JOIN US FOR THE AUTHOR'S PANEL JANUARY 10th!

Got questions about publishing your book or article? We've got answers! 

Are you familiar with the different types of publishing? 

Can you spot the predators among the editors? 

Do You really need to attend a writer's conference? 

Whether you're just getting started writing or you've just written "The End," come interact with a panel of local authors who've been there and done that. 

And bring your friends and acquaintances who've been saying, "I'm thinking about writing a book, too. Can I pick your brain?"

Multi-published Panel:

LEE CARVER: 

Lee has lived in six foreign countries and studied nine languages including German and French. She and her husband traveled extensively throughout Europe while living in Spain. A five-week World War II history tour covering the areas where her father-in-law fought created the stimulus for this book. Lee taught biology and chemistry, served as a volunteer church musician, and in retirement was a missionary in the Brazilian Amazon. She is a member of ACFW and president of its ACFW-DFW “Ready Writers” Chapter, and is active in Stephen Ministry and Kid’s Hope. Learn more about Lee on her website atwww.LeeCarverWriter.com

LENA NELSON DOOLEY:

Award-winning author, Lena Nelson Dooley, has more than 800,000 books in print. Her book, Love Finds You in Golden, New Mexico, was given the 2011 Will Rogers Medallion Award for excellence in publishing Western literature. The first book in her McKenna’s Daughters series, Maggie’s Journey received the 2012 Selah Award for historical novels, and the second book, Mary’s Blessing, was a 2013 Selah Award finalist. Book three, Catherine’s Pursuit, garnered a first place in the 2014 Carolyn Readers Choice Award, took third place in the 2014 Golden Scroll awards, and received the Will Rogers Medallion Award bronze medallion.

In addition to her writing, Lena mentors other authors and has received the ACFW Mentor of the Year Award. She is a frequent speaker at women’s groups, writers groups, and at both regional and national conferences. She has spoken in six states and internationally. She is also one of the co-hosts of the Gate Beautiful blogtalk radio show.

Her first book was published by Heartsong Presents in 1992. Since then she’s over 30 books published by three traditional publishers. She has also indie published 6 of her backlist books that the rights have reverted to her on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and indie published a book of Christmas short stories.

 JULIE  COSGROVE:

Freelance writer, author and  professional speaker Julie B Cosgrove leads retreats, workshops, and Bible studies. She writes regularly for several Christian women websites and devotional publications and has been published in the Chicken Soup for the Soul, Upper Room's Devozine and Alive Now, The Secret Place, Light from the Word,Faith-filled Family Magazine  online ,The Journey and Good News Daily.  In February, 2013, she was commissioned by an international relief and development fund to write a mission-based Bible study.  

Julie has three Bible studies, a devotional, an inspirational  and three fiction novels published, and is currently contracted for two more novels in 2015 and working on another for 2016. She is a member of North Texas Christian Writers, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, American Christian Fiction Writers,  Toastmasters International,  Daughters of the King, North Texas Christian Women's Chamber and the Christian Writers Network. She's a spokesperson for Women at Risk, International, a Christian missionary effort to rescue women from sex slavery in 30 countries. Julie is widowed, has one grown son, and lives in Fort Worth, TX with two cats.       

The DFW Chapter of the American Fiction Christian Writers, fondly dubbed Ready Writers, meets the second Saturday of the month from 10:30-12:00 noon at                                                     Arlington Community Church

1715 W Randol Mill Rd, Arlington, TX 76012

(click on name for directions)

Guests are always welcomed! Please join us for a Dutch Treat lunch at a local restaurant nearby after the meeting to network and fellowship with other Christian writers who are serious about their gift and their craft.

                  

ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY

JOIN US FOR OUR ANNUAL

 READY WRITER CHRISTMAS PARTY and GIFT EXCHANGE!

December 13th at 10:30 a.m. 

Arlington Community Church*  

1715 W Randol Mill Rd, Arlington, TX 76012

Bring a Pot Luck Dish and a wrapped present of $10 or under to exchange.

If you wish, you can bring an originally written Christmas tale of under 1500 words or a poem.

Guests are invited to our open meetings.

*(click on name for map)

Special Two Hour Workshop with DiAnnMills - WOW!!

Join the ACFW- DFW Chapter on Saturday, November 8th  at 10:30 a.m.
for a special workshop with the renown multi-award winning author DiAnn Mills.

                     "DIALOG THAT SINGS, DANCES, AND PLAYS THE PIANO."


Cost $20.00

DiAnn is offering a one page critique, so please adhere to the following instructions to make everything go smoothly...

1. Please send her one double-spaced page that contains dialogue. She will use the submissions during the workshop, but the author's name will be anonymous.

2. You may start sending them asap as she has extended the deadline. It is now October 18th.

3. When you send her the email with your attachment, please put in the subject line: DFW Ready Writers Critique.

4. DiAnn's email is diann@diannmills.com.

DiAnn Mills is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. She currently has more than fifty-five books published.

Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists. He books have won two Christy Awards and have been finalists for the RITA, Daphene Du Maurier, Inspirational Readers' Choice and Carol awards.

She is the founding board member of the American Christian Fiction Writers and the 2014 president of Romance Writers of America's Faith Hope & Love chapter. She is also a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Advanced Speakers and Writers Association and International Thrillers Writers.

Visit her website: www.diannmills.com and connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DiAnnMills, Twitter, Pinterest and Goodreads.

Ready Writers meet at 

Arlington Community Church

1715 W. Randol Mill Road Arlington TX 76012 

817-460-5914

About 1 mile South of I-30 on Fielder. ACC is one block off Fielder on Randol Mill behind the Tom Thumb (on the corner of Fielder and Randol Mill) and across the street from Braums and McDonald's.      Click here for map.

Please feel free to bring a small snack and something to drink to the workshop. The Ready Writers will gather for a Dutch Treat Lunch after the workshop around 1:00 p.m.

Plot: Theory and Practice

Every great story idea needs wheels. A strong plot is the vehicle for getting your idea across to thirsty readers. In this workshop, Michelle Stimpson will help us explore classic structures--and when to break away from them--to build unforgettable stories. Participants will also leave with practical templates for planning novellas or full-length novels.

Join us on Saturday, October 11th at 10:30 a.m.at a new location:

Arlington Community Church1715 W. Randol Mill Road Arlington TX 76012 .817-460-5914

About 1 mile South of I-30 on Fielder. ACC is one block off Fielder on Randol Mill behind the Tom Thumb (on the corner of Fielder and Randol Mill) and across the street from Braums and McDonald's.      Click here for map

Michelle Stimpson is the national bestselling, award-winning author of more than 20 books and 50 short stories. A former public school teacher, Michelle takes joy in teaching others through a good story. She and her husband are the thankful parents of two wonderful adult children. They also have one crazy dog (Mi-Mi) who loves to watch televangelists.

When not writing or spending time with family, Michelle enjoys teaching classes to youth and adults as well as consulting for public schools. She also facilitates courses at her home church. Visit Michelle online at MichelleStimpson.com.

The DFW chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers is always open to guests. Won't you join us for this interesting lecture, and then for a Dutch treat lunch and networking at a local restaurant nearby? We'd love it.

DOES YOUR WRITING NEED PIZZAZZ?

September 13th will be a meeting you will want to attend, no matter where you are in the writing process. 

Do you have trouble with adding setting details to your novel?

Or does writing dialogue give you a headache?

Is it hard to infuse your characters with deep emotions?

Do you often come to a roadblock when you're writing and can't get past it?

Layering Pizzazz will help you learn to get past these times. Come prepared to take notes. Whether you are published or not, write short stories or novels, all  fiction writers can benefit from this talk.

DFW Ready Writer Co-founder  Lena Nelson Dooley will guide us through this process. A multi-award-winning author, Lena has had more than 800,000 of her books sold.

In addition to her writing, Lena is a frequent speaker at women’s groups, writers groups, and at both regional and national conferences. She has spoken in six states and internationally. She is also one of the co-hosts of the Gate Beautiful blogtalk radio show. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Higher Ground Films.

She has experience in screenwriting, acting, directing, and voice-overs. She has been featured in articles in Christian Fiction Online Magazine, ACFW Journal, and Christian Retailing.

Lena has won numerous awards—Will Rogers Medallion Award, Selah Award, Carolyn Readers Choice Award, to name a few. She lives in Texas with her husband of over 49 years. Their favorite activities involve time with their family members. Their daughters and sons-in-law have given them four grandchildren, and now they have two great grandsons, who delight them.

Lena has an active web presence on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Linkedin, Google+, and with her internationally connected blog where she interviews other authors and promotes their books.

Make plans to attend the ACFW-DFW Chapter on September 13th at 10:30 a.m. We meet in the Bedford Public Library at the crossroads of Forest Ridge Drive and Bedford Road, a few blocks north of Hwy121. Visitors are always welcome.

I detect a great meeting August 16th, Watson!

Crime Scenes and Characters

Brainstorm your cozy mystery or suspense plot ideas and investigative characters' development with  Detective Juliane.

Juliane sates, "I have been with my department for 6 1/2 years.  I was on patrol for 4 1/2 years before going into a geographic investigations unit. I am currently still in the geographic investigations unit. I am married with two amazing Great Dane dogs. I do Crossfit, play volleyball, and make stained glass for my hobbies. I also enjoy reading a little bit of everything.

I will discuss what I currently do in my geographic investigations unit; what life is like for a patrol officer; and police culture. To break down these topics even further, for geographic investigations, I investigate burglaries of habitations, burglaries of vehicles, thefts, criminal mischief, and any assaults - not domestic related. For a patrol officer, the kind of service calls that a patrol officer answers on a regular basis, including domestics, report calls, vehicle accidents, and mental calls. For police culture, I will touch on how police officers are/can be treated by the public, and how officers can have support through their "police family."

So, all you future Jessica Fletcher types have your plot twists and who-done-it red herrings ready. Take plenty of notes in your black book to make sure the DCI or CIS who is investigating the crime scene in your tale is realistic. Discover the ins and outs of an investigation unit, and life as a police officer, on and off duty. 

For those who don't write in this genre, well...you have an antagonist or two in your story line, right?  Maybe even a police officer, sheriff,  or futuristic law enforcement personnel? Our August meeting will help you write your characters as three-dimensionally molded and realistic. 

Betcha after an  hour of, as Hercule Poirot would say, little grey cell exercising with Juliane, you'll be spurred to click away on that keyboard. It will be worth the weave through the Mid-Cities'construction zones to get here.

So, join ACFW-DFW on AUGUST 16th, at 10:30 a.m. We meet in the Bedford Public Library at the crossroads of Forest Ridge Drive and Bedford Road, a few blocks north of Hwy121. Visitors are always welcome.

Lyrical Historical Writing: from creation to publication.

What is lyrical historical writing? Is this a genre you should consider?

Shella Gillus will share insight on the steps that led to her debut novel, The Loom, the process of publication and the aftermath of receiving national award recognition.

Join the ACFW DFW Chapter on Saturday, July 12th at Bedford Public Library to hear this dynamic speaker. Guests are always free.

Shella Gillus fell in love with the arts as a child. By age ten, she wrote her first chapter book, a three-act play and performed in several theatrical shows.  During her teenage years, she penned and performed in plays for her local church and organized a series of summer self-esteem workshops for underprivileged youth in South Tucson.

Shella earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Arizona and Screen Actor’s Guild membership while working in the film industry in Los Angeles. Under the tutelage of a skilled playwright, she honed her skills as a writer before becoming a professional actress for Childsplay, an award-winning theatre company. Shella was crowned Miss Black Heritage, 1st runner-up Miss Black Arizona, Miss Congeniality, Copper Bowl Princess and University of Arizona Homecoming Royalty. She has made two appearances on the Oprah Winfrey show.  She lives with her husband, Stacey, and their two children, Spencer and Staci, in Dallas.

The DFW chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers (DFW Ready Writers) meets at Bedford Public Library on Forest Ridge at 10:30 a.m. Visitors are always welcome, in fact, we hope you will join us for a Dutch treat lunch afterwards at an area restaurant. 

Note: Due to the road construction, it may be a challenge to get to Forest Ridge along Highway 21. But it will be well worth it.  Just allow a bit extra time for traffic and detours.

Saturday June 14th - A Novel Concept: Use Non-fiction and Public Speaking to Boost your Book

In the age of cyberspace bombardment, how do you, as a novelist,  rise above the cacophony of tweets, chatter and likes? Try writing non-fiction and then speaking about it. 

Julie B Cosgrove began making her "presence" known as a freelance writer and professional speaker in 2008. Six books later, she also writes regularly for several Christian websites and publications, has an active blog, and takes advantage of the social media outlets to spread God's Truth. She leads faith-based workshops and retreats as well as lecturing to women's church groups. When she landed her current contract for a romantic suspense novel, Hush in the Storm, with Prism Book Group, her editor, Marcy, quipped, "I think I can learn a thing or two from you about publicity." Hush in the Storm, releases August 6th. It's sequel, Legitimate Lies has just been contracted to launch in January, 2015.

We all have a message God wants us to bring to the world, and stories to tell about His redemptive grace. Should you consider freelance writing or public speaking? Join us as Julie relates her trials and triumphs along the way. Openly discuss the pros and cons of branching out into new genres. This just may be a direction the Holy Spirit is nudging you to pursue. 

Besides being a member of the American Christian Fiction Writers- DFW Chapter, Julie also belongs to North Texas Christian Writers, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, DiAn Mill's Ripplers Group, The Christian Writers' Network,  Church Ministry and Leaders LinkedIn, Write For Him, and has achieved the highest level of speaking awarded in Toastmasters International - the Advanced Communicator Gold. She has been published  through the Upper Room and Chicken Soup for the Soul, and regularly writes for The Secret Place, Light from the Word, Good News Daily, The Journey, Faith-filled Family Magazine, Truth Media’s Power to Change and The Christian Woman. Julie is also a member of Daughters of the King, an international women's prayer organization, and is president of the churchwomen in her denominational region that covers 56 churches in North Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.

Her books, which include fiction as well as Bible studies and a devotional, will be avialable for sale after the talk at a discounted rate. Check our her blog Where DId You Find God Today?  and her website www.juliebcosgrove.com

Guests are always welcome at our open meetings.The ACFW-DFW Chapter, known as Ready Wrtiers, meets at the Bedford Public Library,2424 Forest Rdige Blvd, a few blocks north of Hwy 121/183 in the Midcities area, from 10:30 a.m. to around noon, usually on the second Saturday of the month.  Also, many of us go out to lunch Dutch-treat afterwards to network and chat. Please join us!

SPECIAL WORKSHOP - MAY 10th

ACFW-DFW is offering a special 2 hour workshop on May 10th for only $20.00 (includes $2.00 room usage fee for members.)

             Join us for an amazing two hours - fine-tune your writing skills!            

 James R. Callan - 

        Character: The Heartbeat of the Novel 

Character: The Heartbeat of the Novel is a workshop on character development. The goal of the workshop is to help writers develop memorable characters. While we all agree on the importance of a good plot, characters are the reason readers care about the book. Memorable characters are what spawn a series. Some of the things covered in this workshop are: the importance of names, backgrounds, motivation, tags, and internal dialog. We will encourage the writer to strive for four dimensional characters, not three dimensional characters. We will discuss the role of the sidekick and the antagonist and how these relate to and enhance the protagonist.  

After a successful career in mathematics and computer science, receiving grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA, and being listed in Who’s Who in Computer Science and Two Thousand Notable Americans, James R. Callan turned to his first love—writing. He wrote a monthly column for a national magazine for two years, and published four non-fiction books. He now concentrates on his favorite genre, mysteries, with his sixth book releasing in Spring, 2014.

Website:                        www.jamesrcallan.com

Blog:                              www.jamesrcallan.com/blog

Amazon Author page:    http://amzn.to/1eeykvG

Twitter:                         @jamesrcallan

 Books:

A Ton of Gold    On Amazon at:  http://amzn.to/UQrqsZ  or Nook at:  http://bit.ly/1kM7p1M

Character: The Heartbeat of the Novel, (Oak Tree Press, 2013) On Amazon at:   http://amzn.to/13ADvF3

ACFW-DFW "Ready Writers" meet monthly at Bedford Public Library at 2424 Forest Ridge just north of Hwy 121/183 in the Mid-Cities. 

Visitors are always welcome at our meeting. Be sure to join us afterwards for a Dutch-treat lunch at a local restaurant TBA for fellowship and networking with other writers.

Tools for Self-Editing - You Won't Want to Miss our April Meeting!

Join us Saturday, April 12, 2014 when author, mentor, and speaker Frank Ball gives us "Tools for Self-Editing" - Getting the words right isn’t easy, but it isn’t rocket science either. 

With these important tips, you can write like a pro. Some of the areas that will be covered are:

• Starting Strong
• Meaningless Filler Words
• The Point of Punctuation
• Recognizing Redundancies
• Using Better Grammar without Losing Your Voice
• Saying What You Mean
• The Malice of Modifiers

 

 Frank Ball founded North Texas Christian Writers to help members improve their writing skills. He is a panelist on The Writers’ View. Author of seven books, he has worked as a ghostwriter, writer’s coach, e-zine columnist, and copy editor. As Pastor of Biblical Research and Writing for three years, he wrote sermons, teaching materials, and hundreds of devotionals. His book Eyewitness: The Life of Christ Told in One Story is a compilation of biblical information on the life of Christ in a chronological story that reads like a novel. He founded HelpMeTellMyStory.com and speaks at churches and writing conferences to promote God’s story in people’s lives.

The ACFW-DFW Chapter meets at Bedford Public Library from 10::30 a.m. to noon. Guests are always welcome. Please plan to stay and go out to lunch with the rest of the "Ready Wrtiers". 

You Need to Find Time to Come in March!

Tick Tock: Time Management for the Busy Writer

From a full-time employee, to a stay-at-home writer-wife-mommy, to a part-time employee, and then back to a full-time day-job working, multi-published single mom with fiction deadlines and freelance journalism deadlines, Betsy believes she has a lot to offer on the topic of time management! In her lecture, Betsy will discuss the myriad of time-related obstacles obstructing a writer's path as well as offer insight into the deeper issues of motivation behind them. She will then offer practical solutions through the PAMPER steps she created that will allow each writer to better manage their time. Each attendee will also go home with a fun memento to remember their PAMPER steps and apply them to their writing lives. Betsy encourages attendees to be prepared to volunteer personal time struggles from their own lives as examples they can work through together as a class.

Betsy St. Amant has a heart for three things – chocolate, new shoes and sharing the amazing news of God’s grace through her novels. She lives in Louisiana with her adorable story-telling young daughter, a collection of Austen novels, and an impressive stash of Pickle Pringles. A freelance journalist and fiction author, Betsy is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and is multi-published in Contemporary Romance. Her ninth Love Inspired novel released in January 2014, while her first romance with Zondervan Publishers comes out August 2014. When she’s not reading, writing, or singing along to the Tangled soundtrack with her daughter, Betsy enjoys inspirational speaking and teaching on the craft of writing, and can usually be found somewhere in the vicinity of a white-chocolate mocha.  Visit her blog at

http://writergetsreal.blogspot.com/  or her website  www.betsystamant.com

So come join us on Saturday, March 8th at 10:30 at the Bedford Pubic Library. Guests are always welcomed. You're guaranteed to, pardon the pun, have a good time!

FEBRUARY CHANGE

OUR SPEAKER FOR THIS SATURDAY HAS CHANGED...

Detective Juliane has had a death in the family and had to unexpectedly go out of town. Juliane will be our guest speaker in August. Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

So please join us as our own Marji Lane blesses us with her expertise of the Scrivener program. She'll share with us "What it is, How to use it, and Why it's beneficial." If you have the program, please bring your laptop for a hands-on tour of the helpful tool. And if you don't have the program, be prepared to take notes and see what all the buzz is about. After this meeting, you may want to purchase it to make your writing life easier!

Marji Laine is a homeschooling mom of four. She spends her days transporting kids to and from classes, volleyball, church, and various other pursuits while juggling her various ministries. She also teaches high school expository writing and has taught drama, directed multiple musicals for both children and adults and led worship for over a decade.

An avid photographer, she’s been known to take spontaneous road trips just to laugh and sing with her kids and take as many photographs of interesting things as she can find. Full of Texas sassy, she likes to laugh and doesn’t mind if it happens to be at herself. It’s one of the reasons her writing is full of humor. And because her relationship with the Lord is part of who she is, her characters encounter Christ in realistic ways as they struggle through their circumstances.

Cutting her teeth on Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew inspired a love of unraveling clues and she can still be found watching Perry Mason and Murder She Wrote re-runs. The timing God had of fanning the flames of her desire to write inspirational fiction proved perfect. The passion he infused allowed her to completely commit to her new career, finishing three full novels as well as several articles, scripts and short stories.

DFW-ACFW will meet this Saturday, February 15, 2014 at 10:30 a.m. at the Bedford Public Library, 2424 Forest Ridge Drive, Bedford, Texas. Please visithttp://www.dfwreadywriters.blogspot.com/ for directions and further information. There is a great deal of construction in the area. Small orange detour signs are on the side of the freeway to exit Forest Ridge at different exits. If you are traveling West bound on 183, please use the exit for Central Dr., Westpark Way, and Forest Ridge. If you are traveling East bound on 183, please use the exit for Bedford Rd., Brown Trail, and Forest Ridge.

Hope to see you there!

February 2014: Crime Scenes and Characters

Brainstorm your cozy mystery or suspense plot ideas and investigative characters' development with  Detective Juliane.

Juliane sates, "I have been with my department for 6 1/2 years.  I was on patrol for 4 1/2 years before going into a geographic investigations unit. I am currently still in the geographic investigations unit. I am married with two amazing Great Dane dogs. I do Crossfit, play volleyball, and make stained glass for my hobbies. I also enjoy reading a little bit of everything.

I will discuss what I currently do in my geographic investigations unit; what life is like for a patrol officer; and police culture. To break down these topics even further, for geographic investigations, I investigate burglaries of habitations, burglaries of vehicles, thefts, criminal mischief, and any assaults - not domestic related. For a patrol officer, the kind of service calls that a patrol officer answers on a regular basis, including domestics, report calls, vehicle accidents, and mental calls. For police culture, I will touch on how police officers are/can be treated by the public, and how officers can have support through their "police family."

So, all you future Jessica Fletcher types have your plot twists and who-done-it red herrings ready. Take plenty of notes in your black book to make sure the DCI or CIS who is investigating the crime scene in your tale is realistic.

For those who don't write in this genre, well...you have an antagonist or two in your story line, right? Our February meeting will help you make sure your character is three-dimensionally molded and realistic. 

Betcha after an  hour of, as Hercule Poirot would say, little grey cell exercising with Juliane, you'll be spurred to click away on that keyboard. It will be worth the weave through the Mid-Cities'construction zones to get here.

So, join ACFW-DFW on February 15th, at 10:30 a.m. We meet in the Bedford Public Library at the crossroads of Forest Ridge Drive and Bedford Road, a few blocks north of Hwy121. Visitors are always welcome.