Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith . . . July 20

July 20-25, 2014
Jill Renich Meyers
Dr. R.A. Torrey
Looking unto Jesus,
the author and
finisher of our faith . . .
Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV)
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
SUNDAY
3:30 REGISTRATION Lobby, Dreyer Lodge
5:30 SUPPER
Tea Room, Dreyer Lodge
7:30 OPENING SESSION
Chapel, Dreyer Lodge
Keynote: Faith for All Generations
Cecil Murphey
9:00 GET ACQUAINTED TIME
Chapel, Dreyer Lodge
MONDAY-THURSDAY
7:30 BREAKFAST
8:45 MEDITATION & WORSHIP
9:15 MORNING CHALLENGE
M: Your Most Essential Writing Tool-
A Pure Heart
Elaine Miller
T: Trust and Perseverance
Torry Martin
W: The Conceit of Writing
Cecil Murphey
Th: Staying Motivated to Run the Race
Larry Leech
10:15 BREAK
10:40 MAJOR MORNING CLASSES
12:30 LUNCH
1:30 AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS
4:30 M: BOOK LAUNCH PARTY DEMO
Maureen Longnecker,
Ginny Merritt
T-Th: CRITIQUE GROUPS or FREE TIME
5:30 DINNER and FREE TIME
7:30 EVENING SESSIONS
M: DRAMA IMPROV EXTRAVAGANZA
Brian Maxwell, Torry Martin
T: OPEN FORUM ON PUBLISHING
Larry Leech
W: SILVER CELEBRATION
Music, Photos, God-Link
Donna Krieger
Marsha Hubler
Th: WRITERS THEATER
Carol Wedeven
FRIDAY
7:30BREAKFAST
8:45 MEDITATION, WORSHIP, and CHALLENGE
Iron Links in a Silver Chain Grace Fabian
11:00 BENEDICTION and FAREWELLS
SILVER LINKS IN GOD’S ETERNAL PLANS
MCWC’s silver anniversary! What a great opportunity to recall the highly polished,
intricately designed heirloom links received from Dr. R. A. Torrey, world-renowned
evangelist, Bible teacher, and prolific author who founded the Montrose Bible
Conference in 1908 and his granddaughter, Jill Renich Meyers, women’s speaker and
author, who invited a few writers to get together to “talk about writing” in 1989.
Jill’s invitation has spawned many priceless links with writers and speakers who
perpetuate her visionary heritage with a passion to touch, equip, and empower others
to be effective links as the Master Jeweler sees fit.
Links. Whether designed to be stunning pendants of God’s grace or simple clasps for
securing a necklace, we need to link together. After all, pendants may be bigger, flashier,
and more expensive, but they depend on a sturdy clasp to keep them from falling.
Looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith, to fashion, polish and place us
precisely where he needs us in his eternal plans—
Patti Souder
Director, MCWC
CONTINUING CLASSES
Designed to provide in-depth learning and participation.
Most valuable when taken as a series but open
to those who cannot attend every day.
MAJOR MORNING CLASSES
10:40-12:10 Monday-Thursday
1. STEPS TO SUCCESS
KATHY IDE
You love to write, and you have ideas you
want to share with others. But where do
you go from here? Explore what defines
success for your writing and how to
achieve it. Learn to write from the heart,
organize your material, format a manuscript, polish your
writing, and catch typos and errors in Punctuation, Usage,
Grammar, and Spelling (PUGS). Discover ways to decide
which publishing option is right for you and how to pursue
that path, including how to get your writing to your target
audience.
Kathy is a full-time freelance editor/proofreader/mentor
for new writers, established authors, and book publishers
as well as founder and director of The Christian PEN:
Proofreaders and Editors Network and the Christian Editor
Network. Kathy has written and ghostwritten books, articles,
short stories, devotionals, and curriculum. Her newest book
is Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors.
Larry spent nearly two decades writing, editing, and
managing news and sports departments at various
newspapers. He served as editor of Christian Retailing
magazine for five years. With more than 2,300 articles
published, Larry moved into freelance book editing
and writing in 2004. He has ghostwritten over a dozen
books, edited over 150 manuscripts, and served as the
first president of Word Weavers International. Larry enjoys
sharing his love of words with writers as a conference
speaker, writing coach, and mentor. He will review
manuscripts for HigherLife Publishing & Marketing.
4. CREATING A PAGE-TURNER
TRACY L. HIGLEY
2. THE POWER OF STORY
“I couldn’t put it down!” Learn the secrets
of creating fiction that will keep readers up
long into the night, regardless of genre.
Create a setting that transports readers to a different place.
Give life to characters so they leap off the page. Dive deep
into plot structure to lay out a story that flows and keeps
readers turning pages. You’ll find these interactive, fastpaced sessions chock-full of practical, hands-on information
you’ll start using immediately to create your own fiction!
Stories are truth in human skin. Whether
you write fiction or nonfiction stories and
illustrations, you need to impact readers.
Learn to write original stories, sustain
suspense, intrigue readers, and provide
satisfying endings. Register by June 27 to receive an
assignment from Cec to reap the maximum benefits from
this interactive class.
Tracy is an award-winning historical suspense novelist who
started her first novel at the age of eight. She has authored
11 novels, including 2011 ECPA Christian Book Award
Finalist Petra and 2008 Christy Award Finalist Shadow of
Colossus. Currently pursuing a graduate degree in Ancient
History, she has traveled through the Mediterranean world,
researching her novels and falling into adventures. She
loves family life with her husband and four kids in the
Philadelphia area.
CECIL MURPHEY
Cecil has written or co-written more than 135 books,
including the New York Times bestseller 90 Minutes in
Heaven (with Don Piper) and Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson
Story (with Dr. Ben Carson). His books have sold in the
millions and have brought hope and encouragement to
countless people around the world. He travels extensively
to speak on topics such as writing, male sexual abuse,
recovery, spiritual growth, care-giving, and significant living.
Prior to becoming a full-time writer and speaker, Cecil
served as a pastor in Metro Atlanta, a volunteer hospital
chaplain, and a missionary in Kenya.
3. NONFICTION BOOK PROPOSAL
LARRY J. LEECH II
Learn the necessary elements of writing
a non-fiction book: Identify your target
audience and unique selling point. Write
a first chapter that propels the reader into
the rest of the book. Create an effective
one sheet. Craft a one-sentence summary for each chapter.
Eliminate errors that can keep your book from being picked
up by a publisher. Bring a completed manuscript or a
work-in-progress to take advantage of this opportunity for
instruction and critique.
5. WRITING FOR THE YOUTH MARKET
NANCY LOHR
Young readers have interests and reading
skills that differ from those of adult readers.
Discuss those differences, the history of
children’s publishing, critical elements in
youth novels and biographies, kid-friendly
writing specifics, reading like a writer, and
submitting like a pro. Explore the types of writing found in
the youth market, including short stories, articles, picture
books, first chapter books, novels, biographies, non-fiction
information books, and more.
As Acquisitions Editor at JourneyForth Books, Nancy
acquires manuscripts and illustrations for youth and adult
markets, where she is active in editing manuscripts and
managing book production. An educator and children’s
librarian for many years before moving into publishing 18
years ago, she has written two historical novels for children,
curriculum stories and articles, and numerous book reviews
and articles for parents and educators.
AFTERNOON WORKSHOP SERIES
HOW-TO INSTRUCTION ON SPECIALIZED TOPICS.
TOUCHING HEARTS WITH WORDS: WRITTEN AND SPOKEN
3 Sessions: 1:30 and 2:30 Tuesday; 2:30 Wednesday · ELAINE W. MILLER
AUTHOR PROMO, SOCIAL MEDIA, RETAIL INSIGHTS
8 Sessions: 2:30 and 3:30: Monday through Thursday · SUZANNE KUHN
BRAVE NEW WORLD OF BOOK PUBLISHING
6 Sessions: 1:30, 2:30, and 3:30: Wednesday and Thursday · EDDIE JONES
MONDAY
WEDNESDAY
2:30-3:15 2. Author Promo 101:
Rules of Engagement Suzanne Kuhn
1:30-2:15 1. What Do Publishers Want?
Updates and Insights Faculty Panel
3. Proposals That Pop
4. Writer Beware!
5. Topic, Theme, and
the Writing Tree
Jim Hart
Lee Sebastiani
Carol Wedeven
3:30-4:15 6. Live Author Interaction:
Be Engaging
Suzanne Kuhn
7. Ministering Through
Blog Writing
Carol King
8. My Manuscript is Ready for
Publication—I Think Marsha Hubler
9. Comedy Shorts for Stage
or Screen
Torry Martin
TUESDAY
1:30-2:15 10.Writing for the
Gift-book Market
Cecil Murphey
11.Touching Hearts
with Words 1
Elaine Miller
12.Ghostwriting: How I
Earn My Living Larry Leech
13. Why You Should
Hire An Agent
Jim Hart
15. Touching Hearts
with Words 2
Elaine Miller
2:30-3:15 14. Reach Your Audience Through
Social Media
Suzanne Kuhn
16. Are You an Amateur or
an Apprentice?
Vie Herlocker
17. Writing for Picture:
Magazine or picture book
for children?
Carol Wedeven
3:30-4:15 18. Putting the Social Back
in Social Media
Suzanne Kuhn
19. So There’s a Poet Inside
20. Catch That Editor’s
Attention
Carol King
Marsha Hubler
21. The Art of Collaborative
Writing
Torry Martin
1:30-2:15 22. How to Make a Lot of Money
as a Writer
Cecil Murphey
24. A Writer Speaks to Touch
Hearts
Elaine Miller
25. Proofread Like a Professional
Kathy Ide
2:30-3:15 26. Understanding Retailers
Suzanne Kuhn
27. How to Launch Your Book with
CreateSpace and Kindle
Eddie Jones
28. Make a Good First Impression with a
Dynamite Query
Larry Leech
29. Putting Characters in
Place
Carol Wedeven
3:30-4:15 30. Insiders’ Guide to
Retailers
Suzanne Kuhn
31. Top 10 Mistakes Self-Published
Authors Make
Eddie Jones
32. Working With Your
Editor
Marsha Hubler
33. Create a Compelling Protagonist and
Antagonist
Torry Martin
THURSDAY
1:30-2:15 34. Before You Collaborate or
Ghostwrite
Cecil Murphey
35. Why a Small Press Could Be the Best
Route to Success
Eddie Jones
36. Time Management to Juggle the
Writing Life
Larry Leech
37. What Can a Freelance Editor
Do For Me?
Kathy Ide
2:30-3:15 38. Buy the Book: Maximize
Impact and Sales 1 Suzanne Kuhn
39. Amazing Results with
Amazon
Eddie Jones
40. Don’t Serve the Cake Before
It’s Baked
Vie Herlocker
41. Designing Character
Change
Carol Wedeven
3:30-4:15 42. Buy the Book: Maximize Impact
and Sales 2
Suzanne Kuhn
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– from a 2013 Conferee
23. Overview of E-book/POD
Publishing
Eddie Jones
43. Get Your Book Noticed
on Goodreads, Pinterest,
Twitter, FB Eddie Jones
44. Who Needs a Critique
Group Anyway?
Marsha Hubler
45. Write For Your Life
Torry Martin
WORSHIP LEADERS
WORKSHOP LEADERS
JIM HART: Agent with
Hartline Literary Agency
with a growing library of
fiction titles, biographies
for Heroes of the Faith,
and books on Christian
growth. He is looking for authors who
write engaging fictional suspense,
romance, women’s fiction, spiritual
warfare, YA, sci-fi and nonfiction books
on church growth, Christian living,
and self-help. He is also a musician/
songwriter/worship leader.
VIE HERLOCKER: Editor for Sonfire
Media, a small Christian
publisher. Freelance
editor at CornerstoneInk.com, a reviewer
of self-published
Christian books. Has co-authored or
ghostwritten several nonfiction books
and has been published in magazines
and collections. Serves as a judge
for a national fiction contest. Her
greatest joy? Helping others get their
manuscripts ready for submission and
publication.
MARSHA HUBLER: Acquisitions
Editor for Helping Hands
Press, author of the
best-selling Keystone
Stables Series, The Loves
of Snyder County Amish/
Mennonite fiction series, and much
more. Looking for tween, YA, or adult
fiction and educational supplemental
curriculum on any grade level in any
subject. Horse and dog lover who
posts pictures on Facebook prolifically.
EDDIE JONES: Acquisition Editor
for Lighthouse Publishing of the
Carolinas, an awardwinning author of
young adult and adult
fiction, and co-founder
of Christian Devotions
Ministries. Contributing
author for Common Ground Christian
News, Inspire A Fire, and CBN.com.
CAROL KING: Author of numerous
poems, articles, columns, and Bible
studies, including ezines
and blog posts. Holds
an M.A. in English/
Creative Writing from
Binghamton University.
Teaches writing courses at Baptist
Bible College in Clarks Summit.
Served as missionary to Chad from
1975-1982.
SUZANNE KUHN:
Believing in the power
of Christian literature to
impact lives, Suzanne
used her 20 years
of book retailing and event sales
to launch SuzyQ4U.com, a fullservice author promotion and retail
development firm that works with
authors, publishers, and retailers to
help coordinate events, generate
reader engagement, and develop
promotions to increase sales and
reader/customer loyalty.
TORRY MARTIN:
Award-winning actor,
screenwriter, comedian
and author who writes
comedy sketches,
screenplays, and humor columns.
Writes for “Adventures in Odyssey,”
where he created the character of
Wooton Bassett. His most recent
acting roles include “Taken by Grace,”
“My Name is Paul,” “Skid,” and
“Mountain Top.”
ELAINE W. MILLER:
Author of three books
and international speaker
who uses warmth,
enthusiasm, and humor
to connect with her audience. Elaine
has been a featured guest on radio
and television and recently returned
from a book tour in Russia for We All
Married Idiots. She has three children
and ten lively grandchildren.
LEE SEBASTIANI: Launched
Avventura Press with her sister Lori
in 2006. Avventura specializes in
self-help and educational books
and recently published a young
adult novel, One Traveler by Alison
Treat. Lee was formerly a high school
librarian and is an adjunct faculty
member in Education and Psychology
at Marywood University.
CAROL WEDEVEN:
Author of 11 children’s
books, curriculum,
poetry, fillers, short
stories, and drama
scripts. An artist, teacher, and world
traveler with 11 grandchildren, she
speaks to MOPS groups, enjoys
drama improvisation, plays with words,
hosts a critique group, and mentors
writers.
CONRAD AND DONNA
KRIEGER:
Accomplished
musicians who
have traveled
throughout the
world presenting concerts
and seminars at churches and
Bible conferences. Conrad plays
piano, guitar, trumpet, and flugelhorn. Donna is a songwriter, soloist, pianist, organist, arranger, and
recording artist with 13 recorded
releases. She has written and/or
arranged hundreds of songs and
published two cantatas and two
books of piano solos/arrangements. Both Conrad and Donna
teach at the college level.
SPECIAL GUESTS
BRIAN MAXWELL,
PH.D: Has taught
and directed plays
at Baptist Bible
College for 30 years.
Studied theatre in London and
Edinburgh. Leads worship at his
church. Remembered with joy for
the fabulous Drama Improv sessions he orchestrated at MCWC
in the early years.
GRACE FABIAN:
Former missionary
and Bible translator
whose husband, Edmund, was murdered
in 1993 as he was translating 1
Corinthians 13 for the Nabak
speaking people of Papua New
Guinea. Grace, along with
dedicated Nabak men and women, completed the translation.
She shares the story in her book,
Outrageous Grace, and as she
travels the country to speak and
teach, hoping others will be
inspired to join the work of reaching Bibleless people groups
around the world.
REQUEST FOR MCWC PHOTOS:
Do you have good photos of faculty or conferees from previous years? If
so, please email them to Marsha Hubler, [email protected], by
July 1 for possible inclusion in a PowerPoint presentation for Wednesday
evening. Questions? Call Marsha at 570-837-0002.
SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES
CRITIQUE GROUPS:
Private 15-minute appointments with editors and agents to show them
material which may be suitable for their publications and/or to discuss ideas
for stories. Sign-up sheets available at the conference. Study guidelines
ahead of time and bring professionally prepared manuscripts. Be sure to
bring copies! No charge.
BOOK TABLE: Features books
PRIVATE TUTORIALS:
publishers’ guidelines and sample
copies to save you time and
postage.
EDITORIAL APPOINTMENTS:
VIE HERLOCKER: Daily 45-minute individual mentoring sessions M-Th for
your fiction or nonfiction work in progress, plus an opportunity to meet with
a small group to share your project and receive encouragement from your
peers.
• Fiction: Send a synopsis plus first three chapters.
• Nonfiction: Send a chapter-by-chapter summary plus first three chapters.
• Register for MCWC by June 27 and request guidelines for emailing your
work.
• Limited to five participants. •$95.00
DONNA KRIEGER: Daily 45-minute individual mentoring sessions M-Th for
songs or a musical work-in-progress.
Opportunity for feedback from
other writers. No charge.
by faculty and conferees. When
registering, please indicate books
you’ve written which you would like
to sell.
FREEBIES: Complimentary
CDs or MP3s: Listen to the
sessions you missed or those you
want to hear again.
SCHOLARSHIPS: Shirley
Brinkerhoff Memorial Scholarship:
$100 grant for tuition: Awarded
to a writer actively striving to hone
the craft of writing who has not
yet secured a publishing contract.
Applications are available at
montrosebible.org/writers.htm.
• Register for MCWC by June 27 and request her guidelines.
General Scholarship help available
according to need. Please inquire
when registering. •$95.00
Donations are always welcome.
PROFESSIONAL CRITIQUES:
This is a great opportunity to have your work evaluated by a published
professional. You will receive a written evaluation of your manuscript plus a
30-minute private appointment to talk about ways to improve and/or market
your piece.
• Register for MCWC by June 27 and request guidelines for emailing your
manuscript. $40.00 per critique.
MARSHA HUBLER Fiction books, including YA, Romance, and Fantasy:
Synopsis plus 10 pages.
Short stories: 10 pages.
KATHY IDE
Drama sketches: Up to 12 pages.
Nonfiction books: Proposal plus10 pages.
Fiction books: Synopsis plus 10 pages.
LARRY LEECH
Nonfiction books: Proposal plus10 pages.
Nonfiction articles: Up to 2500 words.
TORRY MARTIN
Drama sketches: Up to 12 pages.
Humor articles: Up to 1500 words.
Screenplays: Synopsis plus 10 pages.
Press Kits.
CECIL MURPHEY
Nonfiction books: Proposal plus 10 pages.
Fiction books: Synopsis plus 10 pages.
CAROL WEDEVEN Picture books, stories, or articles for children: Up to
1500 words.
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A greartt,rseosuol, and craft of
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– from a 2013 Conferee
FOR YOUR
INFORMATION
MEETING PLACE: Whether
you’re planning your own retreat
or attending one of our unique
and inspiring event experiences,
Montrose Bible Conference is the
right location for you, your family,
and friends to experience God!
Nestled in the “endless mountains”
of northeastern Pennsylvania, you
will find yourself surrounded by the
peace of God’s majestic creation in
an atmosphere of fun, fellowship,
and learning. We invite your spouses
and friends to come with you to
relax while you attend classes!
WHAT TO BRING:
Your
Bible, manuscripts for critique and/
or presentation to editors and
agents, short pieces for Writers
Theater, a sturdy bag for freebies,
notebook, pens, laptop computer,
casual clothes, comfortable shoes,
umbrella, sweater or light jacket.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS
are available on our website at
www.MontroseBible.org
Flying? The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
(AVP) and Binghamton (BGM)
airports are about an hour from the
Bible Conference. Transportation
from these airports can be arranged
if requested in advance.
REGISTRATION
TUITION EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT if registered by June 13
180.00
___________
-10.00
___________
PROMOTER’S DISCOUNT Subtract $5.00 for each first-timer you bring
- ___________ COMMUTERS’ LUNCH PACKAGE Monday-Thursday28.00
___________ PROFESSIONAL CRITIQUE
60.00
___________
40.00
___________ 95.00
___________
PER DIEM TUITION (Includes lunch) PRIVATE TUTORIAL LODGING AND MEALS: Weekly:
(Double occupancy)
(Sunday supper through Friday breakfast)
Daily:
(I night; 3 meals)
Torrey Home, private bath
$370
Dreyer Motel, private bath, AC
$370
$80
___________
Dreyer Lodge, private bath, AC
$325
$70
___________
___________
Add 25% for single occupancy request LODGING ONLY:
$80
___________
RV Court (water, electric, sewer)
$145
$30
___________
RV Court (water, electric)
$115
$24
___________
RV Court (no hookups)
$70
$15
___________ ___________
TOTAL COST
AMOUNT ENCLOSED (Minimum deposit $40.00) ___________
Name ___________________________________________________________________________
Address_________________________________________________________________________
Phone (________)__________________________E-mail:_________________________________
Roommate Choice________________________________________________________________
Books I’ve written and will bring to sell_______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Major Morning Class: Please choose one:
Steps____; Power of Story____; NF Books ____; Page-Turner ____; Youth Market_____
Workshops: Please list the workshop number for each class period you expect to attend:
Monday Tuesday WednesdayThursday
1:30 __________________
2:30
________________________
3:30
________________________
Interested in winning a free book? Include a short piece (300 word limit) related to our
theme: Silver Links in God’s Eternal Plans
If paying by credit card:
Account Number_________________________________________________________________
Expiration Date____________ Signature______________________________________________
First time?____________ Attended before?____________ When? _____________________
Inquire about the Pastor’s courtesy discount for lodging/meal package.
218 Locust Street · Montrose, PA 18801
570-278-1001 · 800-598-5030 · [email protected] · www.MontroseBible.org
· Daily Inspirational Sessions
· Great Evening Programs
· 5 Continuing Classes
· 45 Afternoon Workshops
· Professional Critiques and Consults
· Hands-on, Mentoring Opportunities
· Appointments with Editors and Agents
– from a 2013 Conferee
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A gre ting career.
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Spiri ional. Reaffirming.
Instruct
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
218 LOCUST STREET · MONTROSE PA 18801
MONTROSE CHRISTIAN WRITERS CONFERENCE
NON PROFIT
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
RANDOLPH, NY
PERMIT NO. 31