Below, you’ll find a list of the 14 coaching classes being offered at the 2010 Summer Conference. Unless otherwise noted, these classes will be capped at 14.

(NOTE: If a class you are interested in is full, you may opt to be put on the waiting list for that class. Please indicate your wait list choices when registering.)

Below, you’ll find a list of the 14 coaching classes being offered at the 2010 Summer Conference. Unless otherwise noted, these classes will be capped at 14.

(NOTE: If a class you are interested in is full, you may opt to be put on the waiting list for that class. Please indicate your wait list choices when registering.)

1. Writing Novels with an Eye toward Hollywood—James Scott Bell

Bestselling author and screenwriter James Scott Bell will lead this hands-on class on what makes for cinematic fiction. In this visual age, the author who can write dynamic characters, visual scenes, and crisp dialogue is well on the way to publication. Add to that the intriguing premise and “star roles,” and the chance of turning out something that might someday make it to the screen is increased. Film clips will be included for analysis.

James Scott Bell is the author of Deceived, Try Dying, Try Darkness, Try Fear, The Whole Truth, and several other thrillers. He is a winner of the Christy Award for Excellence in fiction and served as the fiction­tion columnist for Writer’s Digest magazine. He has also written three bestselling craft books for Writer’s Digest: Plot & Structure, Revision & Self-Editing, and The Art of War for Writers. A former trial lawyer, Jim and his wife live in Los Angeles. He now writes and speaks full-time, including teaching at writers’ conferences.

2. Pitch and Promote Like a Pro—Terry Burns

Are you ready for an agent? How do you know? How do you find one? Terry takes participants through the entire process of pitching, writing queries and proposals, discussing what’s involved and why. He talks about how to find the confidence to sit down with agents and editors and make the pitch. Instead of a handout, he gives attendees a copy of his e-book of the course.

Terry Burns of Amarillo, Texas, is an agent with Hartline Literary Agency (http://www.hartlineliterary.com). He has more than 30 books in print. A new four-book series of his collected short works, entitled The Sagebrush Collection, saw the first book, On the Road Home, released March 2010. A Young Adult novel entitled Beyond the Smoke (BJU Press, January 2009) won the Will Rogers Medallion and is nominated for the Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. A historical fiction, Saints Roost, was recently released by Mountainview Press. He also ghostwrote a novel for a publisher, adapted two screenplays into book form, and has a series from River Oak Publishing. A book­store of his available works as well as a regular blog can be found at http://www.terryburns.net. “As an agent,” Terry says, “I’m looking for a good book, well-written in a unique voice, aimed at a market that looks promising and where I feel I have the contacts appropriate to be able to sell the book in that market.”

3. The Entrepreneurial Author—Alice Crider- CLOSED

Resources abound on how to write, get published, and market a book … so why has it become so difficult to get your book published—and even harder to become a bestselling author? The problem lies in the unfortunate fact that writing skill and market savvy are not all it takes to build a successful writing career. Come along and discover the success factors that can help you spike your own potential, jump-start your publishing career, and join the ranks of bestselling authors. Based on research, personal observation, and a survey of successfully published authors, the Entrepreneurial Author coaching class will cover how being intentional, introspective, inspired, and influential are the keys to unlocking a promising publishing future. In this coaching class, participants will discuss and explore:

1. Why some authors “break out” and go big while most do not
2. What might be holding you back from your own success
3. How to think and work like a bestselling author
4. Proven techniques that can help you connect powerfully with your audience
5. How to strike a personal balance that promotes lasting success and fulfillment

Alice Crider, an associate editor who lives in Colorado Springs, began her publishing career in 1998 at Cook Communications where she helped develop Sunday school curriculum before joining the adult trade book department. She moved to Alive Communications Literary Agency in 2001, then joined the editorial team at Waterbrook Press in 2004. Recent projects under women’s nonfiction include inspirational story, memoir, relationship, devotional, parenting, and marriage. Her favorites include faith-in­action stories that deliver authentic experience and inspiration, and messages that enhance relationship sand break through to life change.

4. Memoirs and Writing from the Heart—Marion Duckworth

Memoirs are a way to tell parts of the story of your life, highlighting the things you’ve observed and absorbed along the way. This class will help participants identify their passions and use their experiences to produce writing that provides hope, comfort, support, and wholeness for a damaged world.

Marion Duckworth has been writing for publication since 1978 and is the author of 18 books—Naked on God’s Doorstep is the most recent—and hundreds of articles. A former columnist for Power of Living, she has spoken widely and been a frequent media guest. Marion and her late husband, John, spent 11 years as Village Missions missionaries. She lives in Vancouver, Washington. Web site: http://www.marionduckworthministries.com

5. Beginning Fiction Critique—Leslie Gould (This class will be capped at 10. )

Join Leslie for a “road trip” through beginning fiction. Bring a piece that has not been critiqued already, no more than five pages. Please bring eleven copies to the first day of class. As we travel through each other’s stories, we’ll explore the signs of strong fiction: character, setting, voice, scenes, conflict, and so much more. Structuring your writing life and organizing your story will also be explored.

Leslie Gould is the author of nine novels, including Beyond the Blue, which was awarded Romantic Times’ Reviewers’ Choice Inspirational Novel of the Year in 2006. For the last several years she has collaborated on two series for Guideposts Novels. Leslie, of Portland, Oregon, has taught fiction writing at Multnomah University, edited a bridal magazine, published more than 300 articles as a freelance writer,and curated a museum in Ashland, Oregon. She recently received a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in creative writing at Portland State University. Leslie is the editor and agent liaison for the conference. Web site: http://www.lesliegould.com

6. Fiction Mentoring Class for Intermediate/Advanced Writers—Randy Ingermanson- CLOSED

This is his popular hands-on fiction mentoring class. Here’s how it works:

Before the conference, you will submit the first 20 pages of your novel to him by e-mail. He’ll work with you to make sure it has standard formatting and ask you a few questions about yourself and your book so he’ll understand what kind of novel you’re writing. He’ll e-mail your manuscript to the other students before the conference and everybody will read each manuscript and make written comments before they arrive.

At the conference, participants will do a group critique of each writing sample. The goal is very simple: To identify your greatest strength and your greatest weakness as a fiction writer, and look for ways you can improve both. Your greatest strength is the reason an editor will say yes to your book, and Randy wants to make that as likely as possible. Your greatest weakness is the reason an editor might say no to your book, and he wants to make that as unlikely as possible.

After the conference, you should have a clear idea of what to work on for the next three to six months—you should know your greatest strength and your greatest weakness and what practical steps you can take to improve each of them.

Group critique sessions can be fun and up-building if they’re done right. Randy has never seen any slashing or cruel critiques in all the time he’s done mentoring workshops, and he won’t allow that kind of thing to happen in this class. To learn and to improve requires participants to do detailed critiques of each manuscript.

Randy Ingermanson of Battle Ground, Washington, is the award-winning author of six novels and the author of Writing Fiction for Dummies. Randy has a doctorate in physics from UC Berkeley and is known around the world as “the Snowflake Guy” for his widely used snowflake method of designing novel. He is also the publisher of the free monthly Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, the world’s largest electronic newsletter on the craft of writing fiction, with about 20,000 subscribers. If you need to know more about Randy, you can visit his personal Web site at http://www.Ingermanson.com or his fiction-writing Web site at http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com.

7. Writing for Christian Ministry (Bible Curriculum, Bible Study Guides, Devotionals)—Lin Johnson

If you like to study the Bible and have a desire to help people grow in the Lord, you have two basics for writing for ministry. Whether you want to write lesson plans, small-group study guides, or devotionals for your church, for a Christian organization, or for publication, you will learn how to do so in this class. Participants will explore types of curricula and devotionals; how to meet teachers’ and learners’ needs, including an understanding of the teaching/learning process; details of writing lesson plans, study guides, and devotionals; available markets; and how to get assignments for publication. Lin is a curriculum specialist who has written for a number of Bible curriculum and study-guide publishers, as well as a variety of devotional markets.

Lin Johnson is a full-time freelancer whose business includes editing, writing, proofreading, and training. She is managing editor of Christian Communicator, Advanced Christian Writer, and Church Libraries,and proofs and edits for Friends of Israel. An award-winning author, Lin has received both a Gold Medallion Book Award and an EPA Higher Goals award. The author of more than 70 books, Lin spe­cializes in Bible curriculum. Her books include the Extracting the Precious series of Bible studies (with Donna Partow), The Smart Guide to the Bible: John, Encouraging Others, Christian Education: Foundations for the Future (coeditor), and 1 Timothy & Titus and 2 Timothy (with John Stott). Lin owns and directs the Write-to-Publish Conference in the Chicago area, which is where she lives, and teaches at writers’conferences across the country and internationally. She has a bachelor’s degree in Christian education from Cedarville University and one in Bible theology from Moody Bible Institute, plus a master’s in adult and continuing education from National-Louis University. She taught Christian education at Moody Bible Institute and is adjunct professor in writing at Taylor University.

8. Shaping Your Prose for Print—Sherri Langton

This class is for writers serious about marketing and tailoring their articles for the right magazine market. By the end of the last day, writers will have analyzed how to shape their writing for a particular market (with two alternatives).Dust off that manuscript that keeps coming back to you from various editors;bring your new manuscript/ideas. Or bring a reprint that could be reshaped for a new market.

Writers must bring laptops to find magazine markets online. They also must bring ideas ready to shape into an article or a piece of writing that could be worked into final form and submitted to an editor. In particular, the class will:

1. Take an in-depth look at the Christian Writers’ Market Guide, with explanations of what to look for in a potential market, unfamiliar terms, and how the process of submission and editorial review works. The class will also go over writers’ guidelines.
2. Analyze what topical listing (or listings) in the market guide best fits their writing (personal experience, how-to, humor, etc.). Articles will probably fit more than one category. Participants can then seethe crossover possibilities among publications: A personal experience about what happened on a mis­sions trip would fit the category of personal experience, but it might have a better chance with a publication that accepts personal experience and missions stories.
3. Obtain copies of writers’ guidelines either from the freebie table or by downloading them from publications’ sites. Writers will find an article in sample publications that best fits what they’re trying to write. That’s the model they should follow to shape their prose for print.
4. Write an article to fit the guidelines and the sample article. Writers will share each other’s work and learn from each other. Class members will help assess each other’s work and find the right markets.
5. Assess the difference between flaws in marketing and flaws in writing that keep an article from being published.
6. Discuss contracts, rights, and how publishing magazine articles helps a writer’s professional platform and reaches more readers than a book usually does.

Sherri Langton, associate editor of the Bible Advocate magazine and of Now What? e-zine, has worked in Christian publishing for 21 years. She is also an award-winning freelance writer whose work has appeared in Focus on the Family, Decision, Discipleship Journal, Today’s Christian Woman, In Touch, and other publications. Sherri has contributed poetry and articles to the collections My Turn to Care, Teatime Stories for Women, Becoming a Godly Man, Faces of Faith, and Chicken Soup for the Soul in Menopause. In addition, she teaches workshops at several Christian writers’ conferences. Sherri lives in Denver, Colorado, where she enjoys playing drums and percussion at her church.

9. Writing for Children and Teens—Bill Myers- CLOSED

The class will spend its first session discussing and creating characters that are unforgettable to the juvenile and teen reader. In the second session participants will explore the creative process and how to come up with original concepts you might never have thought of. And during the third session writers will marry those characters and those ideas into page-turning plots.

Bill Myers is a writer/producer whose work has won more than 40 national and international awards including the C.S. Lewis Honor Award. His books and videos have sold more than 8 million copies,including Focus on the Family’s McGee and Me video series, My Life as …, Forbidden Doors, Eli, Soul Tracker, and Angel of Wrath. He does the voice of Christ in the NIV Audio Bible, and his latest book, The God Hater, is scheduled for release this fall. Bill has written exceptional books for adults as well as for teens and children. Check out his Web site at http://www.Billlmyers.com, where you can read excerpts of his work and see a complete listing. For more on his personal life, check out his Facebook Fan Page. He lives in California, not too far from “Hollyweird,” where he’s still trying to make a difference.

10. Polishing Your Manuscript for Submission (Intermediate to Advanced)— Andy Scheer (This class will be capped at 12. )

Learn and practice principles of self-editing—from shaping the big picture to fine-tuning the details. The class will include critiques of members’ manuscripts submitted prior to the conference. (This is not required in order to attend.) The class is designed for both article and book writers and for fiction as well as nonfiction. You will have homework, so bring your computers. During the course, the class will:

1. Overview the self-editing process.
2. Examine elements of an article’s structure and then delve into how each aspect can work to accomplish your purpose.
3. Learn to sharpen your editing knife with a presentation of principles for eliminating needless words.
4. Discuss the realities about how publishers evaluate manuscripts.

Andy Scheer is managing editor for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild in Colorado Springs.As part of the guild’s work in training and equipping Christian writers, Andy edits the guild’s courses, produces its newsletters, helps plan the Writing for the Soul conference, and coordinates the Operation First Novel writing contest. He often teaches at writers’ conferences and has served as a judge for several national writing contests. He served for 18 years as editor with Moody Magazine in Chicago. A journalism graduate of Colorado State University, he also studied at Denver Seminary.

11. Beginning/Intermediate Nonfiction Critique—Cornelia B. Seigneur (This class will be capped at 10. )

This inspirational nonfiction coaching session will focus on group interaction time, offering specific feedback on current writing and/or past work. Participants will dissect one another’s work, share ideas for bettering their writing, analyze how to fuse faith and art to shape culture, examine ways to use writing as a ministry, talk about the current publishing world, consider the art of story, and read from the bestseller of all time as well as some master writers. Bring up to five pages of your own previously un-critiqued work and enough copies for class participants.

Cornelia Becker Seigneur of West Linn, Oregon, is the author of the books WriterMom Tales and Images of America: WEST LINN. She is an adjunct professor, most recently at Multnomah University,where she taught American literature; she has also taught at George Fox University and other higher and secondary education institutions. Cornelia has been a freelance journalist for The Oregonian newspaper since 1996, specializing in faith, family, and community features; she penned the “Real-Life Mom” column for The Oregonian for three years. She also writes outreach stories for Rolling Hills Community Church. In addition, Cornelia works as a freelance editor. She truly enjoys inspiring and connecting others in their journey of the pen. Her Web site and blog can be found at http://www.corneliaseigneur.com.

12. A Fresh Look at the Power of Words—Colette Tennant

The art of poetry is the beginning of all writing. Learn how to be precise. Use fresh words, full of meaning. This class will open worlds of images. Participants will write in class, perhaps compile a chapbook of their work. Definitely they’ll have fun.

You’ll discover a new way of looking at all life. Your writing will experience an upturn. The class will discover how vital it is to read poetic voices from all walks of life and why poetry is not Christian versus contemporary but an art form that moves across all lines. In a word—writers will grow to appreciate their craft.

Colette Tennant is an English professor at Corban University in Salem, Oregon, where she has taught writing and literature courses for 15 years. Her poems have appeared in Christianity and Literature, Dos Passos Review, Natural Bridge, Southern Poetry Review, and many other publications. She has poetry forthcoming in Karamu, Cloudbank Orpheus II, and Vineyard. Her poetry manuscript, Commotion of Wings, was a finalist in Main Street Rag’s 2009 book contest and was published in January 2010.

13. The Constant Drumbeat for Every Writer (Marketing)—Terry Whalin

Successful writers have discovered the necessity of including marketing with their writing. The majority of writers avoid it like the plague because they prefer to write and not market. Here are some of the topics that will be tackled in this class:

1. Who takes the primary responsibility for marketing and why?
2. Which do you market? Do you market the topic or the person or both?
3. What are the characteristics and qualities of successful marketers?
4. What are some skills every marketer has, and how do you develop a plan to acquire these skills?
5. Which tools do you use to market on a shoestring? Is e-mail marketing dead? Is social market­ing a timewaster or worth doing? Are direct marketing techniques still effective? Does anyone make money giving away free content? What is viral marketing and which techniques are the best to use?

You will discover inexpensive tools that will allow the greatest effectiveness and take the least amount of time. Whether you have one book or 20 books or no books, you can gain insight and new tools from these sessions. Each session will be loaded with practical ready-to-apply information for you to take home and increase your visibility in today’s market. The handouts and resources will give you information that you can apply for weeks and months after the sessions. For more than 25 years, Terry Whalin has been learning and using these techniques. While predominately focused on nonfiction, here’s a hint about the universal nature of this material: Any writer can use these techniques, whether you write fiction or non­fiction, whether you are experienced or have never been published.

W. Terry Whalin of Scottsdale, Arizona, understands both sides of the editorial desk—as an editor and as a writer. He has been a magazine editor and his work has appeared in more than 50 publications. A former book acquisitions editor for several publishers and a former literary agent, Terry is a vice-president and publisher at Intermedia Publishing Group. Whether you have a book manuscript you want to get published or a published book that needs marketing, Terry can help. He has written more than 60books through traditional publishers in a wide range of topics, including children’s books, biographies, and co-authored books. Several of Terry’s books have sold more than 100,000 copies. His newest book is Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams, Insider Secrets to Skyrocket Your Success. Terry is a popular speaker and teacher at writers’ conferences and an active member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

14. Fiction Mastery—Jeff Gerke There will be no cap on enrollment.

This is not your typical coaching class. It includes:

Fiction Mastery—Part 1: Mastering Show Vs. Tell

You’ve heard it said a thousand times: “Show; don’t tell.” You may have even learned what in the world people mean when they say this about fiction. But how do you do it? What is telling? How do you spot it in your own fiction? And, most importantly, how do you convert it to showing? A manuscript full of telling is a sure sign of an amateurish novelist not ready for prime time. Jeff Gerke has developed an unforgettable way of clarifying show vs. tell once and for all.

Fiction Mastery—Part 2: Building Incredible Characters

Jeff Gerke believes there are two types of novelists in the world: plot-first novelists and character-first novelists. Character-first novelists come up with character ideas with ease, but sometimes struggle to find interesting things for those characters to do (i.e., plot). Plot-first novelists get amazing story ideas all day long, but their characters tend to be shallow and stereotypical—more like furniture than people. Whichever kind of novelist you are, you’ll benefit from Jeff ’s character cre­ation system. Come prepared to create your next protagonist—during class!

Fiction Mastery—Part 3: Building Plot Out of Character

Part 2 of the Fiction Mastery series covered how to create incredible characters. Whether you’re a plot-first novelist who used that session to create an exciting new protagonist or you’re a character-first novelist in search of a better story for your great characters to act in, “Building Plot Out of Character” is the next step for you. In Jeff Gerke’s mind, the best fiction is character-driven. In this session, Jeff will teach you how to craft a satisfying, well-structured, page-turning plot—all around your character’s inner journey. Come prepared to plot your next book—during class!

Fiction Mastery—Part 4: Writing and Selling Christian Speculative Fiction

Jeff has been an unfailing champion of Christian speculative fiction. The weird stuff. Come learn from Jeff the distinctives of writing this kind of fiction and, perhaps more importantly, the publishing prospects for writing fiction that moves beyond the edge of the map.

Fiction Mastery—Part 5: Understanding the Publishing Process

Publishers are a black box—a mystery to most writers. We can see what they produce and we can try to draw conclusions based on that. But they remain, to quote Winston Churchill, “a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” Jeff has seen the inner workings of these black boxes from the perspectives of author, editor, and publisher. Come learn the “I’m Only a Bill” process through which a book is taken from glimmer in the author’s eye all the way to a published book on the shelf.

Jeff Gerke has been called the de facto gatekeeper of Christian speculative fiction and has a special place in his heart for it (sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural thrillers, etc.). He maintains a thriving Web site dedicated to those genres at http://www.WhereTheMapEnds.com. Jeff has served as an editor for Multnomah Publishers, Strang Communications, and NavPress. While at Strang, Jeff launched Realms, the first-ever imprint of Christian speculative fiction. In 2008, he launched Marcher Lord Press, an indie publishing company specializing in Christian spec fic. He makes his living as a freelance editor and bookdoctor, helping Christian novelists improve their fiction and get published. Under the pen name Jefferson Scott, he has authored six Christian novels and coauthored two nonfiction books. Jeff and his wife and three children live in Colorado Springs.