-
Conference Season – Part 5 – OCW Summer Coaching Conference
I’m excited about today’s guest post. Christina Berry Tarabochia was one of the first writers I met when I began my publishing journey. She’s a joy! Not only do I think Christina is amazing, but so is the OCW Summer Conference. Read on…
May the 4th, be with you …
A long time ago at a conference far, far away—
Wait, it was actually not so long ago and very near to me, but Oregon Christian Writers summer conferences have truly been an epic adventure in my life.
At what other conference have all the editors and agents—even female ones—sprouted mustaches overnight? It happened at OCW! (Must have been something in the water.)
Where else has an editor honestly been in danger from an alligator attack? It happened at OCW when Andy McGuire, then with Moody Publishers, came out a side door of the lodge and unknowingly stepped into a wildlife show for foster children on campus as part of an outreach. A mere yard from a chained up alligator, he thought the kids were pranking him as they yelled their warnings until he turned around and came face to face with a scary reptile.
Where else could I have sat down at a breakfast table with Francine Rivers and been prayed over and ministered to regarding my then-husband’s unfaithfulness? God’s presence at OCW is amazing!
Where else could Angela Hunt come to keynote and actually change her planned speech after seeing the spirit of unity and encouragement that pervades the entire conference?
I could tell story after story about the fun I’ve had at OCW—a banana instrument prank, a crazy dress-up night, the year we all melted in the heat, the celebrity stalkings—but that’s not really what captures the heart of OCW, and I’d be doing a disservice to the wonderful organization not to go deeper.
My first year, back in 2004, my mother and I arrived with high expectations and lower-than-we-thought-we-had skills. The OCW community welcomed us right in. Within two years, we were both on the summer conference staff, committed to making sure every conferee and editor and agent has the best experience possible. Without OCW’s bringing in the best of the best, I would not have learned the skills to write and contract an award-winning novel.
Here are a few of the highlights and examples of what sets OCW apart from other conferences:
~small town, forested settings. In our new setting of Aldersgate in Turner, Oregon, there are rich-smelling pines, meandering trails, possible deer sightings, and even a water slide!
~coaching classes. These continuing education classes are usually capped at 12 people. Each morning, you’ll spend a few hours interacting with one of the best writing professionals in the word. I’ve had the privilege of studying under Eva Marie Everson, Bonnie Leon, Lisa Samson, Bette Nordberg, Chip MacGregor, Karen Ball (twice!), Wendy Lawton, and Alice Crider.
~a focus on fiction AND non-fiction. You can learn about poetry, screen-writing, devotionals, magazine articles, memoirs, marketing, social media, and more, as well as novel writing.
~the afternoons are spent in a few workshops—with way too many good ones to pick from, so all the sessions are recorded and available for purchase on CDs—followed by agent or editor panels or the autograph party. (I’ll be teaching All I Really Needed to Know about Writing I Learned Editing this year!)
~giveaways. After each keynote, the winner of the drawing gets either a gift certificate to the book store or a HUGE basket of how-to books or FREE TUITION for next year’s conference.
~quality. The first time I went to a large national conference, I realized I had met nearly every one of the editors and agents at OCW. Truthfully, the editors and agents were a lot more likely to remember me from the smaller conference compared to the national conference.
~tables. Since OCW is more intimate, you can develop true relationship with other writers, editors, and agents. It’s much easier to find the table of one you’d like to talk to during lunch or dinner in a smaller venue! I would count many top editors, several agents, and a few best-selling authors as true friends because of the time we’ve spent connecting at OCW.
~food. Served buffet-style, which allows for repeat visits, the food is amazing. Many conferees, myself included, went crazy over the stuffed meatloaf last year and the chef was kind enough to share the recipe in the next OCW newsletter.
~manuscript critique. Some conferences don’t let you send manuscripts ahead. Some conferences make you pay to send manuscripts ahead. Some conferences only let you send to pro-writers. OCW offers the amazing chance to submit a mini proposal to THREE editors and agents of your choice and you are guaranteed some kind of feedback. Plus, this year, one can also submit magazine articles!
~prayer team. Every single person who sets a foot on campus has been covered by prayer first by our prayer team. They are always on hand to encourage and comfort.
There are so many other amazing things, like the fantastic bookstore, the staff, the volunteers who shuttle people from the airport, and the music, but I think the best thing someone reading this blog can do is come experience it for him or herself.
Christina Berry writes about the heart and soul of life with a twist of intrigue. She holds a bachelor’s in Literature, yet loves a good Calculus problem as well. Captain of a winning Family Feud team, Christina is also a purple belt in tae kwondo and would love to own a de-scented skunk.Her debut novel, The Familiar Stranger, was a 2010 Christy Finalist and Carol Award winner. Released from Moody, it deals with lies, secrets, and themes of forgiveness in a troubled marriage. Christina is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, the Redeemed Writers critique group, and has served on Oregon Christian Writers Summer Conference staff for the past six years. A newlywed who found her prince on eHarmony, she runs a thriving editing business and manages a household of five children and one cat.
A moving speaker and dynamic teacher, Christina strives to Live Transparently–Forgive Extravagantly!
Her work has also appeared in The Secret Place, The Oregonian, The Christian Communicator, and Daily Devotions for Writers.
And still to come…
May 11 – Karen Barnett – Mount Hermon
May 18 – Jodie Bailey – Blue Ridge
-
New Babies, BBQs and Friends
This post is much like my life…eclectic.
One of my favorite roles in life is that of Auntie. It’s like granny practice. Very early Friday morning, just a few hours after the close of my youngest daughter’s eleventh birthday, my new nephew was born. And he is soooo cute!
Each year we celebrate our youngest daughter’s birthday with a family barbeque. It’s a chance to spend time with friends, enjoy some not-so-good-for-you food and take in some sunshine. We’ve done this since she was quite little, and each year the rain takes a break for the party.
It’s become tradition to serve dirt pudding. Usually, I fill a couple flowerpots (specially reserved for pudding) and stick in a sprig of artificial flowers and a few gummy worms. This year I tried something different. They’re not as cute as the flowerpots, but the little dishes sure make it easier when close to thirty kids come at you wanting chocolate.
Click here for recipeAnother yearly tradition on the Nelson farm…the broken lawnmower. No matter how hard we try to be prepared, we can never anticipate what will bust. The other issue here is our not-so-much drainage. By the time we can drive a mower through the yard, the grass is knee-high. With only two hours until our guests arrival, my husband announced that there would be no revival of the rider that day.
I pulled the OLD push mower from the garage, hoping to at least chop down a patch of grass. I had to start by using zip-ties to hold the handle up. The throttle broke off many years ago, so it only has one speed. That lever you’re suppose to hold next to the handle, that piece that you let go of to stop the engine, it’s long gone. When the handle broke off during my oldest son’s turn at mowing, he had to reach way down and push the mower into a tall clump of grass to make the machine stop.
We borrowed a friend’s push mower. Wow. Did you know those things practically drive themselves?
The yard is still a jungle, but we did get that patch where we placed the BBQ and a few chairs. All those kiddos thought the tall grass was awesome. They played for hours out there.
All in all, it was wonderful!
How did you spend your weekend?
-
Conference Season – Part 4 – My Book Therapy Retreats
Kimberly Buckner is here to share her experiences with the My Book Therapy Retreats. She’s not only an amazing writer and critique partner, she’s also a dear friend.
I was in my third year of writing with purpose when I found the edge of my ability. I’d been to conferences, local chapter meetings, read blogs. I’d heard the rules.
Show don’t tell.Use deep point of view.
Don’t head hop.
I had a pretty good idea of what to do, but couldn’t figure out how.
Then I joined My Book Therapy.
I arrived at Storycrafters, leaning on the guarantee that if I came with an idea, I would leave with a story.
Fourteen of us gathered in a quiet retreat center north of Minneapolis as Susan May Warren handed us the pieces of plot. I think we all know that a good plot has many layers. But Susie was able to show me what those layers actually are and how to build them. Over the two-day
period, she broke out character development, story structure, and scene structure.Susie taught each topic, dissembling the how into digestible portions. Then, there was time to actually try it as she came around and guided us forward individually. She helped with all
those things that everyone else seemed to get, but I just couldn’t sort out. I left a little overwhelmed, but with more tools and the knowledge to use them, right in time for NaNoWriMo.Over the next few months, my story grew. It was incredible to watch the plot emerge and
the characters changed as they were meant to.In February, I had my new story ready in time for Deep Thinkers, the second retreat in the MBT series. My writing had hit a new level, and I wanted to continue to improve. Deep Thinkers focused on the emotional development of the characters through the plot. This retreat definitely went through more technique than I could implement all at once, but slowly as I digested the knowledge, it sank in. Once again, the one-on-one time to talk about my specific strengths and weaknesses, to brainstorm, and to look at my personal work, was so
valuable.I came home with yet another roadmap, this time to write the second plane of my novel, and to take the plot points and make them impact my character, and hopefully my reader, to their core.
Now, the non-technical assets I gained? Aside from a few extra pounds from great food…cohorts. I’d call them friends but they’re more than that. In this solitary endeavor, it is refreshing to spend time with those who share a passion for story. I have gained brainstorming
buddies, encouragers, really a community of co-laborers. We keep in touch, spur each other on, and celebrate the milestones as they come.
So, am I there yet? Not by a long shot. But the MBT retreats showed me the how-to of good novel-writing. The small group and intense focus on craft have been the greatest assets I’ve found yet for my writing journey.
Kimberly Buckner is the charter president of ACFW – Arkansas chapter and continues to serve in this roll. She’s been a member of the Association of Christian Fiction Writers for four years and has had the wonderful opportunity to attend this conference each year, where she enjoys not being the only person who hears voices in her head, and tries valliantly not to gawk at her favorite novelists. She’s also a member of My Book Therapy, an educational forum for writers, and it was following a retreat with MBT that her second manuscript semi-finaled in the national ACFW Genesis contest and won the national Touched By Love contest. She has written several articles for her company’s newsletter, and the ARMM newsletter, and the MBT E-zine.Conference Season – Part 2 – ACFW
Conference Season – Part 3 – Inland Northwest Christian Writers Conference
And still to come…
May 4 – Christina Tarabochia – Oregon Christian Writers Summer Coaching Conference
May 11 – Karen Barnett – Mount Hermon
May 18 – Jodie Bailey – Blue Ridge
-
Is it Worth the Time to Write?
My days are full.
I homeschool my younger two kiddos while trying to keep up with the school schedule for my high school kiddos. Afternoons are filled with sports, often four kids in four different activities. We live on a small farm with a horse, twelve sheep, a pig, two steers, two dogs, three cats and a guinea pig. This time of year the lawn always needs mowed and the lawn mower always needs fixed. The house…well, we don’t have a housekeeper and it shows. I could go on, but I believe you understand.
I’m swamped.
Is it even possible for a busy mom to find success in publishing?
Don’t count me out. Writing isn’t my hobby.
Most of us have a passion, something that’s part of who we are. Honestly, I believe that we all do, but my husband insists I’m mistaken. If you’re a runner (beyond my understanding), you run. If you’re a hunter, you hunt. If you’re an artist, you find time to create.
I AM a writer.
During seasons of our lives, such as when our kiddos are small, these passions may have to be modified. But modified doesn’t equal removed. Yes, sleep is important, but so is not losing who we are, that unique spark that God gave us.
Each day there are sacrifices I make to write. I work very hard to be sure the sacrifices are my own and not my children or my husband’s. That’s not always possible. When I leave town for a conference, they must take over. It’s a gift they give to me.
I’m not involved with a lot of church activities. A lunch with a friend is a very rare treat. When my kids are off having their own lives, I strap my fingers to the keyboard rather than take a nap or watch a film.
There are crumbs on my counter, no towels in the upstairs bathroom, the flowers in the vase are dead and no, that’s not a blanket over the television, that’s dust.
And I’m happy.
