A Day for Writers

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Greater Harvest Workshops
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Resurrection Lutheran Church
1270 N. Broadway
Lebanon, Ohio, 45036

Registration: $49

New Schedule with 8 New Workshops.
Same Inspiration and Fun!

Have you always wanted to write but haven’t known where to start?
Is it your desire to write articles and devotionals for magazines and books?
Have you written a book, or would like to, but have no idea what step to take next?
Have you started to write, but need to be inspired to keep the momentum going?

Greater Harvest Workshops are designed to move you closer to your goal of becoming a working writer and published author. Taught by Donna Shepherd, an author and speaker, and Mary Busha, a writer's coach, these workshops, along with hands-on training, will motivate you to step up to the next level!
Schedule:

8:30-9:00: Registration/Coffee
9:00-9:30: General Session
9:30-9:45: Break
9:45-10:45: Workshop 1
10:45-11:00: Break
11:00-12:00: Workshop 2
12:00-12:30: Lunch (included with registration)
12:30-12:45: Networking
12:45-1:45: Workshop 3
1:45-2:00: Break
2:00-3:00: Workshop 4
3:00-3:30: Closing Session

Writers can choose one workshop from each session.

9:45-10:45: Workshop 1
Write Devotionals and Get Published - (Donna) In this workshop, learn how to compose a devotional, study the markets, and how to format your devotionals for submission to magazines, anthologies, and books.
Writing and Road Trips – What They Have in Common - (Mary) Writing a book or an article is similar to taking a road trip across town or across the country. Both require planning and decision making. Explore six elements writing and road trips have in common.
11:00-12:00: Workshop 2
Use Your Good Senses. - (Donna) Let's boost creativity by paying attention to sensory details. We'll stir up our senses with hands-on activities and writing exercises and watch creativity come alive as we enjoy the senses God gave us.
Self-publishing – Is it for You? - (Mary) Discover some of the pros and cons of self-publishing, find out why many writers today are taking this route to publication, and begin to determine if this is the best way for you to get into print.

12:45-1:45: Workshop 3
Blogging and Social Networking - (Donna) What is a blog? Do you really need to have a website and a blog? Find out how to determine your best course of action to promote and brand yourself on the Internet.
Keeping Your Writing Alive One Day at a Time - (Mary) Once you’ve begun the writing process, it’s important to keep the momentum going. Find out how you can write something every day…and, in the process, bless others at the same time.
2:00-3:00: Workshop 4
ABC's of Sparkling Writing - (Donna) Who wants to write ho-hum? Donna will share twenty-six ways to liven up your writing.
Marketing Yourself and Your Book Proposal - (Mary) If you’ve found that writing your book is easy compared to the awesome task of marketing your work, this workshop will help you get by the intimidation of trying to get your manuscript into the hands of an agent or publisher.

Thrown Out of My Own Home

I'm posting along with some other writers over on the Christian Humor Writers Blog. For something a bit different, here's today's post.


I know the day I teetered on the edge of change. My emotions tumbled inside, and I thought for a few seconds of morphing into my mother.

Not that my mother is a bad person. Quite the opposite. She’s the best person I know, but a more emotional person you will not find. I’m analytical. Logical. The first to say, “Let’s figure this out.” One of my favorite Beatles songs was “We Can Work It Out.”

As a teenager, arguments with my mother grew more frequent and intense. To my dismay, she could engage me every time. I had a bedroom in the finished basement of our ranch house, and I would stand at the bottom of the steps with Mom at the top, both of us screaming, our words echoing through the stairwell.

When I had my own daughter, I vowed we would never have the same kind of relationship my mother and I had. It helped that my child and I seemed evenly matched in temperament. That is, until she hit puberty. Overnight, my even-tempered sweetheart turned into a volatile volcano. Anything I said or did caused eruptions, and left me trembling.

One day I came home, said something inane to my daughter, and we were off and running - our voices raised, our tempers rising. I needed to let the dog out through our back patio door, and even while trying to argue my point, I slid the glass door to the side. Before I realized what happened, my daughter had pushed me out onto the deck, and closed the door behind me.

So there I stood. Now what? I stared through the glass into my daughter’s face – her eyes huge, her face registering disbelief, probably mirroring my expression.

Memories of the endless arguments I had as a teenager flooded my mind. The very thing I feared was happening.

If ever there was a time when respect for me as her parent needed to develop, it was at this moment. Stepping into the endless whirl of arguing and intimidation would only make my role as her parent more difficult. Besides, judging from the ease with which she had pushed me out the door, I’d say my daughter could whip me!

Then the absurdity of the situation hit me. I started laughing, and laughed until tears flowed.

When my daughter saw me doubled over, she opened the door, and I opened my arms. As we held each other, I spoke to her about how, even though I understood how her hormones had her in an uproar physically and emotionally, I still expected her to treat me with respect. I shared the vow I had made when she was born. I would not be repeating history. She tearfully apologized for her behavior.

We had many more tense moments, but I did not play into her attempts to engage me. I kept my wits about me, kept my voice low, and kept her respect, too.

As I matured, I realized it wouldn’t kill me to show more emotion at times. Aging sometimes brings new dynamics to old relationships. My mom has become more reflective over the years, and we get along swimmingly now. My daughter is now a young adult, and we have a wonderful relationship. Thank God! Being thrown out of the house by my own child is an experience I never want to repeat.

The Secret Place

Click on logo to read a devotion - "The Secret Place."

"The other night I watched the classic movie, The Secret Garden, made in 1949 and based on the children's book by Frances Hodgson Burnett, about a sad and troubled girl who finds peace while solving the mystery of a secret garden...."

Simple Living - Who ARE the Joneses?

My Simple Living Column is up on the Dabbling Mum. Click HERE to read "Who Are the Joneses?"

For Father's Day: Playing for My Father

The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. – Exodus 15:2 NIV


Luther Jack Riley, L.J. for short, was not a musical man. His wife, Mammie, grew up singing, and when they visited her family, the whole clan gathered around the piano to sing for hours. But not L.J. – he sat to the side and listened, never singing a note.

At the age of nine, Lavawan, the youngest of L.J. and Mammie’s four children, found out his dad had a plan. Even though no one in the family had ever expressed a desire to play a musical instrument, for some inexplicable reason, his father decided to buy a piano.

Lavawan waited on pins and needles for the piano to be delivered. Somehow he knew, as if by instinct, he’d be able to play it. He’d already begun calling it "my piano.”

Finally the day arrived. It rained hard that day, and the movers covered the wood with plastic sheeting. They rolled the old upright into the living room, and Lavawan’s anticipation grew as they peeled back the plastic. He had such an unusual feeling about it all. He knew before he sat down he could play that piano.

All four children took turns trying to play. One by one, they quit – except Lavawan. Every single day, he spent hours picking out notes. He had no teachers, no lessons, just a tenacious determination to learn.

L.J. worked shift work at the paper mill and often had to sleep during the day. It would be difficult for most people to sleep with a kid banging on the ivories for hours on end, but not L.J.

Lavawan’s mom pulled him aside to tell him she'd noticed something odd. "When you play the piano, your dad sleeps. When you quit, he wakes up."

One day Lavawan knelt down beside his bed and prayed a fervent prayer. “Please, God, if you’ll give me the ability to play, I’ll use it for Your glory the rest of my life.” Within a few months’ time, he could play almost every song the congregation sung at church. He became the church pianist at the age of ten.

Over the next few years, he learned to read and write music fluently. He became a concert pianist, and played for thousands of people. Thousands more sang as he played in worship services. Lillenus Publishing Company has released several books of arrangements for piano by Lavawan Riley.

He testifies, “The call on my life depended on a decision and act of my father totally independent of me. He did not know I would become a pianist and serve in the ministry all these years. I know God guided the steps of my father.”

L.J. Riley passed away a few months ago at the age of 84. Lavawan played for his father’s funeral. While he played, all he could think of was that rainy day many years ago when his daddy felt led by the Holy Spirit to buy a piano.

As he filed past the casket, Lavawan laid his left hand on his father’s lifeless right hand and prayed another fervent prayer. “God, these hands have finished their work. They toiled for years, and now they toil no more. But in my hands, there is still life, and I will use my hands to serve You the rest of my days. Thank you, God, for giving me such a father.”




******************************

Lavawan and his wife, Sheila, are dear friends. I’ve been blessed to see him in concert many times. When he plays, the Spirit of God fills the room.

I never knew L.J. Riley. When I asked Lavawan about his dad, he sent along a picture taken two years ago. He looked exactly like I imagined he would – a short, pudgy man in a ball cap with a friendly smile.

Even though we never met, I am grateful to L.J. Riley for his openness to guidance from the Lord. My desire is to be led of the Spirit the same way in every area of my life.


Prayer: Lord, I love You and give thanks for the gift of music. I praise You for my own musical ability, and pray I will be faithful to minister for Your glory. Like Lavawan, I am grateful for my earthly father, but most of all, I thank You for being my heavenly Father. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

*Originally posted Father's Day, 2004

NEWS! Look for one of my stories in The Best Dad in the World - in bookstores now! (and in The Best Grandma in the World, too!)

A Coloring Page/Hidden Picture Puzzle for Father's Day

Visit Topsy Turvy Land to print out a hidden picture puzzle to solve and then color from Liz Ball, Hidden Pictures Publishing.

Click HERE!

Captivating Women Quarterly - June 13

I invite you to attend the Captivating Women Quarterly - Summer 2009 Mini-Conference. From 11:15am - 12:30 pm, I will be teaching Workshop 2 - "Write His Glory."

"As Christians, whether we're writing a book, a magazine article, or for the web, our ultimate goal is to write for God's glory. Would you like to see more clearly how God is involved in your writing process? Come ready to examine what motivates you to write and to determine how best to use your unique gifts to obey His call to communicate the message He's given you…for His glory!"

Come ready to delve deep into your motivation to write and route a course for your unique gifts from God.

To register, click the banner above.