ACFW Colorado Springs
generally meets the first Saturday of each month.
We meet from 10 a.m. - Noon. Please check schedule below for exceptions.
Join us at First Evangelical Free Church, 820 N 30th Street, Colorado Springs.
We are happy to have you attend up to two meetings if you want to check us out before
joining.
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January 5
Scoti Domeij (author)
- Life's Tsunamis: Barreling Through the Ultimate
Writing Block
Deluged by
stressful circumstances? Suffocated by a
life-altering event? Is it possible to reclaim
the oxygen of motivation to stay afloat and to
write, when you're drowning and don't know how
to swim? At one point or another, rogue waves
will wipe out a writer's world, washing away
their desires, designs, and dreams to write.
Scoti Domeij takes a hard look at how to write
while submerged by life's tsunamis. When
swallowed by a monster billow, discover
how the salty psychology of seismic
circumstances unleashes a
tsunami of words.
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February 2
Donna Schlachter (author)
- Crafting Good Suplots, the key to every story
Regardless of the genre, readers want
stories that are more than just surface
excursions into the imagination. In this
class, we'll learn about using subplots to
add tension; flesh out characters; and offer
a distraction from the main story that
serves as a kind of red herring.
Bio: Donna lives in Denver with husband Patrick. She
writes historical suspense under her own
name, and contemporary suspense under her
alter ego of Leeann Betts, and has been
published more than 25 times in novellas and
full-length novels. She is a member of
American Christian Fiction Writers, Writers
on the Rock, and Sisters In Crime;
facilitates a critique group, and teaches
writing classes. Donna ghostwrites, edits,
and judges in writing contests. She loves
history and research, and travels
extensively for both. Donna is represented
by Terrie Wolf of AKA Literary Management.
www.HiStoryThruTheAges.wordpress.com
www.HiStoryThruTheAges.com
Receive a free ebook simply for signing up
for our free newsletter!
Facebook.com/DonnaSchlacterAuthor
Twitter.com/DonnaSchlacter
Books available on
Amazon and
Smashwords
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March 2
Davalynn Spencer (author) - "Don't Be a Trouble Maker!":
Creating Conflict in Your Characters' Lives
Conflict and obstacles are the last things any of us need in our everyday
existence, so as authors we sometimes shelter our beloved characters to spare
them the pain. Stop that. Stop it right now! No one wants to read a namby-pamby
story about some person with a perfect life who lives in a perfect world.
Conflict-riddled readers need conflict in their stories
because they need victory - even if it's someone else's.
Join us for a hands-on workshop presented by Davalynn Spencer (no fisticuffs,
we promise) on how to be a trouble-maker.
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April 6
Write In The Springs
This year we welcome James L. Rubart!
Check back for more information |
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Previous Events
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January 6
Allen Arnold (author)
- Hidden
Threats to Your Creativity
There are three hidden forces that act as kryptonite
towards your creativity. Left unaddressed, these
forces will derail your art...and ultimately your
heart. Publishing industry thought leader and
popular author Allen Arnold reveals both the threats
and their counterintuitive ways to defeat them,
sharing insights gleaned from working with hundreds
of new and best-selling Christian authors.
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February 3
Jennie Marts (author) - Dual
workshop on Creating Your Brand and Write Smarter,
Write Faster
Creating Your Author Brand
- With so many
authors writing multiple books—it’s important to
create an author brand that will help readers
recognize and find you. USA TODAY Best-selling
author Jennie Marts will share practical advice and
tips on understanding what your brand is and how to
build your own unique author brand and increase your
discoverability.
Write Smarter, Write Faster
- With ever
increasing constraints on our schedules, writers
must learn to maximize the time they use when they
sit down to write. If you’re juggling multiple
series and publishers, then every minute has to
count. Multi-published and award-winning author,
Jennie Marts, shares tips and tricks to focus your
writing time to increase productivity, balance
conflicting deadlines, increase your word count,
stay healthy, and write better books in a shorter
amount of time.
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March 3
Lisa Jordan (author) - Building a
Writing Career While Working Full Time!
Despite what TV shows or movies may portray, many
writers aren't multi-published millionaires sitting
in luxurious offices overlooking the city skyline or
the beach.
In fact, many writers lack the financial stability
to write full time. Those who do write full-time may
have spouses who contribute to the monthly budget,
or they've published enough books to meet their
financial obligations.
Most of the writers I know work full time - inside or
outside the home - care for families, maintain church
responsibilities and try to get enough sleep so
they're not zombies the next day.
So how are writers able to find the time to write
while working full time?
Many of them don't have time, but the majority of
them make the time to write.
Finding the time to write while balancing other life
obligations is necessary in order to meet their
dreams. Building a writing career while working full
time can be a challenge, but it's not impossible.
This workshop will offer 5 essential keys to help
build their writing careers while working full time.
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April 14
Write In The Springs
with Margie Lawson |
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May 5
Evangeline Denmark and Elena
Sorensen (authors) - Weaving in the Dark Threads
What role should dark elements play in the work of
writers of faith? From grim fairy tales (pun
intended) to the Gothic literary tradition, to the
modern horror genre, representations of evil, fear,
and the unknown have created conflict, built
tension, and moved the plot. But what about our
souls and our imaginations? Is there room in a
Christian creative's journey for delving into the
deep? Elena Sorensen and Evangeline Denmark are both
members of the Anselm Society, which seeks a
renaissance of the Christian imagination—will
discuss the topic of “Weaving in the Dark Threads”
with the goal of challenging preconceptions while
holding redemption as the framework for the greatest
story.
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June 2
Brian Bird (screen writer)
- The
Adaptation Survival Kit
For authors looking to adapt (or have someone adapt)
their novel or non-fiction book into a screenplay
for a film, here are the pitfalls and the ways to
succeed... from award-winning screenwriter and
producer Brian Bird.
Come learn some screenwriting tips that will enhance
your novel writing craft to make for a more engaging
story.
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July 7
Carla Laureano
(author) - The Elements of Voice
"We're looking for unique voices." You
see this statement on every editor's and agent's
wish list, but what does it mean exactly? Voice is
one of the indefinable elements that separates great
writing from merely good, and it's something that
can't be faked or invented. It can, however, be
refined and cultivated into something that's both
distinct and marketable.
In this interactive workshop, we will explore:
1) What voice is and isn't.
2) How pacing, word choice, cadence, and sentence
structure contribute to voice.
3) The intersection of point of view and voice--and
what to do when it conflicts
Bring your notebook, a pen, and a sense of adventure
as we delve into the elements of voice and emerge
with a greater understanding of what makes your
writing uniquely yours.
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August 4
Beth Vogt (author) - How to
Craft a High Concept Pitch for Your Novel
No matter
what genre you're writing, it's important to capture
people's attention when you're talking to them about
your novel.
Agents.
Editors.
Readers.
Interviewers.
This is why you need to understand what high concept
is and how it strengthens your ability to market
your book.
In this workshop, you will:
2. Define high concept, once and for all.
3. Discover the 3 key elements of a high concept pitch.
4. Begin to brainstorm a high concept pitch for your work-in-progress (WIP).
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September 8
Kenneth Lippincott (author) - The
Somewhat Humorous Journey of an Indie Writer: From
Writing to Publishing to Marketing.
Author Kenneth Lippincott will share
what an Indie author can expect through the joy of
writing, the agony of publishing, and some survival
skills of marketing, while providing practical
approaches to writing as a business.
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October 6
Susan Baganz (author and
editor) - The Care and Feeding of Your Editor.
Learn how to
avoid the common errors that cause many beginning
authors to be rejected regardless of the quality of
their work.
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November 3
Susan Mathis (author)
- Making Sense of it All
It's easy to lose the beauty of
the moment, an awareness of the senses, delight
in the small things, and the sweet simplicity
that can make your writing life, and your
writing itself so full and vibrant. Come for a
hands-on workshop to ignite your creativity in a
whole new way, engage your senses, and be amazed
how it'll bring your writing alive!
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