NCWA Meetings
Making Time for Growth and God
NCWA welcomes Doug Bursch! Doug will be speaking at NCWA’s June meeting. See end of post for links. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I’m not an early riser. In fact, I’m barely a riser! I will not get up early unless an alarm clock is blaring or my kids are bouncing up and down on my stomach. Unlike most [...]
Slicing Literary Tomatoes
Pastor Michael Duncan spoke about tomatoes at the March NCWA meeting! I stood before the subject and took out the knife – you know the one – the “As Seen on T.V.” knife that cuts through a tin can as well as a soft, ripe tomato. Soon I realized that I don’t want my tomatoes [...]
NCWA February meeting recap: The call, the tools, and a C.L.E.A.R. message
A brief recap of NCWA’s February meeting… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5) GOD said “Go back to school” as Kim Martinez protested, “No money, no time!” In the devotional, [...]
NCWA meeting recap: Trust, facts, and being real
A brief recap of NCWA’s January meeting… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Trust in The LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5,6 Your 35,000 word manuscript was just critiqued by Writer’s Digest! Onward and upward! But then GOD [...]
Curing Writer’s Block
Amy Letinsky shares her recent “Write Start” presentation. There’s a serious condition plaguing writers: writer’s block. I’ve discovered five common causes, and by knowing your typical cause, you can choose a treatment and find a cure. Cause #1: Anxiety The pressure gets to you, and you freeze. Treatments: 1. Don’t wait until the last minute. [...]
Christian films, music and books?
NCWA welcomes Michael Kostov. So what is a Christian film? (By the way, I hate that term). Is it a film about Jesus, the Gospel, a Bible story? Is it a film on Christian worldviews, a story of a missionary family that impacted the world? Or is it about a fallen, broken vessel that struggles, makes [...]
Crafting Scenes Part 1
NCWA welcomes Gloria Kempton in part one of a two part series. Every story is, or should be, created scene by scene. Like a child building a tower of blocks, scenes are built one upon another. Thaisa Frank and Dorothy Wall (Finding your Writer’s Voice) give us another way to look at creating a plot [...]
Ignite the Ordinary
The Northwest Christian Writers Association keynoted Deb Kalmbach for the November meeting. Summary by Mindy Peltier. 1. The Call Deb Kalmbach opened the envelope with anticipation. Her agent was circulating her book proposal of her best work yet. Instead of an offer she read, “I’m not the right person for you. This is going to [...]
Coming Home
NCWA welcomes Deb Kalmbach. Last May, I came home once again. I attended the Northwest Christian Writers Renewal in Seattle. I love working the registration desk because I get to throw my arms around old friends and give an enthusiastic welcome to newcomers. I imagine the bright, new world opening up to them. I remember [...]
Your Workplace: Hill and Lamppost
NCWA welcomes Larry Peabody. As my wife and I drove north on I-5 recently, our windshield framed the Seattle skyscrapers. Borrowing a sentence from Jesus, I stated the obvious: “A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” Jesus used city and lamp metaphors to illustrate the role of his followers as world-illuminators. It’s hard to [...]
