Next Meeting - Saturday, June 4

What is the only way to be a writer?


To write!!


That's the focus of our next meeting, Saturday June 4th from 2:00 - 4:00 pm. 


After a writing exercise, we will critique submitted work. As usual, pieces will be critiqued in the order they were submitted to the group prior to June 4th. Critique guidelines can be found at the bottom of the NJCWG blog. 

Congratulations Sr. Jane!





Kudos to NJCWG member Sr. Jane Ablen on being published in Today's Catholic Teacher magazine! Her Audio Drama article (highlighted on the cover) was published in the Apr/May 2011 edition on pp. 73-82. 


Sr. Jane expressed her appreciation to members of the NJCWG who provided both encouragement and critique, which she incorporated into her article. 


Such a blessing for all of us to be a part of this group that rejoices with each other's triumphs and offers honest critique as "iron sharpens iron." 


Next meeting - June 4th at 2:00 pm. 

Re: May 7 meeting

Fellow Writers,
In January, we shared specific personal writing goals (submit a magazine article, complete a devotional, edit poems for submission, etc.). We also identified the next three steps it would take to reach those goals. For some, those steps included finding a market, writing a queery, or writing x number of pages.

It's time for a check up. If you were not present for our previous goal setting discussions, I invite you to join in now.

Bring the following to our May meeting:
o       A progress report on the goal you shared in January (or a new one) - be specific
o       The steps you have taken toward that goal and one to three specific next steps, no matter how small they may be.

We will only review goal focused critiques at the May meeting. That is, a “next step” piece, not random writing. Please bring something that is part of your goal. Remember the critique guidelines (posted at the bottom of our blog). You may email the group with an attatchment of your work, but please select only those names that attend meetings. Critiques are handled in the order received.
This should keep you busy this week. Come prepared & expectant!
Writing for Him,
Barbara

Next Meeting - Saturday, May 7

The next meeting of the NJCWG is this Saturday, May 7, 2:00-4:00, at High Mountain Church of the Nazarene, 681 High Mountain Road, North Haledon.

We will have a writing exercise for the first hour and do critiques the second hour. If you have any work to submit for critique, please email to the group ahead of time. Thanks! 

Copies of the 2011 Christian Writers Market Guide are available for purchase at a reduced rate. Also available is a lending library of helpful writers books. 

 

Though not anticipated, please check here at this blog regarding any unexpected  cancellation.

Writing Opportunity - MOPS Devotional

Here's a writing opportunity; all material must be unpublished/never published. Please contact the editor with questions.
-------
2012 MOPS Devotional Seeks Submissions

Never Alone is a devotional for mothers underscoring God's promise of His presence in her life - all the time. Scheduled for publication by Revell for a Summer release in 2012, Never Alone will be a companion to the 2012 theme book for Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) International.

You are invited to audition devotionals for this special book by sharing your own moments and memories of how God's presence -- or your yearning for it -- impacted or is impacting your days of parenting preschoolers. As we know, motherhood can be an isolating exercise. But God is there in the loneliness and most clueless moments, as well as those joyful instances we want to freeze for all eternity. Please consider sharing a part of your faith journey with today's 100,000 MOPS moms and others who can be encouraged by your experiences. Feel free to share this call for submissions with others who might have a heart for this project and a compelling story to impart.

Categories for submissions are:
Dawn: God is with us… in the firsts.
Nourishment: God is with us… and provides.
Monkey Bars and Cardboard Cars: God is with us… in laughter and play.
Holding Hands: God is with us… in our marriages.
Time Out: God is with us…when we feel overwhelmed.
In the Dark: God is with us… and in control.
Matching Socks: God is with us… in the mundane.
Duty Calls: God is with us… in our sacrifice.
Girl Power: God is with us…in our friendships.
On The Move: God is with us… in our work.

Guidelines are as follows:
· Submissions should be approximately 600 words, and if possible include a scripture reference pertinent to what you are sharing. We reserve the right to use a different verse if necessary.
· Devotionals are essentially stories: vivid, conversational, focused pieces that inspire, not preach. We want to help moms reframe their view of motherhood to include God where they might not have. Your honest voice is very important, as is your ability to be clear and purposeful. And where warranted, humorous!
· Your name, address, email address, phone number and devotional category and word count should appear at the top of your submission.
· Email submissions to swallace@mops.org. Deadline is June 1.
· Writers will be paid $50 for each accepted submission. Writers may submit in several categories.
· Please include a 50-word biography at the end of each submission that includes information on your own season of motherhood.
May God bless you and reveal himself to you in your mothering always.
Happy writing,
Susan Besze Wallace, editor

10 Ways To Start Your Story Better

In Writers Digest of March 29, 2011, Jacob M. Appel shared a powerful article on opening lines:

 

A good opening line is a powerful thing: It can grab an editor’s attention, set the tone for the rest of the piece, and make sure readers stay through The End. Here are 10 ways to steer your story toward success.

http://writersdigest.com/article/10-ways-to-start-your-story-better/?et_mid=245443&rid=22318893

April 2 meeting

Our next meeting is Saturday, April 2, 2:00-4:00 at the High Mountain Church of the Nazarene, North Haledon, NJ.

Are you a poet and don't know it?

Our resident poet, Maude Carolan, has agreed to speak to us about writing poetry. I've given Maude most of our meeting time for teaching & encouraging our poetic inclinations. If time allows we will critique the submitted poems that have been on hold. Part of Maude's tutorial will include time for us to write a poem relevant to the season so you may want to start thinking about that beforehand.

If you have not yet done so, please email Christine your immediate writing goal with up to three specific next steps.

Remember, we write for Him!
Barbara

March Meeting - The 5 W's of Blogging

Our next meeting is this Saturday, March 5, 2:00-4:00, at High Mountain Church of the Nazarene, 681 High Mountain Road, North Haledon.

Agenda:
Susan Panzica will present "The 5 W's of Blogging."

Active members who maintain a blog will be permitted to have a link on the NJCWG site. If you have a lap top, feel free to bring it.

We will do critiques during the second hour.

Copies of the 2011 Christian Writers Market Guide will be available for purchase at a reduced rate.

 

Though not expected, please check here at this blog regarding cancellation due to weather.

February Meeting CANCELLED!

Hi all!
Due to the weather, today's meeting of the NJCWG is cancelled.

Next meeting is Saturday, March 5th from 2:00 - 4:00 pm.

The tutorial on blogging will be presented. Looking forward to seeing you all then. Let's all pray for favorable weather!

Copies of the 2011 Christian Writers Market Guide will be available for purchase at a reduced rate.

February Meeting

Our next meeting is this Saturday, February 5, 2:00-4:00, at High Mountain Church of the Nazarene, 681 High Mountain Road, N. Haledon. Please check here at this blog regarding cancellation due to weather.


Agenda:
Susan Panzica will present a tutorial on blogging. Active members who maintain a blog will be permitted to have a link on the NJCWG site. If you have a lap top please bring it.


We will do critiques during the second hour.

Copies of the 2011 Christian Writers Market Guide will be available for purchase at a reduced rate.

Here's the Latest!

The North Jersey Christian Writers Group currently meets on the first Saturday of each month from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at:

High Mountain Church of Nazarene
681 High Mountain Road
North Haledon, NJ 07508

The first hour is a short devotion followed by a writing exercise.
The second hour is spent critiquing each other's work.

Any questions?
Email:
Barbara Higby at bhighby5(at)optonline(dot)net     
or
Susan Panzica at susanallenpanzica(at)gmail(dot)com.

REMINDER

REMINDER
There is NO meeting of the NJCWG on 4/3 due to the Easter holiday. Many of you requested that the last meeting be postponed so that you could attend and I will gladly accommodate you in that regard.

Our last meeting WILL be on Saturday, May 1, 2010 - 2:30 at the Ringwood Baptist Church. Please pass the word to anyone you know who would like to attend this last meeting. Everyone who attends will receive a FREE copy of Sally Stuart's Christian Market Guide as a gift.

Hope you've all been thinking and praying about what God wants you to do with your writing and whether or not God is calling you to raise the writing torch in northern New Jersey. If you are interested in taking over the NJCWG group, email me. BTW, being the facilitator of a writers group adds a lot to your writers resume . louisedumont@gmail.com

Blessings to you all,
Louise Bergmann DuMont

Good News / Bad News

Good News - I'm back from my trip to visit my granddaughter (and son & d-i-l --- grin) and we had a wonderful time!
Bad News - I got an awful cold while I was there, then I shared it with my lovely d-i-l. Yuk.
Good News - More of you will be able to attend the last meeting of the NJCWG because I have to change the date again.
Bad News - I have to change the date of our last meeting --- again. There will be NO meeting of the NJCWG on April 3,
Good News - Easter is coming up fast (April 4) and our meeting was supposed to be the day before. That would have been rather inconvenient for many of you and I would have hated not being able to say good-bye. The NEW date for the last meeting of the NJCWG is Saturday May 1, 2010.
Bad News - That is a month and a half away.

But there IS more Good News! More people will be able to come to the meeting. I have two people who called about wanting to join (yes that IS still good news) and IF any of you would like to continue a writers group, all you have to do is drop me an email and I'll be happy to walk you through the process so you can have your own meetings where ever you feel comfortable. It would also mean you would have two new members right from the start! I ask that you all seriously consider and pray about this. There really are no prerequisites to running this group. I started it when I only had one article published, had not attended any conferences, and read only two writing books. Again, please seriously consider and pray about this.

Hope to see you all of you on May 1, 2010 - 2:30 at the Ringwood Baptist Church. Please pass the word on to anyone you may know who would like to attend this last meeting.

Blessings,
Louise

Friends of Israel Conference

A Day in the Prophetic Word with the Friends of Israel

For anyone who is interested. The Friends of Israel will be hosting a conference at the Ringwood Baptist Church, 30 Carletondale Road, Ringwood, NJ 07456 on Saturady, March 6, 2010 - 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Cost $25.00 per person (includes registration, sessions, continental breakfast & lunch).

You MUST REGISTER TO ATTEND (register by Feburary 26)
You can register by picking up and mailing a registration form from the Ringwood Baptist Church or you can call 1-800-257-7843.

NOTE: because of the conference, there will be no NJCWG.

NO February Meeting

The deacons have asked me to cancel the February meeting of the NJCWG due to the predicted snow storm (our King's Kitchen program is also canceled). Again, no meeting in March - but we WILL meet in April.

See you all in the spring.

Louise

February Meeting - IMPORTANT

Two things...

1) Please check this blog before the meeting this Saturday. The weather is supposed to take a turn for the worst on Fri/Sat and I'd hate for someone to come all the way out to Ringwood only to find that we canceled the meeting. If need by - call me 551-427-3794.

2) Anyone who regularly attended the NJCWG meetings in 2009 will receive a FREE copy of Sally Stuart's Christian Market Guide from me. Just show up to either our February or April meetings (remember - March meeting has been canceled) and you will get your copy. First come, first served. This is my going away gift to you all for many happy years of friendship and fellowship.

Blessings,
Louise

February Meeting

February Meeting of the NJCWG will take place on the first Saturday of February - 2/6/10 at the Ringwood Baptist Church, 30 Carletondale Road, Ringwood, NJ 07456. 2:30 - 5:00 p.m.

NOTE: There will be NO March Meeting because the Ringwood Baptist Church will be hosting The Friends of Israel Prophecy Seminar that weekend. I will post more information on this blog about this event later. Everyone is welcome to attend. There will be a $25.00 fee but that includes a continental breakfast and a lunch.

Announcement
I need to find homes for ten copies of Sally Stuart's 2010 Market Guide. The cost is $20.00 which includes shipping (selling retail for $24.99). I would REALLY like to be able to sell 9 copies. Please let me know ASAP if you want a copy - email me @ louisedumont@gmail.com. I will have the copies at the February meeting.

April Meeting - 4/3/10

One More Important Announcement
After a great deal of prayer and much serious consideration, I am announcing that the NJCWG (North Jersey Christian Writer's Group) will hold its last meeting on April 3, 2010. Its been wonderful facilitating this group, but I believe God is leading me in an other direction. I am no longer giving the appropriate amount of time to this group and believe you would be better served elsewhere. Our last two meetings (February 6 & April 3) will be spent talking about alternative places to find critique help, online vs in-person writers groups, and writing organizations that help new writers. I will also try to provide other resources that will help you in the months to come. Please pass the word that this group is disbanding.

I would not trade a moment of the last 10 years with the NJCWG, but I do believe it is time for me to do other things. Thank you all for your friendship and support. I hope each and every one of you will keep in touch and you certainly can call on me for individual help when you need it.

Sincerely,
Louise Bergmann DuMont
Jehovah-Tsidkenu
(The Lord is my Righteousness)

Dec & Jan Meetings Canceled

Hi everyone

The November meeting of the NJCWG was a blessing - as always - but because of the upcoming holidays, we will not meet again until February 6, 2010.

There will be NO meetings in December (12/5) or January (1/2).

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving and a most blessed Christmas.

See you in February!

NJCWG Facilitator
Louise Bergmann DuMont

November Meeting

***Please also read the post listed previous to this one for important notes regarding upcoming meetings.***

NOVEMBER MEETING DETAILS
At our November meeting we will be working on story structure. The lesson portion of our meeting will be run as an interactive workshop. Please bring paper and writing implements.

Nov Meeting of the NJCWG

Dear NJCWG Members

The next meeting of the North Jersey Christian Writers Group will be...

Saturday November 7, 2009
2:30-5:00
Ringwood Baptist Church
Ringwood, NJ 07456

For our December Meeting...

On Saturday December 5, 2009
We will hold a Christmas Social. More information will be posted about this shortly.
You will need to bring a "Christmas" piece written by you (one page please).
You will need to bring some Christmas "goodies" to share with the group (sweet or savory - but keep it on the lighter side)

Regarding January....
There will be no January meeting (1/2/10) of the NJCWG.