New Writer's Workshop
Thu 9:00am - 5:00pm
Venue: Library
Co-Creators
The New Writer Workshop will help early-stage writers understand the ins and outs of navigating the very difficult challenges of writing, getting published, and marketing your work. Workshop leaders Brian McLaren, Kate Rademacher, and Brian Allain will shed light on the often confusing and opaque world of books. Brian McLaren will talk about the writing process ... where inspiration comes from, how the writing process unfolds, how personality type and the writing process interact, and how the writing process can help you grow as a human being. Kate Rademacher will lead participants in several exercises and discussions to support a practice of discerning how and what and when we are being called to write next. As new or emerging writers, it has never been easier to create and share content with local, national, and/or global audiences. As such, the world has become a very noisy place. In fact, the World Health Organizations says we are living in an infodemic. As you determine what content you are being called to create and share, consider all the options. Often, an important first step for spiritual writers and other content creators is to become quiet and listen for where the Spirit is calling us next. Practices of contemplative prayer, silence, and discernment are more important than ever before. Brian Allain will lead the final portion of the workshop, focusing on business aspects of being a spiritual writer. We will discuss the importance of marketing, including your audience focus (who is the customer for your book), your elevator pitch (what benefits are you providing your audience), and marketing tactics (how to build a following for your work). We will also provide an overview of the spiritual publishing industry, discuss picking your path to getting published, and cover the pro's and con's of self publishing.