Below, you'll find a list of the 13 coaching classes being offered at the 2008 Summer Conference.

(NOTE: If a class you are interested in is full, you may opt to be put on the waiting list for that class. Please indicate your wait list choices when registering.)

1. Contemporary Women’s Fiction — Melody Carlson **CLASS FULL**

From women’s edgier issues-based novels to lighthearted chick lit, Melody Carlson has probably written it. With nearly 200 books to her name (both fiction and nonfiction) her favorite “genre” is women’s fiction—make that women of all ages (from 10–100).

Discover what it takes to write novels about tough subjects like addiction or mental illness. Tap into real-life challenges to create real stories in the guise of fiction. Sometimes life’s hardest subjects are easiest told in the form of a novel.

Although chick lit is the other end of the spectrum from serious novels, quality fiction writing includes some of the very same ingredients. Whether it’s good characterization, compelling plots, engaging description—a good novel is a good novel. Chick lit is a good novel with humor and a light touch.

Not unlike serious adult fiction, the challenge in teen fiction is to connect with a younger reader. That does not mean dumb it down. And it does not mean this is an easier genre to break into. With nearly 50 teen titles to her name, find out from Melody the secrets of writing good teen novels.

Once again, writing for teens is not that different than writing for adults—just trickier. You want to be cool, but you don’t want to be too cool (teen jargon is risky because it quickly becomes dated). But this is a huge and growing market with doors wide open to good teen reads that can compete with some of the general trade series (without the smut).

Bio: Over the years, Melody Carlson has worn many hats, from preschool teacher to youth counselor to political activist to senior editor. But most of all, she loves to write! Currently she freelances from her home. In the past eleven years, she has written around 200 books for children, teens, and adults—with sales close to three million, and many titles appearing on the ECPA Bestsellers List.

Lately, Carlson’s passion for writing has been greatly focused on teens. Informed and aware of the challenges and struggles facing teens today, she writes young adult novels that she hopes will change lives. Her popular series, Diary of a Teenage Girl (Multnomah), has sold more than 500,000 copies. Her TrueColors series (Nav Press) focuses on hard-hitting issues like suicide, addiction, and cutting. And her latest series, The Secret Life of Samantha McGregor, explores the paranormal from a godly perspective.

2. Hurry-Up Strategies for Quicker Publishing Success — Ron Benrey **CLASS FULL**

Why waste time learning from all your own mistakes? It’s much faster—and less painful—to follow proven “best practices” for writing and selling novels that incorporate lessons learned from successful novelists. In today’s tough marketplace, your manuscript must be publishable when you submit to an agent or editor. This coaching class will focus on what you need to know to complete and find a home for your novel—all more effectively and efficiently:

• Honesty (about your writing) is the fastest policy.

• How to write a publishable manuscript the first time around.

• Don’t swim upstream—it’s slower!

• Bonehead mistakes you don’t have time to make (Ron and Janet Benrey made most of them).

• Eliminate the slow-downs in your fiction writing.

• Don’t waste the “Golden Arrows” (agent and editor contacts) that can accelerate your success.

Bio: Ron Benrey, the author of the The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Christian Fiction, is an experienced novelist who has coauthored nine Christian romantic suspense novels with his wife Janet (the Pippa Hunnechurch Mysteries for B&H, The Royal Tunbridge Wells Mysteries for Barbour, and the current Glory, North Carolina, Mysteries for Steeple Hill). He also wrote two Barbour romance novellas and has authored nine nonfiction books.

Ron has taught dozens of fiction courses and workshops at major Christian writers’ conferences. He has also been a mentor for the Christian Writer’s Guild. Ron holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a juris doctor from the Duquesne University School of Law. He’s a member of the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

3. Elves, Demons, and Space Marines: The Joy of Christian Speculative Fiction — Jeff Gerke **CLASS FULL**

If your favorite fiction involves castles, photon torpedoes, or creatures from Beyond, this is the comprehensive class for you. But even if your fiction is more “normal,” you should still come. We’ll be talking about how to write incredible fiction in any genre, but with a special emphasis on the speculative genres: fantasy, science fiction, supernatural thrillers, time travel, and more. Topics include the fun of writing—and the prospects for publishing—Christian speculative fiction, the three mistakes that will make editors reject your fiction (of any genre), how to find your story, and synopsis-writing for the summary-impaired. Come prepared to write, dream and laugh.

Bio: Jeff Gerke has been called the de facto gatekeeper of Christian spec-fic. He has a special place in his heart for Christian speculative fiction (SF, fantasy, supernatural thrillers, etc.) and maintains a thriving website dedicated to those genres: www.WhereTheMapEnds.com. Jeff has served as an editor for Multnomah Publishers, Strang Communications, and NavPress. While at Strang, Jeff launched Realms, the first-ever imprint of Christian speculative fiction. In October 2008 Jeff is launching Marcher Lord Press, an indie publishing company specializing in Christian speculative fiction. Jeff currently makes his living as a freelance editor and book doctor helping Christian novelists improve their fiction and get published. He is also a published novelist. Under the pen name Jefferson Scott he has authored six Christian novels and coauthored two nonfiction books. Jeff and his wife and two children live in Colorado Springs. They are adopting a little girl from China.

4. Fiction Evaluation — Gloria Kempton **CLASS FULL**

We are often too close to our work to see its weaknesses. Gloria was raised by a professional freelance fiction writer who held critique groups in their home the entire time Gloria was growing up, and she knows the value of constructive feedback. In this class, you’ll learn how to ask the kinds of questions of other writers that will bring out your most authentic writing, as well as learn how to graciously receive feedback without defensiveness. We’ll look closely at all of the fiction elements: story structure, voice, viewpoint, rhythm, tone, pacing, setting, characterization and dialogue. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers.

So bring your manuscripts and your courage. Sharing our work with one another and giving and getting feedback will put you on a fast track to getting published. Instructor will bring a stack of published first novels of writers she’s worked with for “Show and Tell.”

Bio: Gloria Kempton is the author of eight nonfiction books, two novels, and hundreds of short stories and articles published in a number of national magazines including Writer’s Digest. She coaches writers one-on-one on any aspect of fiction, nonfiction, or the writing life, and has taught at writing conferences all over the country including the Maui Writers Conference. She was the managing editor of two magazines and was a freelance book editor for nine major publishers. She currently instructs online courses for writersonlineworkshops.com and writers.com. Visit her website: www.writersrecharge.com.

5. Writing for a Woman’s Heart — Janet Chester Bly

Writers who shine draw from their own felt issues and themes then touch a secret place in a reader’s heart. What do the women you know consternate about most? In this class we’ll talk about how to find a hot topic that fits you as a writer and meets a need in the marketplace. What do you have to say that’s different and will make a difference? We’ll learn how to cut the schmaltz while we throw out creative lifelines for the harassed, harried and hurried. Let’s stir up insights into how to define as well as stretch our gender roles in the midst of unsettling social changes.

Bio: Janet Chester Bly makes her home in Winchester, Idaho, and is a popular speaker at women’s retreats and writers’ conferences. She mentors writers through the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild, is a past winner of the Writer of the Year award given by the Mount Hermon Christian Writers’ Conference, and has served as a judge for several contests. She obtained her B.S. degree in literature, and fine and performing arts at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho.

Janet is the wife of Stephen Bly and the mother of three married sons. She is the author of 11 books, including Words To Live By For Women (2004, Bethany), Hope Lives Here (2001, Discovery), God Is Good All The Time (1999, Discovery), Awakening Your Sense of Wonder (1997, Discovery), and The Heart of a Runaway (1995, Discovery, and in print for 10 years). She has co-authored with her husband 18 nonfiction and fiction books, including The Power of a Godly Grandparent (2003, Beacon Hill), The Carson City Chronicles (2000, Servant), and The Hidden West Series (1998, Servant).

6. Getting into Print: Essentials for Nonfiction Writing — Sherri Langton

This seven-hour course includes analyzing magazine markets, shaping ideas into the right genre (personal experience, article, devotional, etc.), ensuring the takeaway value, target practice—finding the right market for your writing, slanting the same idea for different magazines, successful queries, basics of manuscript preparation, setting goals. Lots of hands-on work in class.

Bio: Sherri Langton, associate editor of the Bible Advocate magazine and of Now What? e-zine, has worked in Christian publishing for 19 years. She is also a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Decision, Discipleship Journal, Today’s Christian Woman, and other publications. Sherri has contributed poetry and articles to the collections My Turn to Care, Teatime Stories for Women, Becoming a Godly Man, and Faces of Faith. In addition, she teaches workshops at several Christian writers’ conferences. Sherri lives in Denver, Colorado, where she enjoys playing drums and percussion at her church.

7. Nonfiction Critique Intensive — Linda Clare

Improve your writing skills through reading aloud in the setting of group critique. This intense but fun class will give you tools to give and take constructive feedback. Each participant will bring a nonfiction work-in-progress of no more than five (5) double-spaced pages (a stand-alone essay, article or book chapter) for critique, as well as 10 copies (12 pt. font in TNR or Courier, please) of the work. Learn how to focus, polish your work and give and receive feedback. Appropriate for all skill levels. Class size limited to ten students.

Bio: Linda Clare has taught writing at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, for more than five years, and she facilitates invitation-only weekly critique groups. She is the coauthor of three nonfiction books and has published award-winning essays and fiction in national publications.

8. Mining Your Personal Experience — Marion Duckworth

What do you have to tell the world that no one else can? Your experiences, of course, the way God gentled you through them and bore fruit as a result. Choose the forms that interest you most: memoirs, personal essays, articles and other creative writing forms. You’ll learn practical ways to make your experiences something editors will grab and people will want to read.

Bio: Marion Duckworth has been writing for publication since 1978. After 11 years as a stateside missionary under the auspices of Village Missions, she wrote her first article. Terrified of rejection, she received an acceptance letter that began, “Where have you been all my life?” Encouraged, Marion continued to sell articles to a variety of periodicals. Her first book, The Greening of Mrs. Duckworth released in 1980. She has published 16 more books, hundreds of articles as well as Christian education material, and has spoken at church retreats, conferences, and other events. Many readers related to what she had to say and asked for help with their own problems. So she and her husband, John, established Abiding Ministry, a free counseling service. In 2000, John suffered a stroke, and Marion cared for him until his death in 2004. A year or so ago, she resumed her writing and speaking career. Her latest book, Naked on God’s Doorstep, released in November. She also works as a book doctor and editor, and invites conferees to let her help them. She has served as a consultant/mentor for OCW for many years.

9. Words Is Where It’s At! — Gail Denham

Bad grammar! I know. Yet often it’s one word or one phrase that can change your writing from the ordinary to a piece that zings with life. In this class we’ll use a wide variety of word prompts, exercises and ideas to experiment with poetry, flash fiction, essays or short memoirs. Join us for creative fun.

Bio: Gail Denham has sold articles and photos to magazines, book publishers, calendar companies, and newspapers for over 20 years. Credits include Guideposts, Northwest Living, Horse Illustrated, Cat World, Reminisce, Harcourt & Brace, Harper & Row, Country, and many more. In the last 25 years, over 300 of her stories have appeared in at least 85 different markets. She has taught short story, poetry, and photo workshops at many Northwest writing conferences, and has conducted writing workshops for elementary and secondary schools and for community colleges. Gail also has worked as a manuscript editor, and was editorial consultant and contributor to Zoomer & Co., a “Bookazine” publication.

10. Internet Marketing for Writers — Randy Ingermanson **CLASS FULL**

Internet marketing is growing rapidly in importance for writers. In an April 2006 survey about which types of publicity and promotion sells books, the authors of the survey concluded: “The most effective way to promote a book, the survey found, was through the Internet, followed by coverage in trade magazines that report on an author’s particular field. Book signings were far down the list …” (source: raintoday.com) If Internet marketing is so important, why isn’t somebody teaching it? The answer is that a lot of people are teaching it, but very few of them are writers. Most of them are marketers who sell information on how to sell information to people who want to sell information on how to sell information to people who want to … you get the picture. The trick is finding people who actually sell something real. It took me some time, but I found them.

I’ve been studying Internet marketing now for more than three years. Two years ago, when I was laid off from my day job, I didn’t bother to look for another one, because my online venture was taking off. It’s still growing and recently I’ve begun teaching the basic methods of marketing to writers. You don’t have to be a techie (although it helps). You do need to be willing to work hard.

I’ll teach you the fundamentals of internet marketing: Creating a killer website, pulling in boatloads of traffic, building a massive e-mail database, running an effective blog, and selling products that you care about deeply. I’ll also point you to the internet marketers whom I trust (there aren’t many of them) and tell you how to know whom to avoid (there are lots of those).

Marketing should be FUN. I used to hate marketing, but now … I’ve gotten so I actually like it. You can too, if you’re willing to work hard and aren’t scared by a teeny little bit of technology.

Bio: Randy Ingermanson is the award-winning author of six novels and one nonfiction book. He is the publisher of the Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, the world’s largest electronic magazine on how to write fiction, with well over 10,000 readers. Randy is President, CEO, Supreme Dictator for Life, and First Tiger of Ingermanson Communications, Inc., an internet marketing company that trains novelists at all levels. He sits on the advisory board of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Randy holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from UC Berkeley, so he feels obligated to include a physicist character in every novel. He lives in southern Washington with his wife and three daughters, all of whom are held in thrall to the evil spell of two wicked and remorseless cats. Visit Randy’s personal website at www.Ingermanson.com and his business site at www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com.

11. Writing for Children — David and Helen Haidle

For children's writers of all skill levels.

Jesus called children the "greatest" in the Kingdom of heaven! Bring your manuscripts and story ideas as we work together on books to bless God's children. Learn to write a proposal as you format your manuscript for a children's picture book. Sharing experiences from their 45 award-winning books, David & Helen present practical suggestions in planning, writing, editing, critiquing, and completing a dynamic book for children.

Bio: David and Helen Haidle, an award-winning author-illustrator team, have worked on books together for half of their 40 years of marriage! Helen has written 40 books with major Christian publishers with sales of 1,700,000. David has illustrated 16 books. During the past 12 years, their books have won three C.S. Lewis Silver Awards and three CBA Silver Medallions, plus many of their books have been on the CBA Bestseller Lists. Their publishing company, Seed Faith Books LLC, provides teaching and outreach resources for churches and Christian schools. Their company also prints and distributes books for over 20 nonprofit ministries to distribute to thousands of needy and neglected children; to adults in correctional institutions, prisons, shelters, tent-cities; and in special “blankie” packs given to hundreds of foster children. Haidles’ books were sent abroad to missionaries in Cameroon, Kuwait, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Cuba. Hundreds of mini-books and bookmarks were placed in care packages sent to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and also in a military hospital in San Diego. Many “seed-sowers” are making the vision of sowing seeds and “feeding my sheep” come true. Visit their website at www.seedfaithbooks.com.

12. Secrets to Jump-Start Your Publishing Dreams - Chip MacGregor **CLASS FULL**

Whether you call them “secrets” or “difference makers” or critical steps, there are key decisions every writer makes that determine whether their material is published or joins the millions of manuscripts stuck in some desk drawer or floating around at publishing houses—and not appearing in bookstores or on websites like Amazon.com. The content in this coaching class is brand new. If you’ve been in Chip's classes in years past, come again because you will hear fresh insight and gain a new enthusiasm for your own writing dreams.

Here are some of the topics Chip will address in his coaching sessions:

• Publishing in Today’s Environment – a Real Look
Understanding Today’s Market Conditions, Trends and Strategies
Walk in the Editor’s Shoes for a Few Minutes – Understand the Relationship
12 Characteristics of Successful Writers

• The Importance of the Pitch
Fiction vs. Nonfiction – For either the first impression is critical
Book Proposals with Excellence
What are the critical elements of a nonfiction book proposal?

• Contracts and Agents

• The Merits of Diversity for Your Writing
Why every writer should still write magazine articles
Can you write with others? – Ghostwriting & Collaboration
Where Do You Find These Opportunities?
Building a Platform & Why – nonfiction and fiction
How to be proactive in promotion but not be high maintenance.

Bio: Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary

Chip is once again hanging around and bothering people. He made his living as a writer for years, then became an editor (serving as Senior Editor for two different CBA houses), before moving on to becoming a literary agent with Alive Communications. He then spent two years as a publisher at Time-Warner, “making us all wonder why he can’t hold a job.” An Oregon native, these days he’s keeping busy working as an agent, running MacGregor Literary, and going on endlessly about his Scottish ancestry. If you see him in a kilt, you may want to shield your eyes.

13. Being a Pro — Jeanette Gardner Littleton **CLASS FULL**

What does it mean to be a “pro” in the Christian writing business? In this coaching class, we’ll talk about different areas of professionalism for writers:

• Writing Like a Pro—Advanced tips and techniques that separate the sometimes-writers from the steady freelancers.

• Editing Like a Pro—How to take the second look that will make your manuscript sing … and need so little work from the editors that they’ll put you on their A list.

• Living Like a Pro—How to keep the assignments coming in, present yourself, communicate with editors, and actually make a living from your work

• … and more! By the time you leave this coaching class, you should have a deeper understanding of how to be the pro writer you’ve always wanted to be.

Bio: Jeanette Gardner Littleton has written around 4,000 pieces over the past 30 years. Her experience expands from writing articles and devotionals to writing books—and everything in between. (“Anything anyone will pay me for!” Jeanette confesses.) She also has broad experience on the editorial side of the desk. She has been an editor for several publications, including Moody Magazine, and currently serves as content editor and advisor for several publications; has been a book acquisitions editor; edits and compiles books for publishers such as Adams Media and Tyndale; and edits books for a variety of publishing houses. She and her husband, Mark, co-direct Heart of America Christian Writers Network (www.HACWN.org) and Jeanette loves to teach at conferences.