January Meeting

1/19/2015
Kick Starters: Writing 2015

Meeting at:
7:00pm
Potomac Ministry Center
Gainesville, VA

Review Whispers, NVCWF Compilation, publication 02/2015. Get in on the book launch sale.

Writing Resources Report

Pen on Fire

Join NVCWF
January and February are membership months. Now is the time to renew your membership. Membership information available at the January meeting.
Online membership/renewal. Click on Join NVCWF 

Coming Opportunities

February 16
Skills Review: Pesky Point of View
Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Presentation by Tim Shoemaker

March 16
Writing Humor
Susan McCorkindale

 Sunday, December 14

 4:00 – 6:00pm

Celebrate the Savior’s birth with fellow writers.

Share:

•  Caroling

• Your favorite Christmas story

• Your best Christmas treats

Meeting at:
Potomac Ministry Center

Coming up

January 19, 2015 /  Kick Starters – 2015 writing goals

February 16, 2015 /  Skills Presentation

Contact Northern Virginia Christian Writers Fellowship: novachristianwriters@gmail.com

Monday, November 17, 2014

7:00 – 9:00pm

Whispers:
Reading for a Quiet Evening

Come share your writing, including readings of submissions for 2014 NVCWF compilation, Whispers – Reading for a quiet evening. Bring your submission to be shared with the group. Readings need to be kept to 5 minutes.

Reading your submission is your choice; not required to be published. Also you may choose to read, but not submit for publication. We would love to share your writing.

Submissions for Whispers: Short narrative, devotionals, articles, poetry, photography, sayings, quotes. Submissions due 11/17/2014.  Submit to novachristianwriters@gmail.com  or johnese.burtram@gmail.com

 Publication space is limited. Please keep your submission to no more than 2000 words. We want to include as many submissions as possible and are limited in our ability to publish beyond a certain number of pages.

Looking Ahead

Sunday, December 14
4:00 – 5:30pm
Christmas Fellowship
Potomac Ministry Center

Monday, January 19, 2015
7:00 – 9:00pm
Kick Starters – Writing Goals for the New Year
Meeting at Potomac Ministry Center

NVCWF
Director: Johnese Burtram
johnese.burtram@gmail.com
novawriters@gmail.com

Monday, October 13, 2014

Writing for Newspaper

7:00pm

 Linda J. White served as the assistant editorial page editor of The Free Lance-Star, a daily newspaper in Fredericksburg, VA, until she retired in 2014. A nation-award winning journalist, she continues to write a monthly column for the paper.

She will share her newspaper experience as well as tips on Letters to the Editor – how to be heard.

In addition to newspaper journalism, Lina also writes FBI thrillers which she calls “White-knuckle fiction with a twist of faith.”

 Northern Virginia Christian Writers Fellowship

Meets at
Potomac Ministry Center
14525 James Madison Hwy
Gainesville, VA  20156

Author Bio: Linda has three traditionally published novels, including the HOLT Medallion winning “Seeds of Evidence” from Abingdon Press. She lives with her husband, Larry, was a video producer/director at the FBI Academy for over 27 years. Mother of three grown children, Linda is also a speaker. When she’s not writing, she can be found playing with Keira, her Sheltie, reading a book, or dreaming of the beach.
Website: lindajwhite.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindaJWhiteBooks?ref=hl
Twitter: @rytn4hm

Looking Ahead

November 17

NVCWF is collecting prose, poetry, devotionals for publication, Stories for a Quiet Evening.
Bring your submission to share with the group.

NVCWF
Director: Johnese Burtram
johnese.burtram@gmail.com
novawriters@gmail.com

Communications:
Linda McWilliams
mcwilliams.linda@gmail.com

On September 6, Northern Virginia Christian Writers Fellowship inaugurated the Fall 2014 with a Mini Writers Conference.

Conference Comments:

Thank you so much …  God bless the outcome.

I loved it. It was so educational and fun, and I am so glad I could participate.
(Student comment)

 Outstanding program; John is just great as an educator and inspiration for writers!

 Master Plot Outline (MPO) is a valuable story tool. Enjoyed the students so much.

The productive day included the use of John Jenkin’s Master Plot Outline as we examined short stories by Jack London, O. Henry, Tolstoy, and Jenkins to identify 15 plot short story plot points. Also included were the 32 plot points for novels and identifying types of dialogue.

Looking forward to the fruit of this conference as we collect stories, devotions, and poetry for the 2014 compilation of  NVCWF writing which will be gather later this fall. (Details to come.)

We welcomeed five students to the conference. What a delight it was to have their participation.

Coming up:

October 13, 2014
Writing for Newspaper
Published writer Linda White

NVCWF Fall Mini Conference

Saturday, September 6, 2014
9:00am – 3:30pm
Haymarket, VA

John Jenkins
Presenter

In our stories, long or short, dialog should always be purposeful. Learn four basic guidelines utilized by professional storytellers to ensure your dialog will satisfy not only the editors who decide if a story will be published, but your readers as well. Just as the purposeful blending of four basic colors results in lifelike images of every shade and variation, applying four dialog guidelines result in lifelike interactions between characters. This workshop will give you an opportunity to both learn and practice this critical storytelling skill.

Register Now

John Jenkins

Northern Virginia Christian Writers Fellowship Fall Mini Conference

Great storytelling should leave the reader in a better place than before they started reading. The Master Plot Outline is an industry-proven technique to ensure your story touches all the bases of both editor and reader expectations. Developed by the comic book industry and utilized by movie makers, the MPO allows you to rapidly storyboard your ideas and balance character growth with plot.  This workshop will give you an opportunity to both learn and practice this critical storytelling technique. 

Saturday, September 6, 2014
9:00am – 3:30pm
Haymarket, VA

Register Now

Northern Virginia Christian Writers Fellowship Fall Mini Conference

Saturday, September 6, 2014
9:00am – 3:30pm
Haymarket, VA

• The Master Plot Outline – a proven path to publication

• Dialogue That Zings – practice dialogue techniques that enrich your writing

Register Now

 Endorsements

~ Betsy Dill ~
Director Capital Christian Writers, Fairfax, VA

Our group has invited author/publisher John Jenkins to give his Master Plot Outline workshop a number of times over the years and it has always been well received. John is a disciplined writer and teacher with an engaging delivery and a heart for the Lord. Attendees will come away with a great deal of information and very clear instruction on how to strengthen their writing. This is a quality presentation. 

~ Johnese Burtram ~
         Director, Northern Virginia Christian Writers Fellowship, Gainesville, VA 

John Jenkins’ engaging style and clear instruction make this workshop well worth the investment of a Saturday. In addition to the value added to your writing craft, you will leave the workshop inspired. The experience is well worth the time spent. 

With John Jenkins

Saturday, September 6, 2014

9:00am – 3:30pm

Haymarket, VA

• The Master Plot Outline – a proven path to getting published with master story tellers London and O’Henry
  

• Dialogue That Zings – practice dialogue techniques that enrich your writing 

A hands-on experience to

develop your writing craft.

Registration

Early Bird: by 9/3/2014
NVCWF Members:  $40.00 / Non Members: $45.00

Walk-In: 9/6/2014
$50.00 

Venue:
Potomac Ministry Center
14525 John Marshall Hwy
Gainesville, VA 20155

John Jenkins is a publisher and author for Reconciliation Press. He writes captivating, historically-based stories about the spiritual war for hearts and minds of young people.
Since 1998, John has been conducting both writing and critical thinking classes workshops for home school parents and students. John also offers storytelling and authoring mentorships to adults an students with a serious interest in fiction writing.
His writing credits include:
Bloodlines, a novel originally published in 1993 by Servant Publications, and the first four books in the Century War Chronicles series designed for upper elementary and middle school students.
Nine short stories published in Focus on the Family  including If One Falls – A Civil War Tale which took the Higher Goals first place award for fiction in 2000 EPA publisher’s competition for Breakaway magazine.
john@reconciliation.com 

Presented by
Northern Virginia Christian Writers Fellowship

http://www.novachristianwriters.org/

Coming to Northern Virginia Christian Writers Fellowship June Meeting

NVCWF welcomes our own Elaine Beachy, author of three children’s books, and James Brewster, author of five Uncle Rocky, Fireman books to share their writing and publishing experience.

June 2, 2014 ~ 7:00 – 9:00 PM

(7:00 to 7:30 is meet and greet and light refreshments)

Potomac Ministry Center
14525 John Marshall Hwy, Gainesville, VA 20155
(If you are coming from route 29 or Linton Hall Road, the building stands alone on the left -right before the Post Office. )

This session is open to non members for only $5.00; please invite anyone that you think may be interested.

 Elaine Beachy
      Elaine completed a Special Publishing Course with the Institute of Children’s Literature of Redding Ridge, Connecticut in 1992, and has published two children’s fiction books: Biff and Becka’s Springtime Adventures and Biff and Becka’s Stupendous Vacation.  She is working on her third book titled Biff and Becka’s Splendiferous Christmas.
      A member of the Northern Virginia Christian Writer’s Fellowship, she writes a blog for home and family titled “Elaine’s Place: Turning Hearts toward Home” at www.elaine-beachy.blogspot.com.
     Elaine lives with her husband, Dave, in Manassas, Virginia.  They have three children and four grandchildren.

James Brewster 
James Burd Brewster was raised in Albany, NY, learned to sail on Lake Champlain, navigated a Polar Icebreaker in the US Coast Guard, and married Katie Spivey from Wilmington, NC.  They lived in Baltimore, MD when Ben and Luke heard the Rocky Hill, Fireman stories.  The family grew to five (Ben, Luke, Rachel, Andrew, Sam) and settled in Pomfret, MD outside of Washington, DC. Twenty-three years after the first telling of Uncle Rocky, the first book, Fire!, was published followed within four months by Something’s Missing, Sparky’s Rescue, and Sparky Protects.  One year later he published The Adventures of Uncle Rocky, Fireman, a chapter book containing 12 episodes written for 3rd and 4th grade readers.  Ben and Luke are no longer 6 and 41/2.  Ben is a Marine, married, and father of 4 and Luke is an Apple employee in Chicago, IL.  Ben now tells Uncle Rocky stories to his oldest son Levi (5).  

Uncle Rocky maintains a website at www.GladToDoIt.net where free downloads are available for Fire!, the first book, and coloring pages.

 Looking Forward

 Greater Philadelphia Christian Writers Conference
July 30 – August 2
Cairn University
Langhorne, PA

Northern Virginia Christian Writers Fellowship Mini-Conference
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Potomac Ministry Center
Haymarket, VA