Director N. J. Lindquist has been guiding the conference since July of 2001, and she’s more than happy to act as mentor and cheerleader while others with new ideas and enthusiasm take over the reins.

Two new assistant directors plus a dozen other new volunteers will make the 2012 conference the best organized one yet! And that’s saying a lot, because many of our faculty and registrants have told us that Write! Canada is one of the best organized conferences of any kind that they’ve attended.

Our new conference staff includes some who have been involved for 10 or more years and some who came to the conference for the first time last year.

Assistant Director Jayne E. Self has been a conference attendee since 2000, and has been the Manuscripts and Appointments Coordinator for several years.
Asked why she was willing to accept this new challenge, Jayne says, “To be honest, I’m a little surprised to find myself here as I see myself as a care giver, rather than a leader. Since my first conference, I have progressed slowly from attendee, to volunteer to staff. I’ve seen God open doors and bless each step. This new position builds on what’s gone before, enabling me to care for more folks. I feel very honoured to be here." Read an interview with Jayne

Assistant Director Lois Rooney-Giurin attended the conference for the first time last year. At the conference, she found the encouragement and inspiration to move towards the career that had always beckoned—that of a writer and editor, so she decided to volunteer her skills in leading and organizing. Read an interview with Lois

Of course, some of our long-term and more recent staff are back too! Since we seem to find more to do all the time, our team just keeps getting bigger.

Heidi VanderSlikke, Write! Canada Bookstore Team Lead, who has been part of the leadership since 2002, says: "The Word Guild is a unique group, and yet like any other community, by definition it needs its members to connect with each other. For me, working in the Write! Canada bookstore is an opportunity to invest something of myself into The Word Guild. The return on that investment is a connection to the people I work alongside of, as well as those who come into the store. It's a little slice of Heaven, really. I'm surrounded by books, the people who wrote them and the people who love them."

Andi Harris, Volunteers Team Lead, who joined our volunteer team last year, says, "Being part of the leadership of Write! Canada is like the Kingdom; we all do our part, and are fitly joined together. Like the pieces of a puzzle, we help hold each other together."

 See the complete list of Write! Canada staff

As for Write! Canada 2012, we're currently finalizing details and hope to open registration in a couple of weeks.

When Lois Rooney-Giurin, new Assistant Director of Write! Canada, first attended the conference last year, she was at a crossroads in her life. Having just quit her job at Sears Canada, she asked God, “What next?”

A new friend, Jayne E. Self, invited Lois to come to Write! Canada 2011, and, feeling that God was leading her, Lois agreed. Leaving her home in Chatham, Ontario, she travelled down Highway 401 to Guelph.

As she ate lunch in the dining hall at the Bible Conference Centre, she connected with fellow writers. In classes at the chapel, she affirmed her skills as a writer/editor. In the lounge, she visited The Word Guild booth and became a new member, enabling her to “keep in touch with others on the same path.” When the call came out for volunteers to help with Write! Canada, Lois was quick to offer her organization and leadership skills.

As the daughter of a former editor of the Imperial Oil Review, and the granddaughter of a newspaper editor from Dublin, Ireland, writing is in her blood. Other influences were the writings of L.M. Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, Jan Karon and C.S. Lewis. She was a Georgetown, ON, newspaper columnist in the 1990s.

Recently, Lois experimented with children’s books, penning The Brown Dog Finds a Home, based on her childhood dog, Gypsy, who had been abandoned by a hunter and left for dead, but found his way to a town and was adopted by her family. Lois is currently seeking a publisher for her story.

The daughter of Presbyterian minister in Southwestern Ontario, Lois was so immersed in church life that she vowed she would never marry a minister. She found a nice, Italian-Canadian, Roman Catholic boy, and they settled down. In time, her husband converted to her "brand" of Christianity and studied to be a pastor – and Lois became a minister’s wife. They went on to raise two healthy children.

Studying piano and voice as a youngster fostered a lifelong love for music. With the encouragement of her high school music teacher, who taught her how to play a number of woodwind instruments, she adopted music as her major at the University of Western Ontario where she studied Music Education and majored in voice.

More recently, Lois learned how to play bass guitar, and she currently plays in her church praise team. She has used her musical abilities successfully to lead others in worship.

As Write! Canada’s Assistant Director, Lois works with the Core Leadership Team. Right now, her role is primarily administrative, writing letters and editing documents.

As a former participant at the conference, her advice for newcomers is this: “Bring some stories and an open mind, and make sure you have some time afterward to assimilate the information you receive.”

In 2009, Lois started a web-based proofreading and editing business called e-Edit Plus. She explains that the “plus” in her business is her faith in Christ.

When asked for advice for beginner writers, she says “persevere and pray.” It was prayer that led her to last year’s conference. Let prayer be your guide as you consider signing up for Write! Canada 2012. Lois would tell you it’s worth the trip!

Check out Lois’ blog at www.changingbig.blogspot.com.

Lois was interviewed by Linda Jonasson of the Write! Canada PR Team. Check out her blog here.

As a new leadership team moves into place, Jayne E. Self takes on a bigger challenge

JB: How many years have you been involved with Write! Canada,

Jayne: I came to my first conference back in 2000, but it was several years before I had the courage to step forward and volunteer. I have never looked back!

JB: Tell us about some of your volunteer work with Write! Canada.

Jayne: I was Manuscript and Appointment Coordinator for several years. That position allowed me to work closely with both faculty and conference attendees. The biggest plus of this job was the opportunity to help and encourage others. I got to know faculty, and be known by faculty, to know other writers, and learn as I previewed their work. Once we began pre-booking faculty appointments the work load increased exponentially.

This year, I am assuming a new role in Write! Canada, and we have someone else taking over my appointment responsibilities.

JB: What is involved in your new role as Assistant Director of Write! Canada? 

Jayne: Write! Canada is growing. No longer can the few do the work required to administer a conference of this size. In order to continue as a national conference, the tasks once carried out by individuals are being distributed among teams. I am one of three coming alongside W!C Director N. J. Lindquist. We are busy learning what she has done in past years and assuming many of her responsibilities. I will be the faculty liaison member of our team. I think it’s very telling that it will take at least three of us to partially fill her shoes!

JB: What interested you in taking on this position?

I’m a little surprised to find myself here as I see myself as a care giver, rather than a leader. Since my first conference, I have progressed slowly from attendee, to volunteer to staff. I’ve seen God open doors and bless each step. This new position builds on what’s gone before, enabling me to care for more folks. I feel very honoured to be here.

JB: How has Write! Canada encouraged you?

Jayne: The skills needed to succeed as a writer today are as much about computers, Internet, and networking, as crafting a sentence. Write! Canada has given me the chance to learn these skills in a low pressure, supportive environment from unimaginably patient teachers.

I’m not the same, shy, uncertain person I was when I arrived at my first conference. God is using Write! Canada to transform me into the person He wants me to be. I find that immensely exciting and faith affirming.

If you were talking to someone considering attending Write! Canada for the first time, what would you tell them about the conference?

I would tell them that Write! Canada changed my life. God has used my involvement with W!C to grow me as a writer, and as a Christian. I have learned, made professional contacts and developed life long friendships. I would not be a published writer if not for W!C. That’s no exaggeration.

Jayne's website

Jenny Burr of the Write! Canada PR Team interviewed Jayne. You can visit Jenny's blog here.

All never-before-published Canadian writers who are Christian—including teenagers and young adults—are invited to enter The Word Guild’s “God Uses Ink” Novice Writing Contest.

Contestants may write on any subject and in any genre, including short stories, poems, scripts, and nonfiction articles.

Submissions may not exceed 1,500 words. Independent judges who are experienced writers and editors will evaluate the entries and provide helpful feedback.

This contest is designed to encourage and recognize new and aspiring writers. For the purposes of this competition, "unpublished" means the writer has never been paid for something he or she has written.

Prizes will be awarded in three age categories:

• Teenagers: 14 to 19
• Young adults: 20 to 39
• Adults 40+

First-prize winners in each category will receive free registration to Canada's largest Christian writing conference, Write! Canada, June 14–16, 2012, a value of more than $400.

Second prize: A $100 gift certificate for The Word Guild, which may be used for conference registration, membership, etc.

Third prize: A $50 gift certificate for The Word Guild, which may be used for conference registration, membership, etc.

Entries must be received by February 15, 2012.

Go here for details and online registration

June 23, 2011

GUELPH, ONTARIO—Good writing can change readers forever, but bestseller lists fall far short of measuring that influence, according to participants at Write! Canada 2011, a three-day conference held June 16-18 in Guelph, Ontario.

For people of faith, good writing must combine technical excellence in content and marketing, but must also emerge from a life directed by God.

Whether one writes for the mainstream audience of a daily newspaper, for a niche audience that loves theology, for Christian romance fiction or inspirational biographies, writing is nonetheless a divine calling, a labour of love that can sometimes veer in unpredictable directions if the writer is open to God’s direction.

Keynote speaker Grace Fox from British Columbia, and author of Moving From Fear to Freedom (Harvest House), shared with the 200-some attendees how her initial efforts to write for greeting cards were redirected by God into interviewing and profiling Christian athletes, and redirected again into devotionals, Bible studies, speaking, and her latest book, Moving From Fear to Freedom.

Two other keynote speakers, Tim Huff and N. J. Lindquist, shared from their hearts how God had led them into their current ministries and how writing became part of what they do. Tim Huff, author of Dancing with Dynamite (Castle Quay Books)—which won the Grace Irwin Award on June 15—is a veteran worker with Toronto’s homeless population and worldwide advocate for the homeless. N. J. Lindquist, co-founder of The Word Guild, the organization sponsoring the conference, is an award-winning author and columnist as well as the co-editor of the best-selling Hot Apple Cider anthology, and the newly released A Second Cup of Hot Apple Cider.

At the beginning of her presentation, Lindquist played a music video titled “Today I’m Gonna Try and Change the World” by Canadian songwriter Johnny Reid. She then illustrated with examples from her own life how God has created each person to be unique, and encouraged writers to let that uniqueness shape their writing. She emphasized that writers can change the world through their words, one person at a time.

Veteran writer Ray Wiseman commented, “…what a great conference! Certainly one of the best ever…” Writer Glynis M. Belec shared, “Write! Canada 2011 touched hearts and souls and spurred writers on to change the world with their words!” And Belinda Burston wrote, "Words can’t express what the conference meant to me. I loved the people I connected with and the stories I heard.” Those attending felt the time and money spent well worth it and went away encouraged and better equipped for their writing and editing tasks.

The conference is held annually to train and equip Canadian writers and editors who are Christian. It features classes, workshops and other forms of teaching on virtually every aspect of writing, marketing and publishing.

“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 Wendy Elaine Nelles of Toronto, co-founder of The Word Guild.

Participants came from across Canada, and several of the faculty experts came from the United States.

Canadian writers and editors network year-round through The Word Guild.

Speaker Interview with Ron Hughes

Ron Hughes works in radio in both executive and production capacities at FBH International.

My first writer's conference was several years ago when Phil Callaway was the featured speaker. The other conferences I’ve attended have never failed to sharpen my skills and motivate me to get writing. Writing has been a major part of my work for many years, but I didn’t feel free to consider myself a writer until I did some calculations and discovered that I’d written over two million words. From then on, I’ve identified myself as a writer (among other things). It also helped when The Word Guild accepted my application as a professional member. Writing crept up on me rather gradually. I can’t say that there was one defining piece which made all the difference. I can think of several high points, the first of which was selling my first documentary to the CBC for broadcast back in 1975. The greatest challenge is to write for the ear rather than for the eye. For writing to come across well in the media, it has to sound natural. (Lots of contractions and verbal short hand things which can be communicated with the performer’s voice.) Those don’t work well for the eye. Related to this is the fact that your words are interpreted by the performer and not accessed directly by the consumer. This adds another layer where your intent can be enhanced or hindered. Media genres are as varied as literary ones. Know the medium you are writing for and learn the tools and tricks that work for it. For example, descriptions of both setting and characters are important in radio scripts to help the listener visualize key elements, but they get in the way in a TV script or screenplay where one establishing shot does the job in about 5 seconds. A reasonably literary style that works well for print can come across as formal and stuffy on the radio. Writing for media is exciting because of the added creative input from performers, musicians and technical people. It is a thrill to hear your words interpreted by gifted artists and supported by all the tricks of the trade.

Hear what Ron Hughes has to say on the panel of Opportunities You Might Not Know About. http://www.familybiblehour.com/   Interview by Andi Harris Vizionstories Writing Services

Speaker Interview with Ray Wiseman

With nearly 30 years of experience, panel speaker, Ray Wiseman shares his story and some advice.

My writing career had taken off in the early 1980s when my employer put me in charge of technical writing and publication. A few years later I also began writing for Partners magazine, a publication of Partners International (PI). They offered to send me to 'God Uses Ink' in November of 1988. I had wanted to attend previous conferences, but this push from PI accelerated my career; it became one of the best things that ever happened to me.  

Sometime in the early 1990s, God Uses Ink included a track for professional writers. By then I had begun writing a weekly newspaper column, had published a series of major, book-length, technical reports for my employer, and become editor for Partners magazine. When I examined the required qualifications for entry into the professional track, I realized I fitted. Over the years, I had morphed into a real writer and editor.

The conference became my main source of editing and writing information and training. I have developed many good friends and met amazing people. I have learned much from opportunities to teach workshops and critique manuscripts; indeed, critiquing manuscripts at Write! Canada developed into a retirement career.

When I first self-published, I had to do or arrange for everything: cover design; internal design and layout; get an ISBN; get help editing; find a distributor. Now a number of good companies have appeared to help in these areas. Now anyone can publish a reasonably attractive book, but it takes much more work to sell it—even with the help of the Internet.

If you really feel called to write, hang in there. Don't let multiple rejections dull your ardor. Accept all the help you can get; and the best place to get help is at a writers' conference, and you won't find a better conference than Write! Canada.
 

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Ray Wiseman is one of the panel members of The Business Side of Self-Publishing at this year's conference.

Interview by Andi Harris

Vizionstories Writing Services

Maranatha News: What special group does Write! Canada’s large conference target?
NJ Lindquist: Christians who are now writing or editing, or who dream of one day being a writer or editor. We have classes for everyone from aspiring writers to multi-published authors.

MN: What is the overall objective of this annual conference?
NJL: To help individuals connect with other like-minded people; to help them learn how to write or edit more effectively; to help them get published, and promote themselves.

MN: How do your own goals fit into this purpose?
NJL: My personal goal is to raise the quality of Christian writing in Canada.

MN: Can you tell us about The Word Guild, to which Write!Canada belongs?
NJL: The Word Guild is an organization of about 400 writers and editors from across Canada, all of whom agree to the Apostles’ Creed. Members come from all denominations, from all types of writing, and from all skill levels. The Word Guild’s mandate is to connect, develop, and promote Canadian writers and editors who are Christian, so that they can do a better job of reaching their audiences.

MN: What happens at Write! Canada? What features attract your conferees?
NJL: The conference is held June 16 – 18 at Guelph Bible Conference centre in Guelph, Ontario [Ed. about an hour west of Toronto], and goes from Thursday just after noon until Saturday at 5 p.m. We have three plenary sessions; six six-hour continuing classes (you choose one); 18 workshops (you choose three); 1:1 appointments with faculty; worship; times of celebrating each other’s accomplishments; prayer times; open mic readings; and more.

MN: Tell us about celebrating Write! Canada’s special anniversary.
NJL: This will be the 10th conference operated by The Word Guild. Prior to that, it was operated for 18 years by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and was known as God Uses Ink.

MN: After organizing this annual Writers Conference for the past 10 years, I see you are also one of the three keynote speakers this year. What aspect of writing do you plan on sharing with attendees?
NJL: Our theme is “Changing the World with Words.” My emphasis will be on the current state of publishing, the need we have in Canada for strong writers and editors with a Christian faith perspective, and the Biblical mandate for us to work together to become more effective – known for both the quality and the depth of meaning in our work.

MN: In looking at the future of Canadian Christian writing, what do you see?
NJL: We’re at a crossroads. With the introduction of e-readers and worldwide access, and with the rules of publishing changing every week or two, what was the “norm” is gone. It’s up to us to work together to find new ways to navigate these uncharted waters.

MN: Who should attend this year’s Write! Canada conference?
NJL: I’d love to see anyone who is thinking of publishing a book at any time in the next 10 years, anyone who wants to grow as a writer, Christians from 18 to 80 who want to foster their creativity, and people from ethnic communities who may be fearful of not being welcome. We need every one of them to come together. And, if they can’t make it to the conference this year, to get connected by joining The Word Guild.

MN: If I write poetry, is this a conference I should attend?
NJL: While there isn’t a specific class or workshop on poetry this year (we had a six-hour class last year), there are still many skills to be picked up that would help poets. One of our most exciting classes this year is “Time Management for Creative People.” We’re thrilled to have Harold Taylor of Harold Taylor Time Consultants Inc., teaching it. Harold will also be teaching a workshop on “Starting a Speaking Business.” Yes, there’s a lot more to writing than knowing how to put sentences together.

MN: As a final question, let me ask how I can get a book published.
NJL: I’d have to say Come to Write! Canada and find out. Most people who self-publish do it wrong. They print their book; they don’t publish it. My husband and I will be teaching a workshop on “Essentials You Need to Know Before You Self-publish a Book.”

The desire to write grows from somewhere. Read panel participant Kim Burgsma's story.

Q: Why landscape design? Who or what has influenced you in your current career choice?

A: Gardening was my passion before I became a landscape designer. My desire was to work in a field (no pun intended) that I loved. I feel very blessed to be able to use God’s creation in a way that people can use and appreciate on a daily basis. I also believed that I would be able to work primarily from my home, offering me a flexible work schedule. As a wife and

mother of three children, it was important for me to be able to be home when they were home from school, at least most of the time.

I give a lot of credit to my supportive husband who has always encouraged me to follow my dreams, and believes that I can do more than I ever think I’m capable of. He also runs a mean vacuum cleaner, and can rustle up a great dinner when I’m too busy to do so.

Q: While writing your newly released book, Almost Eden, is there anything you learned about writing or landscaping that had surprised you? How have you learned from them?

A: I am a landscape designer first and a writer second, which means I had a lot to learn about writing. I still do. I believe what surprised me most about writing is that I can actually write. An even bigger surprise is that people have made such wonderful comments about how certain parts of my book have inspired them either as a gardener or a Christian.

I wouldn’t say that I have learned a great deal more about landscaping. Instead I would say that I have gained an even greater appreciation for the diversity and life cycle of plants. As a landscape designer, I know that I can try to mimic nature, but I will never be able to recreate the wondrous, majestic gardens God has lavished on this earth. God’s awesome glory is revealed in nature and humbles me each day.

Q: Landscape design is said to be like creating poetry or music. Do you create your designs from an artistic view, or based first on functionality?

A: A great landscape design cannot have one without the other. The first thing necessary to create a beautiful garden, is to first find out how the client would like to use his/her garden, understand what their vision of a garden is, ask about their budget, and time for maintenance.   There is no point creating a wonderful landscape design if the client cannot afford it, hasn’t the time to maintain it, or cannot use it in a practical manner.

Creating great gardens is like painting, only your palette is the materials, both plant and hardscape, and your canvas is the garden space. The arrangement of these materials is similar to music. There needs to be visual flow to the garden with an element of surprise and excitement here or there.

A well executed landscape design, in my opinion, is the best art of all. A garden is art that is ever changing. You can look at your garden each week, month, and season and be surprised by something different each time.

Q: If nothing else, what is the one thing you would like the attendees at Write! Canada to take away from your panel discussion?

A: There are always people who are smarter, more experienced, and polished than ourselves, regardless of how long we have been writing. Be open minded, ask lots of questions, seek and ask for criticism, and be humble enough to re-evaluate your work when constructive criticism is offered. 

I would also like to see great writers succeed. Unfortunately, that means that you have to do more than write. You also have to have some business savvy to make your work successful. I am hoping that those who have trouble with the business end of writing will see its necessity. I truly hope that we, as a panel, can simplify the business process so that others may apply it to their own work so they, too, will be able to create a successful writing career. 

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Be a part of the discussion as Kim Burgsma shares on the panel for The Business Side of Self-Publishing.

Interview by Andi Harris

Vizionstories Writing Services