Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference - Part II

Even though the appointments were in the same building as the classes this year, I missed a couple of workshops. This gave me time to peruse the book, freebie, and ministry tables.

Six appointments were spread over the three days. I'll give you a list with a brief description of each one:

Sue Brower, Zondervan, wasn't looking for clients. She labeled my book Futuristic Fiction, which I liked.

Diana Flegal, an agent with Hartline, said she didn't handle my genre, but suggested several other possibilities. At the end of the appointment, she prayed with me.

Mike Dellosso, a blogging friend and multi-published author of Supernatural Suspense, checked out my first chapter and liked what he saw. He pointed out that I needed to get the year of my story into my one-sheet.

Cindy Sproles, of Devotions US, liked the content of my devotional. I need to tweak the format to match their guidelines and send it to her.

Kathy Mackel, multi-published author and screenwriter, caught a cliche and made several other suggestions to tighten my writing.

Jeanette Windle, multi-published author of Political Suspense and a representative of Kregel Publications, felt I should set my novel in the present rather than the future. She also said, "I needed to make it a meaner world," to make it more believable.

The remaining workshops I attended were, "Writing the Series," taught by Lindsay Guzzardo, of Guideposts, and "From Platform to Print," taught by Jeanette Windle. Lindsay covered subjects like how to know whether or not there's enough material to sustain a series, carrying the theme throughout the books, and the keynote statement or pitch.

Jeanette gave a wonderful lesson on structuring a non-fiction book and the two different kinds of writers: A Writer Who Speaks (someone more comfortable in their writing cave than in front of an audience) and A Speaker Who Writes (someone who's great on the speaker's platform, but struggles to get it all on paper).

So, my friends, what kind of writer are you? Are you more comfortable writing or speaking?

24 comments:

Jessica Nelson said...

Ha! Definitely more comfortable writing. :-) I can speak in front of people, thanks to speech classes, but I prefer not to. LOL

Soudns like you met some great people! Thanks for sharing about them. I met Jeanette once, haven't gotten to read her books, but I have a feeling she knows how to create a mean world based on her plots. :-) I'd forgotten yours was futuristic. Interesting... :-)

Jody Hedlund said...

Wow! I'm amazed at how many contacts you had with editors and authors. Is that typical of the Philly Conference. At ACFW, we're only allowed one editor and one agent appointment. You can also pay for a critique. Sounds like you got some incredibly helpful feedback!

Heather Sunseri said...

I am absolutely a better writer than a speaker! Great info about the conference. I love the wonderful feedback you received.

North Jersey Christian Writers Group said...

Without question, I'm a speaker first. I'm just starting the writing and find it is a much harder discipline.

So good to meet you at the conference. You did a wonderful job interviewing. Like a pro!

Susan

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Susan -

Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I normally post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

I'm also a speaker first although I haven't done much of it lately. Writing has always been a part of my life, but now it's at the forefront. I can reach more people through the written word than through a speaking platform.

Thanks for the compliment. I wasn't sure how that would work out. LOL!

Hope you'll keep in touch. :)

Blessings,
Susan

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Heather -

Ah, now comes the hard part - putting what I learned into practice.

I'd never heard the writer vs. speaker thing defined so well. I'll be going over those notes often.

Thanks for popping in to see me. :)

Blessings,
Susan

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Jody -

You typically get 1 appointment for each day registered. Marlene gave an extra appointment to those registering early. The 6th appointment came as a result of two editors joining the faculty late. She wanted to fill their schedule.

I didn't have any paid critiques, but they were available for $30.00 a pop. I had to pass them up.

How many people attend ACFW? The number of conferees and the number of editor/agent/author slots available would be a factor.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Jess -

A review of Jeanette's book, "Veiled Freedom," is already scheduled. She's a terrific writer.

Yeah, it's futuristic suspense. I'd appreciate all your prayers for direction. I'm not sure what to do next.

Most people find speaking difficult. In fact, fear of speaking ranks right up there with death. LOL!

I'll bet you'd be a great speaker. Your comments and posts are always interesting and thought provoking.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Unknown said...

Although I've done quite a bit of public speaking, I'm definitely a writer first.

Sounds like you received some very helpful feedback at the conference, which is awesome. I always love the jump-start I get from being around other writers. I'm in conference preparation mode and I hope to have my novel complete by the time I leave. I hope anyway...

Marlene Bagnull said...

This year in addition to the bonus 4th appointment for those who registered for all three days, I gave a 5th free appointment for the first 75 who registered since we had a faculty of 60. I didn't anticipate we'd have close to 300 conferees this year (typically we have around 250), but there were still openings for walk-ins. PTL! I also direct the Colorado conference that has the same policy regardng appointments.

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Sharon -

Are you working on the novel I saw at Nangie101? I assume you're talking about going to ACFW.

I'm tweaking the devotional the editor wants. Hopefully, she'll be happy with my efforts.

Talk to you soon.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Marlene -

Thanks for clarifying the appointments.

BTW, I appreciated the new set-up. Having classes and appointments in the same building reduced my exhaustion level at the end of the day.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Karen Lange said...

Sounds like you have plenty to ponder, Susan! I am more comfortable as a writer, but I actually like to speak. Sometimes. :) Haven't done it in a while, but Lord willing, there's still time. Thanks for sharing about the weekend.

Terri Tiffany said...

IT sounds like you had an incredible experience! I am a writer who writes for sure.I hate speaking!!!

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Terri -

You're not alone! I think I'm more of a speaker.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Karen -

Yeah, I'm definitely on overload. It will take awhile to process all the information.

Blessings,
Susan :)

quietspirit said...

Susan:
I am definitely a better writer than a speaker. When I am in drama at church, I automatically get a mic, if we use them. My voice doesn't always carry.

Casey said...

I most certainly like to keep in the background and write. But I have had experience in public speaking (still prefer writing:).

This sounds like a great conference, just up my alley- do they hold one every year and where can I get information on this? I am a budding writer and would love to be published someday- I just don't know how.:}

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Casey -

Welcome to my blog, and thank you for commenting! I post here Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

The Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference is an annual event (August). It is held in Langhorne, PA on the campus of Philadelphia Biblical University.

Marlene Bagnull directs both this conference and one in Colorado. You can obtain information on her website, www.writehisanswer.com.

Going to conferences, blogging, attending a local writers group, and connecting with other writers on the Net are all great ways to "learn the ropes."

I hope you'll visit here often. :)

Blessings,
Susan

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Quiet Spirit -

Most people do need a mike when speaking. If they're taping, it's a must. I've heard a lot of funny microphone stories. Maybe I'll do a post or get some links one of these days.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Casey said...

Thanks for the info- it's important to me that I do this right.:)

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Casey -

You're welcome. If you have questions, feel free to ask. I'll do my best to help you out. :)

Blessings,
Susan

Terra said...

I am a writer and not a writer / speaker.
My work is nonfiction, and currently I am writing a lot of gardening articles for several magazines.
My first book was published in fall of 2008, co-authored with 5 great ladies & is titled "Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts: Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holiday."
My co-authors all love public speaking so they do that type of PR and I do writing PR, for our book.

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Terra -

Welcome and thanks for commenting.

I think it's great that you and your co-authors have struck a balance. God gives each one of us unique talents. When we work together, we all benefit.

Blessings,
Susan :)