September 2013: All About ACFW

ACFW Web Manager Becky Yauger joins us to speak about all things ACFW.   ACFW is more than just the national conference, email loops and contests.  Becky will talk about how to navigate the website, where to get help and show you the hidden gems and helpful information available to you with a click of the mouse at www.acfw.com.

DFW Ready Writers will meet on September 21 at the Bedford Library beginning at 10:30am.  Lunch and fellowship time will follow.

Becky is a past vice-president and membership officer for ACFW. She worked for 15 years in radio and television broadcasting, before finally starting on her writing career. She’s been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul and Guideposts Magazine and continues to scribble away on various works while waiting for God's leading for her writing career. She also hosts a weekly blog called Talking Among Friends. Becky and her husband live in the Dallas area and have two grown children.

Future Speakers:
October 12:  Bruce Judisch will discuss "Subjectivity and Style".
November 9: Deborah Raney will talk about "Surprising Secrets of the Writing Life" in a 2-hour workshop.
December 14: Annual Christmas Celebration

Visitors are welcome so please join us!  

August 2013: Encouragement For Your Writing Journey

"Broken and Blessed: Encouragement for Your Writing Journey"

Writing can be a lonely business. Pitfalls along the way often sidetrack even the most dedicated writers. In this session, author Elizabeth Ludwig talks about dealing with rejections, poor sales numbers, even bad reviews, and focusing on the good that God has intended. Drawing from the scriptures, Elizabeth offers encouragement and blessing to those struggling to fulfill their calling to write.

 

Elizabeth Ludwig is the award-winning author of No Safe Harbor, Book One in the Edge of Freedom series. Her popular literary blog, The Borrowed Book, enjoys a wide readership. Elizabeth is an accomplished speaker and teacher, often attending conferences and seminars where she lectures on editing for fiction writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful editor/agent interviews. Along with her husband and children, she makes her home in the great state of Texas. To learn more, visit ElizabethLudwig.com.

DFW Ready Writers will meet on Saturday, August 17th (instead of our usual second Saturday of the month) at the Bedford Library, 2424 Forest Ridge Drive in Bedford. The meeting begins at 10:30am, followed by lunch and fellowship after. 

Upcoming speakers include ACFW Web Manager, Becky Yauger, discussing "Getting the Most From Your ACFW Membership," and multi-published author Deborah Raney giving a hands-on workshop in November.

Visitors always welcome.

DFW Ready Writers is the local chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). For information, visit www.acfw.com.

July 2013: Adding a Touch of Mystery to your Story

Join DFW Ready Writers on Saturday, July 13 as we welcome author and speaker Vannetta Chapman, who will talk about adding a touch of mystery to your story:

"With my book in one hand and my tissues in the other, I realized I was holding my breath until the very end."

"I LOVE this book!! But I am nearing the end and don't want this story to stop!! FANTASTIC!!"

"I had to stay up until midnight to finish because I had to know how it turned out!!!!"

You can have reviews just like this. How? By adding a bit of mystery to your writing. Regardless the genre you write in, you can learn how to plant clues and reveal effectively. Bring your current WIP, and we'll discuss how to complicate your plot, endear your characters to your reader, and slowly reveal back story. We'll also look at ways to keep track of those little clues you're sprinkling throughout your manuscript.

Vannetta Chapman is the author of several novels, including A Promise for Miriam and A Home for Lydia. She discovered her love for the Amish while researching her grandfather’s birthplace in Albion, Pennsylvania. Vannetta is a Carol award winner and a multi-award-winning member of Romance Writers of America. She was a teacher for 15 years and currently resides in the Texas Hill country. For more information, visit her at www.VannettaChapman.com.

DFW Ready Writers meets at the Bedford Library, 2424 Forest Ridge Drive, in Bedford, beginning at 10:30am. Lunch and fellowship after the meeting.

Upcoming Speakers:

August 17th - Elizabeth Ludwig - "Broken and Blessed: Encouragement for your Writing Journey"

September 21st - Becky Yauger, ACFW Web Manager - "Getting the Most from Your ACFW Membership."

Please note that the August and September meetings are on the 3rd Saturday of the month instead of the usual second Saturday.

Visitors welcome. We look forward to seeing you.

 

Advanced Writing

Becky Wade joins DFW Ready Writers on Saturday, June 8th to discuss "Advanced Writing."

Writers can do everything "right" with the basics of craft (point of view, scene structure, characterization) and still manage to write a book that agents, editors, and readers end up throwing against a wall in frustration.  During the session, Becky will hit on some advanced-level considerations that every writer should weigh when crafting heroes, heroines, dialogue, pacing, theme, conflict, and more.  

Becky's a California native who attended Baylor University, married a Texas boy, lived overseas in the Caribbean and Australia for four years, then settled in Dallas.  She published three historical romances for the general market in '99, '2000 and '01 then put her career on hold for several years to raise her three children.  When God called her back to writing, Becky knew He meant for her to turn her attention to Christian fiction.  She now writes contemporary inspirational romances and is positively certain that she's finally found her author's voice and her favorite niche in the world of publishing.  Her CBA debut, My Stubborn Heart, was released in the spring of 2012 and has been nominated for both an INSPY Award and for RWA's RITA Award.  Her newest release Undeniably Yours, hit shelves May first of this year. 

Don't miss the next meeting of DFW Ready Writers, Saturday, June 8th, 10:30am at the Bedford Library.