When Dr. Brad Burke came to his first Write! Canada conference six years ago, manuscript in hand, he was looking for contacts. “I didn’t have an idea what to do with my manuscript,” he admits, “so I thought, ‘maybe I can get a hold of some publishers and find some way to get this published.’”
The physical rehabilitation specialist found what he was looking for. It was at that first conference that he met Les Stobbe, who would become his agent.
The following year, he met Heather Gemmen, then senior editor at Cook Communications.
“She liked the books, took them back to Cook and decided to publish four of the six books I’d written. Simultaneously,” Brad adds.
The time lapse between Brad's first conference and being able to claim the title, “published author”? Three years.
Today, Dr. Brad practices medicine in Windsor, Ontario three days a week. He lives in Michigan, where he devotes the other two days of his workweek to writing and speaking.
“I really like the conference a lot. The people are awesome. It’s cool to see Canadians come from everywhere for a weekend of God and writing. It’s been a really good experience.”
- Jordana Shell, 19 from Clareshome, Alberta
The God Uses Ink Novice Contest 2010 is still open.
If you're a writer who hasn't been published, and you'd like to win free registration to Write! Canada or a gift certificate for part of the registration cost, this contest is for you.
Corrine Clyne, 17, is one of those lovely, soft-spoken girls. You know the kind: sweet smile, dark, sensitive eyes and a heart that listens—intently—before it speaks.
“I write poetry,” she says quietly when asked what’s brought her to the conference, “because when I write poetry, I can express my feelings.”
Corrine has traveled long and far to get to this, her first writers’ conference. She lives in Norway House, Manitoba, a First Nations community, where she attends a creative writing after school club led by author Dorene Meyer.
“I really enjoy mentoring authors,” says Dorene simply, almost apologetically, as though encouraging and developing talent in others is really their gift to her and not the other way around. “I’m impressed with Corrine. She’s a beautiful girl inside and out. This is a Christian conference, and I wanted to see her develop more in that area, so I encouraged her to come.”
Dorene knows the difference that coming to a conference like this can make in the life of a writer. She came to her first Write! Canada conference in 2005. An unpublished writer, she had sent an entry in to the God Uses Ink novice award. And she won. The prize? Free registration to the conference in Guelph, Ontario.
“My husband and I motorcycled down from Northern Ontario and camped along the way to get here,” she remembers.“I’d never met an author before. I thought I knew nothing. But once here, I realized I knew a lot. And I thought, ‘I can do this for people!’”
And so she does. In addition to writing four books (published under the name M.D. Meyer), she's a part-time instructor at University College of the North. She was a mentor in the 2008 Sheldon Oberman Emerging Writers Mentor Program, and she's the editor of six anthologies featuring the work of those she instructs, including the work of Brenda Fontaine.
At 61, Brenda joined Corrine and Dorene on the long trek to the conference. “I’ve been writing throughout my life,” says Brenda, “but I’d never shared my work with anyone.” Until she received encouragement from Dorene to do so. Now, she’s prolific, regularly writing articles on assignment for Northroots Magazine. Her book, Babs’ Adventures, is based on stories her mother told her about growing up in the north in the 1950’s.
“I feel like she’s been waiting her whole life [for the opportunity to express her voice],” says Dorene. “She just needed someone to cut her loose and set her free.”
***
NOTABLE QUOTES:
“I think the prime value of the conference is releasing people to write the words and messages God has given them; this is done by honing their skills, igniting their motivation and helping them realize that it’s okay to have this passion to write.”
- Les Lindquist, Chairman of the Board, Christian Info Canada, Conference Treasurer
Do you write, edit, or speak in public? Want to tell your story, write a column, publish a book, share your knowledge, promote your organization…?
Find the tools and contacts you need at Write! Canada, where you’ll “Ignite the Creative Side of Your Brain!”
No matter your profession, writing style, or experience level, there’s a place for you at Write! Canada 2010, Canada’s largest Christian writers’ conference, in Guelph, Ontario, June 17-19.
Dynamic keynote speaker Dr. Joel A. Freeman will show you how to improve your communication skills and maximize your productivity as he explores the conference theme “Ignite the Creative Side of Your Brain!”
Freeman is an executive success coach and specialist in organizational change—with a list of clients ranging from NASA, IKEA and the FBI to prime ministers, pro athletes and multi-national business leaders. Raised in Three Hills, Alberta, he has authored seven books, including If Nobody Loves You, Create the Demand.
Whether you’re a professional or beginner writer, you’ll find classes to help you take control of your own career, create additional markets, add complementary skills such as speaking or editing, publicize your cause or organization, use social media marketing, understand how digital innovations are revolutionizing the publishing industry, and learn how to benefit from new opportunities.
The conference also offers 18 workshops, covering topics such as “Why you need a literary agent” taught by American agent Kelly Mortimer; “Writing an unconventional Christian novel” by former Zondervan editor Andy Meisenheimer; “Writing leads, transitions and endings” by writer Jeanette Lockerbie Stephenson; “Understanding e-books” by Wiley Publishing’s executive editor Don Loney and Production Technology Coordinator Jenna Magnus; “Writing romance novels” by Harlequin Love Inspired editor Melissa Endlich; and “Creating a blog guaranteed to succeed” by Ann Voskamp, author of A Holy Experience, a blog read by thousands daily.
This event, in its 26th year, is organized by The Word Guild, a national association of writers and editors who are Christian.
N. J. Lindquist of Markham, Ontario, founder of The Word Guild and director of Write! Canada, says, “Canadian writers and speakers who are Christian have lots of great things to say. But they need to be said well, and we’re here to help with that. We aren’t likely to make an impact with our writing if we aren’t keeping up with the technology as well as the thought processes of our world.”
“It’s become harder to get published—and paid—by traditional media such as newspapers or book publishers today,” says Wendy E. Nelles of Toronto, The Word Guild’s other founder and co-director of Write! Canada. “At the same time, it’s now amazingly easy to share your writing with the public through blogs, self-published books and e-books.”
Lindquist and Nelles agree that in today’s changing publishing world, serious writers have to distinguish themselves by the quality of their work and their marketing savvy if they hope to get many readers or buyers.
5. We've moved the Saturday morning workshop to 9:30 a.m. so the continuing class will be held just before and after lunch, without the workshop in the middle.
6. We've added a special half hour on Friday evening just before the plenary for The Word Guild's Managing Director to talk about "Why Canada Needs The Word Guild."
7. On Thursday evening, following the plenary, we've invited one of the founders of The Word Guild and directors of Write! Canada, N. J. Lindquist, and the Chair of the Board, Les Lindquist, to lead a hands-on session called "A Vision for Canada."
8. We've separated our "Brag Times" from our plenaries on Thursday and Friday. (More information in the registration package.)
New schedule for Thursday evening:
7:00 p.m. Plenary Session (1 of 3) with Joel Freeman – IRWIN ROOM (Ministry Building – upper level)
8:00 p.m. "A Vision for Canada" with Les and N. J. Lindquist – IRWIN ROOM
9:00 p.m. Brag Time – Part 1: everyone except authors – IRWIN ROOM
9:35 p.m. Coffee break – FULLER ROOM (Lounge in Main building)
New schedule for Friday evening:
7:00 p.m. "Why Canada Needs The Word Guild" by Denise Rumble, The Word Guild Managing Director – IRWIN ROOM (Ministry Building – upper level)
7:30 p.m. Plenary Session (2 of 3) with Joel Freeman – IRWIN ROOM (Ministry Building – upper level)
8:35 p.m. Brag Time – Part 2: authors only – IRWIN ROOM
9:15 p. m. Book Store Autograph Party – JANTZ ROOM (Gymnasium)
Marianne Meed Ward worked with Faith Today from 1989 to 1998. It was her first job out of journalism school. She began as editorial assistant, was promoted to the role of news editor, and later replaced Audrey Dorsch as managing editor. In this latter role, she also acted as director of the God Uses Ink conference, and was part of the planning team that moved the event to Guelph. Today she works as a weekly columnist with the Toronto Sun.and is involved in local politics.
Journalist Patricia Paddey interviewed Marianne during Write! Canada 2009.
PP: What is the greatest value of a conference like this?
MMW: It brings people together who are often isolated. As writers, we toil in front of our computers. We send stuff out, and we don’t always know what kind of impact it has. Sometimes we get back email and letters, but more often, we don’t see anything. We also don’t realize that there are many other people out there doing what we’re doing as well. So, it’s worthwhile to bring people together to rub shoulders, purely from an isolation standpoint.
But it’s also great for skills development. I personally know that my writing greatly improved in the course of coming here, not only as a participant and organizer, but as a learner. I sat in on many sessions and know that it improved my writing greatly.
PP: Let’s talk about the mainstream media. Have you seen the interest—for writing from a faith perspective—lessen or grow among mainstream publications?
MMW: It waxes and wanes. It comes and goes. When I started in ’89, fresh out of journalism school, there were very few newspapers that had a religious section. And if they did have a section, it covered the strawberry social and the fundraising for the new stained glass window, a few theological "sermon" columns from the local parish priest or minister, and that was about it. Then we saw the financial scandals with Jim Bakker [of the PTL television ministry in the U.S.] and the mainstream media realized religious groups are also institutions. And journalists cover institutions—to hold them accountable, to ask questions, to make sure they are doing what they say they want to do—on behalf of the people they serve.
For many years, journalists just ignored that whole sector, until a negative [story] got people involved. But as time’s marched on, we’ve seen religion become a factor of many mainstream news stories. Now, it’s a factor when it comes to elections. It’s a factor when it comes to social policy. What does religion have to say about poverty? What does religion have to say about marriage? About education? All of those other beats that were regularly covered by journalists, were not covering the religious aspect and yet religious groups were very involved. So [the mainstream media] woke up to the fact that there were a lot of stories to be told, and a lot of educating to be done.
PP: What would you say to encourage writers who are just starting out, or who may have a dream of crossing over to mainstream media?
MMW: The very first thing I would say is learn. Go to school. Get your degree. Go to the best schools. Find out which schools are training journalists, and learn about [the profession] first. Come to conferences like this. Learn how to do journalism well. Learn the tools of the trade, and then bring your Christian faith to applying those tools. Bring that faith lens to covering stories. And then cover the stories that other people can’t because [they may not have that faith perspective so] it’s just not on their radar.
***
NOTABLE QUOTES:
“When Christ came, the guy that was closest to him here on earth—the Apostle John—trying to find a way to describe him said, “he was the Word.” He could have said, “he was the dance or the symphony or the painting,” but he didn’t. He said he was “the Word.” God himself, described as being “the Word.” Words are important and they shape us.”
– Chip MacGregor, President, MacGregor Literary
Great news! After burning lots of midnight oil, we've met our goal. All the pieces of the puzzle are in place and registration is open for the 2010 edition of Write! Canada. You can now see full information about the Schedule, the Faculty, the Workshops and the Continuing Classes. Register Now!
You'll see that in the midst of major changes affecting the media and publishing landscape, we're deliberately focusing on two areas:
1. Excellence in writing and editing. We're providing concrete help for writers and editors at all levels of experience to sharpen their skills. Even as delivery vehicles change, the need to produce high quality work when we tell our stories is more critical than ever.
2. Entrepreneurial skills. In addition to our amazingly versatile keynote speaker's insights, you'll find a variety of classes that will help you develop the skills you need to take control of your own career, create additional markets, add complementary skills such as speaking or editing, understand digital publishing innovations such as eBooks, and take advantage of opportunities created by new technology and industry shifts.
We're excited about this lineup, and about how Write! Canada can help you in your career. We'd love to see some comments about what you think about the conference offerings, what classes you're going to sign up for, what faculty members you're looking forward to meeting, etc. Just click on "Leave a comment" at the bottom of each post.
New! Don't forget to check out How to Register, a step-by-step guide especially useful for first-time registrants and beginner writers.
New! For people who think visually, we've posted a PDF of our planning chart so you can see all the continuing class and workshop choices on one page.
The entire Web site has been updated. If you notice any missing information or links that don't work, please let us know by posting a comment below.
We'll probably be adding more faculty members to take appointments with registrants, so keep watching this site for announcements. You'll get the specifics about our manuscript critique service and faculty appointments plan after you register.
We need your help to publicize Write! Canada. Please start telling your friends about the conference. Go to the Publicize page to download one of our badges (see an example at left) to link to this site through your own Web site or blog. Add posts on your social networking sites such as FaceBook or Twitter, to drive traffic to this site.
We're looking forward to seeing you. Let the countdown begin to June 17th!
Author and speaker N. J. Lindquist, and writer and editor Wendy Elaine Nelles have worked together as co-directors of the conference since the summer of 2001.
Last June, Patricia Paddey spent time with each of them during Write! Canada 2009, to record their thoughts about a quarter century of conferences for Canadian writers who are Christian.
PP: N. J., before you became involved in planning the conference, you came as an attendee. Help us understand what it meant to you.
NJL: I'd been writing for something like 15 years before I came to the God Uses Ink (GUI) conference in 1988, but I didn’t know what to do with anything I'd written. And although I had attended a conference run by Decision magazine in 1979 in Calgary, I really didn't know any other writers. The moment a friend of mine told me about the God Uses Ink conference, then held in November in Toronto, I knew I had to attend.
I learned a lot, but the pivotal point of that first conference was when another attendee took me to the bookstore, and showed me a Christian Writers’ Market Guide. That book was the key that opened the door to my getting published. I had several things accepted by magazines in 1989, and my first book for teens came out with Moody Press in 1991.
Over the years, the key has been the people I've met. Year after year, different individuals have helped me in all kinds of ways. It doesn't matter whether they're editors or agents or other writers; each year I learn more. And I’ve made many of my best friends through the conferences.
PP: For people who don’t know, tell us about the scope of your involvement in Write! Canada.
NJL: As i said, I came for the first time in 1988, and I've come every year since. I co-taught a workshop with Elma Schemenauer in 1991. A couple of years later, I co-taught a workshop with Ray Wiseman. The next year I taught a continuing class, and I’ve frequently taught workshops and classes ever since. Plus I was the keynote speaker in 2004.
I also was a member of the planning for a number years.
Then the day before God Uses Ink. in June, 2001, some of the planning committee and faculty were told this was to be the last conference. A number of us who said, "No way, it’s not the last year; we’re going to find a way to make it continue." Throughout that summer, I conducted research into why we should keep it going. That fall, the conference's original sponsor, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, gave us the right to use the name God Use Ink. So we quickly began planning for the 2002 conference (which, by the way, more than doubled in size from 2001.)
The Word Guild came into being because of our research, because we realized that we needed a year-round way to connect with people, and not just the once-a-year conference.
I've been co-director of the conference since we took over in the fall of 2001.
PP: As you look back over all the years of your involvement, and consider the millions of words that have been written, that might never have been had the conference not continued, what are your thoughts?
NJL: I believe it's made a lot of difference to a lot of people, but we may never really know the full extent of who has been impacted. Some people tell us, of course, but we can’t keep track of every attendee, and we often don't know who is influenced by the conference or in what ways.
But if we’re being faithful to our calling, and doing what God has given us to do, then God is going to use what we do. That's what really matters – being faithful to the calling God has given us. And trust me, God made it very clear to me and to others that this conference had to continue.
PP: Wendy, like N. J., you came to your first conference in 1988, and you haven't missed one. Do you have a favourite memory or anecdote you could share?
WEN: Around 2002 or 2003, soon after we had taken over the conference, a woman attendee stopped me at the end of the conference as she was about to leave. She had received a bursary to enable her to attend, and she wanted to express her thanks to me. She said, “Next to the gift of my salvation, and the birth of my three children, coming to this conference is the greatest gift I have ever received!”
She has gone on to publish at least three books for American Christian publishers and get a job in communications for a Canadian Christian charity. That statement touched me deeply.
PP: You've served on the planning committee for this conference longer than any other single person. What's kept you coming back?
WEN: I’ve been part of the leadership team for 21 years, and I keep motivated by the challenge of continuously finding ways to improve the conference. Over the years, the conference has changed significantly. In the past, the event was mainly education-focused, drew a higher percentage of wanna-be and beginner writers, had a very subdued marketing element (in typically Canadian fashion), and fewer opportunities for pitching proposals to editors and agents.
When N. J. Lindquist and I decided we had to take over the conference, we had three goals in mind:
a) Increase the attendance numbers, particularly through offering more professional development opportunities to keep the advanced writers coming back;
b) Increase the number of young adults and teenagers coming, thus training our next generation and lowering the average age of attendees; and
c) Increase the number of attendees coming from multi-cultural backgrounds, including from the black and Asian communities, to better reflect the Canadian demographics.
We've made progress on all three fronts, but we'd love to see more people coming from all three groups.
PP: Wendy, you’ve really devoted your life — for years — to helping build up Canadian writers and editors who are Christian: rewarding and celebrating them, creating the conditions under which they can connect, improve and grow. Why is this so important to you?
WEN: I’ve always been passionate about making my life count. I’m passionate about the Write! Canada conference and The Word Guild, because I know how much they would have meant to me when I was a student and young adult, longing to find someone to give me some guidance and encouragement. I can empathize with what it’s like to want to use my writing skills to bring glory to God, to want to get published, yet to lack the self-confidence or the contacts or the resources to know how to go about it.
I longed to find someone to mentor me as a writer, to give me that boost of encouragement I needed, and to help me plug into the writing and publishing industry. I never found an individual, but I found the conference. It was the only point of contact most of us had with other Canadian writers who were Christian.
We found a place where we were part of a community of people with similar interests and dreams. We learned a great deal from the classes, we networked with colleagues and editors, we found writing work through the contacts we made. And we made many good friends.
***
NOTABLE QUOTES:
“After my first conference, I learned that I needed to come back better prepared. So this time I prepared better before hand. I’m leaving with an assignment for a book review and requests for two proposals. So that’s looking good.”
Chip MacGregor is president of MacGregor Literary, a full service literary agency specializing in commercial fiction and non-fiction properties. He’s been a faculty member for more than one hundred U.S. writers’ conferences, but he didn’t make his first visit to Write! Canada until the 25th anniversary conference in 2009. His site is MacGregor Literary
We asked Chip why he believes so fervently in supporting writers’ conferences.
Here’s his reply:
In the Scriptures, it says that God’s going to judge everybody at the end of time. Which means, (depending on your eschatology) for instance, that Adolph Hitler has not been judged yet.
Hitler was an evil man who caused the deaths of millions of people. Why hasn’t he been judged yet? It’s because the full extent of his evil isn’t apparent. It’s going to be at the end of time when judgment happens, because his ideas are still influencing people for evil.
As Christians, we sometimes can’t know how the things we do influence people for good. We’ll have a writers’ conference and we’ll think, "you know it was fun and we learned some stuff but the fact is, I don’t know that the world really changed because of it."
Let me tell you a story: I was once part of a book that I did not want to do. The book was about abortion. I thought, "Nobody’s going to buy this book." But the publisher wanted to do it because it was an important topic. So we went ahead and, sure enough, nobody bought the book and it bombed.
But, one day, the phone rang and I heard this story: there was an actress, who had just found out she was pregnant, and she was flying across the country from New York to L.A. She sat down in her seat on the plane. She reached into the seat pocket in front of her for a magazine, and found a book had been left there. It was this particular book on abortion.
She had a four-and-a-half hour flight from New York to L.A. She read the book. Through the ministry of the words in that book—that book that didn’t sell and that lost money—she decided to keep her baby.
In other words, sometimes, we just don’t know, long term, what’s going to happen when somebody gets inspired and writes something.
And that’s why putting on a conference like this is important. Who knows how the world becomes a different place because of what somebody got inspired to do, or was taught to do, and is then able to write later—words that will change the world.
In the big picture, there is always the reality that God is still at work and still using us. So we continue to do this, knowing our plan is to serve Him in hopes that our words will go out and change people.
We live in a world that badly needs change.
Interview by Patricia Paddey, a freelance journalist and a member of The Word Guild.
You would be hard pressed to find a group of Canadians who know more about practicing the art, craft, business and ministry of writing in this country than the men and women who have been honoured for lifetime career achievement with The Leslie K. Tarr Award. Six of them attended the 25th Anniversary Write! Canada conference.
From left, Ray Wiseman (2009), Doug Koop, John Redekop, Audrey Dorsch, Larry Matthews, Lloyd Mackey. (Photo by Philip Maher.)
We brought them together for a photo and seized the opportunity to ask their sage advice: what’s the single most important thing beginning writers should do to advance their writing?
John H. Redekop: Before you submit your first piece for publication, have it critiqued by two close friends.
Larry Matthews: Read things that are challenging; that are difficult to understand, that use vocabulary you’re not used to. Read a lot. Don’t just read what you’re familiar with. Don’t just read what you’re comfortable with. But read things that you have to work at.
Doug Koop: Learn a little and practice a lot. Take an idea or a thought or a scene. Put it on paper and just keep redoing it to improve it, and to see it from different angles. Learn a little and practice a lot.
Audrey Dorsch: Pay attention to craft. Two reasons: writing that represents our Lord should be top notch, and competition for readers' attention is getting more intense by the day.
Lloyd Mackey: Be and feel a part of your community. Then begin to write about what you see and hear. Keep it simple, knowing in your heart that God can enable your words to help shape your listeners or readers.
Ray Wiseman: Make a point of getting to know other writers. Become part of a writing community—whether it’s a local group, I would hope it would be The Word Guild—so that you can network and learn from other writers. That’s possibly one of the best things that you can do.
***
NOTABLE QUOTES:
“This conference has been integral in my own career path for inspiration, education and contacts.”
- Krysia Lear, The Editorial Suite
How is the publishing industry likely to change over the next five years? That’s the question a special 12-member panel of Canadian and American industry professionals, moderated by N. J. Lindquist, addressed during a symposium at Write! Canada 2009.
Here are some highlights of what they had to say:
It’s a great time to be a writer
The message is the message, and it always will be
E-books will be the biggest growth area of publishing
The Internet is changing the way we market and sell books
We live in an image-driven culture, images will become increasingly important due to the reality of media convergence
As readers’ attention spans continue to get shorter, there will be a renewal of the short story market
Authors must be prepared to market their own books
It will be easier to write and publish than ever before, but it will be harder to get paid for it
Writers used to compete for money, now we have to compete for attention
If God has called you to write, then write, no matter the obstacles
Technology has changed so much of how we conduct our lives over the past decade. Technology will continue to advance. The most successful writers will be the most adaptable ones
***
NOTABLE QUOTES:
“Write! Canada is a family to me, brothers and sisters that connect, not just these three days but all year long.”
- Donna Mann, author
How do publishing industry professionals—from that huge market south of the border—see Canadian writers and writers’ conferences? We decided to ask.
Nicci Jordan Hubert is an independent editor. A faculty member at Write! Canada for the first time in 2009, Nicci led a continuing class intensive on fiction editing for advanced writers. We asked Nicci her impressions of the Canadian writers she had met here. She said:
“The writers I’ve met are devoted. They’re completely devoted to their craft and they really want to write a good book. They’re extremely hard working, so it’s really been fun. I feel like I know them now, and I’ve enjoyed them so much. They have a real appreciation for fiction and are serious about their work. They just want to do a good job and write a good book, whatever that may be. So I’ve enjoyed helping them improve as writers.”
Don Pape is publisher, trade books at David C. Cook. A Canadian citizen who now lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Don joined the faculty of the 25th anniversary conference in order to visit authors and encourage Canadians because he says, “their message needs to get beyond the borders.” Commenting on what he sees as the greatest value of the conference, Don said:
“Community. First and foremost, I think one of the things that Christian writers face is often a sense of isolation, loneliness, even depression. You know, a feeling of, ‘I’m not worthy.’ So this conference creates a community where people realize, ‘I’m not the only one that pens a poem or writes a memoir or is writing a story. All the people in this room do that.’ That realization builds a sense of community and provides encouragement. Iron sharpens iron.
I think the conference also raises the bar and says, ‘this is a craft.’ And I believe very strongly that Christians, in every way, should hone their skill and excel at their craft.”
Les Stobbe is a Canadian literary agent, living in North Carolina, who has a special interest in helping Canadian writers. He was founding editor of The Mennonite Observer (now the MB Herald). He first came to the conference when it was still God Uses Ink. Asked how Write! Canada differs from similar conferences in the U.S., Les had this to say:
“The huge difference is that The Word Guild focuses not only on Christian authors, but it includes journalists who are Christian at a level that none of the U.S. conferences does. So I really appreciate the inclusion of Christians working in various news media in Canada. It’s a great, great thing. It adds a realism and a dynamic and know how.”
***
NOTABLE QUOTES:
“I do a blog, but I am contemplating writing a book, so that’s what brought me to the conference. I’ve found it’s been useful to stimulate thinking about how to get a book published: to know the industry, know some of the players and how things operate. I knew nothing about how to proceed with that idea, but I’ve learned some of the basics of how to start.”
- Mark Petersen, blogger, President, Bridgeway Foundation
The content of this post was written by Patricia Paddey, based on interviews done at Write! Canada 2009.
Why should Canadian writers and editors who are Christian attend Write! Canada?
We thought we’d ask the experts: the six men and women who have worked as conference directors throughout its history.
Past & present conference directors. From left: Bill Fledderus, N. J. Lindquist, Wendy Elaine Nelles, Brian Stiller, Audrey Dorsch, Larry Matthews (missing, Marianne Meed Ward). Photo by Philip Maher.
Here’s what they had to say:
Brian Stiller: Because if you don’t come, you’ll miss an experience that’s not available to you anywhere else in the world. You’ll fail yourself and your aspirations. And if you’re gifted in writing, you’ll fail the Lord. But I don’t ask you to come for guilt reasons; I ask you to come for grace reasons. The writers’ conference is a gift of grace that the Spirit has helped to engineer for Canadians, to accelerate their understanding and motivation and productivity in writing. And it’s one of a kind.
Audrey Dorsch: Novice writers should attend because they don’t know what they don’t know. More experienced writers should attend because they need the network.
Larry Matthews: For a lot of people, the conference functions kind of like rebooting your computer; there’s a sense of freshness that you take away from it. For many people, that alone is enough to justify coming. Others find a certain clarity in being with like-minded people, and not having to explain themselves. Being with their peers gives them clarity about what they’re trying to do. And of course there are always the skills you gain. But you can get writing skills through teaching in a number of places. What you get here (that you don’t get anywhere else) is a context—as to the significance of your writing—that’s simply beyond your own success or connections.
Marianne Meed Ward: There are always things you can learn and improve, and skills you can develop. The nice thing about this conference is it nurtures writers who are in a unique niche; Christians. There’s a lot of interest in the mainstream community for spiritual, religious writing and this conference helps give people the tools to jump from a church paper, for example, to a mainstream audience and thus to broaden their reach.
Bill Fledderus: Because no matter what level of expertise you’re at, you still need others around you to support you in your career, to help you advance and progress and reach the next level. And this conference is a place where you can meet someone—whatever level you’re at—who’s one rung higher than you, and who can be an inspiration to you or a source of encouragement or good advice. N.J. Lindquist: You don’t know what you don’t know until you meet people who have gone further in the journey or who have experienced different parts of the journey. When you get together with them in person, you will often discover things that will save you many headaches and many hours of going in wrong directions. The writing life is like a maze. And when you come to writers’ conferences, you meet other people who may have gone a little further in that maze and can help you.
Wendy Elaine Nelles: Write! Canada is the one place where you can come and meet 200 to 250 fellow writers and editors, all under one roof. It’s a very intense, three-day period that offers tremendous learning and networking opportunities and chances to market your work and your services, meet new friends and potential new employers, and find out news about the industry. It’s like a three-day crash course that always provides new tips to pick up, new people to meet, new markets to explore, and new things to learn.
***
NOTABLE QUOTES:
“I came to get connected. To see what the Write! Canada buzz was all about, and to meet some fellow writers. It’s been quite humbling actually. I submitted a manuscript and that’s the first time I’ve ever done that. I’m learning a lot. It’s intense. I’m looking at people of various stages of gestation. The air is thick with expectation and hope. As a result, we’re all a little bit fragile too, I think.”
- Renee James, Editor, The Link and Visitor
The content of this post was written by Patricia Paddey, based on interviews done at Write! Canada 2009.
Picture of directors and former directors taken at Write! Canada 2009 by Phillip Maher.
Brian Stiller, now Chancellor of Tyndale University College and Seminary, launched the first national Canadian Christian writers’ conference in 1984, when serving as President of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC). Patricia Paddey spoke with him on the 25th anniversary of the conference.
Patricia Paddey: You started the annual conference that has evolved into Write! Canada. Why?
Brian Stiller: There was nothing like it in Canada. Plus, I didn’t have enough writers to fill the pages of Faith Today magazine. And so I thought, "Let’s do [a conference] to see whether we can interest people in writing."
Patricia Paddey: What were the obstacles in getting that first conference going?
Brian Stiller: Money. Inertia. Newness. People who had an interest in writing, but were afraid to express it in case they would be seen as trying to be more than they were. We had to shatter that false veneer and affirm with people that if you have a desire to write, you probably can write. And if you probably can write, then it’s a gift of the Lord and you have a responsibility to nurture that gift, and we’re going help you.
Patricia Paddey: As you reflect back on that first conference 25 years ago, and you look at what it is today, what are your thoughts?
Brian Stiller: It’s matured incredibly. There’s a breadth of competent people here who bring to aspiring and current writers insights, suggestions of helps, and open doors that we never had before. Twenty-five years ago, we had no Christian publishing company in Canada. We didn’t have a magazine. Everything came from the States.
Patricia Paddey:: As you think about the ripple effect of all the words that have been written by all the writers who have been nurtured at this conference over the past quarter century, how does that make you feel?
Brian Stiller: I’m delighted to see the Church of Jesus Christ strengthened. That’s my love; the Church. And if I can work with others in putting together those kinds of things—whether it’s a writers’ conference, whether it’s the EFC, whether it’s Tyndale—to strengthen and embolden people to use their gifts and be oracles for the King, then I’m gladdened.
Thousands of hours go into planning, organizing and executing the Write! Canada conference every year. What would compel dozens of volunteers to willingly devote so much of what might otherwise be precious writing time and creative energy to such an enormous task? It is a labour of love. But it is also a calling. They do this work, because they believe it is what God would have them do.
For 25 years, this conference has been sustained by the passions and energies of writers and editors who are Christian. But more than that, they are people who care about their fellow writers. And because they care, they do what’s necessary to ensure that the conference is a place where writers can obtain the tools and supports they need, to write the messages God gives them for our needy world.
In honour of this quarter-century milestone in the history of the conference, we thought it important to record some of the thoughts, opinions and stories of those who were there.
May their words and stories inspire and uphold you until we meet again, for Write! Canada 2010.
***
OVERHEARD DAY ONE OF THE CONFERENCE:
“I’ve had two classes and one appointment and I already have enough to keep me busy for the next year!”
*** FAST FACTS:
- Total number of attendees at the conference: 224
- Number of first-time conference attendees: 68
- Females: 158
- Males: 66
- Age range of attendees: from teens into 80’s
- Canadian provinces represented: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba,
Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia
- Average number of books sold in conference bookstore per attendee: 3 – 4
***
NOTABLE QUOTE:
“One of the nice things about coming to these conferences is that you meet people who—in previous years—you tried to encourage and inspire to go on to become writers. And they come back and they actually have a couple of books published! Some of them are now regularly publishing articles. That, by itself, is a testimony to the fact that these conferences do work.”
Larry Willard, Publisher Castle Quay Books, Co-owner Faith Family Books & Gifts
In case you're wondering what's going on behind the scenes, we're actually working hard. We have emails going out to potential faculty right now, and we'll soon be gathering their bios and workshop descriptions and putting everything up so you can see it.
Our goal is to have registration open around the first of February. We just need to have all the details in place first. There are always a few little things that try to hold us back.
Right now, it looks as though we will have continuing classes on key editing things everyone needs to know, how to write stories based on true experiences, how to write great fiction, what journalists need to know today, writing poetry, and creating a speaking ministry. We'll also have a small group intensive for people working on memoirs, autobiographies, or biographies.
So please mark June 17-19 on your calendar right now, and keep checking here for updates.
Retired publisher John W. Irwin and his wife, professor Eleanor Irwin, launch the Grace Irwin Award by donating a record cash prize for Canadian writers who are Christian.
TORONTO – The Word Guild has announced Canada’s largest literary prize for writers who are Christian. A new $5,000 award has been established to honour the late author Grace Irwin. It will celebrate the best book published in 2009 by a Canadian author who writes from a Christian worldview.
All shortlisted finalists in fiction and nonfiction book categories in The Word Guild Canadian Christian Writing Awardswill contend for the Grace Irwin Award. A separate round of independent judging will determine the inaugural prizewinner, who will be announced on June 16, 2010 at a black-tie Awards Gala.
The Word Guild initiated this award to help develop the careers of gifted writers, bring more attention to Christian writers in Canada, and generate increased book sales.
The award’s namesake, Grace Lilian Irwin, was a trailblazing Canadian Christian writer who published both fiction and nonfiction. She passed away in September 2008 at age 101 after a vibrant life as an author, Classics scholar and ordained minister. Her alma mater, University of Toronto’s Victoria College, called her "an inspirational force in the lives of all who knew her."
During her 38-year career teaching English, Latin and Greek at Humberside Collegiate Institute in Toronto, she spent her summers writing at her cottage in Haliburton, Ontario. Her first and best-known novel, Least of All Saints, was published in 1952 by McLelland & Stewart. Seven additional books were published in a 50-year period, including the dramatized biography Servant of Slaves (about British slave trader and hymn writer John Newton), which was praised by a University of Toronto review as the best historical novel of 1961.
The award is co-sponsored by The Word Guild, a national association that represents more than 350 Canadian writers and editors who are Christian. The Word Guild conferred Grace Irwin with the Leslie K. Tarr Award in 2002 for outstanding career contribution to Christian writing and publishing in Canada. Other Tarr Award recipients include Governor General’s Literary Award winners Margaret Avison and Rudy Wiebe.
Retired book publisher and nephew of Grace Irwin, John W. Irwin, and his wife Eleanor have donated the cash prize. M. Eleanor Irwin, PhD, is a retired associate professor of Latin and Greek at University of Toronto Scarborough. John formerly owned a Canadian educational publishing house. His four decades of church and community volunteerism include serving on the board of Christian Info Canada, the parent organization of The Word Guild.
"As a career book publisher, I understand the importance to any author of public recognition of his or her work by winning a juried prize," John explained. "The Irwin family is happy to offer the Grace Irwin Award in recognition of a remarkable life, well lived. We pray that it will assist in the recognition of other Canadian writers of distinction."
Write! Canada 2009 reflects on the past, looks to the future of writing and publishing by Canadian writers who are Christian.
TORONTO—It’s a great time to be a writer; even in the midst of on-going turmoil and dramatic change in the multi-faceted publishing industry. That was the message delivered to 224 writers, editors and publishing industry insiders from across Canada and the United States who gathered in Guelph, Ontario, last week for Write! Canada 2009.
The three-day conference, designed to train and equip Canadian writers and editors who are Christian, was held June 18 to 20 at the Guelph Bible Conference Centre. Organized by The Word Guild, an association of Canadian writers and editors who are Christian, the annual event is the largest of its kind in Canada, and features plenary sessions, workshops and continuing classes that cover virtually every aspect of the writing, marketing and publishing process. This year’s conference included special celebrations with cake, ice cream and a festive atmosphere to mark the 25th anniversary of the event. Seven current and previous conference directors attended, along with six winners of the Leslie K. Tarr award, which honours lifetime career achievement in writing.
Twenty-five years ago, the Christian publishing industry in Canada was far different from what it is today, according to Brian Stiller, chancellor of Tyndale University College and Seminary, and the man who first envisioned the conference. “Everything came from the States,” he remembers. “I didn’t have enough writers to fill the pages of Faith Today magazine. And so I thought, ‘let’s do [a conference] to see whether we can interest people in writing.’”
Three generations of writers have now benefited from the teaching and networking opportunities the conference offers. This year, 158 women and 66 men, ranging in age from teens into the 80s, attended. They came from eight Canadian provinces and five American states. The plenary speakers were Stiller, former conference director Audrey Dorsch and author and columnist Ray Wiseman. Each encouraged listeners to write with excellence to the glory of God.
“The nice thing about this conference is it nurtures writers who are in a unique niche— Christians,” says Toronto Sun columnist Marianne Meed Ward, a faculty member at the event. “There’s a lot of interest in the mainstream community for spiritual, religious writing and this conference helps give people the tools to jump from a church paper, for example, to a mainstream audience and thus to broaden their reach.”
“I was here at the writers’ conference about 20 years ago,” says Sandra Smith, a writer from Laval, Quebec. “At that time, people came because they wanted to improve their church newsletters. Now the emphasis is really on book publishing, marketing, Canadian writing. So it’s wonderful to see the progress we have made as a Canadian group.”
A special Thursday evening symposium included a 12-member panel representing various aspects of the industry. Each panelist addressed—in only four minutes—the future of publishing. Among their predictions: as readers’ attention spans get shorter there will be a renewal of the short story market; e-books will be the biggest growth area of publishing; technology will make it easier to write and get published than ever before, but harder to get paid for it; and whereas writers once had to compete for money, increasingly, they will have to compete for attention.
“It’s been a huge learning experience,” says Toronto poet Avi Dhaliwal. “I don’t think I would have ever gotten such learning in any other place in such a concentrated manner.”
“It’s like a three-day crash course that always provides new tips to pick up, new people to meet, new markets to explore and new things to learn,” says journalist and conference co-director Wendy Elaine Nelles.
“The writing life is like a maze,” adds author, speaker and conference co-director N. J. Lindquist. “And when you come to writers’ conferences, you meet other people who may have gone a little further in that maze who can help you.”
Did you miss the Symposium on the Future of Publishing at Write! Canada on June 19?
Did you hear American literary agent Chip MacGregor’s predictions of where the writing and publishing industry will be in five years? Or, if you were there in person, could you not write fast enough to record his rapid-fire delivery, to get all the info he fit into his four-minute time slot?
Chip just blogged about the 10 points he told us at Write! Canada. Where will we be in five years? Check out Chip’s predictions, and see the comments from his readers.
Great info, great conference, great 25th anniversary celebration.
In it, he says, "Write! Canada is a wonderful connecting place for many of the people whose bylines appear in our pages. It’s a great place for writers to discover new markets and editors to find new contributors. It’s a place where ideas and opportunities are creatively conjoined, a place where skills are strengthened and hearts encouraged."
Apparently the strange weather we’ve been having has led to some trees and bushes coming out later than usual. If you have a tendency towards sneezing and other reactions to plant life, it might be a good idea to bring along some antihistamines just in case.
Check out this blog by Chip MacGregor on "A Dozen Questions about Writing Conferences." He talks about expectations and how to make the most of an appointment with an agent or editor.
if you're coming to Write! Canada and you have books, CDs or other products you've created that you want to bring to sell on consignment in our bookstore, we have a form that you can fill out at home and email to us ahead of time.
Up to 250 Canadian writers and editors who are Christian will gather in Guelph, Ont. from June 17 to 19 for the 26th annual Write! Canada conference. Sponsored by The Word Guild, the conference features Dr. Joel Freeman, author of the book "If Nobody Loves You, Create the Demand," as keynote speaker, plus in-depth continuing classes, wide-ranging workshops, and a host of other learning and promotional opportunities.
How to find information
Place your cursor on the menu bar at the top of this page (Who's Coming, Registration, etc.). A drop-down menu with several levels will appear as you move your cursor down.
Win Registration!
Never-published writers aged 14 and up can win free registration to Write! Canada and other prizes. Deadline March 15, 2010. Contest entry guidelines posted here.
Help us promote Write! Canada by forwarding posts on your social networking services such as Facebook or Twitter. Click on the "Share/Save" icon at the bottom of each blog post. Link to this site on your blog or Web site.
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to The Word Guild
The entire Web site has been updated. If you notice any missing information or links that don't work, please let us know by posting a comment below.
Brian Stiller, now Chancellor of Tyndale University College and Seminary, launched the first national Canadian Christian writers’ conference in 1984, when serving as President of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC). Patricia Paddey spoke with him on the 25th anniversary of the conference.
TORONTO – The Word Guild has announced Canada’s largest literary prize for writers who are Christian. A new $5,000 award has been established to honour the late author Grace Irwin. It will celebrate the best book published in 2009 by a Canadian author who writes from a Christian worldview.
Institute in Toronto, she spent her summers writing at her cottage in Haliburton, Ontario. Her first and best-known novel, Least of All Saints, was published in 1952 by McLelland & Stewart. Seven additional books were published in a 50-year period, including the dramatized biography Servant of Slaves (about British slave trader and hymn writer John Newton), which was praised by a University of Toronto review as the best historical novel of 1961.
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