Norwich Central Baptist Church, Duke Street, Norwich NR3 3AP

Keynote speaker: Corin Child

Practical workshops to inspire writers of all abilities and genres.

Tuesday 12 to Wednesday 13 June

At The Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick, Alfreton, Derbyshire, DE55 1AU

Price: full delegates from only £100 + VAT (30% non-returnable deposit upon booking, balance due April)

Seminars include:

• So you think you understand Christian bookselling?

A Q&A session hosted by ACW on the challenge and opportunities facing Christian publishing and retailing. With representatives from publishers and retailers.

• Online social networking – fad or future?

With ACW members Mel Menzies, author and speaker, and Fiona Veitch Smith, writer and writing lecturer

• Raising the bar

What is required from writers, publishers and retailers to achieve the gold standard in Christian books? Hosted by ACW.

For full programme and booking form, check the CRT website.

The Facebook Event page for the CRT conference can be found here.

• Co-authoring
• Editing a church or community magazine
• Hints for hymn writers
• How to approach a publisher
• How to be a church media rep
• How to sell your book to bookshops
• How to write articles
• Self-publishing
• Starting to write poetry
• Tackling crime fiction
• Writing devotionals
• Writing drama
• Writing fiction for adults
• Writing for children
• Writing for the general market
• Writing your autobiography

They are available to members free by email or at a small cost to cover print and postage. To request a specific Tip sheet, please use the Contact form and please specify whether you would like to receive an electronic or paper copy.

Wednesdays 10.30 – 12.30, from May 2nd to July 11th 2012.

Learn how to write a great short story using writing toolkits to practise exercises and improve your craft.

Go to www.embracearts.co.uk (course RY704) for price and further details.

Venue: Eden Baptist Church, 1 Fitzroy Street, Cambridge CB1 1ER

Topics covered:

• Understand what publishers are looking for
• Pick up tips to improve your writing
• Learn how best to present both you and your writing to the wider world.

Book early for a one-to-one session to discuss your work with Lion Hudson commissioning editor Ali Hull.

Cost £35

To book email lakeswriters@hotmail.co.uk

Saturday 16 June The Write Idea! 10am-4pm, at Norwich Central Baptist Church, Norwich, NR3 3AP. Hosted by the Norfolk Christian Writers. Cost: £15; lunch and refreshments included. Keynote speaker: Corin Child, former acting chair of ACW. Contact Angela (hobdayangela@yahoo.co.uk) or Sarah (hobdaysarah@hotmail.co.uk) for more information, booking and queries.

More for 2012 Watch this space for details of the following further regional events in the Autumn: Weymouth – South Dorset group; Cambridge – Cambridgeshire/ South-West Suffolk group; Porthcawl – Gwent group.

Website Please do remember that there’s now a Groups’ Reports page for the website. Email Jan Greenough with news of meetings and regional events – pictures welcome! Her address: penhouse@btinternet.com

Successor If you might be interested in taking over from me this September, please do get in touch! Email: mwg_hunter@yahoo.co.uk

All best wishes,

Matthew Hunter, Local Writers’ Groups/ Regional Events Co-ordinator

Today 12 members attended, and surprisingly perhaps, only 5 were women. Led by Jan Greenough we learned more about, and discussed, how to present submissions.  We also looked at the variety of writing ACW members are involved with, giving some time to how we contribute by writing to the life of our churches.  We all agreed that next time we should like to learn more about how to publicise our work, since even those who are published commercially increasingly need to do their own PR.
Next Meeting: Saturday  July 7th  2012

Note from the committee: At the Writers’ Day in Bromley on 10th March, Liz Babbs will be talking about how to promote our work.

We welcomed four new people, Tim and his fiancée, Sandra; Trish, and Rachel.  This was in large part due to our entry in Across the City.  It was also good to see Val, Dom, Jo and Adrian.   Because so many new people were present, we introduced ourselves around, and shared a bit about our writing.

In Jeremy’s absence, I read his “Alternative Beatitudes”.  Jo has written particularly about someone she knew from Jimmy’s Night Shelter, who loved the Lord, but had a very tough life – book in progress – and Adrian told us about the research that has to be done, if illustration is to be done well. A considerable number of people have shown an interest in Val’s biography of her husband, Roy.  And Trish has a background in drama, and has written some pieces which were performed at her Church.

I describe myself as an “artisan”, or jobbing writer, writing what need to be written, and I read my piece on “Forgiving others, and forgiving oneself” with reference to the Lord’s Prayer, which is part of the book for Lent “The Sixth Hour”, put together with contributions from the Church Family at St Martins.

Rachel and Sandra were among those who are involved in “Journaling”.  I think several other people in the group were also doing this, without knowing – making notes of our spiritual journey, more revealing than a diary, and something good to look back on, and remind ourselves just how the Lord is speaking to us, and how we were praying.  When I have looked back, I have found so much to thank God for in answered prayer, as did the others in our group who were keeping this kind of spiritual record.

Dom’s spiritual journal is shared through his excellent blogs which he writes and illustrates.  These have been particularly appreciated by CCWers, when I have sent the link round the mailing list.  He was inspired with a sketch and some thoughts for his next blog, during the evening.
It was very special to listen to Tim reading his piece about a first stumbling encounter with an absent father.  It was very moving, with that kind of insight which only comes from first hand experience.

As promised, I shared my personal list of “Books from a Writer’s Bookshelf”.  I also shared about two books that have inspired me in my walk with the Lord, through the years.  Indeed, I was given the little copy of “Daily Light”, back in1966/67, when I was baptised.  Then, wanting to keep a “Quiet Time” each day, I bought a copy of “A Closer Walk”, by E and M Williams, published by Christian Literature Crusade and still obtainable from places like Amazon.

There are plans afoot for Dom, Tim, Trevor, if he is able to – please continue to pray – and myself, to have a joint session on “Blogging” in June.  I have already begun to get an initial grasp of this new media (to me), and my source?  “Which Internet Made Easy for the Over 50’s”!!!  Hooray for Silver Surfers!!

There was a very good response to our February meeting.  Dom was kind enough to email me as follows:  “As I said at the gate, that really was an incredible meeting tonight – absolutely amazing … Dom.”  What makes our meetings so special is how people join in and contribute.  Looking forward to seeing you at our next meeting on March 12th, when we have a session on “Excellence in Writing III”, led by Andrew Phelvin.

There are two categories. The first (with one prize of £50) is fr the best letter published. The second category is for six different letters published in six different publications. The first prize for the this category is £100 and there are runner-up prizes of £50 and £25.

A one-off entry fee of £6 covers any number of letters up to six. Entries of fewer than six letters will be eligible for the ‘best single letter’ only, while entries of six letters will be eligible for both categories.

Letters may be on any subject and any length.

The competition will close on 31 December 2012. To enter send a cheque made payable to The Association of Christian Writers, to PO Box 551, Hounslow, TW3 9NX. Send your letters as hard copy or an email attachment (not a pdf) to admin@christianwriters.org.uk, giving dates and details of the publications in which they have been printed. Include a separate cover sheet giving your name and contact details. Do not put any identifying marks on the actual entries. Winning entrants will be contacted and asked to supply photocopies/scanned copies as verification of publication.

All letters will be judged on their content and style and not on the basis of the publication to which they have been sent. However in the event of a tie the publication may be taken into account as a tie-breaker.

The final winners will be chosen by the editor of a national publication.