WRITE … AND FINISH

(TEEN TRACK)

CATHY MAYFIELD

*Afternoon: 2:30 – 3:15 Monday – Wednesday

* POETRY BOOT CAMP

(Limit 6 conferees)

LORAZILL

 

AFTERNOON WORKSHOP SERIES

(How-to instruction on specialized topics)

BLOGGING 101 & THE SOCIAL MEDIA

3 Sessions:  1:30 Tues. – Thurs. Don Catlett

AN EDITOR’S PET PEEVES

4 Session  2:30 Mon. – Thurs.   Vie Herlocker

DRAMA THAT MATTERS

4 Sessions:  2:30 Mon., 1:30 Tues. – Thurs. Patti Souder

WRITING FOR CHILDREN

3 Sessions:  2:30 Tues. – Thurs. Carol Wedeven

Check out all the details and registration forms at:

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

Please plan to attend. I’d love to meet you.

Marsha, Director

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Today’s Writers’ Tip: Come to the Montrose Christian Writers Conference!

 

Come to the Montrose Christian Writers Conference!

One of the most meaningful experiences you’ll ever have as a writer is attending writers’ conferences. The knowledge gained, the friendships made, and the encouragement received are all well worth the time, effort, and money invested in any writers conference you attend.

My attending the Montrose Christian Writers Conference, literally, changed my writing life forever.

In 2001, I met Barbara Scott, the acquisitions editor of Zonderkidz, and my Keystone Stables Series was launched, eventually becoming a best seller with over 150,000 in print. After all these years, the books are still in print and selling fairly well. Thanks to the wisdom of Barbara Scott, who said, “I want this series to have a long shelf life,” that’s exactly what’s happened.

The Montrose Christian Writers Conference in Montrose, PA, is one of the best conferences, in my opinion, that you’ll ever attend. Of course, I’m partial since I assumed the directorship in January of 2015, attempting to continue the excellence of faculty and workshops started 27 years ago and directed by Patti Souder for 20 years.

This year’s conference from July 16^th to the 21^st is entitled

EQUIPPING WRITERS FOR ETERNAL SIGNIFICANCE

“Oh that my words were now written! Oh that they were printed in a book!”

(Job 19:23)

It will feature four continuing morning classes:

WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA (ADVANCED FICTION) – FILM ACTOR TORRY MARTIN

WHERE DO I BEGIN?  – EDITOR BARBARA SCOTT

NONFICTION: THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT  –  AUTHOR B.J. TAYLOR

THE ART AND CRAFT OF POETRY  –  POET LORA ZILL

 as well as 45 other afternoon and evening classes or workshops. If you leave this five-day conference without learning anything, I’d say you’re not cut out to be a writer.

This year we’re also offering three work-in-progress classes (limited to 8 participants):

PICTURE BOOKS – AUTHOR CAROL WEDEVEN

POETRY BOOT CAMP – POET LORA ZILL

TEEN TRACK –  AUTHOR CATHY MAYFIELD

(Registration fees and housing rates are reduced for teens)

Do you need your manuscript privately critiqued to see if you should continue or give it up and take up crocheting? We’re able to help you with that as well, offering professional private critiques by five faculty members (for a small fee) OR freebie peer critique groups moderated by seven faculty members. So get that manuscript ready!

If you’re considering attending this conference, I recommend you register as soon as possible when registration opens in March. I expect it to fill up very quickly. Watch for all the details coming soon at www.montrosebible.org/OurEvents/tabid/113/page_550/1/eventid_550/58/Default.aspx

If you want to take a peek at what the conference looked like last year, go visit now.

Happy writing!

SUMMER CAMP ADVENTURE

KEYSTONE STABLES SERIES BOOK 4

Skye has her hands full trying to help Jonathan, a stubborn deaf boy, learn to ride western when he just wants to ride English style. Then he takes off on his horse in the middle of the night and gets lost in the woods.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TFE5VI/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

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