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Here’s to the Future of Wordsowers

New Wordsowers Leadership

Prior to the COVID pandemic, Wordsowers Christian Writers Group was a thriving group who met regularly in Omaha, NE. During the pandemic, they met via Zoom. Although thankful for the Zoom meetings as a way to stay connected, over a period of time their numbers dwindled. Many folks expressed a desire to meet in-person once again.

Starting in January 2023 they decided to try hybrid meetings, a combination of in-person and Zoom. Their numbers slowly began to build over the months. In June, due to health reasons and an extra busy schedule, Jeanie Jacobson and Shannon Christmas stepped down from their leadership roles after serving faithfully for many years. That left one person in leadership, Lollie Hofer

Just when Wordsowers needed her the most, Kat Crawford, one of the founding members, came to Omaha for a visit. She spoke at the July meeting in an effort to inspire the group and give some direction for the future. One thing became clear, if there was to be a future, others would have to step into leadership roles. Folks were encouraged to pray and seek the Lord’s will on behalf of Wordsowers.

At the August meeting, those in attendance expressed a strong desire to continue the monthly meetings. Several people mentioned how they valued the fellowship, encouragement and teaching they received. Hybrid meetings would continue as long as there were people who attended via Zoom. As a result of others responding to a call to serve, the new leadership team was announced. Team members are Debbie Crom, Pat Karent, Shari Woodstein, and Lollie Hofer.

Wordsowers is excited about the future and all the good things God has in store for a group of writers who desire to bring Him glory in all they write.

Here’s to a thriving future.

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snowy roads
snowy roads

Due to inclement weather we are cancelling Wordsowers January meeting tonight. The snow/rain is supposed to continue throughout the day off and on and with temperatures going below freezing, the roads could get bad and we have people who drive from a bit outside of Omaha. We want everyone to stay safe!

We will resume our meetings in February.
We miss you all. Stay safe and warm!

New Wordsowers Leadership

It is fall time and change is in the air.

A new leadership team is forming. Are you ready to meet them? Stay connected via newsletter, website, and FB page to hear the upcoming announcement about our new team and their plans moving into 2020 and beyond.

In the meantime, as you have opportunity, communicate to Kat Crawford, Jeanie Jacobson and Teresa Tierney your many thanks for all they have done over the years to lead Wordsowers locally and through the annual conference.

As the new leadership makes plans, the Annual Wordsowers Writers Conference has been put into hiatus for 2020. Be sure and come to our monthly meetings and critique groups to continue growing in your craft and to stay connected to other writers.

Jennifer Slattery

Today we have Jennifer Slattery sharing with us today.

Sometimes we forget we’re called. When pressure comes or ministry events don’t turn out as we hoped or expected, we tend to make much of ourselves and little of Jesus. Only when we, like Paul, can say, in the depths of our hearts, “I am a slave of Christ,” can we rise above outward successes and failures and the ever-shifting opinions of man.

I have a dear friend who’s an equally humble and gifted writer. She’s never signed with a publisher or seen her name in a byline of a national magazine. But she writes truth with the transparency, and grace of one chosen and empowered by the Risen Lord. However, she doesn’t often remember this. She tends to allow her insecurities and doubts to overshadow God’s authoritative voice.

When this occurs, I remind her that she’s called, chosen, lavished with grace, and given everything she needs to fulfill all God has planned. Whenever I introduce her, I especially love stating her role as a writer, after which she’ll drop her gaze and sputter something about me being too kind.

I’m not. I’m simply calling out the truth. She became a writer the moment she took her first steps of obedience, regardless of the words penned on a page. The same holds true for every speaker and ministry leader commissioned by Christ. Our calling isn’t dependent on the size of our readership or how many Instagram followers we have. It’s determined by the will and pleasure of our Sovereign Lord.

I love how the apostle Paul introduced himself in his letters. He almost always began by asserting who he was in Christ. He told them, and likely himself, that he was “called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God” (1 Cor. 1:1).

We are as well.

We are called: summoned by God Himself and gifted with salvation.

We are apostles: messengers sent on mission, commissioned by Christ to represent Him to a broken and hurting world.

We’re called by theléma, God’s preferred will. His preferred not decretive will. In other words, this is something we accept or reject. We submit or rebel.

 It’s possible to waste the life and talents God has given us. It’s possible to be so set on a particular direction or opportunity, we completely miss the amazing things God has in store. It’s possible to stand on the fringe of the abundant, filled to overflowing life Jesus promised without experiencing the full joy and depth of it. When we choose surrender, however, no matter what we encounter, no matter the opened and closed doors, we find deep intimacy with Christ, our true prize, and therefore realize we have every reason to rejoice.

To lead, write, and speak well, with the power and authority granted us by Jesus Christ, we must anchor ourselves in God’s love and grace and fully commit to His call, regardless of where He leads.

Identity, not just who we are, but who we think we are, determines behavior.

So remember and hold tight to this:
You are called.
You are sent.
You are empowered.
.

~ ~ ~

Jennifer Slattery is a writer and international speaker who has addressed women’s groups, church groups, Bible studies, and other writers across the nation. She maintains a devotional blog found at Jennifer Slattery Lives Out Loud and on Crosswalk. She has a passion for helping women discover, embrace, and live out who they are in Christ. As the founder of Wholly Love Ministries, she and her team partner with churches to facilitate events designed to help women rest in their true worth and live with maximum impact. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. When not writing, reading, or editing, Jennifer loves going on mall dates with her adult daughter and coffee dates with her hilariously fun husband. Contact her HERE to book her for your next women’s event.

Hometown Healing:

She’s home again, but not for long…
Unless this cowboy recaptures her heart
Returning home with a baby in tow, Paige Cordell’s determined her stay is only temporary. But to earn enough money to leave, she needs a job—and her only option is working at her first love’s dinner theater. With attraction once again unfurling between her and Jed Gilbertson, can the man who once broke her heart convince her to stay for good?

Buy your copy HERE.

Does Your Need Motivate You to Write?

There is no school for caregivers. So where does the caregiver turn for help? I struggled through the first year of my husband’s “No Hope” rare cancer diagnosis in 2003. Through that time, I developed a new strength and a new title, The Lionhearted Kat.

I also created a lionhearted motto to keep me going and to share:

“Be Bold! Stay Strong! Spring to action!”

My husband survived the rare cancer, Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (PMP). He lived seven years from the day he first saw a doctor and then died suddenly of a heart attack.

That first near-death experience brought reality to our home.

Gary often said, “Life is short and then you die. It is what you do with the minutes in between that count.” He used those last seven years to help make a difference in the lives of others. He also encouraged me to write, write, write.

At the beginning of Gary’s illness, I searched libraries and bookstores for help. I can still feel my desperation in a Barnes and Noble store when I said to the teen clerk, “I need a book for caregivers.”

“I’m not sure what that is, maybe try self-help.”

I found nothing. Later I wrote and published, “Capsules of Hope: Survival Guide for Caregivers.”

A rare cancer moved me to supply a need for others.

Not all of life is death and dying—today I’m determined to find something ridiculous to write about. A tidbit of laughter to share with others.

Above all I know this:

Nothing I write will be read by others and possibly make a difference in their lives, help them to find help and hope unless I share it or submit it.

online writers meeting

There are those who want to leave behind a legacy. They are happy to write the family history or their memoir. In the past, our grandparents were the story tellers. They didn’t write the family history, they shared it. And we listened. Sometimes we learned life lessons from what we heard.

But today, too much of the family is split apart. Often, we learn from a short snippet we read in a magazine. Maybe an “Upper Room” devotional in the doctor’s office.

At the last conference I attended a woman I’d never met before sat across from me.

“I’ve been writing my memoir for twenty years,” she said.

For two seconds I thought I’d choke on my bite of salad—twenty years is a long time to wait to share the pain or joys of life with others.

I am encouraging my new friend to write her book. Still, there is a part of me wants to scream. I wanted to say,

“Write one article at a time. Help others now. Don’t wait. A memoir might sell if you have a giant platform on which to reach out to the masses, but what about writing for a Sunday School handout? Or shape your story into a devotional for ‘Upper Room.’”

Today I’m encouraging myself and other writers I come in contact with to remember:

Your words are nothing more than scratches on a paper until you have a reader—one who is changed because you took the time to share what God has done in your life.

Don’t Just Write Something–Submit It Without Delay..

 

Don't Leave Your Readers Dangling
Don't Leave Your Readers Dangling

An Editing Tip from Kat Crawford

My sister and I watched a movie. At the end, Karen said to me, “But what happened to the dog?” The writer and producer portrayed a great story with the human cast, but they introduced a dog. They finished the romance, but what about the injured animal?

Years ago, an editor emailed me. “I’d like to use your story, but you’ve left me hanging. If I want to know what happened, so will the reader.”

The good news is, the editor liked my material enough to give me the opportunity to rewrite and answer all questions. I’ve learned since then to let my manuscript sit for a day or two before editing.

Want to see holes in your story? Join a critique group. When one of the group reads your story aloud you may hear where changes are needed. 

Remember: No matter if you are writing a short devotional or a novel, your reader will feel cheated if you don’t solve the problem before the end of your post or story.

Leave no question unanswered.

Stronger Verbs Stronger Writing
Stronger Verbs Stronger Writing

After writing about caregiving and such tough places in life, I searched out a fun teaching tool I wrote myself years ago. My critique partner at that time, Audrey, pushed me to learn a stronger vocabulary. Instead of studying, (see the ing word) I played (yep, an ed word.) I shared (an ed word) my fun poetry with my writer friends and we laughed (see another ed word.)

This writing exercise and lots of practice taught me to write with stronger verbs.

ED, YOU SAID?

“Ed, it’s said, is a stronger verb than ING.
I smote my head and said, “For me, ING sings.
Try like I might, Ed leaves me befuddled.
My mind sifted ED’s and ended up jumbled.
I smote my head and said, “For me, ING sings.


Try like I might, Ed leaves me befuddled.
My mind sifted ED’s and ended up jumbled.
So, I jumped and bounced and ED words compiled.
I dabbled and drizzled till my lips really smiled.
I hurled and furled and agonized, too.
I bristled and blundered and bandied my way through.


Skewered, slithered, sniveled, and sniped
Whacked, wallowed, warbled, and wiped.
Yawned, yoweled, yodeled, and yipped.
I gasped for air as I giggled and gripped.


Yes, I clicked my tongue and chimed delighted,
“Look at those ED’s they promenade as if benighted.”
My tongue relished the sound of a toughed end.
Words that rippled, rolled and even I comprehend.


I’ve weathered, and warmed. Trounced and trashed.
I’ve screamed and squirreled. Hobbled and hashed.
And what, you ask, was accomplished by this?
Why, I raised my knowledge, at my editor’s wish?


I smote my head and said, “For me, ING sings.
Try like I might, Ed leaves me befuddled.
My mind sifted ED’s and ended up jumbled.
So, I jumped and bounced and ED words compiled.
I dabbled and drizzled till my lips really smiled.


I hurled and furled and agonized, too.
I bristled and blundered and bandied my way through.
Skewered, slithered, sniveled, and sniped
Whacked, wallowed, warbled, and wiped.


Yawned, yoweled, yodeled, and yipped.
I gasped for air as I giggled and gripped.
Yes, I clicked my tongue and chimed delighted,
“Look at those ED’s they promenade as if benighted.”


My tongue relished the sound of a toughed end.
Words that rippled, rolled and even I comprehend.
I’ve weathered, and warmed. Trounced and trashed.
I’ve screamed and squirreled. Hobbled and hashed.


And what, you ask, was accomplished by this?
Why, I raised my knowledge, at my editor’s wish?
“Ed, it’s said, is a stronger verb than ING.
I smote my head and said, “For me, ING sings.


Try like I might, Ed leaves me befuddled.
My mind sifted ED’s and ended up jumbled.
So, I jumped and bounced and ED words compiled.
I dabbled and drizzled till my lips really smiled.


I hurled and furled and agonized, too.
I bristled and blundered and bandied my way through.
Skewered, slithered, sniveled, and sniped
Whacked, wallowed, warbled, and wiped.


Yawned, yoweled, yodeled, and yipped.
I gasped for air as I giggled and gripped.
Yes, I clicked my tongue and chimed delighted,
“Look at those ED’s they promenade as if benighted.”


My tongue relished the sound of a toughed end.
Words that rippled, rolled and even I comprehend.
I’ve weathered, and warmed. Trounced and trashed.
I’ve screamed and squirreled. Hobbled and hashed.


And what, you ask, was accomplished by this?
Why, I raised my knowledge, at my editor’s wish?
“Ed, it’s said, is a stronger verb than ING.
I smote my head and said, “For me, ING sings.


Try like I might, Ed leaves me befuddled.
My mind sifted ED’s and ended up jumbled.
So, I jumped and bounced and ED words compiled.
I dabbled and drizzled till my lips really smiled.


I hurled and furled and agonized, too.
I bristled and blundered and bandied my way through.
Skewered, slithered, sniveled, and sniped
Whacked, wallowed, warbled, and wiped.


Yawned, yoweled, yodeled, and yipped.
I gasped for air as I giggled and gripped.
Yes, I clicked my tongue and chimed delighted,
“Look at those ED’s they promenade as if benighted.”


My tongue relished the sound of a toughed end.
Words that rippled, rolled and even I comprehend.
I’ve weathered, and warmed. Trounced and trashed.
I’ve screamed and squirreled. Hobbled and hashed.


And what, you ask, was accomplished by this?
Why, I raised my knowledge, at my editor’s wish?
“Ed, it’s said, is a stronger verb than ING.
Try like I might, Ed leaves me befuddled.
I smote my head and said, “For me, ING sings.
My mind sifted ED’s and ended up jumbled.


So, I jumped and bounced and ED words compiled.
I dabbled and drizzled till my lips really smiled.
I hurled and furled and agonized, too.
I bristled and blundered and bandied my way through.


Skewered, slithered, sniveled, and sniped
Whacked, wallowed, warbled, and wiped.
Yawned, yoweled, yodeled, and yipped.
I gasped for air as I giggled and gripped.


Yes, I clicked my tongue and chimed delighted,
“Look at those ED’s they promenade as if benighted.”
My tongue relished the sound of a toughed end.
Words that rippled, rolled and even I comprehend.


I’ve weathered, and warmed. Trounced and trashed.
I’ve screamed and squirreled. Hobbled and hashed.
And what, you ask, was accomplished by this?
Why, I raised my knowledge, at my editor’s wish?

© 2003 by the Lionhearted Kat

“Oh no! Where’s my file?”
We’ve all heard the horror stories. Writers pour time, energy–and their hearts–into their words, Then a computer crash zaps it all.
Please join us as workshop leader Lee Warren shares various methods to back-up our work. Let’s save our writing–and our sanity!

Lee has twenty years experience in the Christian publishing industry, both traditional and indie publishing, and has taught at writers conferences throughout the US.
He has written eighteen books and hundreds of articles for various magazines, newspapers, and websites, including Decision, Discipleship Journal, Light & Life, War Cry, Christian Single, Bible Study Magazine, CBN.com, Today’s Christian, Breakaway, Clubhouse, Living Light News and many others.

After the meeting we’ll gather for our relaxed Afterglow chat session at Village Inn, 7837 Dodge St.

Wordsowers Christian Writers Conference

Words of wisdom for after the conference from Anne Rauth.

The Wordsower’s 2019 conference is over.  Are you sad?  Glad?  In between?  Dear writing friends, trust me there is still more to do! 

Thank you:  Take the time to use your writing skills and say thank you to the conference organizers, who spent countless hours on many details for you to have a great time.  You’ll find their addresses in this newsletter.  Many countless hours of preparation have gone into this conference.  If it blessed you, then bless them! 

Follow up:  Perhaps you had meetings with individuals (agents, editors).  Make sure that you have developed a system to follow up with them about things you talked about, or some clarification you’d like to receive.  And, if they have given you some deadline for materials they are needing, make sure you have that date identified. 

Blog:  If you have a blog, please consider writing about the conference and inserting the link from this year’s event.  It’s a great reminder to you about the wonderful time you had and also an encouragement to other why may be on the fence about attending an event. 

Social Media:  If you have pictures or great comments from the conference, please post on social media!  Use the hashtag #Wordsowers2019

Receipts:  The conference fee and related expenses might be a deduction for you.  Make sure to save all your receipts and mileage information.  And consult your tax advisor for further information! 

Save:  Consider setting up a system to save a tiny amount every month so that the next time the conference rolls around, you’ll already have the money saved, and perhaps even have some extra to spend at the bookstore!

Write:  You may have many new opportunities, or not as many as you would like.  In either case, continue writing. Remember, you were called to create! 

Anne Rauth

Anne Rauth grew up in a small town in Northwest Missouri, with a high school graduating class of only 44. After high school, Anne received her MBA from the University of Kansas and immediately went to work at Hallmark Cards in their Advertising and Hallmark Hall of Fame division.

She belongs to the Heart of America Christian Writer’s Network and has led sessions at their annual conference. This year, Anne taught the workshops Don’t Monkey around with Mailchimp and Email Marketing.

Connect with Anne on her website and find out more about what she does.

A Few Things to Know about the Wordsowers Christian Writers Conference
A Few Things to Know about the Wordsowers Christian Writers Conference

There are always a few last minute questions. We’ve gathered a few, along with the answers, we think someone might be asking.

You can still register at the door on Friday night or Saturday morning. The cost at the door: $100. We do not discount for those only attending on Saturday only.

Come prepared to meet editors, publishers and authors. It doesn’t matter if you are an introvert or an extrovert, whether you are published or not. From the leadership right down through the volunteers or those leading workshops, we want this to be a positive experience for you. If you have questions, ask. 

Network, network, network. Use the time at the conference to exchange business cards and connect with other writers. You may glean a great idea for your next article or novel.

Every manuscript you bring needs your name, email and page number. Most people reading your material will not accept a hard copy at that moment, but if they did, could they find you?

Basic Submission Formatting: Use font—Times New Roman; 12 pitch; double space. Set your paragraph for 0.5 (do not hard indent.) Use single space between sentences.

Thank you for praying for WCWC leadership and all the volunteers who are working hard to help you become a published author.