Writers Anonymous
2020 Mid-Winter
Writers Conference

Write, write, and then...
write some more!

 
 
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Agenda & Presenters
for the
2020 Mid-Winter Writers Conference
 

  
 
 
       CLICK HERE to see all these Conference sessions with their scheduled times.
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       CLICK HERE to see a map of the campus of Pell City Library.
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To go DIRECTLY to the Conference Registration Pages CLICK HERE.
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  To view (or print) the Conference Schedule in a Time-Grid in MS Word CLICK HERE.

To view (or print) the Conference Schedule in a Time-Grid in a .PDF File CLICK HERE

 

  
     
 
 
  Keynotes:  
 



 Rita Moritz:



 Keynote #1: "Make your dream happen in 2020."
                     
 
 



 Todd Gerelds:


 Keynote #2: "Why You're the Right Person to Write Your Story."

                     
 
 
 
  Workshops: Each workshop will last 45 minutes and will start and end on time.
                     Workshops are listed below alphabetically by presenter's name.
David Bennett Stephanie Rodda
Allen Berry Ellen Sallas
Angela Broyles Jackie Trimble
Sean Dietrich Sue Walker
Jennifer Gerelds Joe Whitten
Todd Gerelds Cheryl Sloan Wray
 
 
 
 
 

 David Bennett:


 Workshop: "How to Become the Writer Editors Love"
 
  Learn the dos, don'ts, and common mistakes "wrookie" writers make.
- - - -
Since 2013, David has been the Editor of HomeLife Magazine, the flagship publication of LifeWay Christian Resources. LifeWay is one of the world's largest providers of Christian resources. The company owns and operates more than 180 LifeWay Christian Stores across the United States.		  
 
 
 
 


 Allen Berry:


 Workshop: "Making Pearls: How to Turn Pain into Poetry."
 
  How to use your own pain to craft something beautiful and still write poetry that doesn't sound like a bad Hallmark Card.
- - - -
Allen is the author of three published collections of poetry, and the founder of the Limestone Dust Poetry Festival. He teaches writing and literature at the University of North Georgia and Tech and Business Writing online at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He is a veteran writer's block escape artist.		  
 
 
 



 Angela Broyles:


 Workshop: "Book Sales in 2020 - 1-2-3 in Book Sales"
 
  Do you want more people to read what you write? Of course you do! In this workshop, we will cover book design, layouts, and keywords so you can make that happen.
- - - -
Angela founded Bluewater Publications in 2000, but as with all exploits, it was in the making long before the actual inception. Prior to publishing, Angela was the owner of an independent bookstore giving her the initial knowledge in marketing an independent author. BwPublications.com has over 150 titles in their backlist with an additional 12-15 titles planned to release the next few seasons.
     Angela enjoys the challenge of marketing of publications. She enjoys coaching authors to help them achieve their goals and dreams. When she’s not working on publishing, Angela loves finding out of the way places for dinner with her husband of 30 years.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AngelaBroyles  BWP Twitter: https://twitter.com/BWPublications  		 
 
 
 



 Sean Dietrich, "Sean of the South"


 General Workshop: "What to Write About When
                          You Don't Have Anything to Write About"
 
 Sean will also present: "An Evening with Sean of the South" 
                                that will require a separate ticket.
 
 
  A general workshop: This informal workshop will cover finding topics to write about
                             and will include some Q & A time.

In a separate show, (Separate ticket) will be:  "An Evening with Sean of the South."
- - - -
Sean is a columnist, blogger, and novelist, known for his commentary on life in the American South. His work has appeared in Newsweek, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Good Grit, The Tallahassee Democrat, South Magazine, the Bitter Southerner, Thom Magazine, The Birmingham News, The Mobile Press Register, and he has authored eleven books. His latest book is Stars of Alabama, which was released in July.

 

  
 
 
 



 Jennifer Gerelds:


 Workshop: "Devotional Writing 101: Minding Your 5 P's and Q's:"
 
  In this workshop, I'll give a brief overview of my writing career, including tricks of the trade that I've learned over the years working with many different publishers and editors. Then we will go into the specifics of how to flesh out the ideas you have for your devotional book through a proven, systematic, and prayer-filled process that helps you minimize distractions and detours, allowing you to finish what you start in a timely manner.
- - - - -
Jennifer Gerelds is a freelance writer, wife, and mother of four teen-aged and young adult daughters. For over twenty years she has teamed with Worthy (Ellie Claire), Tommy Nelson, Thomas Nelson, DaySpring, and others to publish numerous devotional books and Bibles for children and adults that convey biblical truth through relatable and descriptive stories. Her most recent works include: Words of Life, Everyday Grace for Friends, Waking Up to Grace, Peaceful Promises, and the Brave Girls Bible Stories and devotional series.		  
 
 
 



 Todd Gerelds:


 Workshop: "Drawing from Your Experiences to Write."
 
  In this workshop, Todd will show you how to draw from your own life for topics. When you’re drawing from your experiences, that well won’t ever run dry.
- - - - -
Todd Gerelds is the author of "Woodlawn." This riveting true story of courage, strength, and football at the height of racial tension in Birmingham, Alabama, inspired the motion picture Woodlawn, and tells the story of Coach Tandy Gerelds, his running back Tony Nathan, and a high school football game that healed a city. The true story that inspired a hit movie. https://www.facebook.com/Woodlawn-Neighborhood-Association-169564686439249/

As both a speaker and a motivator, Todd has a gift set to serve groups or organizations in a very effective way. Todd draws from his many experiences and expertise to share in a way that truly inspires and motivates. He is also the author of Always Fall Forward.		  
 



 Rita Moritz:



 Keynote #1: "Make your dream happen in 2020."
Rita is the author of two books  and a workbook, (see Amazon's: Rita Moritz) editor of Alabama State Poetry Society's Muse Messenger, inspirational speaker and blogger. Her blog at RitaMoritz.com has had as many as 25,000 hits in one month. She is also the founder and current President of Writers Anonymous.
 


 Stephanie Rodda:


 Workshop: "Priorities and Procrastinations -
               When life interrupts your plans to write."
 
  Stephanie Rodda is a blogger, author, freelance writer and inspirational speaker.
- - - -
She lives with her family in the Birmingham area. As a mom-of-many, she is often challenged with finding the time to ‘do it all’. Priorities and purpose helps keep her writing instead of procrastinating until another day.		  
 
 
 
 
 
 



 Ellen Sallas:

 
Workshop #1: "Writing Amazing True-To-Life Characters"


 and


 Workshop #2: "Trimming the Fat & Making it Tight:
                   How to Trim Your Novel So Every Scene Propels the Plot”
 
  Character and plot are the two main ingredients of excellent fiction. Characters bring your plot to life. How do we create good characters and bring them to life?

A lot of us write 150,000 words when most publishers won’t look at your novel if it is over 90k. I can show you how to trim and tighten it up, making it awesome along the way.
- - - -
Ellen is Editorial Director of Little Roni Publishers, as well as founder of The Author’s Mentor, and is a widely sought keynote speaker for book clubs, schools, and education organizations all over the south, including Beeson Divinity School at Samford University. Under the pen name Ellen C. Maze, she authored the #1 Bestseller Paranormal Thriller Rabbit: Chasing Beth Rider, among many other titles in different genres. See more at ellencmaze.com.		  
 
 
 
 
 



 Jackie Trimble:


 Workshop: "How to Tend a Fire: Nurturing the Creativity Within"
 
 
 
  This workshop will focus on creativity and how to nurture the fire that turns nothing into something. We will explore how to harness imagination through craft and practice playing with language to expand our creativity.
- - - - -
Jackie lives and writes in Montgomery, Alabama, where she is a professor of English and chairs the Department of Languages and Literatures at Alabama State University. Her work has appeared in various online and print publications including The Louisville Review, The Offing, Poet Lore and the anthology, The Night’s Magician: Poems About the Moon, edited Philip C. Kolin and Sue Brannan Walker. American Happiness, her first collection, published by NewSouth Books, won the Balcones Poetry Prize. She is a Cave Canem fellow and an Alabama State Council on the Arts Literary Fellow.		  
 
 
 
 
 


 Sue Walker


 Workshop: "Creating a Sonnet that Sings!"
 
   In this workshop, you will learn the basics of writing a sonnet. We will also cover the elusive "volta," which either makes or breaks your sonnet and how to take your sonnet to the next level.
- - - -
Sue Walker, M.Ed, MA, and Ph.D., is the founder/publisher/editor of Negative Capability Press (Mobile, AL). She was Poet Laureate of Alabama from 2003-2012 and Stokes Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at the University of South Alabama where she retired in July 2015. In 2013, she received the Eugene Garcia Award for outstanding scholarship by the Alabama Council of English and a Mellen Award for outstanding scholarship for her critical work on James Dickey, The Ecopoetics of James Dickey. She has received several Pushcart nominations and numerous creative writing awards for fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry. She has published eight books of poetry, numerous critical articles, drama, fiction, and nonfiction. She has spoken and given workshops throughout the U.S.A. and abroad. Sue is the President of the Alabama Writers’ Conclave.		  
 
 
 



 Joe Whitten


 Workshop: “Was grandpa really baptized in the river sitting in a cane bottom chair?”
Whether tracking down family history or researching for historical writing, accuracy is important. Using examples from his research for articles for Discover magazine, Joe’s workshop will focus on verifying information.
-----
Joe Whitten, a retired educator, is a St. Clair County local historian, poet, and devotional writer. He currently writes local history articles for Discover the Essence of St. Clair and The St. Clair Times. He has also been published in the Southern Baptist’s Open Windows devotionals and Homelife magazine. Joe taught school for 39 years, has been retired for almost 20, and enjoys old age.
 


Cheryl Sloan Wray:


 Workshop: "How to Write a Winning Query Letter"
 
     The "How to Write a Winning Query Letter" workshop will give you the inside track on writing a query letter--a letter you use to sell your idea to an editor--that will result in publication. It will teach you the entire process of formulating and submitting a query letter and will provide samples of successful letters.
- - - - -
Cheryl is a freelance writer who has published more than 2000 articles in a variety of newspapers and magazines. She is the author of the books Writing for Magazines: A Beginner's Guide (McGraw-Hill) and Writing Feature Articles (Vision Press). She has degrees in journalism from the University of Alabama, where she also works as an adjunct professor. She's the coordinator of the Southern Christian Writers Conference, an organization that hosts an annual workshop in Tuscaloosa and other writing events. She lives in Hueytown and is married with three daughters and four grandchildren. 		+
 
 
 

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