Annual Ottawa Christian Writers’ Conference
Called to Write—Taking the Next Steps—Canada 150 and Beyond.
Presented by the OTTAWA WORD GUILD
Date: Saturday April 1, 2017
Schedule:
8:30 am Registration opens
8:50 am Welcome & Worship (sanctuary)
9:15 am Workshops (A1 or B1)
10:00 am Coffee Break/Book tables open
10:30 am Workshops (A2 or B2)
11:15 am Workshops (A3 OR B3)
12:00 pm Lunch Break
1:00 pm Worship & Prayer
1:15 pm Ken & Yetta Dekker Plenary Speakers
2:00 pm Panel Discussion & Q&A
2:45 pm Coffee Break
3:00 pm Don Hutchinson Book Launch
3:45 pm Closing Remarks, Prizes & Prayer
4:00 pm End of Conference
Cost: $50 including HST (includes catered lunch)
Location: Greenbelt Baptist Church, 839 Shefford Road
Plenary Speaker:
Ken and Yetta Dekker own Keller Williams Solid Rock Realty and run the Dekker Team as heard on the inside track on Real Estate on CHRI FM radio. They have been married for 34 years of which the last 25 have been wonderful. Ken authored The Wealth Formula and he and Yetta speak and teach on marriage and finances.
Book Launch:
Don Hutchinson is both pastor and lawyer by profession. He has served as board chair of Canada’s Christian Legal Fellowship, director of the EFC’s Centre for Faith and Public Life and interim CEO of the Canadian Bible Society. Don’s timely new book, Under Siege: Religious Freedom and the Church in Canada at 150 (1867-2017), addresses current issues of advancing secularism and a retreating Church, suggesting how Canadian law and the Scriptures inform ways we might reverse the two.
Worship Led by Josh & Joanne Beattie
Workshop Overview:
Workshop A1 Blogging from a Christian Perspective—Getting the Good News Out with David Kitz: Learn the basics of developing an effective online presence by creating blog posts that inspire the mind and engage the spirit.
David Kitz is an award-winning author, a teacher and an ordained minister, who uses the power of drama to bring stories to life. His writing experience spans several genres. His passion of Christ novel won the Word Guild award for historical fiction. His children’s picture book, Little Froggy Explores the BIG World also won an award. David is an avid blogger. He has written, edited or contributed to more than ten books. For more information visit www.davidkitz.ca
Workshop B1 Selling your Book with Denyse O’Leary: Your book promotion campaign begins the day you get serious about writing a book. Denyse O’Leary has planned campaigns for her own books and helped and advised many other writers over the years.
Denyse was a full-time book editor from about 1985 through 2005, working mainly with textbook publishers in the Toronto area and trade publishers in US Christian publishing centres. While the focus of her career shifted to writing after she began to publish books (2001), she continues to do editorial work.
Workshop A2 Turning your Blog into $$$ with Denyse O’Leary: If you need at least some income from your writing, Denyse can offer some thoughts about earning money from your online work.
Workshop B2 Interview Skills with Wendy Noble:
Wendy Noble spent almost a decade working with Members of Parliament, Ministers and political candidates observing and preparing them for public and media appearances. She will share the knowledge and practical experience she gained during this time that will help you make your best impression.
Workshop A3 Book Cover Designs with Yvonne Parks: The do’s and don’ts of creating a professional book cover that gets noticed!
Yvonne Parks is a professional book cover designer who has worked with multiple New York Times and Amazon.com bestselling authors. She and her company, Pear Creative, work with publishers, agents, authors, publishing consultants and printers from all over North America. She has sent over 3000 books to print.
Workshop B3 Write Right:How to Avoid Common Grammar Pitfalls with Timothy Kitz: Take a quick tour of the most common errors writers make, how to fix them, and how to impress with clear and unblemished prose.
Timothy Kitz is a freelance editor who has edited novels, picture books, academic essays, game manuals, legal transcriptions, medical translations, band biographies, and other forgotten “things with words.” He is a published author, poet, and comic maker and can be reached via timothydkitz@gmail.com and refreshingwords.net
** Professional Critiques, done by Denyse O’Leary are available for the special cost of $25 for the conference (it’s usually $50). Attendees are asked to include up to 5 pages when registering for the conference. It includes a 15 – 30 minute consultation.**